meeting with opposition members is one thing but taking part in rallies that's interference in domestic affairs russia's prime minister calls for politicians to stop meddling in ukraine's business as police in kiev give protesters a deadline to decamped from government buildings. tributes pouring in after the death of nelson mandela we look at his journey from ostracize rebel to a global symbol of compassion and equality and. our children my wife my job my self esteem. began big machines that are getting increasing numbers of brits hooked we discover bookies who keep the cash coming in as government regulation flying gives.

her the welcome of watching r.t. international coming to you live from moscow. protesters in kiev have been given five days to stop disrupting government departments opposition activists have been blocking most kenyans to choose from much of this week cheering on the pro european rallies are top e.u. and u.s. diplomats who are in ukraine for a security summit. is there. usually there is plenty of people out here at night but yesterday we had to literally teaming not just for the ukrainian protesters but also with the western politicians one of their own particular victoria nuland who has paid a visit to the tent city that was set up here by the protesters as initially expressing the u.s. support for the ukrainian opposition and for the protesters as well as material and

has also held close talks with the cost of the darling of the ukrainian opposition among others that we have seen among the protesters on the square were foreign ministers from sweden germany and the netherlands while he's out of his car has hoped that the talks with europe will renew under a new president essentially hinting at the ultimate goal of the ukrainian protest and that is the current government and the president to step down the interests of western politicians in what is essentially ukrainian domestic affairs has drawn sharp criticism however we haven't seen western politicians tending a thousand strong rallies held here in support of. the current ukrainian president in fact a lot of observers are starting to raise their eyebrows and what they are calling sort of an indignant hide behavior by western officials. those concerns have been echoed by russia's prime minister dmitri medvedev during his traditional new year

q. and a with russian journalists. but i can imagine how our german partners would have felt if russia's foreign minister decided to attend a rally that was being held against german room i don't think they would consider it a friendly step meeting with opposition members is one thing but taking part in rallies that's interference in domestic affairs. political analyst alexander told us that some foreign politicians positioning just doesn't really with their democratic stand. this is clear if you're internal there is a function even more so this is something that's should be unacceptable. a democratic stand you just have to have call our country to make its own sovereign choice and western diplomats are just not going to. really concerning themselves about the actual situation or the benefit of the country or the people if you're

just looking at it from the economic standpoint you were there was nothing to. slogans about democracy human rights. so it's really just a big deal. that's pretty simple actually. the world is mourning the loss of one of the twentieth century's most iconic leaders nelson mandela has died aged ninety five after a long illness south africa's first black president and the man who led the country out of decades of apartheid to democracy he spent his final years being nursed at home in johannesburg crowds gathered in the city to grieve for the man they knew is and celebrating his legacy after a state funeral he's expected to be buried in

a private family cemetery it's going to need to accordance with his wishes world leaders praise mandela as a hero of our time and the giant the justice of the most glowing tribute have come from the u.k. as we were smith reports. on almost every single newspaper this morning that is a picture of mandela passed across the front page it happened also that thursday night was the premiere in london of a new film of nelson mandela's life in long walks in freedom and that was attended terror in london by nelson mandela's daughter who learned of his death has. through the film it was also attended by the duke and duchess of cambridge said that started the royal tribute to prince william as he was leaving the film called mandela an extraordinary and inspiring man and the queen also paid a somewhat personal tribute to mandela saying that she remembered their meetings with great warmth and then of course political tributes came in from europe and

from all over the world and here in this country they were led of course by david cameron who called mandela a towering figure a legend in life and now in death a true global hero and said that a great light has gone out in the world and then ordered for the flag to be flown at half mast downing street out on a lot of other official buildings across london but this is all in turn around if we look just at the conservative movement for example in one thousand nine hundred seventy margaret thatcher who slammed him as a terrorist said that the a.n.c. could never rule south africa anyone who was living in cloud cuckoo land david cameron also around that time made a trip to south africa as a rising star in the conservative movement and they were low being against sanctions on the apartheid movement so most certainly. now it's not clear whether david cameron was personally involved but certainly the organization he belongs to was and it was a similar picture in the us but actually even more delayed in terms of his rehabilitation if you like. was on the terror list and he and his associates were

removed from the database intil as late as two thousand and eight nine years after his presidency of south africa was already over my colleague paula steer has been looking at this in more detail mandela's life over in south africa. he's the man who pulled a troubled and divided land back from the brink of civil war the man who after twenty seven tough years behind bars walked free from prison in his heart was not to avenge or i think that his greatest legacy to this country is reconciliation but in the last three decades the world time to sleep polished the image of nelson mandela and image recognized around the world only coca-cola is better known better men who struggle for racial equality again south africa's ruling white minority had a dark side the world has conveniently forgotten about nelson mandela the need of

a struggle. a radical. someone. embrace violence as a necessary political instrument at a particular juncture in our history this house was the secret headquarters of the african national congress it was here in the early sixty's that mandela and his comrades launched the armed struggle it was also here that most of them were arrested put on trial and sentenced to life in prison south african journalist chris bishop believes the one thousand nine hundred sixty four trial that saw mandela and his comrades sentenced to life helped turn the world in their favor during the trial. these gentlemen who were on trial the rivonia trial as they went from being the accused of being people on in the dark as slowly transformed they became the benjamin franklin's of africa they became the freedom fighters they began a man of principle who is standing up merely for the rights of others and it's only

to turn world opinion around from a vile terrorist to one of the greatest freedom fighters to have ever walked the earth the story of nelson mandela is remarkable a man who stood up for the rights of people everywhere but also a familiar tale of governments putting a garland of. i was around your neck one day and devote the next point r t johannesburg south africa. well it's pretty naff she returns in london host of r.t. u.k.'s new politics getting underground and he joins us now afshin you were on a u.k. broadsheet when apartheid was at its most notorious and then one nine hundred eighty s. and then saw the big change from mandela being transformed basically from prisoner to president do you remember him being assessed by leaders around the world. certainly back then he was a reviled figure by people in actually mentors of the present government famously

there were posters from the conservative party here saying that nelson mandela should be hanged and of course nelson mandela are we have to all agree with a proponent of violence against those other and your party elements in south africa who thought hey there's a small minority of the top there's a large majority at the bottom we can use industrial action when bella believe that killing men women and children in the streets of south africa was a tool that was valid and of course here in britain the ira were doing similar things so they became conflated these were the movements of their times along with the p.l.o. it should be added of course things rapidly changed by the time i met him in the late one nine hundred ninety s. his views are changed quite a lot i mean there's no denying is that the name nelson mandela symbolizes compassionate inclusive leadership but what are the lessons for today's world leaders do you think well when i met him he was selling arms to persian gulf

dictatorships and it's noticeable that what he did do is impoverish. he made a secret agreement for his release as part of this reconciliation agreement to basically sell south africa are off eight hundred fifty million dollars from the i.m.f. so things are certainly worse for the black majority in south africa since his release that's not often talked about but when you talk about the future perhaps there is a child in some way to today. by mandela but also inspired in a way that is likely different. to really be as anti imperialist as mandela said he was supporting the cuban revolution his first trip was of course does he feel castro but actually believing in it and actually using the same beliefs to create actual political action in power whereas the mandela i saw his defense minister at the time i had him corruption basically all these coord many of whom the south

african majority believe are corrupt maybe there is a child it's a way to carry out the beliefs that are so so articulately put to the people of the rivonia trial back in the one nine hundred sixty s. ok thank you ashley let's artie's afshin rattansi in london. well you can read more on the fight for fairness which defined mandela's life as well as reactions to his legacy and death and you can read about that at r.t. dot com. they are gambling devices which can drain all your cash in seconds but in britain they are booming however rules to tighten up on fixed odds betting machines known as the crack cocaine of the high street are floundering and sarah firth reports that means payday for the bookmakers . there are high risk high stakes gaming machines this in the u.k.

betting industry more than a billion pounds each year for. a short fix of. a machine. and to comply. to one hundred every twenty seconds this is a twenty second repeat cycle every twenty seconds. three hundred pound my children my wife my job my self esteem. ok. the government's two thousand and five gambling act limited the number of. betting shops are allowed to have to four machines now more recently in response to both public and political concern the association of british bookmakers has released a voluntary code of conduct aimed at encouraging socially responsible behavior but

we've seen evidence of among some leading high street but not everyone seems to be playing strictly by the rules inside this labrat says a glass petition it enables the store to carry not full but eight for the machines which are the ones. that you. are. in a statement about the store. this shop was a concept shop and there are no plans to open any further shops of this kind. in terms of. responsible behind a completely responsible ex army major just in ase well how devastating the effects of a gambling addiction can be a last point was the day when. my mom my dad and my little brother

he's actually taller than me. and just said. we've got to get you out of here. i'm just crying and. that's when i lost all my pride and i was completely humiliated but it's great because that was the day that i realized my recovery happened justin's written a book about his experience and is helping others on their raids to recovery but with scant research into the effects of these machines and as the industry seeks to maximize profit campaign is warning that not taking action eva for pity's is one gamble person can't afford to take surf r.t. london. we've plenty more stories on the way including from the frying pan into the fire. these men were detained by mistake because we wouldn't acknowledge our

mistakes and being sent to a place that they don't want to go in order to serve domestic political purposes we hear from a lawyer representing one of. them have been sent back by the u.s. but now fear for their lives. i know that the government under some has been following the so-called peace process for the past three four years and that is that they got from this peace process was more assassination more killing got our leaders more violence a suicide bombing. unless peace results so i think the cut in peace process it up on the sun needs to be revived. i think we have to bring it out powers on and especially those countries that they have actually been

supporting terrorism and extremism they have been training them they have been providing. namely in this case pakistan we need to talk to them. france has launched a military operation in the central african republic aimed at curbing a surge in sectarian violence earlier a un security council resolution authorized french troops to join an african peacekeeping mission the latest clashes between rival militias in the capital

bungay have killed over one hundred people who is in rebels who seized power in march of fighting christians who support me as the president this last part fears the conflict could expand into a full blown sectarian war so i'm going to still foreign affairs columnist for the guardian newspaper thinks the french are taking on a highly dangerous endeavor these interventions are of very high risk that much easier to get in than to get out there and sending another thousand troops not about fourteen hundred troops in total as the french contingent when this deployment is complete for a country which is much bigger than from us and the chances are that you know who is the rest more more men more material on all resources will be certain the conflict will intensify in mali for instance or go and intervention also exposed before children again in the near the french are still there in quite some numbers the charges the militants the armed gangs that came aboard from sudan and chad and

so on are still not honestly in terms of the suggestions of the french to back only it's not just resume their attempt to take over the country. and r.t. dot com from tiffany bling to caribbean cruises a decade long spending spree by dozens of russian diplomats in america who could now find themselves in a bit of trouble being blamed for defrauding the u.s. medicare system to fund lavish lifestyles you can read more about the allegations online plus details of how small the written schools and seeing classrooms abandoned in eastern china and how artificial rain could be used to dilute the country's suffocating pollution. to algeria and so you had been held by the u.s. for more than a decade without charge or trial at guantanamo bay have only learned but the men

were strongly against being sent back to our cheerier where they fear being persecuted by the authorities or targeted by extremists artes and see chalk and as more. at a glacial pace u.s. officials attempt to move forward with the limbo known as guantanamo with endless excuses and a web of bureaucracy allegedly getting in the way of just closing the place down in the latest attempt to take baby steps to figure out what to do with its detainees the u.s. has transferred two prisoners to their home country of algeria out of one hundred sixty four the majority of whom have long been cleared for transfer or release this sort of a petri you should was involuntary and took place despite the detainees pleas to not have this happen is they feared mistreatment or torture upon their return home the lawyers of the two men. and some have described the move as political expedience callous since the prisoners had made it clear the fear of persecution back at home while countries in europe had been willing to accept them at the

pentagon has stated however that humane treatment assurances had been made prior to this move this is the first transfer since two other men were sent to algeria willingly in august this year notoriously standard one tunnel neither of the men transferred were ever charged with any crime during the entire decade be spent behind bars at the scandalous detention camp the algerian natives were brought there back in two thousand and two and taken to camp x.-ray which we've actually visited when reporting from guantanamo it's an area where some prisoners have been once controversially interrogated with no one actually held there today the number of detainees at guantanamo is now at one hundred sixty two fifteen prisoners continue to be on a hunger strike years since obama had promised to shut the prison down on day one of his presidency and efficient and clear plan to close guantanamo yet to be put in place and they said you're going to new york so quick recap of the figure one hundred sixty two people are still behind bars you have the u.s.

military facility eighty four of them were cleared for release years ago but remain trapped in the legal limbo and only twenty prisoners at guantanamo. actually face charges and are due to appear in court and the rest can't be prosecuted because the u.s. has no evidence against them but still claims they are too dangerous to release. the lawyer for one of the detainee sent back to our jury assess his client now face for his life. he was opposed to going to algeria he wanted to go to a european country so that he could be reunited with his family he's been separated from his wife and daughters for twelve years now we're concerned that he's essentially going to be dumped on the street as other prisoners have been who had no connection with algeria the second issue for mr benson is the fact that he lives he grew up in a very rural part of algeria part in the south southwestern area of the country and he is genuinely concerned that there will be fundamentalist islamic system

interests there who will assume that he supports them because he was sent to guantanamo and that they'll target him for some kind of violence when they learn that he actually does not have any sympathy with them it's our understanding the white house wants to be able to say look we've released all the algerians that we can it's the only country that's been certified we can't get anyone else out of guantanamo unless you loosen the statute for us so unfortunately these men were detained by mistake held because we wouldn't acknowledge our mistakes and now they're being sent to a place that they don't want to go in order to serve domestic political purposes. a radical islamist rebel group in syria has given its terms for releasing twelve christian nuns held hostage since monday the extremists want the syrian government to free a thousand women from prison so far there's been no comment from damascus regarding the demand of the nuns were seized from

a monastery during an opposition assault on a predominantly christian time islamic extremists have been increasingly targeting the christian minority in syria the country's ambassador to the un told r.t. that some foreign powers have been prudence over the kidnappers we ask the security council members and the secretary general to act immediately and to shoulder their responsibilities in order to make pressure on those states and governments who may have influence over these terrorist groups so that they would release without any condition the nuns and the orphans we should make a petition actually on the saudi government. and the qatari government as well as a government is these are three governments are deeply involved in escalating the situation in syria through the operations conducted and undertaken by terrorist groups. in other news a suicide bomber has killed at least nine people in an attack on two pickup trucks

carrying members of a maritime police unit in northern somalia thirty seven officers were also injured in the attack the group is it mated carrying out via cell be seen is the most likely culprit since being forced from a strongholds the al qaeda linked insurgent group is being trying to gain control of the country's north in pakistan's capital hundreds have protested against american drone strikes the rally was staged by the terry key in south party led by the former cricket star eman can demonstrate is chanted anti us and demanded an immediate end to all drone attacks in their country the strikes are deeply unpopular in pakistan but american officials say they are crucial in the bight against terrorism. extreme wind storms a battering northwest europe people have been killed and thousands moved to safety as the worst tidal surge in sixty years sweeps the british coast around one hundred

thousand homes have been left without electricity in scotland and environment agency spokesman says that six thousand properties in england and wales are at risk of being flooded. up next here and internationally. we often see the middle east as a place of constant turmoil and revolution but people in thailand seem to be very fired up as well masses of protesters are force a government ministries to shut down by storming them with human waves one such ministry is the thai equivalent of the american f.b.i. which has been accused of killing around ninety people in a crackdown on those who support ousted prime minister taksin shinawatra who is the brother of the current leader while people are crying out for democracy with

accusations of violence against protesters so where is barack obama john kerry the mainstream media i mean whatever some group of rebels protestors are i mean freedom fighters rise up for democracy are we supposed to arm them like in syria and or bomb their country back into the stone age like in libya serbia iraq some protests explode across the mainstream media with calls for intervention and others are almost totally silent like thailand and bulgaria where there have also been storming of buildings less than a month ago i might be a conspiracy theorist but the selective coverage and selective concern for some humans rights and off the rights of others well it smells a bit fishy to me but that's just my opinion. the olympic torch is on its epic journey to such. one hundred twenty three days. through two hundred cities of russia. really

fourteen thousand people or sixty five thousand killing. in a record setting trip by land air sea another space. olympic torch relay. m r t r t. l r welcome to sophie and co i'm sophie shevardnadze afghanistan has been a black hole swallowing people and the resources of anyone brave enough to step in after eight years and years of battles first with the soviets and the americans still end is still locked in strife is afghanistan hopeless well there is one

person would definitely doesn't think so. to be born you know afghanistan. plot could be a harder lot for a person as a baby she was left to die and this not to have to suffer or her life but she survived. the believes in the future of her home. once more than just to improve the fate of women in afghanistan and she wants to be the first woman president in the history of her life. and our guest today fauzia koofi an afghan politician running for president in two thousand and fourteen how's it so great to have you on our show today first of all let me just say that i admire your courage to do what you are doing in afghanistan i'm aware of the situation with women's rights in afghanistan is far from being perfect it's almost a curse to be born a woman there but still the it seemed to be optimistic about changes to the lives of a.