the u.s. teams up with its arab friends to pressure the syrian government it is admission despite ongoing un efforts to mediate a diplomatic solution. washington also put the squeeze on syria's ally iran pushing sanctions to pledging to sanction countries that don't reduce imports of oil from the islamic state. we live in the past r.t. this is the only remaining soviet forced labor camps the gulag and here's the hari accounts of its former inmates.

a day and in moscow i match reza good to have you with us here on r.t. our top story the syrian opposition is rallying in a bid to convince international allies that it is a unified force rebels expect more backing from a u.s. led group of nations on sunday when the so-called friends of syria can be in for a second summit the group aims to pile more pressure on the syrian government while lending a helping hand to president assad's opponents head of the conference u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton is in saudi arabia meeting with washington's key regional allies the saudis and qataris have been leading calls to start arming the syrian rebels and may even weigh in with military force political analyst chris bambery from the international socialist group thinks the u.s. is reluctant to get involved directly but willing door sacks or. so days of very keen to overthrew the assad regime as soon as possible and one to. increase

the arms which are going to the syrian rebels the free syrian army except the americans are slightly weary not because the skins overthrew the assad regime because of from their own experience the no or the providing weapons probably also means involve providing weapons instructions and so on and can lead to involvement in a conflict which we see the easy solution to the west has almost overworked and so the humanitarian agenda the question of civil rights inside saudi arabia what it's doing to its own people and what is done for the people of yemen bahrain and other countries around it because business is good with saudi arabia they are two things in the way they use that when you don't like a regime they will use the human race card when you wake a regime because the silence over the question of human rights as they have done with this idea of leaving the regime and indeed back when we don't hear any condemnation from hillary clinton or david cameron spy washington's unconditional support for

a saudi allies the arab states been accused by human rights groups of suppressing personal freedoms. as well. the coronation bank made in beirut the spain for its refreshing breeze and its breezy ways it's a place where headscarves and ministers don't come into conflict even when beyond politics ones. with a reputation as the most liberal arab society lebanon is often becoming a refuge for the citizens of the region's most restrictive country thousands of saudis come to beirut every month what some call a free implication i was born in care say i suffered a lot there because it's it's too too too limited i have to cover my face my eyes my whole body what i'm hearing being over here please look at me it is here where many saudi women get a chance to walk the streets old were themselves and saudi man can and don't groom cells in a gambling invariants mainly casinos something that would be absolutely off limits

at home saudi arabia is the most conservative country in the world where women are still banned from driving and need permission from that male guardian be a father a husband or son to simply get a job the royal family that's been keeping these rules in place and says they're part of the saudi heritage and therefore should be respected but while prescribing this restrictive lifestyle for its citizens some members of saudi dawn seem to think these rules apply to themselves. when it comes to cutting loose have brought some of the stone establishment don't exactly present a picture of religious piety saudi princes have been seen reigning hundreds of thousands of dollars and women in nightclubs ready cash for their sides. the excesses of the sly few and restrictions for everybody else has not gone unnoticed killing probably just been turned that over the past year or has been

repeatedly met with life rounds. who are protesters have been killed in rio. this year alone up to fifty arrested. in march the country's really just council issued a fatwa that equated demonstrations to a scene punishable by death once you have a demonstration and so the plea that demonstration would be oppressed harshly and we have heard and seen many reports why and dependent reporters and human rights organizations verifying the spark. straightens and so they are abia are simply illegal yet despite harsh treatment of its own protesters saudi arabia has been very supportive of elsewhere. was among the first to push for international intervention in libya while in syria it is believed to be the main financier of the rebels when things did not move as expected mainly because of the russian

and chinese vehicles of the u.n. . they think they decided to play the measure. by announcing even publicly. their plan to answer those in syria. only pressure tactics at home and abroad here say is never scolded by the u.s. say. it and washington are currently negotiating ethics the billion dollar sale of advanced american weapons brothers in arms conveniently they're still not each other's keepers. aren't fi beirut lebanon. and still ahead this hour tightening their belts spain says its biggest austerity cuts in more than three decades after a nationwide strike against reforms. first as the u.s. seats new ways to undermine the syrian government it's now putting more sanctions on damascus closest ally iran president obama's given the all clear to the toughest

measures yet against the islamic states oil industry russian was a punitive economic measures against any country that refuses to reduce imports of fuel from iran restrictions come into force in the end of june so designed to pressure tehran to give up its controversial nuclear program white house says there's enough oil sources in the world to keep a barker from collapsing without iran's share at least expert stephen zunes thinks the u.s. strike against iran could be motivated by self-interest. it's not about. what sort of groups are these trials. sorts of older three. hours probably to see the world as it. was. through him how dishonest you are a lot of smart nuclear weapons. but the civilian nuclear program of the central for whom or to support requests through. saudi arabia.

i can see that but we've got mike powers we need to do something about how close we are so it's a classic problem where you. we're. going to. also iran secret strikes an alleged leak from a u.s. diplomat says israel's been given access to air bases on iran's border. and russia's military takes center stage with a state of your tank technology stealing the show you can find out all that and more on our website r.t.e. dot com.

eurozone finance ministers have agreed to boost the rescue fund eight hundred billion euros this is spain struggles to climb out of its debt hole announcing its biggest austerity cuts in more than three decades. cut twenty seven billion euros from its budget this year this after tens of thousands of protesters hit the streets thursday to battle against labor reforms the strike turned violent in barcelona as demonstrators smashed windows and set fire to trash bins while the country struggles to rise out of its debt crisis economic avarice michael ross says payne will be able to implement the new cuts. what i can see is the world has been one to make the spanish government is not only visited to fill it's also impossible when you look at the private sector private security through to the mall is bankrupt when you look at the banks all of the central bank bankrupt

government bonds some honest banker home can be implemented is closer to pick which in these circumstances so everybody will see this won't work and what i what i see is that spain is the last nail in the euro zone coffin so i mean we have two possibilities one of the euro will be obviously not working well the first is that who have kind of the mistake in selection in spain itself so they have to pull out of the ruin all the to come the people of the other one is the financial aspect that it is not possible to help spain with fire. seven hundred thirty euros in order to refinance themselves so if this if you could come to this point and then i think then the german you would pull out of the euro well still to come here on our t.v. homeless in hollywood. i think america's run around. captain sable hole would have been cleaned up they all back yard right here on skid row you

know if you've got the largest of all most popular in america right. you know where to go the city of angels homeless community growing while the government live here is to be turning a blind eye or an acute. but first political prisoner is a term associated with a dark chapter in soviet history when millions were locked up in forced labor camps known as gulags in a bid to make sure the horrors of the past aren't forgotten russia's converted one of the gulags into a museum but he's peter all there visited the site and spoke with a former inmate. hidden away in the ural mountains hundreds of kilometers from the nearest city is term thirty six where the soviet government sent its dissidents now though it's a museum dedicated to making sure that part of twentieth century history is never forgotten. people wanted to understand the causes of those reprisals name all the victims and pass the knowledge of what happened here on to future generations. of

was an inmate at the term camp in one nine hundred seventy four he was sentenced to seven years for agitation and anti soviet propaganda now in his eighty's he still remembers life on the inside. the actual deprivation of freedom was very significant indeed but there are things that made up for it you had the freedom which didn't exist beyond that. the freedom to actually say anything you wanted without fear because they do to you you were in prison already today surrogate is a human rights activist occasionally he goes back to where he was imprisoned to talk to students and other groups about life behind bars in the soviet union in the punishment cell you had to stay without warning underwear and burning it was usually very cold which was serious we had to sleep on bare and planks with no pillock. and you see in a term thirty six allows visitors to come face to face with the realities of repression with much of the original structure still intact it gives historians

a glimpse into a harsh life not found anywhere else it's extraordinary because. their. camp. however turn thirty six is not the only place that the repressions of the soviet era are remembered today monuments like this one in moscow which contains a rock taken from one of the very first camps serve as a reminder of all of those who were held as political prisoners in the u.s.s.r. those who campaigned for human rights in our world now will see that by keeping the past in focus history's mistakes will be repeated. whenever we remember our past we keep bringing up the main theme of rights and freedom you past can be described as one big violation of human rights it was a symbol of lawlessness and a lack of freedom so if we forget our past we will be unable to build

a decent future. peter oliver r.t. . so the gun this hour football fever ukrainian landlords getting ready the score big as you have gears up to welcome millions of euro football fans. are going to be the currency it reminds me of her yet there's no more dollars or euros or anything what are we going to be training probably beans we take to the streets of new york to gauge opinions on the u.s. world powers status. but turning first to some other stories making headlines across the globe rebels and value of captured a strategic state a town of key dollars just a week after a military coup overturn the president and seize power it's the biggest town claimed by the sahara desert rebel group called toerags who have launched several uprisings over the years they fought in libya for the gadhafi regime before returning to the home and battle ready and better armed the coup leader captain amadou sanogo has asked for foreign help to topple the rebels. eleven people have

been killed several others injured during days of unrest in pakistan the violence was first triggered wednesday after a politician was killed in karachi in the days that followed at least ten people were shot dead prompting young people to take to the streets in protest police and military forces have been deployed to prevent further violence. chinese police have arrested six for spreading online rumors that military vehicles had been seen on the beijing streets the web post led many to believe a coup might be happening the chinese government said rumors had a bad influence on the public and sixteen websites have been shut down for posting the reports the scandal comes at a crucial time for the country's ruling elite after the removal of the office of communist party leader oh she live. the lawyer defending the u.s. soldier accused of killing seventeen afghan civilians claims authorities are keeping a clear investigation are preventing

a clear investigations of the case the soldier could face the death penalty if found guilty russians trying to mend its relationship with kabul since the incident earlier this month our military contributor thinks the u.s. isn't trying hard enough the latest trip to afghanistan might probably be remembered as one of the most unfortunate and the least successful trip ever conducted by the pentagon chief to afghanistan considered his first major political blunder even before he boarded he explained after the koran burning he authorized the u.s. commander in afghanistan to visit draw all american advisers from there have given institutions both military and civilian so maybe he'd even recognize when he did was probably too late the day it was this second biggest insult you

could ever commit even afghanistan that is insulting their religion when you display their lack of confidence in you know auto partners small wonder that he left bull two lemons first from cars i refuse ultimatum to corral all u.s. ground forces into their forward operating bases and to effectively no invoice any nitrates against he's taliban brothers and second from the taliban when they announce they're postponing the negotiations real american partners regarding reconciliation the next time any other real jump aboard the plane could better make sure that he's boned. islamabad to kabul. here really means business and a little more than two months euro football fans from around the world will fled ukraine and poland for the euro two thousand and twelve championships with more

than a million expected to descend upon kiev alone preparations to accommodate that will all are near completion but as artie's likes airships your reports those coming for the beautiful game could be in for an ugly surprise. i felt that the euro joins us well football championship has not even begun in ukraine with this key of pensioner is already in high spirits here or soon you will. come out of the leaves this summer storm and it's her last real chance to earn some money since in the us is that our pensions are next to nothing our days are numbered and we want to see them up in style and earn a little money that's why i will lead to ruin our flat to football fans will start at fifty dollars a night depending on who stays here but the price could go higher. so if you design and lack of necessary amenities like air conditioning but the matter is being fairly reasonable about the price she would charge for it but the greed of many

other private landlords could prove costly for ukraine if you prefer to travel in comfort like renting this more deadly design and fully equipped flat be prepared to pay a fortune like it across a new this is an elite apartment in central pier and it's priced in between five and ten thousand dollars a month but we will raise prices at least three fold for the euro two thousand and twelve period. which makes it at least four hundred euros a night and this is not a record breaker some hostels which had previously cost thirty euros are now available at fifteen times the price and what it offers can hardly be described as five star this england fan has already bought plane and match tickets but now he's worried his trip may be jeopardized that goes into doing anything different to war and heal the house concludes that in the past. accommodation process the roche travel process is due roy's. it's just the lack of a viable accommodation very expensive most of them university dormitories sure you

can stop in a tent but for a reasonable just a hotel put a brick first thought was i think we're going to get up salute still skyrocketing prices urged to send a stern warning to ukraine's government which promised to take action pollutants have a risk of ending up half empty for their owners to lower the prices with so many low cost airlines being able to bring fans for games into out of ukraine and might as well decide against paying here just coming for one day. accommodation prices usually hit the ceiling ahead of a big event and london will not be an exception during this summer's olympics but in the case of ukraine the gap between the price and the quality is vast and there is a great risk private landlords could and up profit less ukraine has already spent fourteen billion euros into the europe when it was a project and is expected to earn only half a billion the private sector will rake in just as much that's unless the fans would

not be scared away by the high prices let's see reporting from kiev in ukraine. or spend more than two years since the first cracks in the euro bloc began to appear with greece unveiling a series of austerity cuts the single currency has taken a hit from the euro crisis and it's having an effect on the dollar we'll take to the streets of the big apple to hear views on the declining dollar and what it may mean for the rest of the world. the value of the u.s. dollar is on the decline what does that mean this week let's talk about that do you think a dollar's decline means the u.s. is losing its status as the world power yeah i think that it's reasonable to assume you know my husband doesn't go. by don't you think that because it will make you more competitive and. i think we're all going no we're all going to i mean every country every country the end of the world time in rural you know the mines might

be right december twenty first so when it came to be the currency it was mine if yeah if there's no more dollars or euros or anything what are we going to be trading probably beans we're losing jobs to china and. you know we're we're not people who are working when you do so would you be willing to use favor money in chinese yuan if it keeps going with them i'm absolutely i think we're very depending on the dollar as the international trade depending on the dollar do you think it's going to change to something like the chinese yuan or the euro any time soon wasn't it lots of the euro the euro is really showing off the charm why do we all just take it for granted that the dollar is the. currency that we base the world economy a more stable economy compared to europe or japan or any of the other countries what about china. it's not transparent enough for me do you think that it's time to

start considering using or saving other currencies like he was under the euro. personally you know. why do you think americans only think in terms of dollars when the rest of the world things in terms of other things well i think the whole kind of it's not just currencies it's news it's everything everything it's too many people in the us are just to us centered focus in terms of their outlook on the world that we're part of it is is a function of geography so america basically are to get by in the large horse. of north america with canada and mexico being the only neighboring nations there hasn't been much need for us to be able to be fluent whether in languages or currencies for that matter do you think that stunted our growth of people oh yeah i think it can lead to some cultural isolation but they're not you can't the us dollar is on the decline the bottom line is you might want to start paying attention to what other currencies are.

finally in the news block l.a. may conjure images of glitz and glamour of hollywood on the red carpet life takes a very different form high unemployment and crippling debt have seen the city's homeless community expand a little government help available the situation is only expected to worsen artie's many coaching of a has more. the city of angels the promise land of and this opportunities has become a living nightmare for some los angeles is a mirage. people believe that they're coming to see hollywood august stars are here. this beautiful beaches and the girls with the welcome take a look at skid row you can compare it to third world countries this treat is an informal border between shiny downtown l.a. and skid row behind me in the shadow of the down valley skyline stray some fifty

blocks with the largest concentration of homeless people in the entire country for many it's not just the place it's the way it's life and at last resorts in the off and on few main underbelly up los angeles. the financial crisis has hit hard here record amounts of foreclosures have bangs turfing people out of their properties and on to the streets the safety of angels is fast becoming a city of home this joe sure is among them two years ago he lost his job and while his income came to an after upholds the bill certainly didn't well i was working as a system manager auto parts store and. i just. left leg and there i don't have any worlds to look at recent reported by the national coalition for the homeless range of los angeles as the meanest city in the

country when it comes to dealing with the problem that we're all sure all. the homeless are poor treated only by law enforcement probably in his country as criminal acts of your poor. general dogan lives in the streets of skid row he says that police have worked out a solution for dealing with the homeless and arrest them for. any minor infraction strategy that's winning the importance of the business community and real estate developers their job is to move all knowing common home and sports out of the grace of the community what they want to do with his world all of poor folks so to do bella will put money into the area but the sad reality is there is only enough shelters for a tiny fraction of las dramatic number of whom this range here says the government's looking the other way and leaving them to rights and the concept i think americans run around. kapil sibal hole would have been cleaned up in your backyard right here

on skid row you've got the largest homeless population in america you have the largest. mental situation going on right here i mean it just is just his despair and how this is going to get a hell of a lot worse as predicted there will be a whopping one million foreclosures in california in the coming year so while joe schmoe and so many others suffering the same plight might be praying that one day they will have a roof over their heads it seems to me others will be losing theirs. in the bush no r.t. reporting from los angeles california. be back with a recap of our top stories in a couple of minutes. the

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will. be. good. we. just see the money and. the amount of money a little thing i do. so.