the world welcomes two thousand and fourteen with a bang. mark the occasion. president putin visits the city of mourning. the victims killed in two suicide blasts. address where he pledged to. member. for your. public disapproval and fear joining a losing. game. ever. just a month over a month. you're

watching live from moscow we're glad to have you with us fireworks in festivities all across the globe the world welcomed the year two thousand and fourteen australia was among the first to ring in the new year over a million people enjoyed the fireworks at the landmark sydney harbor bridge literally fireworks went off around the world but. the display in the city set a world record by. the fireworks on the world's tallest tower in new york city the famous crystal ball on times square dropped as the clock struck midnight to set off the celebration there meanwhile hey traditional beach party. two thousand and

fourteen was held at copacabana in brazil corks popping off bottles in the birth nation of champagne is what went on in the french capital also check out this amazing display in london wherever you are party international very happy new year . for russia the celebrations were marred by tragic events in volgograd where thirty four people were killed by suicide bombings on consecutive days president putin rewrote is a traditional new year's 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 and visited the injured that are still in the hospital parties margaret howell 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 whoknows also taking

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 terror activities with 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 are friends and school in a way mourn the victims of the brutal terrorist attacks. we do and we will continue to fight the terrorists with determination good ideas the resolve and commitment to

where we've been told they are all gone what do we 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 and morning until the third of january commemorating the thirty four victims of the two terror attacks the youngest victim of the volgograd terror attacks three month old avika talk innova has a regaining consciousness and she was transported to moscow for treatment after being at the center of the explosion which left her in a coma with a head injury her mother and grandmother were killed while the girl's blanket is believed to have saved her life. more on what is happening in volgograd and to see how locals are coming to terms with this tragedy you can head to our t.v. dot com. latvia has become the eighteenth

e.u. state to join the euro zone banks have started exchanging currency with the new year's arrival but according to polls over half of the nation citizens are anything but enthusiastic about the swap people fear that inflation will push up prices and that losses from joining the euro will outweigh the benefits are too small scott reports . 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 the claims of the vast majority of the population are opposed to the move. there's always some who will benefit 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 swap here is a small open economy with both loans and deposits very much in euro's already and is again the country its entrepreneurs and its 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 inevitable 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 customers alike all prices on display is going to show to announce the price in lots and the pricing you writers twenty places. for two exposed accept both flats and eras but whatever currency you choose to pay we're supposed to give you change in your us so it's not going away i don't know 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 effects on the not be an economy remain to be seen in this case the proof of the pudding we in eating. riga latvia. greece which is struggling to get out of

a six year recession is assuming the six month rotating presidency meanwhile within the country people are growing increasingly angry towards brussels it has been pushing for athens to accept austerity measures in exchange for bailout payments let's take a look at how that plan has been working out so far now since the financial crisis first hit the eurozone in two thousand and nine nations across the bloc have seen their debts increasing with greece as you can see here doing the worst ironically even germany has long been over that sixty percent debt line which is the limit any of the country said to join the e.u. are required to be below meanwhile cut imposed by governments across the e.u. have led to a fall in the average personal income in a number of states germany is among the few nations enjoying an increase you can see plus four percent there and greece again has been the worst affected here as well along with the e.u. presidency athens assumes a power over the box regulations but one journalist we spoke to doesn't believe

greece will look to change that much. i believe that grace can give some lessons of how to stare at the maid service in a time of crisis and when a country has a huge problem that this is very weak in the lead only to disaster in that sense we can beat some lessons to other european countries in the space of the countries in the european thirty three but there is nothing else for europeans to expect from greece at the moment these european président see cannot really make any changes in the europe in the european union that is controlled primarily by burying and by some big financial institutions in the core of the european union. russia's first ever winter olympic games will open in sochi in just over a one month the world class resort has been rebuilt into a winter sports haven which is all set to become welcoming spectators and some of

the world's top athletes as well hearties to say though she's already there. it's always been the subtopic call vacation spot for russians now it's on the world's map for winter sports so 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 of 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 its basic beautiful collection of dns divina shops and natural mineral spring keeping fit to wear the davies show 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 awarded to the city of sochi. and gymnastics in heart yes in the pool of the plexi has become a world class resort lympics are renowned for reviving and regenerating host city here the mix of new buildings rail lines and world class facilities will be the games with a strong legacy in the caucasus for generations to come. it's so 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 cost for sports like skiing and bobsled the two clusters only thirty minutes apart making these games one of the most compact ever 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 first innovative technology and environmentally friendly the such a lympics is all said she showcase russia to the world to bang with say such our

team now said turn to our tears to bang about say we'll have more reports from the winter olympics host city throughout the week. at the sochi home of the twenty fourteen olympics what's this police line and why is is so special as the russian resort prepares to welcome the world power the games should be in the city's present and future what mall so it will bring you this is the moment they replace you from a very cold snowy windy mountainous stuff yet beyond the olympics but . today on our team. unexplored antarctica what is it in this icy expanse that attracts the people who come here. now i only go to the dock.

and enter into. a new generation of polar explorers is coming. we have a new group of specialists here now all of them are young how are they going to get along with each other and i don't know. but i used to be a bureaucrat. seriously. what adventures await in this mysterious land where they live what do they eat and what are they actually doing in antarctica. this is the media leave us so we leave the people. by the sea potions to cure. all your party physical. issues that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all on politicking only on r t.

i mean welcome back you're watching our team now that two thousand and thirteen is in the books let's rewind a bit and take a look at some of the most significant events of the past year it was a turbulent year for america it was rocked by the boston marathon bombings the government shutdown left it balancing on the verge of default and it almost launched a strike on syria two thousand and thirteen also revealed how the n.s.a. spied on usa citizens and the rest of the world party's going to change you can comments on the major news that came out of america in two thousand and thirteen. 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 bolt while others worry that u.s.

strikes could benefit extremists never. hurt 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 robust in helping them so pawling to me that in this circumstance in these times we spend 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 timing congress eventually yield 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 the revelations showed that the government had lied to the people about this program but it seems that it is 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 the may probe 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 you it turns out it's not just for this problem but it seems that washington is starting to see it more clearly. it was new year's celebrations protests in the ukrainian capital independence square has been the scene of anti government rallies for weeks know the country's opposition wants closer trade ties with the e.u. . has been following the demonstrations from the 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. 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 bremer others with a few american is where you find anything 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 are 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 flag as it's covered with protest banners and even. the banner of the former prime minister yulia tymoshenko who is now in jail indeed the euro my 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 the 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. meanwhile around fifteen thousand right wing activists marched through the ukrainian capital they were celebrating what would have been the one hundred fifth birthday of. a divisive political figure in the one nine hundred thirty s. and forty's the demonstrators consider him a leader of ukraine's independence movement but others say he was a nazi collaborator. in the netherlands some people braved the weather to find a cool way to celebrate the new year too cold for thousands of plunged into the

north sea for the countries. in motion. on our website we've got the very frigid incredibly cold numbing footage. of. a group of researchers trying to bridge the gap between animals and humans produced a gadget that can translate what a dog is thinking into english. for the full story. in a new year's address the u.k. prime minister called on the country for unity that's as scotland is set to vote in an independence referendum next september david cameron urged people to vote no saying that their family of nations is better off together. travelled to edinburgh to find out if people there are ready to make the big decision. 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 once the tastes have been made and the glass is empty scotland will wake up to what's to be a very big year come september eighteenth and scottish faces will be asked yes no question should scotland become an independent country in the arguments for and against what sort of swayze to say yes what's crazy is saying no i think just financially we're going to be job security but not everyone's course a new year resolution to revolution i think the bank is going to get engaged twenty four mark and forward to the birth of my second child dealt with the most growing

whatever happens scotland's future now lies in its people's hands i think it means all this going to stamp out on the road to not look after themselves not sure which way it's going to go down so that everything like everything to be fair yeah so aussie edinburgh. in the coming hours australian scientists are said to be evacuated from a russian research vessel that has been trapped in ice in the antarctic for over a week a helicopter will transport fifty two people and scientific equipment to a nearby chinese vessel and then on to an australian icebreaker the operation is expected to take seven trips to complete the long planned rescue was delayed because of strong winds and a blizzard but now the weather has improved meanwhile the russian crew will remain on board to continue with attempts to free the ship from the ice earlier a few vessels a powerful icebreaker among them failed to reach the ship be because of the fake ice rubbing it. take

a look at some other news making headlines around the world. in egypt anti-government protests across the country have descended into violence at least two people have been killed in clashes between police and muslim brotherhood supporters in the city of alexandria it comes after security forces tear gassed the students rallying near the defense ministry in the nation's capital cairo egypt has been hit by a wave of violent protests with hundreds killed and thousands arrested since president morsi was ousted in july. a third explosion has rocked a five star hotel in the somali capital mogadishu near the international airport and it came just an hour after twin car bombs went off in the same area killing at least eleven people and injuring seventeen reporters say that an exchange of fire followed the blasts popular among politicians and high ranking officials the islamist militant group al-shabaab is suspected to be behind the attack. coming up

after the break artie international meets a group of russian researchers and and if you're watching us in the u.k. going underground with host off your town see right here after a short break you're watching r.t. . recently the federal reserve system celebrated its one hundredth birthday in that big con game that just a few years ago no one seems to know about has been in place for one hundred years so let's celebrate the federal reserve by remembering all their accomplishments since nine hundred thirteen firstly they've managed to take the printing of money out of the hands of the u.s. government and thus out of the hands of u.s. voters i what it comes to money who needs to mock received representation anyways they also made to whittle away the dollars tagging to gold until nixon finally said forget gold let's print our way out of vietnam and because there is no link between

the dollar and gold the purchasing power of the dollar has reduced by at least twenty three times since the fed came into being lovely but what about the next hundred years well if the recent rounds of quantitative easing are any sign of things to come then we're going to be seeing a lot more inflation and big private bankers getting richer while we all get poorer bad people generally don't survive one hundred years but bad systems sadly can go on and on and on forever but that's just my opinion. summer is coming to an end. the crew of the academic field of is waiting for the research station to pack up for winter everything has to be done quickly if the wind gets any stronger. to be able to take off and there's no other way of getting

people onto the ship from the station they need to hurry winter begins tomorrow. used to be to save which union. station. now it only works during the summer. in the southern hemisphere someone starts in december and ends in much it's now april so seasonal operations are over. geological samples are gathered during the summer a loaded into containers. cold water is drained from the station and windows are boarded up and filled in with insulation. is given even the slightest chance to sneak in it will be impossible to dig it out of.

the diesel generator was the last to be shutdown no one can survive without heat. takes just a few hours to complete. the station is ready for winter. or will fly people to the field of. good to see you good to see you're back here they told us you'd come you're here and fortune is smiling upon us again everything's going to be great.

i'm going to be eighty five in april now i only go to the doctor. and antarctica. i'm drawn towards it my wife isn't even aware of these expeditions in the last few years. russia's expeditions to antarctica set off from cape town south africa while the ship stays in port for a few days the team members enjoy some time off. many of them want to take a tour to the cape of good hope. unfortunately there's not enough space on the bus so the polar explorers decide to draw lots to determine who gets to go. in the soviet era to.