a u.n. monitoring team leaves a key combat area in concern for its safety in syria a country word now even loose links to the government is turning ordinary civilians into rebel targets. the m.p.i. hands high profile danger leaders with state agencies the u.s. government and lawmakers are criminalizing certain kinds of information spills while deliberately planning their own. plots people in a belgian city say one the local party is taking political correctness too far after report a man with mental problems as a candidate and been a simple election. ten

am in the russian capital you're watching marina joshie u.n. observers have left the besieged syrian city of aleppo because of escalating violence there nest of spies reports the army has gained the upper hand in the battle against opposition forces who are apparently running out of ammunition the focus of the war shifted to aleppo west months after rebels moved in from the outskirts sparking street battles and forcing thousands of civilians to flee and other developments rebels who captured forty eight iranian pilgrims over the weekend say three of them have been killed in fighting the group says the hostages are from iran's revolutionary guard and is threatening to kill all of them unless the army stops its attacks and there is a convoy who reports from syria literally no one is safe. it's a fixture in any public office in syria whether you buy a ticket or get

a driving license president assad will be watching for those working it's not a political statement rather a sign that that company belongs to the state here this time is now becoming a death mark for an increasing number of state employees. this call in the middle of the night cost here my brother. was one of syria's most experienced civil pilots u.s. educated more than twenty thousand hours around the globe he was coming home from the airport when gunmen attacked his car. radical islam. is the worst enemy of radical islam when you were rounded in cape using your page you're trying to estimate what's going on with. his brother a plastic surgeon also received. their family belongs to the al awaits the same religious group as assad but they were never politically active. you said the

documents confirm syria's opposition has scientists and engineers don't just and civil servants only. what started as a battle against the regime now increasingly looks like a battle against the syrian state with around a million and a half of the country's civil servants are becoming targets doctors teachers and when you simple workers have all been kidnapped or assassinated for simply doing their work any government in the world whether it's to make credit cannot has two distinct groups of people working for a political fox whose job is to keep the ruling party in power and civil servants to make sure that streets are clean and hospitals are running and in syria regardless of that political affiliation civil servants are being targeted as assad sympathizers in damascus hospitals window blinds is permanently drawn now because of this partial for fear of snipers

a local doctor was kidnapped on his way from work a few months ago his family hasn't heard from him since his colleagues are now afraid of her billing the identities. all the syrian people are in danger children they old really farm workers civil servants doctors and scientists there are no exceptions well over the fact that my life and the lives of the syrian people are at truest makes me tremble with fear but i am concerned for my country and willing to sacrifice my wife out of my well being and safety for it comes with you along with fears put their faith to the syrian civil servants also have to deal with a much higher workload many now put in sixty hour weeks but barely a day off due to inflation their salaries have devalued as have their lives so i am not surprised to hear that some groups within the free syrian army are targeting those people who are trying to make life better or orderly because at the end of

the day if things get back to normal they will lose any support they will lose any attention from the media from the international community it is in the interests of some factions and the opposition to make things worse for people so that those people who are in the silent majority join in the fight around the world attacks against they don't situations carry some of the highest sentences and promptly condemned as terrorism yet in syria for the sake of ousting one man millions of lives are put on the line that's not boycott artsy democracy syria still is on the sour israel and egypt trade accusations hold fatal order assault some experts believe creating regional tension is exactly what the attackers want to. converse the trial of an anti putting punk band and its final stage but the public debate centered on whether the trio is shocking if people performance deserves the harshest punishment. the obama administration is taking in the

plugging to a new level and unprecedented manhunt is sweeping us state agencies in the town to root out data spills that are becoming increasingly frequent but as ganesh account reports now kinds of leaks are being criminalized. the f.b.i. is on a hunt bullied kurds they have interviewed current and former high level government officials from the white house the pentagon the national security agency and the cia all to reveal those who spilled the beans investigation has already kept a distinct chill over press coverage of national security issues as journalists here say agencies declined routine interview requests and refused to provide background briefings on top of that the legislation is in the works in the u.s. congress that would for example allow to strip the government employee of their pension in punishment for an authorized sharing of information with the media so

you have an assault on the first on both the government and the lawmakers the former assistant director of the cia's that everybody in the intelligence world agrees never have there been so many level leaks one has to what ministration is being so hard on leakers as this one we're talking about all kinds of the leaks about the administration's targeted killings program as it continues to illegally execute suspected terrorists abroad or leaks about government agencies sweeping surveillance capabilities at home feel bomb administration alone has prosecuted six government officials believe king information to the press more than all other passive ministrations find earlier i spoke with one of them thomas drake that is who once was a senior executive of america's largest intelligence agency then he blew the whistle on fraud and abuse with regards to the agency's secret surveillance program here's what he told me speaking truth to power is very dangerous and today's world

power elites. those in charge they don't like dirty linen being your. they don't like the skeletons in the closet. scene. and they not only do they object to it they decide to turn it into criminal activity. i guess we have to point out that not all the start being criminalized because you have a type of information that the government leaks deliberately to manage and control the discourse in the media so to say but any journalist would tell you that it's the on the rise that really helped reveal a sensitive story to the public otherwise journalists would just have to copy paste and reprint whatever the government decides to release to the press in washington i'm going to check out. spain is the words are also accused of trying to spin the media their own way as we report in just a few minutes the congress technocrat government forces several journalists off

a state t.v. channel for slamming the massive cuts in force to meet e.u. bailout conditions. tolerance and political correctness may have reached its limit in the belgian city of ghana a man with mental disabilities is running for office and system his condition should be no obstacle to a political career but as our tests are silly in our records now everyone agrees we're here again to city in flanders no for it's pretty medieval town center but it's also recently made headlines with a political party put a man with mental disabilities on its candidate list for local elections meet. the forty one year old candidate of the flemish christian democrats he's hoping to get a seat in get city council he admits he has difficulties in speaking and writing so yeah i've been active in community work for a living years our party is everyone's included so i want to be given the chance to be counselor to express myself and help people disability. he says he wants to

encourage voluntary social work and make the city more accessible to be. people with handicaps by promoting the use of simple language this is just a signal to the people in the end also people with these abilities can run for elections in our community they are here in ghent so we can't ignore them you'd be hard pressed to find someone who'd say such people weren't part of society but some see the party's move as inappropriate where public office is concerned raising questions of whether politicians have pushed the envelope too far this time he would like mechanics if he's physically disabled it's not ridiculous but he has mental disabilities so that's another question you may have problems with reasoning when i think he's not capable of making decisions for other people i do voluntary work myself with mentally disabled people for them and got a lot of respect for them but they have to realize themselves that they're not able

to do everything all the other get residents like frederick think it's really nothing more than a publicity stunt and i know it's difficult when you criticize such a nice and good guy but i don't want to criticize him in person i want to criticize his sparty for using him as a kind of political tool and to get media attention in a time that we are close to when the simple elections did you is well aware of the criticism but as far as he's concerned these are political i spend a lot of energy campaigning the rest is up to voter but shouldn't the be the end of a not this one yes or so your r.t. get in belgium greece plans to the poor more than sixteen hundred people in a massive crackdown against illegal migrants claiming public funds it's all part of an effort to save money in any way possible in a country which is sinking under its own dad but as economist roger bootle tells r.t. he believes leaving the eurozone is the only way greece can save itself the full

entry is later this hour here's a preview. greece in my view needs to get out of the year i cannot see any way in which this current policy of all-stars he is going to bring any relief or stop this grinding process of trying to bring prices and wages down takes not years and decades to correct the sort of on competitiveness that greece is going through i don't think it's possible to imagine return to economic growth in the current setup by contrast if the euro breaks i can't imagine economic growth so far from being a disaster i think it could be the major step that leads to the restoration of growth in europe. the car we're helpless here riot punk trio are preparing to make their file pleas to the judge they're on trial for protesting in russia's main cathedral and are now waiting to see whether that will be their file performance or whether the show will

go on artist peter all over looks at the case in his report includes images are sexually. it's the trial that's gripped global attention three members of the punk rock collective pussy riot are cues to hooliganism after taking part in an protest inside moscow's main cathedral the demonstration dubbed a punk rock prayer to rid russia of blood a mere putin to media focus around the world now the three women in the dock face up to seven years in jail. but i would like to reiterate our stance which we have expressed from the very start our defendants did not perpetrate a criminal offense and therefore any verdict of court say for an acquittal will be unlawful. the group of being called political prisoners by human rights groups and media outlets donning support from many within the music industry staying safe no more and the red hot chili peppers have all called for the women to be set free but

groups associated with the russian orthodox church were outraged by the demonstration and called for the harshest penalties available however those who defend the women say the protest wasn't born out of any religious hatred and yes a much of this x. obviously had political character was just went side by side with other such political acts didn't stand out so the attempt to proclaim what has happened as abusive actions motivated by religious hatred is ridiculous also but it's not political character and the search for the shocking is clearly visible when you look at what the group of done previously pussy riot have continuously courted controversy stunts of included inviting the media to an orgy in a museum and one member performing a sex act with a for. in chicken in a supermarket because the performance though was a step too far for many in a nation where the majority of people orthodox kristie in search of a foremans in the country's main cathedral saw some accusing the group of blasphemy

however some of russia's most ardent anti government activists who agree the women took things too far also said they shouldn't be punished too harshly and they don't deserve it by the way i strongly disapprove of their act i'm old enough to be their dad so i would just spank them properly and let them off and now when they face up to seven years of prison this is going to far afield the call for clemency was repeated by president putin the man who was the target of the protest over just a. i hope the court will rule with a just decision if the bonds let's say defiled a sacred place in israel they would have to cope with some tough guys there and would face difficulties when attempting to leave the country or to for example they went to the caucuses and defaced a muslim shrine security wouldn't have enough time to protect them from public anger nevertheless i don't think we should judge them too strictly on them i hope they've made some important conclusions themselves and the way the final decision

rests with the court will look at the trial continues here in moscow with public opinion is divided over what punishment if any should be handed down to the three women in the dock peter oliver r.t. moscow. well you can follow of all our stories at r.t. dot com to our website and we've got plenty more for you there including cereal girl gets into the groove in moscow find out how madonna has started a fitness club and the russian capital. plus reports surface of a top secret u.s. israeli treaty to attack iran find out online whether there are any grounds to the rumors. it has accused israel spy agency mossad of orchestrating sunday's attack at

a border checkpoint that left at least sixteen security officials dad israel denies the claims blaming islamised militants and criticizing pose revolution edge of for losing its grip of the region geopolitical analyst eric drawing serve thinks the attackers goal was to put the two countries at loggerheads. gets less important to examine necessarily who might have carried that out because it's somewhat unknown but the significance of this playing up the idea that egypt and israel must be at each other it benefits both sides because the muslim brotherhood is able to play to their base while the reactionaries in israel behind netanyahu and the ultra right are able to play to theirs so this is stoking the conflict stoking the tension in order to execute the geopolitical agenda of the west there is the obvious which is to destroy whatever cooperation does exist as a remnant of the egyptian israeli treaties this is also perhaps to bolster the

muslim brotherhood in terms of the salafi. extremist elements in egypt but at the very end of every basic level this is to stoke the conflict that is existing in that region and drives up the cost of gas for example attacking the gas pipeline infrastructure and a variety of other geo political issues this is just political in nature not it illogical now let's take a look at some of the stories from around the world hillary clinton visited south africa as part of a different aimed at curbing chinese influence in africa the u.s. says it has the basics legislated two billion dollar loan for a new energy ventures but have warned against working with other countries to explore it natural resources last month beijing brahmas twenty billion dollars in loans to african countries over the next three years. now says maurice rover is continuing to sandy images back to earth after its successful landing on the red planet curiosity is investigating whether the planet has ever

hosted life its mission will last for years that is the limit for nuclear powered operators has been tested for. more than fifty people have been killed by floods in the philippines where two original rains continue to pound the country tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from the capital and work in offices and schools has been suspended the downpours set off by the seasonal monsoon also caused the region's major dams and reverse to overflow. spain's right wing government has been accused of silencing dissent and number of journalist were sacked from a state channel for their critical stands over an e.u. bank bailout and sweeping hysteria some in the spanish media believe marianna rahul was technocrat government is destroying democracy in the country. never in the spanish story of public television after the film go to the government control of

the television or radio was stronger now a days in my opinion the. democracy probably the best question to china to raise a political situation you know spain use a lack of democracy the government in the hands of banks and markets and a little abusing is going to be due to your soul noble but anyone who does not understand the media's right to cities and rights of information by the government of public television and public radio yes political welcomes before that i lost my in the hold of the government it was necessary at least a conscientious between the main political parties represented in the parliament and the trade union should you know order to constitute i leaving it in team that mean station control of the public radio and i'm public television unfortunately there will be a minister a whole you change the law and now decorum and to control the absolute control of television we sell to any kind of green and we are all there. on the tree.

or in our till mary and i and so far as i go in terms of the markets there was a great start to the trading week on monday so is that sentiment containing today's well or may not like to say that it is it is when it comes to age of course but russian markets have now made a u. turn and would like to start with those because they kicked off the trading session about twenty minutes ago and as i said complaints are now in negative territory the r.t.s. is this important four percent that my sex is in over one fifth of a percent right now and as this fight a global optimism that we're seeing on the markets and also with other crude prices are falling but there's still quite high compared to the prices we saw in previous months but it's still early to talk about there are some markets we'll see what happens when they get at least an hour into the threaded session that's one second look at the updated figures. as for the current sees because we do know that the euro is continuing to lose against the us dollar the ruble has made a u.

turn in terms of that as well but it would see that now it's losing against both major currencies and that's after finish it off at the highest level of the entire summer on monday now if we can take a look at asian markets which are also trader right now and there was the gains reflect in that optimism that i said earlier that we're seeing across the globe and the case that in almost one percent this hour and we have the hang sign which is adding a third of a percent there and as i said all this comes from renewed optimism about a possible european the born blind up with might see announced later on this week also we have positive earnings reports which are helping the japanese market but when it comes to one stall great news because it is shedding about seven point three percent this hour and i'm talking about british investment by standard chartered and this is in hong kong that it shut in seven percent and all this is that is this expect that of why then tens of thousands of transactions with the wrong which is of course subject to u.s. economic sanctions american financial regular have said the bank has

a longer there's more just hundred fifty billion dollars over nearly a decade now standard chartered which of course the law is the allegations face is losing its u.s. banking license. and that we have and you can see there the maymont of the u.s. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke he has suggested paying more attention to alternative economic indicators rather than the g.d.p. which can quote sometimes some ask important information he gave an example of the better life index used by the organization for economic cooperation and development which compares countries based on indicators of quality of life ben bernanke you also sides of the kingdom of great song which is tracking the g.d.p. in one thousand nine hundred seventy two in favor of a gross national happiness index and he said non-conventional indicators could have . analysts measure the real state of economic affairs. and alice talk about clearing up the are so because that's exactly the mission of russia's geographic

society which has kicked off an exhibition to clear the islands off the barents sea from collected industrial garbage and in fact before the trip flatten your foods in that say that the country is now urging to boost its of its is in the region and this not alone in doing so because all the arctic nations are also percentage of the same as reports. greener than you think this is the arctic temperatures this july and topped those in moscow and rising on average twice as fast as and you where else in the world the record i smelled has made the arctic's vast natural resources easier to get than ever before imo then bring all want to be heard off our planet oil and gas reserves and in fact that have been seven bordering countries and even china eager to lay about. five arctic countries russia denmark canada and the us have the right to explore waters up to three

hundred seventy kilometers all the coasts but it's the central pullers zone that may now be up for grabs russia's already owns a vast arctic territory but there are concerns that this may unite the others against moscow's. most recently denmark the last contender to send an expedition to the pole to developing their arctic according to a civilized. man their own behavior and proposed a drilling moratorium in the central pull the resume. giant rawson have signed

contracts to explore russia's arctic with america's ex-in laws will not always stop the oil and any billions of dollars is already pledged but much more will come when the pool is partitioned and the builders sent so the more businesses that come here the quake of its own charges for giving this nation home to manage a political battles will transform into a heart attack economic that can put a core business r.t. the arctic. and of course next hour europe will open some arena since you know where red will just tell us a little sea of red are going to cause your next hour well your prediction i. won't be see much of red otherwise you might have to change as. well as well see that salary and thanks very much indeed for this and more financial analysis including a plan for you or a breakdown coming up in our interview right after the headlines in

a few moments. one . hundred of them living here. in forty acres and nineteen ninety three and decided it would be

a great place to find the belle home and retire. there she is. we call it our new neighbor neighbor nine o seven. we have seventy acres here and i can convince them that they need to drill somewhere besides two hundred feet from. the needs of our growing economy also means expanding our domestic production of oil and natural gas which are vital fuel for transportation electricity and manufacturing this is before any problems with it before we do right and then. you know our flaws are not toxic than we did a lot of it there's a lot of mis understanding of what exactly in the fluids. time they said you can load here unless you come out here and live in my house for a week. i have no rights.

wealthy british style stock. that's not on my list. market why not going to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with max cons or for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into kinds a report. on . more news today violence is once again flared up the film these are the images the world has.