he's startups he don't come. explosions and the five thing right in the heart of the syrian capital is rebels announce a full scale offensive against. yet another diplomatic attempt to end the crisis. america sends its own agents to patrol britain's airports or the london olympics where the u.k. is forced to draft more troops and police officers it turns out the security contractors bit off a bit more than they can chew. patronize ing and insulting that's how muslim immigrants in belgium describe a new starter kit which they say is nothing more than a guide first arriving in the civilized world. the boston market started on a positive nice enough that actually how they ended the day with industrial production for the three percent for the first time the. business bulletin is.

life in the heart of the russian capital this is he with me rory sushi welcome to the program syrian opposition fighters have taken their battle to the neighborhoods of damascus with reports of the city has witnessed explosions and intense daily shootouts so in the capital for us now with this report. the capital damascus since the beginning of the uprising last march has most of the time been under governmental control and the closest the fighting has ever moved has been in its suburbs in the eastern part of damascus are very seen as duma in several assaults against opposition hotbeds there but the clashes have never actually taken

place inside this city and this is exactly what is going on right now the free syrian army has claimed this is the last of this size of battle battle for the capital so they can see the route very very important activists and residents have described was going on in damascus as the most intense the heaviest violence since the beginning of the uprising last march and the opposition groups have also been reporting that the army has been using more tires and even armed to the coals and how the quarter is and has been shelling in the areas where the rebels are this information is very hard to be very far and i only can confirm that yes we are hearing shootings here and there in different parts of the city from time to time we see smoke coming. from different again parts of damascus and we've also been hearing helicopters flying over the mass because we're hearing from governmental sources here that a great number of terrorist have been killed during these operations in damascus

many rebels have been captured and through a number have surrendered who also been hearing from these sources that the hottest the most intense clashes right now are happening in the area here in damascus known as lead down where the army has surrounded the rebels but what is absolutely clear is that armed groups have a cheek to spread this this fear in damascus this feeling of despair and of chaos here in the capital there are no cars almost on the road at a time when usually we see traffic jams here in damascus. for national reporting there from damascus georgia bore the president of the syrian u.n. association believes that the leadership will force back rebel attacks in the capital. we heard the voices of bombs and bombardments and so forth. the exchange of fire i think the syrian

authorities is able to keep in damascus to keep the security in damascus. perhaps what we have witnessed in some parts of damascus. tiny. on the security of the city but of course i cannot really. truly predict because scenes are changing and i suppose what we have to do is to reach for the next forty eight hours. now syria's top international mediators says he hopes the world will strike a compromise over the country's crisis the u.n. security council kofi annan view was also shared by the russian leadership r.t. if you're going to follow his meeting with president putin in moscow for the past few hours today good to see you a. second visit to moscow has come to a close i'm sure a lot of the ears and eyes of the world what change you think anything or do you

know of anything that's been achieved at today's meeting. is it a very complicated position right now since he himself admits that the peace plan in syria isn't working since neither side of the conflict is putting down his weapons and is getting to peaceful negotiations when in fact if president assad did openly say that he is ready to pull talks apparently that's not the case with the opposition which is continuing its attacks on government forces on government facilities and openly says that it won't stop until syria falls into a state of total and complete civil disobedience that's leading to more violence and it's definitely not making the job any easier now. we know that the other question is if you get the international community united and it's clear that. coffee on the news now placing a lot of hope on uniting the international community and this question is also very hard to answer it's not very much easier as well since full powers were able to

reach an understanding on syria in geneva saying that all sides of the conflict have to put their weapons down simultaneously equal pressure has to be applied on both of them as well but unfortunately the reality is different from what's written in that document since we are getting new interpretations of the document also sometimes new calls for reaching changes just not in the document and even open support of the armed rebels not to put their weapons down and continue their on the resistance russia's stance on the situation hasn't changed it coincides with the coffee on peace plan and with the agreements reached in geneva in fact for the syllabic of said that moscow is ready to oversee should be understanding and agreement in the one student council but if all the previous deals are taking into account now that's a matter which is also really hard to force you right now since we're getting great britain and the united states was trying to push article seven into the new un

security council resolution on syria which doesn't rule out foreign military intervention which first of all also is not going to there's any one document is one of the points which russia and china are strongly against and are now even getting through and specifically from the u.s. secretary of state hillary clinton recently said that if washington trying to don't change their position on syria they will be clearly this also isn't making coffee on the job any easier since he's trying to unite the international community currently it's not happening right now but the violence in syria is continuing and more lives on civilians and ordinary people are lost every day indeed you go in you we make the mention about article seven possibly said to be discussed at the united nations that could allow for some type of military intervention i understand. in the very near future the u.k. will be tabling a un meeting the idea is they will be further discussing the possibility of implementing article seven want to see what comes of that artie's. central moscow

thank you. well while the syrian crisis fills the headlines there's a massive effort to keep on rushed in another country off the radar. doing their best to silence the popular protests of searching hospitals for wounded activists and cracking down on foreign journalists who are trying to cover the rising. now u.s. agents are currently on their way to london for the olympics they are going though reportedly to boost security at major airports the news emerged just days after a private security firm contract by the british government said it couldn't provide all the staff needed to now be up to police and the army to make up the shortfall a solution that's left the u.k. authorities or rather red faced correspondent laura smith has more from the capital . as athletes and guests start to arrive here at heathrow airport for london's olympic games they'll be met by all the usual sites including loan seems that

immigration is u.k. border officials struggle to cope with the sheer numbers involved but it won't be just a u.k. official felt come across some may be surprised to see american agents operating on british soil the u.s. transport administration or for a city has reportedly been allowed to bring in its agents in a move aimed at helping british authorities to secure american flights in and out of the u.k. the agents apparently won't be allowed past boarding gates or the u.k. aircraft but them if presidents could prove controversial in the u.s. they've been accused of performing intrusive pat down it's just the latest confession that britain's been forced to make to the u.s. which doesn't believe the olympic host has done enough to ensure the security of the games the american team will reportedly bring with it five hundred f.b.i. agents to protect its athletes and diplomats plus

a further five hundred security staff all of whom will be operating on british soil raising questions about sobering to the american army this follows a catalogue of failures on behalf of the security company that won the contract for the games g four s. . it's admitted it couldn't provide the number of security staff it had promised that meant that three and a half thousand soldiers and hundreds of police have had to be drafted in at the very last minute to plug the store told the head of g four s. is appearing before m.p.'s to explain himself and the possibility even more troops may be needed in the coming days. laura smith reporting there let's get some more on this so-called security fiasco and the outsourcing of the london olympic games with security expert and author phil reese now joining us live here on. the it's good to see you today u.s. agents as i'm sure you just heard reportedly including the f.b.i.

is now on route to london to take up airport security the question is why can't the british do it themselves especially at their own airports. oh it's quite a fiasco isn't it and i think that the presence of five hundred f.b.i. agents walking the streets of london is quite amazing really that you've got this hidden layer of security quite apart from the the grand circus that has already been announced here including rapier ground to air missiles you know sixteen seventeen thousand british soldiers many more than are fighting in afghanistan here to protect britain from some kind of threat which we don't really know about so i think it's been a catalogue of shambles if i could say one thing about you know the whole american presence here which is you know really quite quite insulting to some extent to the british government and its security apparatus is that there's been such a culture of cut back such a culture of privatization here but i think it's left britain very vulnerable it

hasn't looked at this issue this government anyway in a in a sensible way it's simply cut back cut back and said that we need that for the economy and i think now it's paying the price for that well there are certainly many certainly many of the u.k. that say with the defense of the defense budget cutbacks the u.k. is army is now is basically a shadow of what it was many many years ago let's talk about america sending its f.b.i. agents over to to the london olympics are many people saying that it's more like the u.k. is getting ready for a war rather than a sporting spectacle how much expertise do you think the states can bring to security at the games considering as we all know if you've flown through any u.s. airport airport security is an absolute nightmare. well it certainly is and i think it's going to cause problems i mean ali and i was very late for you today this is day two of the olympics by the way because the traffic is seized up around here the prospect of the airport seizing up is you know it's becoming very

real possibility i think and the fact that these people are being brought to the airport as well is you know really does make you wonder and i think the point beyond all this is you know what is the threat why is this going on in the terms of you know it should be a celebration of athletes and it really is being seen as a celebration of the international security industry for months in the british papers now we've had the home secretary announcing this you know we're having ground to air missiles in blackheath pockets of park in south london. the soldiers all of this some pretty streets for the first time they'll be armed soldiers are pretty straight since the second world war i mean after all this is meant to be a sporting occasion that celebrates a man's achievement well i mean what kind of achievement is it that we've got to be almost in a state of war to host it but do you think do you think in some way because ultimately as you say i mean this is history in the making here regardless of the olympic games the security as you say is something unprecedented is there a chance do you think that the u.k. authorities know about something and that's why they look like they're preparing to

go to war on their home turf. they have said and they have announced that there is no heightened security threat that there is no intelligence that there is some specific threat obviously there is a constant threat the british government says from islamists who want to attack britain and others as well but they have said that there isn't anything specific and the point about this is that if you look at combating terrorism it's intelligence it breaks it down it's informers it's not having a vast number of soldiers on the street that's not the way to combat it and i think that while that i'm sure has been going on i think that's how the focus should have been on specific threats and on those people who might endanger those at the games rather than some grand security jabiri field research in a conversation with the certainly requires more time we have available for all of

us are on our security expert and author phil respond to you for coming on the program today. all right well from one security to buckle to another as the u.s. says billions of dollars linked to terrorism went through financial institutions on its own soil h.s.b.c. europe's biggest bank says it expects to be held accountable for the grave mistakes it's made get all the details on the latest scandal dog. plus a cuban architect has been forced to spend forty seven days on a ferry between petersburg and hell seeing people for finally being allowed to step foot here in russia but not wired dot com. it is a quarter past the hour here in moscow i mean time in bahrain and government protests

again in momentum defying an official ban on all opposition rallies demonstrators claim the authorities are brutally suppressing them and attempting to obscure the scale of the uprising local doctors say police are monitoring hospitals and arresting people admitted with bullet wounds expressing support for opposition on twitter has landed one of the country's top human rights activists not belittle our job. of being arrested for appearing on julian assange program here on r t the crackdown has reportedly even spread to foreign journalists attempting to cover the protests let's get some more on this now and speak to our side of. the party mr i last what it's good to see you today how does buck range regime benefit from up holding a media blackout. i mean this is. way too as they're thinking they are going to blog then yours from bahrain bahrain you can see much more what we have seen on the ground during the grounded korea last minute

from apple until now there was not enough coverage in the media about what her reign as the media covers every day other countries have a revolution near to the region near to bahrain what is happening now and behind it every day protests every day clashes between the protesters the peaceful protesters and the police there behind her energy and a band and a few of the journalists from from from abroad to bahrain hear this from financial times from b.b.c. from other t.v. channels to intervene but i was only telling you that you've been hearing from various media outlets that journalists have been barred from entering bahrain but do you think when it comes to the crackdown and the media blackout can those weapons of the government there eventually succeed in killing off the uprising do you think. no not at all as the people in bahrain they are brave enough

to continue with this a protest i mean regardless if they have coverage or not the bahraini people they will continue and send their chief their demand and the media coverage that is there or this is not there but it is not fair as we call it it is double standard from the media or the out covering. other countries have a video show and they did ignore i mean what is happening behind because of the. financial issues between the button and other countries well that's you know you're right you raise a very valid point that when it comes to the relationship of bahrain to other countries let's talk about saudi arabia saudi arabia in the past has used its military might to suppress local protests in opposition as well is there relationship do you think between the oil interests of the region and the media interests from the west that prevents the whole uprising in bahrain from getting into the western news networks look at libya the western news networks were all over the atrocities in libya before it invaded. of course that is exactly what is

the current situation now in bahrain. i mean there are a lot of p.r. companies all around the world working for them but when you're a g.m. they are getting this financial support from from the country they are allies with the bahrain and they are using this money to look at the new was from from from bahrain this is exactly what had been doing the ground agreed this is exactly what happened later on i mean the twenty second of june when they. really believe that. the us excessive force again is their political leaders. and others and there was no coverage in the media from outside apart from the twitter facebook and internal media as well just shows exactly. how that i would really is they they try i mean they attack their political leaders they want to ban all the protests in bahrain they don't want to show any movement as they are they care about the east in saudi

arabia they don't want to go to protest that is in saudi arabia look at what is happening and bahrain they don't want to democracy are going to say we need to bring people today from bahrain who say that despite the media blackout the lack of attention the uprising will continue to form a block or any m.p. from the party thank you for coming on r t today thank. you watching r.t. a belgian region has issued a controversial starter kit for moroccan immigrants a move that some claim is another nail in europe's multicultural coffin and those arriving from north africa feel insulted saying the document triggers islamophobia and social stereotypes this investigation twenty's testor us earlier. did you know that in belgium the flemish eat healthy live inside their homes most of the time and don't make noise after ten pm or did you know that men and women

are equal and it's forbidden to hurt someone mentally or physically including your partner or children and that if you want to get a job you must learn dutch well these are just some pointers about the country in the new starter kit given to the moroccan government for distribution to moroccans who have gotten the official go ahead to immigrate to flanders it also includes a short video featuring testimonies from recent immigrants about their experience. in a modern society based on the principles of. where freedoms and rights for everybody also we've obligations with separation. and equality of man. with no discrimination principles but some were left rather dumbfounded by the kind of information the packet contained. when you see that in belgian living who is what does that mean it means americans live in trees when a belgian neighbor makes noise and two three am because he's drunk and it keeps me

awake during the kids to explain that he must respect the hour because we do not make news in belgium after ten pm this is around the world the starter's kit is meant to provide basic information but it may be too basic for some the proponents of the initiative say it was made to target immigrants with low skill or educational levels but critics say that what's written in it and some of what's come with it are simply patronized and insulting raising questions on the stereotypes locals may have on the foreigners coming to their country. and i think there's a very large racism in this excuse me but that's not how we educate about two thousand five hundred moroccans immigrate to flanders each year as part of family reunification or marriage migration as soon as they arrive they can join a civic integrate. program organized by the flemish government which primarily focuses on it teaching dutch law not sure it's important to point out that in order to integrate you need to speak dutch i have no problem with that but what i have

a problem with is this social cultural references they explain to you that in order to find your place you must culturally match a certain model those in favor of the starter kit insist that the initiative aims to manage possible false expectations about belgium and to address the fact that integration has been ineffective so far you are able perfectly able to get the boat a nationality if you want belgian citizenship without even knowing one of the official languages of this country and this reflects i think the whole idea of what they call the in and integration policy which isn't really an integration policy because it's completely up to the people coming in to if they really want to adapt if they're really want to integrate but for those who do want to integrate something else they can expect to find out is that the flemish are like walnuts heart of the outside but softer on the inside and one more thing it raise

a lot of belgium but it doesn't rain money does are cilia r.t. brussels and i while you're across in brussels or desperate to fight the debt crisis one leading german think tank suggests that people should sacrifice their savings banks keiser and stacy herbert are here later this hour to expose all the darkest secrets of the financial world. germany. make the rich by the german institute for economic research you suggested that those with a substantial private fortune be forced to hand over ten percent of what they have over two hundred fifty thousand euros they're talking about confiscating wealth to pay for debts that were run up by corporatists and neo fascists and you know this is the haven't we seen this movie before yes called scapegoating we. we are now at war without any equivocation whatsoever this is just one of the side about a policy issue it's not about an economic theory it's about a war world war three is on.

the cards reporters and seven minutes time in just a couple of minutes it's katie with the business for now we'll start with turkey in the world update dramatic pictures to show you here just after a fire broke out in a skyscraper there in turkey hundreds of people had to be evacuated from the forty two story tower in istanbul it's mostly made up of apartments and offices crews did manage to extinguish the blaze there saying possibly a technical technical ford or perhaps faulty wiring could be behind the blaze. a russian soyuz spacecraft has successfully doctor the international space station and three crew on board it launched from the baikonur cosmodrome in southern sudan just two days ago a veteran russian cosmonaut yuri milner was joined by an astronaut from japan and one from the team they'll be floating around our little planet until november.

well i thousands of station rally across pakistan's carbo region protesting against the reopening of nato supply routes into afghanistan is i'm about to close them off to twenty four pakistani soldiers were killed in u.s. drone strikes the decision was over time when america apologize for the incident earlier this month it's the latest demonstration against the move after a one thousand strong rally was held on sunday in the southern city of karachi. off to curry here we go as promised our standing by the r.t. business section. in a spot of bother to levy that's right britain's national broadcaster they've admitted using schemes to minimise taxation now almost a third of the company's presenters were employed three personal service companies that allow smaller contributions of deals help the b.b.c.

thought i'd step millions of pounds in the insurance company is this erased standard industry practice but agreed to review how it pays now so it is held to the best markets now with you see they all declining along his team of all the unimpressed by the first installment of ben bernanke is testimony to the u.s. congress that's following days of build out where investors had been trying to peg but the reason for using a more concrete signal that the stimulus was on its way a much can be said for the european markets as well where the all the pent up. in the run up to solve today was really with the unwound we did have the ducks down as well but it's just managed to pull it off and supposed to be in the last sort of five minutes or so if we get into the year or them we'll also see that it's taken a nosedive in response to that i want solid concrete details as to what ben bernanke is going to be doing to the economy in order to give it

a kick i think want to see fifteen after the trade is private. the ruble finished up the trading session harakah the us dollar on the year right. as exactly how they ended up the day session with industrial production going every three percent for the first year i'll have a look at the stocks and the see who are the biggest movers and shakers know most banks who was down over two percent. and emerged with its rival pretty to create the country's second largest private lender. thirty six point six as its first quarter net profit hundredfold and interest in the the result was better than expected so that's how the markets are now let's check out the oil prices if we might trade in the hearts of all in seven weeks so over to you screen just. speculation at us paul's words of pride and tensions with iran that's good i say that's why we're seeing those prices take a bit of a baseball right. you'll be dealing with. the headlines in

just a moment and then it is well the financial news from a rather different perspective as always the cars report. wealthy british soil. is not on. the. market.