you've been monitoring team leaves a key comedy area in concern for its safety in syria a country we're now even blues links to the government stirring ordinary civilians into rebel targets. the abbey i found some high profile data leaders within state agencies the us government and lawmakers are criminalizing certain kinds of information spills while deliberately planning their own. pots people in a belgian city say one local party has taken political correctness to far after it put up a man with mental problems as a candidate in realisable elections. and russian markets kicked off the trading session with an unexpected u. turn all the details in business in about twenty minutes.

it is eleven am in the russian capital you're watching r t with me. here and observers have left the besieged syrian city of aleppo because of escalating violence there that's despite 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 a level last month after rebels moved in from the outskirts sparking street battles and forcing thousands of civilians to flee in the other developments rebels who captured forty eight iranian pilgrims over the weekend say three of them have been killed in fighting the group sas the hostages are from iran's revolutionary guard and is threatening to kill all of them unless the army stops its attacks as are due to its envoy going to reports from syria literally no one is safe. it's

a fixture in any public office in syria but if you buy a ticket or get a driving license president assad will be watching over those working here it's not a political statement rather a sign that that company belongs to the state your design is now becoming a death mark for an increasing number of state employees. but. this call in the middle of the night cost him a brother. was one of syria's most experienced civil pilots u.s. educated luck 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 incapable of using your page you're trying to estimate what's going on. his brother a plastic surgeon also received. their family belongs to the alloway it's the same

religious group as assad but they were never politically active. he said the documents confirm syria's opposition has scientists engineers don't kiss 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 municipal workers have all been kidnapped or assassinated for simply doing their work any government in the world where they seem a 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 cleaned 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 the scorching heat the 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 revealing the identity of. all the syrian people are in danger children they old really farm workers civil servants doctors and scientists there are no exceptions the over the fact that my life and the lives of the syrian people are at tryst makes me tremble with fear but i'm concerned for my country and willing to sacrifice my wife out of my well being and safety for it comes to you along with fears for their safety syrian civil servants also have to deal with a much higher workload many now put in sixty hour weeks with 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 the silent majority join in the fights 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 of millions of lives a part of a lie that's not boycott our theme democracy syria. and still to come this hour israel in egypt great accusations over a failed border assault some experts believe creating a regional tension is exactly what the attackers wanted. to convert the trial of anti-poaching punk band anders its final state but public debate centered on

whether the trio shocking because people mormons deserves the harshest punishment. the obama administration is taking a leap frogging to end new level and i'm president of manhunt is sweeping the u.s. state agencies in an attempt to root out data spills there are becoming increasingly frequent but is going to the 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 cast 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's employee of their

position in punishment for an authorized sharing of information with the media so you have an assault on leakers from both the government and the lawmakers the former assistant director of the cia is that everybody in the intelligence world agrees never have there been so many level leaks one has to would ministration as 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 the other past administrations combined earlier i spoke with one of them on the break that is who once was a senior executive of america's largest intelligence agency and 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 has world power elites. those in charge they don't like dirty linen being your. they don't like the skeletons in the closet being seen. 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 leaks 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 authorized leaks 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's authorities are also accused of trying to spin the media their own way as we're reporting and

a few minutes the country's technocrat government forces several journalists off a stately channel for slamming the massive cuts of forces leaving new bailout conditions. tolerance and political correctness may have reached its limit in the belgian city of gatt a man was mental disabilities as running for office insisting his condition should be no obstacle to a political career but as our team's tests are still in our reports not everyone agrees we're here and get the city of flanders known for its pretty medieval town center but it's also recently made headlines when 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 is hoping to get a seat in gan city council he admits he has difficulties in speaking and writing. 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 with disabilities. he says he wants to encourage voluntary social work and make the city more accessible to people with handicaps by promoting the use of simple language this is just the same you know to the people in the end also people with these abilities can run for elections in our community. 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. 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. i think he's not capable of making decisions for other people i do voluntary work myself with mentally disabled people for the me

i've got a lot of respect for them but they have to realize themselves that they're not able to do everything all of the other get residents like frederick and 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 you don't put because i spend a lot of energy campaigning the rest is up to vote it doesn't have to be the end of may not this one just are still here r t get in belgium. while gray's plans to the poor more than sixteen hundred people in a massive crackdown against illegal migrants claiming public funds help part of an effort to save money and and the way possible and

a country which is sinking under its own dad but as economist roger bootle tells r.t. he believes leaving arizona is the only way griese can say with tell the full interview is next hour but 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 austerity is going to bring any relief or stop this rounding process of trying to bring prices and wages down takes not years and decades correct the sort of our 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 at the euro breaks i can 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 converse will push the ride punk trio are preparing to make their final 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 final performance or whether the show will go on are just peter all over looks at the case and his report includes images of a sexual nature. it's the trial that's gripped global attention three members of the punk rock collective pussy riot are accused of hooliganism after taking part in an protest inside moscow's main cathedral the demonstration dubbed a punk rock prayer to rid rusher of blood amir 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 status 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 support from many within the music industry staying safe no more and

the red hot chili peppers of all call 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 all of those who defend the women say protest wasn't born out of any religious hatred. this x. obviously had political character which just went side by side with other such political acts the 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 that 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 frozen 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're doing with us as they are 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 with real but the call for clemency was repeated by president putin the man who was the target of the protest the other jewish to. which 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 are many of them would face difficulties from attempting to leave the country was ready for example they went to the caucuses on the feast 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 and i

hope they've made some important conclusions themselves on the way the final decision rests with the courts and when. the trial continues here in moscow its 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 we have more on the punk band trial and plenty of other stories online including possibly even madonna say in moscow she once leniency for pussy riot. and finnish activist who decided to support the russian punks with a copycat protest targeting the largest orthodox church in a western. boss new hazardous piece of space junk that's how ross cosmos described the most possible outcome of a new space mission after engineers last going to action with their two satellites .

it has accused israel spy agency mossad of orchestrating sunday's attack at a border checkpoint it left at least sixteen security officials deb israel denies the claims blaming islamised militants and criticizing post-revolutionary for losing its grip of the region geopolitical alice area drives her thinks the attackers goal was to pull 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 geo political 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 at the very 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 a logical classical that some of the stories from around the world are militants fired on the worshippers in a christian church in central nigeria killing nineteen no group has taken responsibility for the attack by religious violence like this is usually attributed to a muslim extremist group. earlier this year a wave of attacks on christians some more than one hundred thirty people killed.

more than fifty people have been killed by floods in the philippines where a tarantula 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 down poorest set off by the seasonal months it also caused the region's major dams and reversed to overflow. spain is right wing government has been accused of silencing the sand and number of journalists who were sacked from the state channel four they are critical stance over an e.u. band bailout and sweeping a stary some of the spanish media believe marianna roy's technocrat government is destroying democracy in the country never in the spanish history of public television after the franco day to shape the government control of the television or radio washouts is stronger now adays in my opinion the. democracy probably the best question to china to raise the political situation you know spain

is lack of democracy the government in the hands of banks and markets and a valid television is going to be due to your scholer mobile phone anyone who doesn't understand the media as a public right to see this and right of information by the government of public television and public radio yes political weapons before the arrival of my omaha to the government it was necessary at least a conscientious between the main political parties represented in the parliament and the trade unions you know order to constitute even eating team didn't station country of the public radio and public television unfortunately they were men of the whole you teams the lol and now decorum and to control the absolute control of television without any gain remain with all their ideas and the three. and straight to the world of business well marina did i think the right color top of the european markets well put it this way you're no rights but you are no wrong

already there you should basically divide it in half and have your second favorite color believe is green so either green or black i would be best for tomorrow ok all right but let's start with europe and it is a mix as you probably guessed by now and what we see it is a make sense then really the foot seas out in just the knowledge of the dikes losing just the knowledge there but in general we're seeing more optimism on the markets and that's because of the possible european a bomb by about with my view about later on in this week but again it's early to say how the trading session will be because the markets only open half an hour ago when it comes to europe but let's move on now to russia where i did say earlier on they made a u. turn but now they're going to back off slightly the my six is already calls the territory when it comes to the r.t.s. it's a flat but i believe that it will slowly get there food prices are dropping which normally has a major effect on the russian economy and investors as well but the prices are relatively high compared to movement seen in the past

a couple of months let's take a look at some of the major movers on the my sense and see the picture there basically we have a mixed picture there as well as burbank as well at this hour and what we do know is that it posted its net profit for the first seven months and so a six percent increase for us from the russian accounting standards and we have still major civil started skating over a half a percent this hour and fitch ratings agency gave it a rating upgrade to a stable outlook and of course energy majors are under pressure because all the lower the prices that i mentioned gas pollution just the knowledge that if you want to take a look at the exchange rates the euro is still losing the against the u.s. dollar as you can see there but still more or less flat when it comes to the ruble it's still losing against both major currencies and mass at the close and at its highest level against both major currencies over the summer i should say now if. take a look at asian markets they are on their way out invest start out to go home in that part of the world and we've seen that all the mizzen is remaining on the

markets there europe that is we have the nikkei adding over half a percent in minimizing earlier gains and similarly with the hang sang again and just a notch there and in japan we have posted earnings reports boosting sentiment there as well and i want to talk about one particular that's not all didn't sue well that's in the hong kong which i think over seven percent and that's a version of us from bank standard chartered in fact in london this news and over twelve percent this hour basically this is added in suspected all in tens of thousands of transactions with the wrong which is of course subject to u.s. economic sanctions american financial regulators have said the bank has laundered as much as two hundred and fifty billion dollars over nearly a decade now standard chartered which denies the allegations of face is losing its u.s. banking license. in other news u.s. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke has suggested paying more time to alternative economic indicators rather than the g.d.p.

which as he claims quote sometimes masked 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 saw much of the kingdom of great song which is a stall track in its g.d.p. in one thousand nine hundred seventy two in favor of a gross national happiness index he said non-conventional indicators could help analysts much of the real state of economic affairs. now let's talk about cleaning up the arctic because that is the mission of russia's geographic society which has now kicked off an exhibition to clear the islands on the barents sea of collectable garbage basically industrial garbage there and before the trip kicked off lattimer putin did say that the country plans to boost its abilities in the region and is not alone in doing so are the arctic nations are planning the same explains all the details for us. greener than you think this is the arctic temperatures this july

and top to 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 they were all want to be hurried off our planet or the gas reserves and in fact that have been seven bordering countries and even china eager to lay about. five arctic countries russia norway denmark canada and the us have the right to explore waters up to three hundred seventy kilometers always a coast 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 polar you know you can. make. the right thing to. help you. keep always playing the u.s.

you know. things that you can. change. the. most recently denmark the last contender to send an expedition to the pole cold for developing the arctic according to a civilized manner of behavior and proposed a drilling moratorium in the central pullers own oil giant rosneft signed contracts to explore russia's arctic with america's next a model norway's stossel and any billions of dollars is already pledged but much more will come when the pool is partitioned and the borders on set so the more businesses that come here the quick of its own chart of unforgiving this nation

home to many political battles will transform into a high tech economic hub that help a core business r.t. the arctic. and just to clarify for another i was an expedition not an exhibition as i've been saying for the past couple of hours and that's only if my head is somewhere else i think in my head i'm out a museum or watching an exhibition that's when you're focusing on my color as you go where i can recall it so where every day well i'll save the green for you tomorrow so. thanks very much indeed and looking forward to more obviates next hour in just a few moments will be looking at some spice here financial had lines the kaiser report is coming your way in just a few minutes right after they have lines. nuclear

fashionable side. radioactive fallout old government betrayal of the government. everything law and claude and claude how can the truth be revealed if there's no official evidence there was indeed a very great danger to the servicemen concerned who will give them no problem protection and to the people of this country generally because all right deal like the full.

the secrets of the u.k.'s nuclear tests explain. more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images being from the streets of canada. corp the day. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else you hear or see some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur.