london is expected. to hold an independence referendum just as the u.k.'s prime minister is pressured by. separating from the european union. for. the days ahead. threat of retaliation against those who support the mission. hoping to make progress in nuclear talks while western sanctions shape the country's economy but its people's result of.

international news in coming to line on screen around the world if this is. scotland may soon get a boost in its push for independence the u.k. house of lords is debating providing edinburgh with the powers necessary to hold a referendum on a breakaway and peace at westminster have already unanimously approved the move the scottish government wants to hold the referendum in the autumn of twenty four. is the strong push for independence within the u.k. itself where many feel a country should part ways with the e.u. . well the pressure is really piling on the british prime minister david cameron because he's set to give a speech on friday where he wants to talk about renegotiating britain's role within the european union and that's a very difficult situation for him because there's a lot of euro skeptic m.p.'s who are piling on the pressure saying that you know

the status quo really needs to be changed at the moment at the same time we've got the british public we've recently learned that over fifty percent of them say in a recent poll that they would vote to leave the e.u. because that's fed up with the amount of money that leaves from the british. budget every month goes over to brussels at the same time they want to see a lot of powers returned to the u.k. powers that are currently ceded to brussels to do with extradition to do with the criminal justice system to do with social policies as well so for david cameron it's a difficult situation and there's definitely a feeling that the status quo is definitely being challenge so along with the scottish independence and the possible referendum over that and britain's relationship with the e.u. it's all kind of on shaky ground at the moment we've got a group of euro skeptic m.p.'s within the parliament who say that they've actually got the backing of over one hundred tory m.p.'s who have just outlined

a massive manifesto for change and this comes two days before cameron's big speech and it's almost like a shopping list of demands of what they want to see changed about britain's relationship with europe and if they can't get that they're likely to say well why don't we leave you we have the british electorate who are very very annoyed with everything you're with your feel that she's getting in the way of the doing business. in their daily lives which is not one they really think you have a generational thing in the united kingdom a referendum on this took place in the mid seventy's so. i'm a middle aged politician and never in my life. time has every chance to have a say on what their relationship with europe should be like so there's a big call for a referendum in the end i think and of course the government has been accused of trying to cherry pick the policies that they do want on part of that sort of membership within the e.u. and to the present side of things that they don't want and reportedly senior

officials in brussels have said that the e.u. membership is not an ally can't menu and that britain can't just say we're going to renegotiate our terms it's not as easy as that so for david cameron it's going to be a bit of a tightrope on friday that he's going to have to walk and all eyes are on him for the big speech on friday and coming up shortly we report on how those in britain eyeing an exit from the e.u. may find their case getting a little stronger. and then we can implement a tattered budget and a unity crisis failed to dampen cypresses goodbye party in brussels with lawmakers praising it for exemplary leadership of the european union. has to overcome the moderate islamist pariah called coup and protests that have entered their third day coming up we report on what the government sees as the conspiracy between the people and judiciary to depose it.

well that's still to come but first french troops have fought their first face to face battle with islamic insurgents in mali the ground operation comes after five days of intense attacks there the army is aiming to prevent the al qaeda affiliated militants who seized vast areas in the north of the former french colony from moving towards the capital market but the operation has led to the first retaliation molly militants have raided the b.p. gas field in neighboring algeria killing two people and kidnapping a group of around twenty european and japanese workers that have done he's a spokesperson for the marine le pen she's course the president of the national front she says that this could be a result of france's riklis politics. now we're on the third level of four actually concerning the privilege to you of being attacked by terrorist groups on our own soil it is linked to our international actions and wars that we are leading of course we are aware of that and this is a true it's a reality in libya we supported the revolution who has helped islamist militants to

get a lot of money and weapons now today we have to clean up in mali but still we are defending islamist fighting in syria so there is a kind of problem here or in the international level of the french politics. and for a view of the situation in mali from across the atlantic now we go live to virginia in the u.s. where i'm joined by karen to tell ski she's a retired u.s. air force lieutenant colonel simons included duties as a pentagon desk officer and also worked for the national security agency now reports in the us suggest that many of those dubbed by france as terrorists were actually trained by u.s. agents to fight terrorism so how is that turnaround happened well apparently you know we do a lot of training we've spent over half a billion dollars and even even before the past decade going with older programs training peacekeepers training security personnel. this training this program that

we're doing here at least is flawed i mean it's ineffective in the sense that we really are seeking stability and compliant training compliant governments that will bring us in and do our bidding to some extent and it's throwing off our judgment as to what we're really accomplishing apparently these defectors if you want call them defectors or you can call them you know patriots i mean i'm sure there's two ways to look at this these individuals who defected were touring and. it's it's just amazing to me that we would not have understood those complexities before we invested that kind of resource so you know i i i don't know what to say i think the government our government the united states wastes a lot of money this is another example of that the u.s. state department has recently said that washington is not in

a position to train mali's military unit until it has restored democracy is there may be an element of mission there that has made previous mistakes and that it's going to learn by those mistakes no well my observation is that we if we learn from mistakes like this we don't learn the correct lessons we don't take away the right lessons we should not be intervening in countries that we don't understand and i mean i think libya and syria stand as present day examples of that iraq and afghanistan also stand as examples of that we tend to go to countries where we have an interest and that tends to blind our judgment as to what really is going on on the ground. i guess you could say it's a kind of arrogance but it doesn't doesn't molly at the moment threaten regional stability it also could be a haven for terrorists to attack foreign countries isn't that something that really

something's got to be done about and the u.s. recognizes that. well i think we recognize that something not to be done about it but i don't think we get behind what motivates a lot of this violence and even terrorism particularly terrorism against the west in places like africa north africa in the middle east the long history of multiple generations of kind of being abused in many ways in not trusting western interests in this and so fundamental motivation is there and then the actions that we have taken the united states is taking it you know calling it you know we're trying to make it good for democracy or we're trying to improve stability and the fact is not true we are often looking to put on military installations and bases from which we can control outcomes but let's get what let's let's let's get into perspective what's happening in mali this is obviously the french leading the way here it is getting some sort of backing from the u.s.

but not significant backing or is there more going on behind the scenes that we really know about or don't know about i should say well we certainly were assisting with technology and intelligence and there's talk of use of drones for that purpose so there is probably additional behind the scenes assistance but quite frankly i think. you know the united states is not what a lot of people think is far is competence we really probably are i imagine many of the soldiers and the generals that have been paying close attention to mali and north africa for some time are really honestly honestly confused about. why this happened how it happened and what to do to prevent a similar occurrence well look the mahdi rebels have said that france is falling into a trap and this could well become another libya another iraq another afghanistan with sightseeing no more and more countries getting involved could they be right is this conflict to be over very soon or could this seriously be

a trap. well it could be a trap if you look at the economy of france if you look at the economy the united states we are in no position and i think the rebels and. the muslim islamic that are fighting in northern mali for independence in control whatever it is they're fighting for these guys understand that the great powers of france in the united states are in no position to really enter into any sustained. conflict so they really in some ways have the advantage in some of this is rhetoric. i really in my view i think of if we could let countries kind of settle their problems internally yes people going to get killed but i think it would be far quicker and far fewer damage to people's to lives to property then when the great powers get involved and that includes ico us in the un ok. really we'll have to leave it there really interested in your perspective as a retard u.s. air force lieutenant colonel karen capacity thank you very much indeed for joining

us and showing us your thoughts a perspective on this thanks very much thank you. uns atomic agency experts are back in iran for the second time in little more than a month to iran hopes this visit will bring clear progress but stresses a deal is only possible if it's right for peaceful nuclear energy respected the west fears iran is seeking atomic weapons and keeps putting sanctions on the country but is more if an ocean of found out they often have the opposite effect to what was intended. the u.s. may be serious sanctions against iran are not targeted at the general public but there was barely a single person in the talk of the nation of iran seventy five million who hasn't been afraid to. i used to buy tomatoes and boxes now they're selling them in pieces. iran's all experts fell by one million barrels a day in the last year following international embargoes taken sixty percent of the

oil revenue the iranian currency lost forty percent of its value against the u.s. dollar causing twenty five percent inflation in october the highest in decades. behind this. suffering from rising prices and a lack of food and medicine there were signs the measure is a range at making iran give up its nuclear program which may or may not be aiming to produce weapons there isn't is the government that we have here they don't like the government they haven't liked the government for the last thirty some years and because of its very pressures they do want to see the end of the government and having the sanctions to pressure the public opinion inside iran you know when economy is about to be very good they are hoping people will go to the streets and protest and have a revolution but the fact seems to be the opposite of cells iranian carpets one of

the country's proud sources of revenue once a critic of the iranian government has recently had a change of heart for me as for me then why for another people who vote for another country is not for we don't vote for israel is not for being a father of five for american is not going to be there for you know. on a raft of war they want to ask me something to do that nor we are free of your free people you know this is the best way which my government. follow not only do they create anger among ordinary iranians and the iranians see their behavior towards their country as civilized but people in the region and beyond see what the united states and the europeans are trying to do so the image of the united states and europe is it has been severely damaged but iran's image has also been damaged one recent poll shows iran talks the least

as the country with the most negative image popular stereotypes include doesn't your family just fanatics. in britain and many outlets in the united states want to create an image of a villain from not only the you know name government but also the iranian people iran has been under sanctions for decades but it's only following the latest round the country's economy has been a visibly shaken and it would have some people here on the runway now think it's down to the authorities mismanagement the majority still hold the u.s. and what's responsible this painting behind me have been here for years and as the supreme was quoted here suggests well look negotiate with america even for a moment the tension it represents will most likely remain here for some time to come gratian all should not be tougher on iran. u.s. is doubling its presence in spain this year and it's just one part of

a push for closer military chinese across the atlantic as pentagon chief leon panetta makes his final european tour in the post. the suspected gang war claims the life of the man dubbed the king of russia's mafia. was killed in broad daylight in central moscow that's coming up in just a minute. ever . gone. to live. so. precious children. it's fragile shoulders. leave it to.

speak your language. your music programs and documentaries in spanish matters to you. use a little tonnage of angola's kidneys story. spanish find out more visit. continues now her naughty security forces have barricaded pakistan's parliament with three layers of shipping containers as tens of thousands of protesters pressed forward their leader an islamic cleric has issued the government with a final ultimatum he's demanding the parliament's dissolution and sweeping election

reforms threatening to spark a revolution if he is ignored the supreme court ordered the arrest of the prime minister who's in brawled in a bribery scandal while some government officials have called it a conspiracy between the protesters the army and the courts. who's the dean at the school of international affairs says that the hit all companies rise has been astonishing. mainstream parties have been getting so that is overly feeding people's expectations. on the economic transaction with the lawyers that have been having their sources in a lake of media are years reasonable and many people of course have suspicions that eased being primed by the military establishment in order to for their weaken the whole of the c.b.d. and barclays and that's the reason why he's getting so much believing and he's been yes i'm going to be on c.b.s. or in a messiah of the country music and the system and people are tickled parties and these are already you know the concourse and grievances against the.

establishment of the civilian side and innovates like a pincer movement from both sides but. possibly not coordinated but what is happening is that it looks like the mass movement that congress is trying to revoke as well as the judiciary seem to be taking cues from each other and timing the laws against the government almost simultaneously which means struggle for democratic institutions in the long run and i'm a friend. allows levy for the military to remain the ultimate king maker and the property here behind the shuttles and which is not great news for south asia as a whole because if by the standards not genuinely democrat dies we're in trouble. going u.s. defense secretary leon panetta is on a week long trip to europe to discuss closer military link ups and in case a visit to spain where washington is looking to double its defense presence here to punish international affairs experts believe that this is just one part of america's push to extend its worldwide influence. i know that i said.

you have to take into account that there are two strains of thought within diplomatic circles in the united states one of them is that they have to leave you work and the most serious danger comes from the east from china and so they feel they should reinforce their military and political presence in asia and the other strain and leon panetta and president obama are part of it says that the u.s. has to be present in both so the operation and therefore they also have to deploy the anti missile defense shield that is a provocation against russia. a high price tag to overthrow a government the arab spring has drained the cost countries like libya egypt according to the latest estimates stay with us to find out the bills for changing a regime. summoned to the floor of the european parliament cyprus was asked to assess its actions over the last six months during which the country presided over the e.u. it was a period that saw unemployment skyrocket britain eyeing the exit door and talks on

an e.u. trillion euro budget collapse as it turns out that's not how brussels instead he can praise on cypriot leadership as this report. well it was all hunch aches and slaps on the back of them a piece went through what cyprus is done in their six month tenure as the e.u. presidency and the president of cyprus saying that it was a time in which they the chief significant results and targets strange words considering that it was also a period in which the e.u. went through rising unemployment no agreement on an e.u. budget and in which cyprus continued to ask for a bailout i have to say a bailout which from here in germany many politicians all across the the bundestag are very reluctant to approve this amid allegations of widespread tax fraud cypriot banks but what happens next the battle and gets passed on of the e.u. presidency gets passed on to the island of course a country that has had its own problems this battle on essentially saving to be

passed on in the relay race of the fiscally toxic island of course had to receive e.u. and i.m.f. bailout money they've also had their own problems with unemployment and it's up to them to try and put that right in the next six months which they take over the e.u. presidency online for at the moment fifteen years in jail for a name change sentence want to gyptian for their wish to use christian names after illegally changing them in a fishbowl documents. germany said to bring hundreds of tons worth of gold back from vaults in the u.s. and france you can find out why online at r.t. dot com and more on that business update very shortly. a jailed pussy riot members bit to have a sentence suspended so she can care for her young son is thrown out of court you can find out why she wasn't successful online at r.t. dot com. one of the russian mafia is most infamous

figures grandpa has been killed in moscow he was shot in broad daylight in the city center on his election night a shift he takes up the story now. often referred to in russia as grandpa her son has often been compared to al capone but his demise today is more reminiscent of the death of another american gangster john dillon the one of the biggest crime laws in russia was shot outside his favorite restaurant in central moscow and the law enforcement agencies have already reported that they have found six gun shells at the side believing this was a direct assassination attempt at ground bar he was delivered to a hospital but later died there without regaining consciousness now grant by her son was almost like a textbook russian mafia gangster as it's always been perceived in the west mostly thanks to the hollywood movies he has been involved in many different activities the illegal gambling network the sales of weapons and drugs but many

have been reporting on him that he was something of a mediator a middleman. mafia talks and he's always been a peacemaker in a different mafia conflicts very well respected by many ethnic criminal groups in russia and it's not be not the first attempt on his life he's had quite a few over the past several decades most notably two years ago in two thousand and ten there was an attempt on his life when there was information for some time circulating in the media that he was even killed he was shot very seriously in the stomach had a very serious surgery and managed to survive today was not the case grand bar has died in hospital the law enforcement agencies are still investigating exactly what happened in central moscow and what led to the assassination of one of russia's biggest criminal lords but the main version which is now being considered is obviously some sort of gang war but that is of course is yet to be determined and

investigated. regime change comes at a high cost a recent study of the arab spring has revealed that the egyptian syrian and libyan revolutions could set those countries back some two hundred twenty five billion dollars middle east economic analyst for one hundred thinks that the process to revive the economy is concerned will be a slow and painful one we're talking about a complete structural change in how these economies work you know removing and reforming energy subsidies and food subsidies changing the way the government deal with business and laws and constitutions and i think we're going to see it several years of the hard slog i think it's not going to be as smooth as we saw in two thousand and eleven things are going to be difficult for the region for some time. now for some more world news this hour at least seventeen people have been killed in two series car bomb attacks near the kurdish democratic party in the northern

iraqi city of cook officials said that more than one hundred or so wounded no one yet has claimed responsibility attacks by insurgents are still frequent in iraq with the country pressured by ethnic and sectarian divides. a helicopter crashed in central london during the morning rush hour leaving two people dead and injuring thirteen others a chopper clipped a crane on a skyscraper just a kilometer self of parliament in westminster spinning burning fuel into the street and setting two cars on fire it's on the part of a drastic change course because of bad weather. an eight story building has collapsed killing twenty two and injuring eleven in the coastal egyptian city of alexandria rescue teams are on the scene searching for survivors it's not known what caused the accident but egypt has a record of lax enforcement of planning regulations. a suicide bomb blast in afghanistan spy agencies killed two civilians and injured

dozens more a car made with explosives was detonated by an attacker in front of the gates of the building five men wearing vests of explosives were then shot by security guards as they tried to get inside the taliban has claimed responsibility. also in our world update this hour a school bus drivers in new york have gone on strike even more than one hundred fifty thousand students stranded accord for greater job security something that the mayor says he's not legally allowed to give them subway passes will be given out and taxi fares will be reimbursed for students trying to get to school it's the first time in thirty four years of school drivers have taken industrial action. israeli police arrested more than a dozen palestinian protesters attempting to return to a camp in the west bank last week demonstrators constructed a tent camp on israel is marked for new settlements. to make a village of their own it was then cleared by security forces israel's decision to

go ahead with its plan to build new settlements in the west bank has been widely condemned and is illegal under international law. and it's less than a week until we find out whether benjamin netanyahu is reelected as israel holds a snap parliamentary election on tuesday with the situation in the terminal middle east heavily dependent on the outcome the whole world will be watching the vote closely so don't miss our tease special coverage. how will. develop. isolate. what's next in relations with america will survive his snuff election on january twenty second. israel's. well with that israeli election nearly upon us r.t. will be speaking with a former legal advisor to the palestinian negotiating team who says the actions of a weak israeli leadership could have a serious long term impact on any chance of peace that interview in full is coming

up in just a few minutes now it's time for the business news with natasha and as i mentioned a little earlier we're featuring you're online at the moment the story about germany wanting to bring its gold back from the u.s. and britain why what. well it's a fascinating story actually basically caving in to public pressure but the timing of this decision by bundesbank germany's central bank is really interesting i'll tell you all about. after a short break ok. technology innovation. developments around russia we. covered. watch makes love.