i. see forward to seeing everywhere the new years enjoyed a spectacular welcome across the globe with crowds of revelers ready in time zone by times. president potent visits the city of volgograd mourning the victims of successive suicide bombings after a pledge to fight terror until the end in his new year address. that he'll welcomes twenty fourteen and a new currency but many of the adoption of the crisis battered euro is going to turn out well. it's just over two months to go now before the winter games start in salt she will report from the city preparing to host the olympics and while its guests of the state tell.

him you used. kevin i mean this is r.t. international a top story than the world's run in the new year everywhere on the planet it's now officially twenty fourteen and here's how it was welcomed across the globe let's take a couple of minutes take a look at this trailer was among the first to see in twenty fourteen with that traditional dazzling display of fireworks over a million people packed around that iconic bridge sydney harbor which lit up by more than seven tons of pyrotechnics great also festive crowds gathered in new york's times square to watch the famous crystal ball. rio held its traditional party on the iconic cocoa palm beach show for a million it's got some dressed in traditional white for good luck others in yellow to attract wealth. and champagne drinking crowds filling the streets there the

french capital meantime over in london hundreds of thousands watched the city be. breathtaking display as well because everyone here doubts international future that's coming through. for russia though the celebrations were mobbed by those tragic events in volgograd with thirty four people were killed but two suicide bombings in two days president putin changed his traditional new year address in the wake of the attacks promising a massive crackdown on terrorists he also visited the morning city to pay tribute to the dead visited the injured in hospital of his margaret how reports president putin has arrived in volgograd and he has had a very busy morning he laid flowers at the site of the latest blast on monday an explosion that ripped through a trolley bus during rush hour who has also taken a tour of one of the hospitals here where many of the wounded are being treated he was briefed on their condition and met them personally wishing each of them

a fast recovery and a happy new year the president also held a meeting with the heads of the federal security service and emergency committee on their current anti terror activities but the tragic events in volgograd where we're on putin's mind however even before the new year as he rewrote that annual address to the nation pledging to fight terrorism still the very end and he was speaking for the first time not from him outside the kremlin but from the far east city of culver osc where it was hit by a massive flood last year. but the new russia has always stood united in face of trial but argue that we're friends and school in a way mourn the victims of the brutal terrorist attacks. we're here and we will continue to fight the terrorists with determination good ideas the resolve and commitment to the one told they are all gone what dearly will provide support for the victims and their families we will accomplish everything we have planned and we

will restore a build everything we have decided to restore our belief that well despite the new year's festivities the city is in mourning until the third of january commemorating the thirty four victims of the two terror attacks and in fact over sixty people injured in a volatile grad terror attacks are still in hospital among them is three month old vic talk and know of in a she was the youngest to be has been transported to moscow for the treatments medics say her condition is critical but stable because mother and grandmother were killed in an explosion while the girl's blanket saved her life we're following a condition as well as the others who were injured. want to keep up to speed with what he told the crowd to see how the locals are coming to terms with the tragedy invite you to head to our website for all the details of that. along with a new year love is welcome to new currency becoming the eighteenth member of the

euro zone but with the eurozone still emerging from a severe crisis many in latvia have got their doubts about adopting the single currency as artie's pull scott found. you know you have to understand if a country wants to be independent it has to have its own independent currency a currency it prints itself and controls itself under it and his organization are calling for a referendum he says the latvian people have had the euro forced upon them and haven't been allowed their say and claims the vast majority of the population are opposed to the move. there's always some who will benefit at the top end but the majority will lose out latvia will import goods from other e.u. countries at a cheaper rate which will mean we produce less and ruin the economy. recent statistics from a leading latvian pollster showed that fifty three percent of latvians are opposed to the move while only twenty two percent think it is

a good idea with legitimate concerns over the state of the eurozone the bank of latvia has launched a p.r. campaign in an attempt to convince people now is the right time for the country to switch currency whenever we have a chance we explain to people that sloppier is a small open economy with both loans and deposits very much in euro's already and is again the country it's entrepreneurs and it's people will have by seeing higher ratings and lower interest rates on their on their on their lives although there's little public support and economic instability across the continent one leading opposition figure says the government simply has no choice but the news business it's never trouble we took responsibility to join the eurozone when we entered the e.u. time will tell it doesn't matter what money is in our pockets it matters how much of it we have. now to make life easier for small businesses and

customers alike all prices on display are going to show two amounts the price and lots and the pricing uro's twenty. years for two experts must accept both latin eras but whatever currency you choose to pay we're supposed to give you change in your us. so it's not going to work i don't know how i don't know how it's going to display here for me but i hope somehow it. it will work well but of course it will be confusing especially first two weeks as people like kareena learn to adapt to the new currency the long term effect on the latvian economy remains to be seen in this case the proof of the pudding really eating who's got r.t. riga latvia. meantime euro zone member greece's economy has been struggling more the most is taking over the rotating new presidency for the year politicians so the role is a chance to prove the greece is a normal country despite all its economic woes it's a quick look at how some e.u.

measures have been affecting athens than some of the european economies as well in the four years of e.u. sturdy measures the nations that shown here have seen their debt increase by as much as forty percent for greece and for spain that's despite a requirement for all euro zone countries to limit the national debt to sixty percent of g.d.p. at the same time the average personal incomes fall and in all of the states except germany greece in fact the worst affected along with the presidency athens assumes power of the blogs regulations too but one journalist we spoke to doesn't believe greece will look to change much. i believe that grace can give some lessons of how sturdy masers in a time of crisis is and when a country has a huge public that this is very picky and leads only to disaster in that sense we can beat some lessons to other european countries and especially countries in the european very free but there is nothing else for europeans to do expect from greece

at the moment these european presidency can not really make any changes in the europe in the european union that is controlled primarily by very lean and by some big financial institutions in the core of the european union. coming up scotland marks the start of a major decision year scots are going to have to say yes all now the becoming independent group in this year's surrounded by fireworks and festive spirit as he travels to add rather to gauge public feeling on a potential breakthrough with. just a few weeks russia's most anticipated event of twenty four to gets underway as well the world's winter of lettuce are waiting for their chance to shine at the olympic games in sochi the city's newly constructed venues promising a warm welcome at a first class service. say looks at what's on offer. it's always been the subtopic call vacation spot for russians now it's on the world's map for winter

sports so if she wore hose that sports men and women dignitaries and spectators come the winter olympics and paralympic games. sochi is one of the southernmost places in russia as the unofficial capital of the riviera of the caucasus the beaches and marina make the city popular in some a loss skiing in the nearby mountains make it an ideal place for winter vacations. russian is of course the main language used by days in the service industry a brushing up on the english while key information signs are also being translated your first reaction to sochi is that it's big with high rising buildings and an urban attitude this may surprise many the wrong to the faces to the subtropical city a basic beautiful collection of dns to find the shops called natural mineral spring

but keeping fit with a daily stroll is a new trend. the international olympic committee as their owner. with announcing that the twenty second olympic winter games in two thousand and fourteen are wardak to the city of sochi. and to fix in the heart yes in the pool of the plexi has become a world class resort in lympics are renowned for reviving and regenerating host city here the mix of new building rail line and will cost the city fleet the games with a strong legacy in the caucuses for generations to come. it's obvious and easy to said that what's going to happen here is that they will have a beautiful ski resorts nice hotels nice facilities nice transport and differently they have the potential to attract tourists here no doubt spread across two distinct areas the games coastal cluster its way into ice events in the city and

the mounting costs for sports like skiing and bobsled the two clusters only thirty minutes apart making these games one of the most compact have a held but have all the infrastructure changes made a difference for those who call sochi home including people with disabilities first of all there are many ramps and many places are accessible now lifts first of all the winter theater here in the square i used to visit it quite often actually my expectations were superseded by the reality i didn't expect that it would be so good i went to olympics with many firsts innovative technology and environmentally friendly the such a lympics is all said she showcase russia to the world to bang with say such she r t and many more reports of issues city of limpid dreams from time by months the week here on this show. that's so true for the country fourteen olympics

what's this place like lonnie is is so special as the russian resort prepares to welcome the world power the games shaking the city's present and future what sochi will bring you this is the moment everybody from a very cold snowy windy mountainous stuff yet beyond the olympics what the monks say. change. the world to. sundance technology innovation all the moves developments from around russia we've got the future covered.

dramas that can't be ignored. stories others refuse to notice. the faces changing the world writes now. on full picture of today's leaves. home designs from around the globe. dropped. to fifty. to say goodbye than to twenty thirty bliss take

a look at some of the events it'll be remembered for. it was a seven year for america which was rocked by the boston marathon bombings the government shutdown left it balancing on the verge of fault too and it almost launched a war on syria and of course twenty thirteen revealed to the n.s.a. hacks the country and the rest of the world artie's eyes in washington galaxy she can send us this report. it was a year of cliffhangers we heard the white house threat military action we saw the us congress threaten default to blackmail the president it's been a roller coaster but very few enjoyed it and here's a quick look back at some of the twists and turns. team obama prepared to hit syria the un balt while others worried that u.s. strikes could benefit extremists. the american people wouldn't buy it either so president obama finally took up the russian proposal to cut a deal and we will work together in consultation with russia and china to put

forward a resolution at the u.n. security council requiring assad to give up his chemical weapons and to ultimately destroy them under international control desist for war in syria live many americans wondering why their representatives weren't as well boston helping them so paul and to me that in this circumstance in these times we spent two or three or more weeks deciding whether we should conduct what is laughingly referred to as a humanitarian war in congress the republicans used the debt limit to blackmail president obama and starve funds for a medical insurance scheme for millions of americans which is struggling to get off the ground anyway the government close for over two weeks and us that default fears put the world back on economic alert with suspiciously dramatic time in congress eventually you'll do it but its reputation was sealed it will leave millions dangling on the brink of a catastrophe so a few can score political points and you had many politicians calling for reforms

in the wake of for snowden's revelations and at the same time calling him a traitor the obama administration of course had to do some damage control after all derive a ration showed that the government had lied to the people about this program but it seems it's going to be damage control more in words than actual change of policy we hear words transparency and oversight more often. but the reality is this president obama himself said he's quite happy with the way with how the program works the boston bombings in april which killed three people and injured two hundred sixty four in fact and it actually said something about how this surveillance program works the two perpetrators somehow flew under the radar although the f.b.i. and the cia had received warnings from russia about one of them a year before it happened but the u.s. law enforcement didn't act on those warnings possibly looking at the guy you know was from chechen descent and thinking it's russia trying to solve its problems and that it has nothing to do with the uighurs well it turns out it's not just for this

problem but it seems that washington is starting to see it more clearly. thousands of protesters in ukraine ever made to come out in central kiev the new year's celebrations independence square has been the heart of anti-government protests for months now with the opposition calling for closer ties with the e.u. . has been following the demonstrations from the very beginning. but this is a political protest this is the anger at the country's government and the president president something which has been going on for more than six weeks now it's rather turbulent six weeks for ukraine as i mentioned my report. first they wanted to be in europe was then they wanted a revolution. that was the. ukraine's leaders feared that a free trade zone with the e.u. would cause industry to collapse the crowds never bought that but when the police

used force against peaceful bro e.u. protesters. they stopped caring altogether. the. government building stormed barricades built and top western politicians dropping by the german and dutch foreign ministers and a deputy u.s. secretary of state before u.s. senator john mccain weighed in taking a swipe at russia stalks while stirring up the key of crowds himself remember all those with a few american is where you find me but none of them dug ukraine out of its mess mosco later agreed to help with a discount on gas prices and a fifteen billion dollar loan for the now entrenched protesters the lifeline was a sellout. any treaty with russia is not worth the paper it was signed on. key of still has the crowds what's more twenty fifteen will see ukraine choose its next president a leader who needs to make a difference in whether its embittered sides continue to fight or unite. the one

thing which ever to my eyes is the happenings at the my gun right now the better is the christmas tree over there usually it is a christmas tree which the authorities set up in the central square for people to come here to celebrate right now is something of a protest symbol is covered with ukrainian flags it's covered with protest banners and even. the banner of the former prime minister yulia timoshenko who is now in jail indeed the euro might done has become something of a state within a state it lives by its own laws people are sleeping here they set up tent camps they're cooking food and it's really unlikely they're willing to disperse that anytime soon the opposition already said about its plan to hold the protesters at least until the end of january then in fact holding a huge national wide strike on a generally the twenty fourth that's how it is right now but definitely twenty fourteen will be a very turbulent year for ukrainian politics because in

a little more than twelve months from now at the end of january twenty fifteen people will take to the polls to elect a new president and that will be some very serious political battle especially considering everything which has happened in the last two months in this country. and we've turned thousands of right wing activists marching in the ukrainian capital top members of the country's radicals for board a party is leading the annual rally the demonstrators traditionally use the occasion to carry torches and nationalists. these pictures here show how scotland welcomed the year which promises to be momentous for the scottish people fireworks on september the eighteenth they're going to decide whether they want their country to go it alone after three centuries as part of britain in the new year address to the nation david cameron urge scots to say no and stay with the u.k. first investigate which where the vote could go. it's going to be a major year for scotland at the end of twenty four saying they're going to have

that independence referendum and there is everything still to play for indeed the united kingdom this time next year could look vastly different services campaigns set to kick into first gear to try and convince faces either way ahead of that vote we went up to scotland to speak to some of the scottish people to find out how they're feeling about the new ones the tastes have been made and the glasses and scotland will wake up to what's to be a very big year come september eighteenth and scottish faces will be asked the question should scotland become an independent country in the arguments for and against what sort of swayze to say yes what's crazy saying no i think just financially we're going to be job security not everyone's course a new year resolution revolution i think the bank is going to get engaged twenty four to a mark and forward to the birth of my second child out be the most growing whatever

happens scotland's future now lies in its people's hands i think it means office going to try and go down the road either to not look after themselves not sure which way it's going to go down so that everything they haven't yet so if r.c. edinburgh. on our website the queues for me to be among the first to set a poem on the red planet it's true there are over a thousand that because the so ready find. you have to be prepared to wear and breathe the course to become a martian and comb the reality but a new year for the russian navy does not give does cruise missiles and self guided tilt pedo has got more details but russia's new nuclear submarine just a click away. twenty thirty digital currency bit coy not only move from the corners of the internet to dinner table discussions it also

changes the game free of government regulations it was once considered money only for the tech savvy but just over a month ago its value skyrocketed above one thousand dollars for the first time i spoke to patrick murphy from the general counsel of the coin foundation who believes it's got the potential to become genuinely mainstream i do think that what you're going to see with big coin is a internet reference currency a currency built for the internet that enables consumers to reap tremendous advantages there's no person behind big coin or company behind because that's the whole point there's been some volatility but that's not unexpected when you think about a new system that's just come around we're just about to hit five years old right for a technology that's very very new and people are just starting to learn about it and get excited about it but i think over time what you'll see is that the price a level out it will come to a level that sustain that's sustainable through her again the supply and demand

market mechanics as the market for big matures you see the dramatic swings that could be even a couple more years from now before we get to that level. but it will likely happen . hello world news stories in brief tonight a palestinian ambassador has died after an explosion of his home in the czech capital prague it's reported news in his apartment with his family was only a safe at the time with the blast it's not immediately clear still how the explosives ended up. the manager of formula one driver michael schumacher says his client's condition is stable now but still critical the forty four year old sporting legend suffered severe head injuries when he hit a rock while skiing with his teenage son fans are gathered outside the hospital where he's undergone two operations so far his brain and remains in a medically induced coma. thanks for being with this review watching this new year's day after the break all aboard the international as we travel to antarctica.

and the new year in this edition of crossfire we ask what is in store as we start two thousand and fourteen this year different even better from the year that has passed who should we keep borrowing and what stories should we be following. the search for the twenty fourteen olympics what's the stories like why is this so special as the russian resort prepares to welcome the world power the games in the city's present and future. so. this is the moment they're reporting from a very cold snowy windy mountainous. beyond the olympics but. today on our team.

south africa i can to make sure that of diesel electric research vessels that sport . pilot is aboard. an officer with unrivaled knowledge of these waters he still has to ship out into the atlantic and then returns to dock. this is the very last opportunity for several weeks to call home with a cell phone very soon all mobiles will be far out of range the ship is setting sail for a vast and inaccessible area if there's any kind of emergency they'll be no one to provide any kind of help. the russian ships sail south to the land of eternal ice and snow to antarctica. the first officer will now explain the code of conduct on board there are twenty

three passengers aboard the i could feel the rough and for some this is their first trip to the antarctic. but for one passenger it's become a familiar journey this is the twenty sixth time he's followed this route. back in one thousand nine hundred sixty four. trip we went. who was the first time i felt so acutely just how far away. ten days and nights of ocean like. this is. as you can see there is nothing there. no one to relay messages except.

antarctica autumn winter in the southern hemisphere begins at the same time as the northern summer several times over the short summer season the academics will approach the coast of the most remote. final voyage of the year. almost a year's worth of food and fuel to the ice stations and take away seasonal crews and aircraft. which. are. a passenger ship. and an aircraft carrier. details navigational and operational plans are in place but also has arrived and no one can ever know just what to expect from antarctica. always comes up with surprises you have to keep your eyes open because there's always something going.