the elite. u.s. defense secretary says forces are on standby to unleash cruise missiles against syria while reports suggest the first strikes could take place as soon as thursday. washington waves away comparisons with iraq with officials insisting that past mistakes won't be repeated but as we report such promises can be hard to keep. as floodwaters in russia's far east show no signs of receding one of the region's main cities pins its hopes on its manmade dams. and a clash of cultures in the u.k. as tensions ratchet up between vocal muslim groups and those who question the place of islam in britain.

what you are to come to life from the russian capital i'm marina joshie welcome to the program an american military offensive against syria could start as soon as thursday and missiles are already pointed at around fifty sites according to u.s. media reports citing senior officials the nod from president obama is all that's needed for the bombing campaign to start artesian thomas has the details. momentum is gathering toward an intervention in syria after the u.s. is trying to figure out how to respond to the alleged chemical attacks in the area of good which is east of damascus last week now we're hearing reports that military commanders have sealed an agreement on the scope of attacks with allies and with syrian opposition on the ground that could look like three days of cruise missile strikes aimed at sending a message to assad not at toppling the government or the regime or crippling the

military now we're expecting to hear from the u.s. secretary of state john kerry at some point on wednesday so that he can present a more evidence why the united states believes that it was the assad regime that carried out this chemical weapons attack so far they have not been able to present any convincing argument but they say they have no doubt that it was the assad regime one reason that may be aside from the videos that everybody's been able to see on you tube and pictures and witness accounts the web site foreign policy is reporting that there were calls that were intercepted between the syrian defense ministry and a commander on the ground in charge of a chemical weapons unit and the defense minister was trying to figure out what had happened and demanding answers as to what was happening this was in the immediate aftermath of this alleged attack russia in the face of the possible intervention the military intervention that could happen as early as thursday

sergey lavrov had a phone call with the u.n. special envoy lakhdar brahimi in that phone call he said attempts at a forcible solution in syria will only result in further the start of stabilization in the country and in the region in general now he's concerned about the diplomatic and political solution he says that that is the only way forward and he's disappointed and worried about the failure of what have become known as the geneva two talks these are. talks that were orchestrated between russia and the united states jointly to try and find a diplomatic solution and russia has always been urging that the world community should wait until the u.n. investigation on the ground is complete. now ron is warning that if its ally syria is attacked immediate riverview should against israel will follow both damascus and tehran accuse israel of supporting the rebel forces in the ongoing civil war as for

moscow's position political analyst mitri bob which tells us there will be no military response to the intervention fresh air has already made it clear that it's not going to stop the western intervention military. north in nineteen sixty seven when russia stopped of a israeli offensive against syria by a threat of use of force but russia certainly both tried to stop the intervention diplomatically and i will say more in there because it's quite clear to anyone watching even western television that the western leaders on north completely sincere. in their statements about these chemical attacks the british prime minister or john kerry don't sound very convincing when they say that they were so devastated by these pictures off boys and children in fact television included western television has been showing pictures of children killed or maimed by

western interventions for years and these people were never devastated by these images so it's a kind of selective empathy that is not very convincing. britain has drafted a resolution on international military action against syria and will present it to the u.n. security council later today meanwhile the united nations peace envoy to syria lakhdar brahimi has stressed that any armed intervention would need u.n. approval artie's laura smith reports from london. prime minister david cameron is making some very carefully weighed statements on the one hand he says no decision has yet been taken whether to get involved but on the other hand he says it's very clear that it is the assad regime that is to blame for using chemical weapons according to him he reckons that he's got clear evidence that it that it was the regime the government that used chemical weapons so in response to that he has convened a meeting of the national security council here in london on wednesday they're going to talk about the information that they've already received from the un

inspectors obviously not the final report because that won't be available for another few days and then they're all going to talk about whether to push ahead with a military strike following that on thursday and he's will meet in parliament they've been recalled from their summer holiday and they will be given a chance to vote to discuss and to vote on what they think should be done also downing street is saying that the u.s. and the u.k. won't necessarily be bound by what the u.n. inspectors are saying and also britain's made clear that it would consider going ahead without a u.n. resolution foreign minister william hague says that the use of chemical weapons contravenes international law and its own account say that is reason enough to go into syria downing street has confirmed that british forces all ramping up in preparation for a possible military strike in line with that we've heard reports from cyprus which has a u.k. base that's about one hundred miles from the coast of syria so very close ideally

positioned people there are saying that war planes and military transporters have started to arrive well interestingly we haven't heard anything from the european union as a whole but for on hold for a reaction of force against the use of chemical weapons and said that the u.n. security council could be by cost under certain circumstances turkey obviously a key regional player agrees with that the rest of the european countries slightly less gung ho about it germany says that intervention is needed if the use of chemical weapons is. even but it isn't came to go ahead without a u.n. mandate similarly it's and in no way would not be kim to go ahead without a u.n. mandate but in the region the arab league thinks that it was the best ads that made this attack that it's not happy to intervene in any way but it remains to be seen how much this effort can be led by britain the u.s. and france and it looks like it's seriously ramping up once on the sidelines of the war the kurdish minority in syria has recently been swept up in the violence facing

brutal attacks from rebels and al-qaeda linked groups but when asked about the prospect of u.s. light intervention the leader of syrian kurds said that although he doesn't support the assad government he wants to see firm evidence that damascus really did use chemical weapons. from the old name of the mob unfortunately we've seen reports in the media in the past two days especially today claiming that justifies the syrian authorities or the syrian regime and the use of chemical weapons we have never made any such statements what we said was that we demand an independent and transparent investigation of all the incidents with chemical weapons have been used or we said was that the old thirty's would be very foolish to use chemical weapons guta just a few miles away from the international group of experts who came to investigate chemical weapons and occasions this is a very complex issue which should be thoroughly investigated ever since the

conflict began the could have never sided with the ruling regime they were part of the syrian revolution that pressed for regime change and reforms in syria today our views remain the same we could have always been against a foreign military intervention into syrian affairs. now the u.s. is insisting that this time around will be nothing like iraq or serbia or libya washington is confident that when it comes to syria the evidence is unquestionable just like it was when saddam was saying or should say was accused of hiding weapons of mass destruction well here's our he's going to count on america's record of missteps military. before everything away thing to mention in the last fifteen years there was the hype of lies and misinformation and discrepancies but every time washington would present its case for war as the ultimate truth leading people to believe that waging war was the only way to peace as the us is preparing an

attack on syria striking similarities can be found in how washington makes its case for intervention material i will present you comes from a variety of sources some are u.s. sources and some of those of other countries we have additional information about this attack and that information is being compiled and reviewed together with our partners and we will provide that information in the days ahead some of the sources are technical such as intercepted telephone conversations and photos taken by satellites what have we learned about the actual proof the white house claims it has on syria's use of chemical weapons it will for u.s. official is telling me that this intelligence assessment contains forensic evidence that actual chemical attack took place as well as some intercepted communications among syrian forces that suggest the regime was responsible a separate sources also telling c.n.n.'s john king that the report contains some satellite images of activity at potentially chemical weapons depots back in two

thousand and three in the run up to the iraq war the media also diligently repeated what the white house said we know that iraq and al qaeda have had high level contacts that go back a decade we've learned that iraq has trained al qaeda members in bomb making. and poisonous. and deadly gases before the u.s. steps came washington's claims that the government which was about to be attacked did not cooperate thus this crediting any u.n. investigation that was underway saddam hussein and his regime are busy doing. we possibly can to ensure that structures of. finding absolutely nothing. well they found nothing because there was nothing but it was an argument that couldn't be heard through the deafening sound of war drums iraq is not the only example when the us effectively rendered

a diplomatic solution obsolete the serbian leaders on the other hand refused even to discuss key elements of the peace agreement before the us started a two month long bombing campaign of the former yugoslavia the us love government had accepted proposals for the near independence of kosovo within the republic of serbia as well as an international peacekeeping force in kosovo but the agreement that nato put forward had a clause that they could not accept in the words of former secretary of state henry kissinger the text which called in serbia to admit need to troops throughout yugoslavia was a provocation an excuse to start bombing runway is not a document that an angelic serb could have accepted years later we see diplomacy brushed off again in syria even as the un team is working on the ground at every turn the syrian regime has failed to cooperate with the un investigation washington has bypassed the u.n.

both in the case of the former yugoslavia and that of iraq in libya the u.s. and its allies have effectively carried out a regime change although the un mandate was to protect civilians we came we saw he died. because we acted quickly a humanitarian catastrophe has been avoided but for many libyans a humanitarian catastrophe has just started as the nation plunges deeper into chaos and tear like in iraq where the intervention was followed by a decade of terror for those wondering what awaits american politicians found to have lied no weapons over there. maybe under here. washington d.c. while the u.s. gears up for a military campaign against syria newly declassified data has revealed that twenty five years ago washington actually encouraged iraqi dictator saddam hussein to use chemical weapons and his war against iran syrian political analyst amar believes

that when it comes to washington stance on his country chemical weapons are just a side issue. they are definitely benefiting from the level of ambiguity that surrounds the perpetrator who did this they're trying to say well the syrian army has the capability the syrian state has has the material that is needed and everybody is keeping their mouths shut about the opposition also having the material possessing the material and possessing the capability they're trying to frame desperately the syrian government and the mandate that was apparently given to the u.n. inspectors near damascus is to establish whether chemical weapons were used not to specify who the perpetrator was well america always looks for want to put unity to intervene and enlarge their sphere of influence basically i don't think they are really interested in who kills who bombs who only uses chemical weapons against

whom we know that they supported saddam hussein in the in the eighty's and his war against iraq we know that they benefited from mistakes that were taken that took place during that period to raise public opinion against him when the invasion of kuwait took place in nineteen ninety and so on the fourth so it's just about their interest and their company in the region nothing. across the border an iraq conflict is also raging a series of blasts have killed at least fifty eight people and injured dozens more in the capital baghdad the attacks targeted restaurants markets and parking lots in predominantly shiite areas a district in the northwest of the city was worst hit after least ten people died and twenty seven were injured there as part of a spike in violence between shia and sunni muslims that's been plaguing iraq since the start of the year well let's have a look at how the deadly interreligious violence has developed in the twenty tanned just over four thousand people are killed elections this year finish was no clear

winner and the country is without a government for nine months a similar number of iraqis dying in twenty eleven was all u.s. . it's pulling out by the end of the year or there's a slight rise and fatalities over the next twelve months as interreligious violence sparks fears of a full blown civil war and almost five sounds and people have been killed in the first eight months of this year that's more than in the whole of two thousand and twelve as religiously driven attacks between shia and sunni groups skyrocket. gold and oil prices soar as vestas get the jitters over america and its allies plans to attack syria coming up we'll report on what's caused a plunge in global stock markets and why those controlling your pension money are so afraid of an expanded syrian war that a more after the break. we'll

look at. science technology innovation all the developments from around russia we've got this huge area covered. 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 realize everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm sorry welcome to the big picture. speak your language. programs or documentaries in arabic it's all here on. reporting from the world talks about six of the yard p. interviews intriguing story to tell you. troy

arabic to find out more visit our big. dog called. welcome back you're watching r.t. america and britain's latest military ratter it is whipping up of frenzy in the financial world gold prices are surging oil has hit six months high and investors are rushing to pull their money from the stock markets also cross to our business present a cable him for more on the cash exodus so katie tell us more about what's happening and the implications are integral sea of red across the board as far as the markets are concerned with the bombs they aren't falling yet on syria global financial damage is already being done gold is what people usually turn to in these uncertain times that russia is very much being felt in earnest hey we got the billion up

forty dollars an ounce just over the last two days alone oil prices are surging to their highest level since twenty eleven that's over concerns that are american and british an attack on syria will bring about a serious consequences and threaten global supply is now the middle east as a whole accounts for over a third of all oil production and hold even more reserves leaving bank associate general has said the u.s. that attack on syria could see the price of oil spiked to a hundred and fifty dollars per barrel such a level could have a disastrous impact on the global economy already challenged by storing grow that and own growing recessions as well as sanctions have also severely restricted or lax what's from syria already so the economic situation there could get even worse

as the violence continues our stock markets are witnessing a sell off with the markets in the middle east leading the cash exodus neighboring turkey has also taken an economic beating us stocks plunge the reefer send even more worryingly this is all happening before the attack has even gone so most likely more bad news if it doesn't go ahead. we're ok thanks so much for talking us through what's happening in the markets and how they are reacting how sensitive in fact they are into what's happening and i'm i wore a negative much. more news today is once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. showing operations around the day.

floodwaters in russia's far east will keep parts of one of the region's made business hobbs' some merge for the next month according to local officials residents of home to some five hundred thousand people are keeping their fingers crossed though hoping the dams protecting the city hold court tested the waters there. well up until now it had been the remote rural areas that had been worst affected by these flood waters but as you can see now the waters are beginning to encroach on to the city of how about. twenty yards behind the camera is a residential area and some residents are being evacuated as we speak in deciding to go to the temporary accommodation centers that have been set up but the first thing you notice about this is the amount of hills that meaning that is communities in streets in the lowlands that are most at risk of being worst affected communities and areas like this one and there's

a surprising number of residents although many are going to the accommodation centers in their hundreds there are still those who are resolutely staying with their properties and deciding not to leave now. my family has been evacuated from my home but i decided to stay today the electric power supply has resumed pumps are working and there's no water in the stairwell any more water evaporates in the pavements become visible so we're still living here those that stay on those that go basically those who have their properties ruined attention is slowly turning to the future and what happens when this water subsides when it receives and the extent of the damage is revealed when the authorities have said that they will give compensation of up to one hundred thousand rubles people whose properties have been damaged the compensation will range from fifty to one hundred thousand rubles depending on the severity of the damage. our reporting there from the midst of the worst flood to hit the region and more than a century. and

a new reason to choose your friends with care the credit agency has admitted to checking out the lonely history of people you're close to on facebook before deciding whether to land you money go online to find out if it affects you. and blowing in the wind a tropical storm lashes the mexican east coast prompting residents to stay confined to their homes and forcing schools to close you can find a video on our website arts you know called. in the u.k. police have launched a probe into who is responsible for sending a cd with pornographic images and pictures of the prophet muhammad to several mosques in london is just the latest in a chain of provocative acts that have heightened tensions between muslims and other parts of british society are jesus or sylvia went to find out what it will take to bridge the religious divide. my name is gavin baby and i'm the lawyer behind on freedom foundation we start. we help local neighborhoods

resist planning applications for mosques and we went that's now sixteen wins out of eighteen cases a controversial them somewhere further to the mosque buster objections raised by locals pertaining to mosques and clued traffic congestion on the part general noise and disturbance which does concern people on the first one was the loss of a retail facility all of which are legal objections but he says his motivation is deeper than that islamic doctrine there's a wrong doctrine now exactly it's called for retiring the shuttle if a company church was passing death sentences if a synagogue was blessing armies to commit acts of war all you would immediately say that has to be stopped when you have a man who is soon ideologically opposed knows little about the islamic faith or even if you want he is suggesting that he doesn't give credence to some of those

views really in terms of traffic congestion impacting the local area if people have those objections would really genuinely feel that it's going to create an impact raised but the gruesome murder of a british soldier by self-confessed islamic fanatics fueled anti muslim sentiment i'm a muslim myself and and and speaking to muslims across print and the cross you know the people are feeling vulnerable because they do feel as if the muslim community is being picked on we have had instances where a local mosque had sausages thrown into it last year after a decade of dispute the new and council rejected an application for a so-called mega mosque the site of which is just down the road over here it would have accommodated up to ten thousand worshippers the group that had campaigned against it called themselves mega mosque. no thanks and some muslim groups have also opposed the project but beyond just the construction of mosques the polarized

opinions but the spotlight once again on why this is happening in the first place the polarization of opinion that we see i think is poor need to deal with the failure within multiculturalism people become invested in a very particular notion that britain is characterized by first of all a white christian dominant culture which historically is certainly true but may be less the case today most simply become the symbol i think for this greater things on the table a recent you gov poll compared answers given by respondents in event by two thousand and twelve and may two thousand and thirteen and showed an increase in the number of people who agree that there will be a clash of civilizations between british muslims and native white britons we really need a more frank and open and and detailed discussion about what islam is about what britishness is and about how we manage social change and evolution in recent times

a growing number of voices have stated that multiculturalism has failed as a concept in britain which is a controversial way to put it but what's certain ignoring this issue both make a clash of cultures any less likely just or so you r.t. london. time now to look at some other stories from around the world japan has raised the threat rating at the crippled fukushima nuclear power plant to three out of seven classing it as a serious incident the decision was taken after consultations with the u.n. nuclear watchdog the main danger comes from a massive leak of contaminated water three hundred tons some of which may have reached the pacific it's the greatest warning about fukushima since the two thousand and eleven earthquake and tsunami that caused the meltdown of three reactors. in northwest spain hundreds of people have been forced to flee their homes as fire crews battle the massive forest fires that have been raging for

several days about three quarters of the country are at the extreme risk of fire breaks due to high temperatures strong winds and driver education last year wildfires devastated more than one hundred fifty thousand have to reserve land across spain. well that's an r.t. the standoff between congress and the white house over how to handle the syria situation is under discussion. secret laboratory was able to build a most sophisticated. fortunately doesn't sound anything tim's mission to teach music creation why it should care about. this is why you should care only on the. wealthy british style holds.

such. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy is a report on. the mission free accreditation free. for charges free. agency three. three stooges free. old free broadcast quality video for your media projects a free media.