let. me. the biggest stories of the week here on artsy blot of putin emerges triumphant in the russian presidential election after turning the overwhelming poll numbers into a convincing victory but tough challenges are still ahead for the new leader. the russian opposition scrambles to recapture the public's passion but dashed expectations and internal fractures believe the movement increasingly short of support. russia and the arab league are finally in the same boat over how to stop the syrian crisis but there are still those trying to put sticks in the spokes of diplomacy. and three days of violence more deaths are reported in israeli

airstrikes on gaza this after the assassination of a palestinian resistance leader sends rockets flying over the border. it is so good to have you with us today this is. rory sushi live in moscow the long harsh and hard fought race for the kremlin is over with prime minister vladimir putin now set to make a return to the presidency after a landslide election victory but expectations are now greater than any other time with serious national challenges still ahead compounded by a public more politically acute than ever before now that he selects the chefs he reports. it was not an emotional night for him yet i do still i promise you we

would when we get him. i mean. we have you on. the foreign minister may have just a few in his two years are going to say no one would be surprised if it was caused by the joy of big sleep i it was hardly a shock. scootin had been be elections clear front runner but even shield result of almost sixty four percent stunned even those at the helm who would never think of such a high result so it's even higher than they were predicting for ourselves and shows once again actually proves that putin is a political figure number one of his country and a his potential is yet to has yet to be open told her that it's no time to party now many experts believe keaton's real challenge in fact starts now that. this will be sort of a battle between the two alternatives concepts of the state the relevant coherent development strategies for myself identify the first concept as put in

a land they want russian political system to be transparent whereas russia's economy where they will get no nepotism and no corruption but on the other hand this other group of process elite as well as russian probably whom i associate with the idea of point they just need status quo they need just some handouts from the state they don't want any change which is little to no where to change manifested itself in the sudden rise of me how you broke it off in under four months the russian billionaire managed to persuade more than five million people to vote for him many say this new face in the country stalled six has serious potential and little sort of already declared an intention to form an opposition party with putin promising he would cooperate with it to symbolize the new the new russia and some be sure the other candidates. from the old and stylish

solid. then all you know any more leaders will the younger generation in four years speak for themselves second place communist leaders are going to gauge seventeen percent in hugh speed complain for presidency less than he's courting. the parliamentary vote and experts say even this can mostly as protests go team in the eyes of many this is a clear signal it's time for you since to make way in the western countries you can find he loses the election peace leader isn't from changed if it happens again that he's definitely changed these guys had lost three times prior to this a lot of those folks are still seen as being somewhat out of touch the view of the russian street is you know look guys had their chance in the one nine hundred ninety six groupings are you know we still need stronger leadership they're able to offer we need a more concrete program to put in will continue his work as prime minister for two more months a period which could become crucial and decisive for the country's long term future

. in will officially return to the kremlin on may the seventh that is when his inauguration takes place i till then the president elect will have to work out a strategy of holding a dialogue between those in power and those in the streets and given that some are still calling for him to step down even after such a convincing victory this may prove to be quite a task alexi russia ski r.t. reporting from moscow. and one of the issues of this presidential campaign it will be remembered for is the massive rallies that heralded a political awakening of russia's public and by all appearances they work with transparency becoming a top government priority today however the protest movement is fizzling and support quickly fading seems a really good looks at the reasons why. when the protesters i'm happy with the results of the presidential elections took to the streets the day after the votes to place some caps the police busy. and gave myself decided to mouth stay they

wanted two hours yet still in their field it was ignored although i'm not going to leave the square i'm staying here until putin leaves where the tents go and there were no tents but there was a fountain which all died so choses a makeshift stage to make his statements from and from which police removed him and several dozens of his supporters. the situation repeated itself on saturday when police pulled the south from an atrocity transformer again after the opposition rally was officially over but the antics of the opposition leaders seem to do little to keep people coming to protest rallies for years about but also with the with the spirit if that hysteria that irritation and aggression had continues it would have alienated but public no one here wants a revolution it wants to fight with police the people who come to these protests only want change they don't want bloodshed all violence which is what could scare

them away the results of the elections to the state duma hotly contested by many brought tens of thousands out in the streets of moscow by the day after presidential elections there are only half of that number showed up to post in squares square and even fewer still to the demonstration on saturday young of the race here is read and all i see every single protest actually stood by seville i thought i'd honestly it was a nobody that the yugoslavs only way out ok as i recall your guide in a hearing was there some blame the lack of a coherent idea and absence of unity among the opposition leaders for the waning support that i had i think these people are all have a different agenda some don't even know why the hair i find a star i want to see different and pay. the candidates that i could choose from but i tell you think we can really reach any calls by protests lightnings even some of the most vocal supporters of the movement for directions see solid foundations are

necessary to carry on with the movement ok because that's in the book of some sort of regulation in structure is needed some sort of goals an understanding of what happens next which could be easily understood by are also necessary. movements which began as a call for free and fair elections in russia for going to go through the state duma seems to have turned into haphazard series of gatherings they have achieved success in bringing people. suited streets. try to attract more attention to their slogans but we are now witnessing their slogans needs to be changed there's a need for a new age gender impact of the rallies seem to have only one slogan account with putin like what to do if he leaves no one seems to know in moscow those who are to meet. reaction to but important to return to the presidency by no means stop at

russia's borders coming up in about twenty minutes a stake for everyone the media has a relentless tirade against putin his candidacy comes to a hard stop as observers in russian voters paint a very different picture of reality. that if you're in the mood for more election stories or footage of pre and post poll rallies you can always find what you looking for at r.t. dot com also their expert and a matter of opinion on what's ahead for russia in the course of the people want to take that a much more at r.t. dot com. debate on how to stop the syrian crisis has been tending towards diplomacy rusher and the arab league of come up with a joint plan ruling out foreign meddling and calling on both the government and the opposition to lay down arms says the u.n. arab envoy is in syria promoting an all inclusive dialogue with r.t. as maria financial reports there are those still trying to hinder the efforts.

after several recent differences between western and arab views and those of russia and china on how the long running syrian conflict should be handled we are now seeing some consensus spoken after the meeting with his arab counterparts russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov has said they have an out a common plan that sends a clear message to all the sides being involved in this crisis the solution to this goal we've agreed a joint position of five main points first just violence wherever it comes from second to create an impartial and independent monitoring system that no external interference which forces the unrestricted deliberate humanitarian aid to syrians and finally the firm support of cause to start political start between the government and position you've seen as it's sort of the new group of the joints you arab league envoy sconce the only peace mission here in damascus both sources and within the country opposition welcomed the initiative but the efforts were dismissed even before coffee and a rival to syria fight and now the opposition group based outside the country the

syrian national council recognized by many countries but as the legitimate representative of the syrian people second for democratic changes firmly rejects a talk called one. possible aside these calls were followed by suggestions by qatar to deploy foreign troops to syria but there is a fear here on the grounds of the growing international interference in the country's conflict is paving the way for an even bigger crisis as the syrian conflict stretches sounds fine it has also spread geographically by case of the uprising belt far from the country's borders what's happening in syria is hard work . and what you've seen is the international community mobilize against the assad regime strategic analyst dr salinas says one thing is clear though that motor isolation has many more forms and officially stated. during the operation in baba amr the syrian army. arrested fighters from gulf countries and afghanistan iraq

libya and some european states their work was coordinated by qatari and saudi intelligence officers as well as cia and mossad it's also seized israeli weapons especially in take take missiles and israeli drones while the u.s. and many other countries have admitted al qaeda linked extremists groups fighting alongside the arms opposition in syria up to something says some countries are using those groups to further their own interests. to get local players involved in order to hide there and this is why we hear mostly arabs like saudi arabia and qatar or iran in these countries don't have democracy at home of course they cannot ask for a stabbing in syria they have another agenda. there are books and resources where this plan is described in detail taking and had of course never blogger and freelance journalist has been investigated for a serious crisis since last year she says this is

a story with three main chapters often smuggled across the border but this is contractors and foreign cash when you see a lot of money here i believe this is comparable to what happened in the civil war. there were plenty of money then you will find not the going to book about. something nobody would kill him so. now you would see now this is. here with more and more reports on international involvement emerging and calls to the opposition getting louder even for those at the crossroads of the uprising the initial euphoria is turning the tide. i can say we regret what we did but we didn't want things to go back. to much militarized globalized and violent we never were. and don't go into the. foot fears are of lizzie's

says it's could be to meet to stop this old it orange flames of conflict while the conflict between president bashar assad and his opponents here in syria i call to enter eight separate india and now the conflict is also in full swing between those calling on dialogue and political settlement as their way out and those who insist on minutes free solution and the let's say started in two fights almost as important as the one claim in blood on the streets. not see damascus syria. top u.s. defense officials admitted this week that president obama has asked the pentagon to sort out military options on syria about despite recently dismissing veteran senator john mccain's calls for air strikes saying that any attack would be a mistake to transport cost gerald stone say believes washington is just not even remotely interested in diplomacy in the region when you hear war hawks like

senators lindsey graham and john mccain calling for bombs away and again go back and play over you see the same scenario their heads come in and they say we have to be calm we need to try and we have to use the problem this see in the meanwhile they're building up the military conflict and you heard president obama say at the height of the iranian incident with netanyahu that he said you know that at this time when there is not a lot of sympathy for iran and it's only now why syria is on the ropes we have to quiet it down a little bit. i know it'll come to be actually next hour here on our to another state or in the string of arab revolutions are remains rather restless libya's new rulers are accused of kidnapping the style tactics as they threaten to use force

against eastern separatists. and emotional japan one year on the country stands united in solemn silence to remember the thousands of lives taken by the deadly earthquake and tsunami last march i will be in our next home. a u.s. soldier has been detained after going on a shooting rampage in southern afghanistan killing sixteen civilians including nine at children it's thought he opened fire inside local homes in the middle of the night nato is investigating the incident which comes after mass protests just last month over the inadvertent burning of copies of the koran of the u.s. military base now let's get more reaction on this now with lindsey german from the stop the war coalition my thanks for coming on our team today so after the outrage scene following the koran burning so this couldn't have come at a worse time could it do you think in any way this could affect the u.s. position in afghanistan. oh i think it certainly will affect the u.s.

position because what's happening i mean the americans will try to say this is just an isolated incident but we have to remember that there are one hundred thousand occupying troops there are many many times for a sions over the. that isn't just about the offense to islam it's also about the occupation itself the air strikes and particularly in this case we know that every now internet and stand up to forty houses a raided looking for alleged terrorists in the country now if this soldier is one of the many who have been involved in these rates and it does raise many many questions as to exactly how the americans are treating the occupied population the afghan people and i think it will have a very very serious effect. on the afghans as you do reading president karzai when it comes to as you say when it comes to how american troops are dealing with the

locals across afghanistan as you say with these multiple nighttime raids let's just one possible medical issue here we could this shooting spree in any way be related to the pressures and the long gerrity of being in a war zone perhaps some sort of war fatigue of a soldier who was nighttime shooting. well we don't know exactly what problems you know of course i'm sure there are huge pressures i'm sure people are tired of the war but this is a reason for getting the troops out not keeping them there in places where they are able to leave those places ends of people's houses and children in the way that they plan to meet this raises the whole question of war the occupying troops are doing in afghanistan they've been saying this is a mission for peace and democracy for helping to bring an improvement in the situation of afghans it is increasingly the case of this is looking like a brutal occupation which is killing a large number of afghans where afghans film selves humiliated. and where instances

like this will be regarded as a symbolic of exactly what is wrong with the american patient which if you think you think in some way it an occupation or an intervention is in some way cause it is move you look at iraq iraq has a form of democracy now libya liberated now with the n.t. see getting its act together afghanistan a new government is it possible though the intervention in afghanistan how good a successor i. think you know the description the giving. the fantasy the reality is iraq is a broken conferee it's a knowledge by many people with up to a million people that the financing and possible tell titian is growing up again in libya only a few months after we are with this was a massive success and afghanistan if you look at what even the military and even the governments represented by eyes up to say they all can see privately sending publicly now that this war is not being won they are having to negotiate with the

taliban it is an absolutely cynical operation to say that they can't keep the troops here in afghanistan for another three years how many more people will die how many more instances like this the only solution to this is to bring the troops home when for these for these governments. the start of the in countries where they have absolutely no right to intervene with me just for interrupting for a moment i'm running very low on time here but just going back to this a u.s. soldier who's gone on a shooting spree a nighttime shooting spree in afghanistan killing sixteen at least several children nine children in that as well leaving the government aside what sort of response would you expect this incident to provoke from the afghan people i would expect the response from the afghans exactly as i would expect a response from any country in the world where this has happened where nine children have been killed they will regard this as a matter of grave concern they will mccarthy i think as another reason to want to

get the troops out and that will help them pay for the writer lizzy german from the stop the war coalition many thanks for coming on r.t. it's ago thank you. now israel has carried out several airstrikes on gaza killing seventeen people over the past three days it's the worst violence the region has seen in more than a year now the first attack came despite an informal truce between the sides and it targeted a high ranking palestinian resistance leader and sparked a fierce exchange of fire paula smear reports. the situation here on the ground continues to escalate as israeli forces and palestinian militants continue exchanges of fire for the third straight day today sunday now the latest figures we have put the palestinian death toll at seventeen most of them are members of islamic jihad overnight a twelve year old palestinian boy was killed in the interim value of refugee camp by an israeli air strike is reportedly mediating what he's trying to mediate there

is a hamas indication in egypt and the interruption of that or to the palestinian authority has put the blame certainly on the shoulders of the israelis saying that they are to blame for great came this test that cease fire that has been in place between israel and gaza at the same time the arab league has been meeting in cairo and they've also called the israeli airstrikes and message now tomorrow monday in the middle east quartet is need to look at these stalled negotiations between israelis and palestinians that meeting comes ahead of a special session of the united nations security council that will be addressing the arab spring uprisings. paula sliver affording now it has been a week of shop ups and downs for the greek economy athens managed to talk private creditors into accepting a crucial bond a swap deal that's considered the biggest debt write down in history and the agreement seemed to loosen the noose around athens neck by reducing the debt by

more than one hundred billion euros a year leaders praised the deal to the skies claiming a solution to the crisis had at last been found but just hours later the eurocrats suffered a major slap in the face by the credit rating agencies as moody's and fitch declared greece in default of the markets back to the trend by showing no signs of optimism william anderson associate professor from frostburg state university is resolute in his assessment which is at the end of the day default. whatever you settle with your creditor for less than what you. have agreed to do it i don't care how systematic it is or how complicated these debts swaps are we are dealing with a real lie before everybody knows that just because sir cosy claims that it isn't a deed for all means absolutely nothing it's a politician i don't believe you also have to deal with the fact that for a long time the greek government has been you know living this gravy train an

imaginary gravy train with borrowed money and now all of a sudden it realities hitting them and i think that. in the long run you're going to see what's happening right now athens and burning people setting fires you know that does not exactly bode well for tourists unless i know people come to greece to see ruins but they want to see the ruins on talk of the acropolis and not in downtown athens. meanwhile public anger over unemployment in spain is so intense that it's even caused the official commemoration of the two thousand and four madrid train bombings to be postponed by a day all because of nationwide rallies called by the country's two biggest trade you switch of drawn thousands on to the streets and they're outraged over reforms that make it easier and cheaper for companies to fire workers the country's unemployment rate is currently soaring with more than one in five spaniards are.

and in other world news here on r t a suicide bomber in northwest pakistan has attacked a funeral being attended by an anti taliban politician at least thirteen mourners have been killed and thirty others wounded the politician did escape unhurt however the secular leaning our army national party holds power in the region and several of its leaders have been targeted in the person. we're back to our top story here at sea the russian presidential election of two thousand and twelve from politicians to the media across the world the election run out was an opportunity to make a statement drawn out public opinion and take cheap shots but for many of them putin's sixty four percent victory came as an anticlimax leaving some newsrooms with very little to say that these are bennett now delves into how harsh rhetoric may come with a hefty price tag. a ruthless dictator whose days are numbered not exactly the language of international diplomacy but that's what britain's former

foreign secretary thinks of russia's president elect casting his aspersions even before russians cast their vote while david miliband is using these sort of expressions dictatorship conform to reality in a dictatorship people are not allowed to protest people are not allowed to walk around publicly with placards bearing the face of the leader of the country with derogatory terms written across the cards we've seen this in russia david miliband comments appeared in a british tabloid the morning of russia's presidential poll long before it finished the m.p. accusing putin of reversing russia's reforms because of vested interests and sort of claim some experts say typifies the perception here of putin and russia the coverage has been very stereotyped so that when bad things happen in russia then they get huge coverage and then when is it with good things or progress like genuine economic progress that tends not to get reported david miliband may not be

in government now but he's widely expected to feature again should labor return to power should that happen he'll face a tough job repairing relations with russia after such a venomous attack talk about getting off on the wrong foot as miliband asserts that to a vital partners when it comes to foreign policy security and economic issues david cameron's reactions of putin's elections been far more measured until now the prime ministers haven't exactly been close didn't even make it on to cameron's extensive christmas card list last year but while cameron may not have congratulated person on winning he has endorsed the results it's clear the election has delivered a new science result evenly and your polling data could put in above the fifty percent needed to win in the first. the same can't be said of britain according to the electoral reform society two thirds of m.p.'s elected in two thousand and ten

lacked a clear majority thanks to the ballot method of first past the post is russia's electoral system perfect no it's not but then our electoral system in the world is perfect let's not forget that in britain british prime minister ever achieves anywhere near fifty percent of the vote but protest movement against putin's return to the presidency is certainly loud but according to official election results it's a war by those in favor putin received almost sixty four percent of the vote miliband predicts that support won't last for long but while it does britain will have to like it or lump it if it wants to do business by the bennetts r.t. on the. and i will be back with a recap of the week's top stories and of course today's headlines in just a moment. you

know are sometimes you see a story and it seems so horny you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realize that everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm sorry welcome to the big picture .