you watching r t tonight protesters and police face off in the heart of istanbul as a high level corruption scandal takes the turkish government to the brink of collapse and artsy crew was courting them a hand to. as the first stage of syria's chemical disarmament stickler the success we recap on the diplomatic achievements that prevented a u.s. strike on a war torn country look at how the civil conflicts transformed during the year. and a u.k. government tax lowering drive seems only to be stuffing the wallets of the highest earners leaving no reason for those on a basic wage to celebrate this festive period.

just joined us is kevin owen here at r t tonight just after eleven pm in moscow our breaking news this massive anti-government protest is raging on tanks from square in central istanbul over a high level corruption scandal that's already forced the prime minister to reshuffle the cabinet crew was called in the middle of that demonstration and police used tear gas on protesters one of our crew sara furthur correspondent joins us now live hi sara and i see you safe well tonight is that faceoff continuing. it is when we left the street the protesters still clashing with the police and we saw the police deploying their water cannon we saw tear gas the the central gathering had been in tax in square earlier on this evening but police have been trying to keep these disparate groups are pushed back off the side streets not so we saw things really getting quite nasty indeed at one point we ended up in a stairwell where the protests it would barricaded the doors to try and keep that tear gas from coming in and we actually had

a chance to speak to some of them about exactly why they were coming out and what you could hear on the streets tonight with a chance of thieves corruption and of course all of that coming on the back of what we see over the past couple of days and weeks is that corruption probe the prime minister erdogan really coming on very defensively over there saying it was a foreign conspiracy but the protesters having absolutely none of that whatsoever and so really a lot of anger that we saw playing out in the streets. as a pretty common for the problems to. well he's spoken very strongly against this and of course he's seen this big political wrangling staking place the use in a number of high level resignations one calling for the prime minister himself to resign he's really come down very hard and you could see that echoed i think in the police response tonight right from the very start there was a very heavy police presence there and they were very strong in their response to

the processes and i think that really does reflect the nervousness of the prime minister's going to be feeling right now because bear in mind was the protests in the scenes easting tonight not new over the past year for islam but we've seen that played out time and again but as those protests have developed as the message of the protesters ascending has developed so too has the challenge that the prime minister faces and of course if you take it in context of what we've seen with that political drama unfolding around the prime minister with that corruption probe added to that the anger on the streets tonight and you've really got a very serious challenge to his leadership indeed a lot of people are going to be watching very very closely to see whether or not he can weather this latest storm you're just talking about was really comment about what's been happening this evening because we were expecting this protest to happen we were expecting some free software which. is going to stay. at the end of all this of these protests could. well it's really uncertain at the moment we've heard

talk today of possible snap elections remember next he got the elections everyone now asking whether he can hold out that long the protesters certainly adamant that they're not going to back down and you could see the and it's night when they were clashing with the police they feel that the government meddling in areas such as the police city tishri really is intolerable and so they said that they're going to keep fighting but certainly in his time in power it's been. it's safe to say the most serious challenge that he's had to see his leadership and say was he isn't. making all these political decisions up to seeing those high level resignation it's really unfair that i were not there i'm able to write this one out of but only if the thing playing out on the street tonight a huge amount of anger so nice to see you thanks very much for bringing up the surface spring to a correspondent ok well i promise read a worm has been praised by the international community initially for trying to create a country where european

a muslim values were integrated but earlier i spoke to story in a professor of international relations margaret allman he believes there was never actually held secular views always been regarded by many of his sudden his opponents as being mockery or secular state or history of sensibly accepted the secular constitution of turkey because you have to do that in order to stamp collection but as he's been reinforced in recess elections we've seen shifts towards also seems all season to more endorsing of a more islamic ossie for instance restrictions on so you're welcome whole rants about having a strict a morality code the universe does mom some people also must is a. woman who level he has been almost immune to the world economic crisis and one of the ones great support was that his government seemed able to produce economic growth relatively low in question and of course without allegations of corruption water put their hold you know and now we have the allegations of corruption who also generally who talks economies. are in many who are in the past who

say well whatever's wrong is better and i'm better off. if you don't know more about the bribery scandal that drove the turkish leadership to the brink of collapse head to our web site r.t. dot com we've got all the details there for you. it's been thirty three months now of bloody civil war in syria and twenty thirteen that brought no relief to the people of the water own country there on the contrary from the conventional standoff initially to the government of the opposition the conflict has grown multidimensional marred by infighting between various rebel groups. this year the opposition has grown more fragmented with many rebel groups increasingly dominated by radicals and did a study by a defense consultancy shows that out of one hundred thousand opposition fighters in syria more than half are extremists made up of jihadists and islamic hardliners the rest are more moderate but their voices are being increasingly drowned by the

radicals this year in syria was also marked by a growing number of attacks on christians too with the ancient town of my lul are becoming a front line and r.t. crew was right there right in the midst of a standoff between the government forces an islamist rebels is a report that our correspondent reformation of filed at the height of the fighting . so. the mood is cheerful soldiers are smiling and relieved the jihadists have been booted out. but some of them were killed some of them escaped. locals joins the army to defend their native town the soldiers in light colored uniforms of the so-called national defense but the terrain he's very difficult with mountains and caves but we know the area better so we are carrying on with the

operation. but we come across one grocery shop owner who we filmed back in two thousand and twelve then he told us that the armed rebels hasn't come to their village and why would they. this time he's armed with a gun and monster and soldiers and he has some questions again. syria is a land of history and of love they sent terrorists here from all corners of the world to kill syrians and each other why i asked the world why if the european citizen is so much just slapped across the face they'd be a scandal while in syria how many victims how many hundreds of thousands have been slaughtered why will it stop would quickly find out that it won't be today held by the militants for a week it seems that mountain tops of fear hotel still poses a threat that sufi hotel our goal was to liberated them push on to mark tough love

on a street we couldn't do it there snipers are everywhere milo is home to many christian toters and monasteries as well as mosques everywhere we go here we see either crosses on their rents now added to these we see black jihadists flags. it's time to head back. to trial in the car something goes wrong. we take cover in a place where we find dozens of army soldiers hiding from enemy's bullets. the main road is being targeted and it's he's our only way out. we think over our chances when our engineer gets heat. i don't know. much. pressure. but. thankfully it's not serious.

but it becomes clear we can to wait to minutes more. ok much of a shock when i'm stuck here in this corner and we're now trying to get out of here because in this weather. was of no no no. so. those had been anything gone back then they go clear a lot. more focus off of the bullets did you hear them whizzing by. now say that we've reached

the safe area. the fire and you're behind this. and are told that this is the syrian army get to be careful how do you make sure there is too much so you get there. and we leave while governmental forces continue their frenzy for marla village which despite the claims remains under siege. nasty reporting from syria. of course the syrian conflict could have taken even more dramatic turn this august when the u.s. front bombing raids in the country in followed a major chemical attack near damascus that killed hundreds washington blame the assad government for that atrocity but failed at the day to produce any evidence the air strikes were only shelved after moscow intervened helping to negotiate that landmark chemical disarmament deal which led in turn to the un resolution that kickstarted the destruction of syria's chemical weapons and production facilities the first stage of the protest has now officially been completed and his regular

scare explains what happens next that. we can see the first hurdle or rather task at hand which is destroying the facilities where the chemical weapons were stored and produced and then gathering all the chemicals together that that stage has been completed now we are at the stage two and that is the transportation of all chemicals to the port of latakia and now the there is the deadline for that and that was december thirty first but organization for prohibition of chemical weapons is saying that deadline is most likely not to be met because you don't have to transport the chemicals the route they have to go via the route from damascus to a talkie which of unfortunately is rife with various armed gangs populating the areas that could present some danger although russia is helping out in that regard by sending its special heavy duty armored trucks and lorries in order to transport these chemicals now after they reach the port of latakia the chemicals will be

boarded on several vessels belonging to denmark norway and head over to italy where they will be transferred to another vessel this one belonging to the united states there is also of course the issue of the actual destruction of the chemicals and there are two ways that could be done and the details are being figured out today in moscow by all parties participating in this rather difficult and very sophisticated task and according to the russian there presented to the russian history of foreign affairs there are some kinks that they need along the way when talking to the representatives of the united states but again russia is remaining very hopeful that the talks today will be very productive and of course they're saying that they're smoothing things out along the way as they go on the major international mission of a series of course the peace talks which are expected to take place at the end of january but whether the syrian government and the opposition do find the negotiating table and to the day even if that happens whether it would help bring

the conflict to an end of course. will show us. these labels to been. braving the elements in order to stand up to us oil giants chevron. this comes after a massive hunger strike that returned the world's attention to the place that summed up jobs the gulag of our times. is an undeclared global battlefield in which again and it's just one of the front lines. thanks for choosing us here international coming up a report on an empty surveillance conference in germany with wolf i was

whistleblowers headlining the event but a lot more than just off this quick break. in the final. it's a. pleasure

to have you with us today. at least three people have been killed in a blast in russia's southern city of this evening a cause reported have exploded next to a police headquarters there and also injured passers by to the blast was so powerful that it tore the car to pieces apparently and shattered windows in nearby buildings and first a gate to say they haven't ruled out the possibility that it was a terror attack at this stage in a place in the stock region that borders russia's north caucuses which is a volatile area with similar attacks to take place on a regular basis we're bringing you more on that as we get it for the evening. the

british government is bending over backwards to slash taxes raise living standards for its people the result rich individuals and big businesses the stuffing their pockets with more cash while the public pays the price but despite criticism from employees the tax authorities aren't willing to change the status quo polly boy reports. from many of those working here in the city of london two thousand and thirteen has been a year of prosperity thanks to a tax cut that kicked in earlier this spring ukase highest earners have been able to make even more money than yeah the rate of tax for people earning over one hundred fifty thousand pounds per year has gone down from fifty pence to forty five so for every hundred pounds they earn over that fifty pounds used to go straight into the treasury but that figure has now been reduced and now they're only paying forty five pounds to the tax man from every hundred now all these save five as

a rounding up in the u.k. is opposition labor party has done the math they say that collectively the u. case highest honors have saved almost one hundred million pounds thanks to the tax cuts you have seen the longest fall in living standards on record you've got half a million people using parents now you've got i think homelessness is up by around since two thousand and these are serious problems why is the government choosing to cut taxes at a time like this when the government's made such play of the need for serious lisp is bizarre and there's little evidence that it's benefited the u.k. economy so most people. have their taxes go up they're not investing that money this investment is still on the floor. london isn't called a millionaire's playground for nothing you have more super rich individuals living in the capital than anywhere else in the world you have the world's most expensive

houses here and butlers a back in fashion but away from the glitz and the drama thirty million brits are going to be starting the new year living in poverty u.k. prime minister david cameron has been fighting off claims that his political party only represents the privileged few but this latest tax cut only benefits the richest one percent fully boyko artsy london seems the rich are getting richer in the us is world very bold of it with the wall street setting aside nearly one hundred billion dollars for new year bonuses this year one activist fighting call predominantly told us that cash will be coming straight to the taxpayers' pockets. these big wall street banks pay their employees a very high base salary usually in the range of like one hundred fifty thousand to two hundred fifty thousand but then on top of that they get this sort of performance bonus and the way that they're tallied is there's a number of surveys they basically asked the top u.s. banks how much money they had set aside for bonuses in two thousand and thirteen

and that's how we arrived at the ninety one point four four billion dollars it is crazy right especially when you think about earlier this year there was this bloomberg article about how the government there is like a government subsidy of eighty three billion dollars so it's almost as if all of that government subsidy is just going right back into bonuses but this is just way that wall street has worked for a really long time before say we're going to continue to see these problems and that's why we're saying listen you shouldn't get to take these big dollars that you've gotten in this bill gotten ways and give them to yourselves you should give it back to the people that you've harmed all our news here and so much more just a click away on our website of course updates you tonight on the arctic thirty online via greenpeace activists just a step away from leaving russia after moscow dropped all charges against him for trying to board that off board that offshore oil rig earlier this year they've been issued exit visas now to get the full story. and it turns out as well the e.u. politicians hollywood big shots even vatican officials are always practice what they preach when it comes to piracy we've got

a story submerged loading huge amounts of illegal content you want that story you can get it from us. jury decides the wiki leaks founder has been holed up in the ecuadorian embassy in london for over a year hiding from prosecution claim greene will the reporter who broke the other say scandalous news partner was held in question under terrorism laws and jacob appelbaum to the wiki leaks akhet attained a dozen times at the u.s. border today all three of them headliners a major conference in humber gone surveillance and previously artie's peter all of us there to. well as the thirtieth anniversary of the chaos communications

conference here in how strongly more and more supporters people are made aware of just how fragile their online privacy actually is now i'm joined by michael ebeling who is a online privacy campaigner michael thanks very much for speaking to me how people started to take more of a interest in looking after their online security you know a lot of people do it in a different manner. some start to encrypt the e-mail something that we would like to support those people how to do it how to manage p.g.p. for example as iran's reducer communication on the internet whatever this is going to be a big impact for everybody's life and i think we're just looking at the beginning of a big same for somebody like myself who's barely computer literate is there anything that i can do it to look after my own online security. of course start to encrypt the e-mails start to use open software this data change your system on your computer not microsoft not apple but use linux are you going to and anything like

that people away a year ago before these leaks from edward snowden just how would risk we are online . normal most of the people didn't realize that some few people always were talking about it on the events like this once here by accident normally they haven't been a big voice an immediate now would you like to see edward snowden here perhaps next year as a speaker i would like to hear from today it's as fast as possible and i would like to have the german government to give him a safe place and a secure place here in germany i would prefer it this thank you very much that's michael ebeling who say privacy online privacy activist here talking the thirtieth chaos communication conference. three people reported dead no one hundred twenty arrested in a way more see protests sweeping through egypt in cairo police fired tear gas of protesters who held stones of security forces the clashes followed the arrest of

twenty three activists from the muslim brotherhood and accusations of inciting violence just days after it was declared a terrorist organization brotherhood's and promising more rallies. taliban suicide bomb attack on an international military convoy in afghanistan to kill three servicemen i'm wounded six civilians on tuesday rockets were fired at the u.s. embassy in kabul followed by another attack that injured three police officers the recent spate of violence comes as president karzai considers allowing u.s. troops to stay in the country beyond twenty four. lambing story next is a substance that literally devours you from the inside it is addictive in almost every case fears are being raised in the us because of the possible spread of the drug known as crocodile of the first signs of it use of its use reported in september meantime here in russia the substance is going to teeth into tens of thousands of drug users despite it's ingredients being restricted the readily available apparently as artist and in

a caution has been finding out. it's two years since drug addict alexina lost his best friend and every december i have visited his grave. andree was a group photographer he was into advertising he was involved in several projects but the thing just killed him he couldn't stop it chased him to death that thing was dust some more of an extremely addictive opioid to which users inject as better known as crocodile because it gives. gangrene a skin as also described as the flash is things on the drug it causes severe brain damage users skin eventually falls off and kills addicks within two years alexi managed to escape the consequences of the drug but his story is more of an exception than the rule in reality those who try the so-called world's deadliest drug even ones pay dearly for the cheap oil and all too often they end up here

or abroad and you've got to remember boyfriend couldn't work because of the drug he needed to inject again it became an obsession in the end he was only working to afford the crocodile is cheap costing just in terms of the price of regular herring and most worryingly it's is really manufactured at home using over the counter chemicals. at the pleasure albeit that it's one of the main factors widespread was responsible decisions made about could be under the ninety's where the health minister it is the sales were gracious of medicine which contains called. alexei agreed to show us just how easy it is to get the vital ingredient painkillers. we were on our way to the drug store i don't have any prescription but i believe i'll get everything i need to it's not a problem. it didn't take him long just five minutes and he was back alexy tells us. that crocodile is made by

combining with ordinary household detergents or event gasoline larry summers just ignorant people had so many different really dangerous toxic ingredients what they get in return is a very intense and very short time the addiction has developed so fast faster than heroin this is a drug of poor those who can't afford anything as one of the lock your addict has survived after quitting crocodile alexy has a stark warning. don't do it this thing just turns you into a monster it's you insulated it's so painful it's so scary you lose everything your friends your family everything. i do to question our team moscow go out. kind of soon after the break people of a looks ahead to where the talks between the israelis and the palestinians may finally resolve the deadlock guns are in twenty four to be over but with more news

in thirty three minutes from now. jamie dimon is a guy he's begging to be euthanised and i think as a country is a world we should get together and answer his wish he wants to become one with his

maker he says look i broke the law please arrest me i want to go to jail and be abused by hundreds of thousands of inmates in some godly way that's my goal in life i'm tired of being free put me in prison i beg you so he breaks more and more laws but unfortunately the lawbreaking becomes the basis of the g.d.p. for a country of qatar so like america and they can't put him in jail because they need him out there breaking the law so they can pay themselves huge bonuses at the end of the year so he's really is an existential crisis. of the twenty fourteen olympics was this place like. this is so special as the russian resort prepares to welcome the world power the games in the cities present and future what so it will bring you this is the moment they're reporting from a very cold snowy windy money.