now i think a russian-and rainy iraniana russian- relationship have improved. it is helpful and great. there are different views and moscow on whether we should increase the -- encourage a u.s.-iranian interest or not. some people do not think it is because ifinterest iran improves relationship with united states, it will immediately turn to the west and forget about everything we did for iran. and that is why we should try to prevent it. but i think it is very shortsighted because my position -- we will -- we should encourage this and we will benefit out of a u.s.-iranian healthy relationship because iran is an extremely important regional player. influence is growing. the u.s. invasion in iraq greeted the opportunity for iran. and for russia, it is very a good workingep relationship with iran. more opportunities for iran and international affairs. it will be more important for moscow, and i will never become a u.s. ally. iran will be an independent will nevernd iran become a u.s. ally. iran will be an independent force. >> fiona, you were not incurred dding.

associate and he said oh you're russian i said no no i'm british but speak a little. better russian i lived there for a long time and he said oh you're right mr putin i said mr putin is doing good things for russia and he then said i agree and i would i particularly like the way he stands up to other international countries especially the united states and i have a great deal of respect for him in fact i wish he was a teacher he said i would do anything to send my son to study under him. when investors are expressing their opinion on the presidential pardon through the markets kiddie pool boomers told us what it is they're so happy about and what it could cost he might get up to once he is out. the my cigs index gained over one percent it means that the index is now on its longest winning streak since september got telecommunications financials oil and gas stocks all right using by one point three percent on average and international investors have been calling for more transparency and this is another stage inclusions campaign to make russia more desirable place to c

must be taxed according to russian russian laws and those taxes are to be paid to the russian budget and we need to think of a system to actually get the money to actually get to see taxes. and by the way. the end methods do exist and there is nothing special nothing particular well that's. already. said. if you want to work in the uk sure that's up to you but your taxes need to come here and if your business operations are here and actually. the world economy. measures any works also a company. outside russia will not be. given access to. government support from the russian government including providing support for their loans. it will also have a new axis. state provided contracts or contracts placed by. partially government owned company in other words if you want to reveal yourself of government support and get. them to market their bonuses from the government you need to register and to establish yourself as a russian company we also need. to provide. information provided a bank companies on the economic performance on their social. realities and so on we need to keep reading t

in too many russians just you know a very limited circle or the richest russians may be. but to hold a cold case lawyer as well as khodorkovsky himself say that they actually didn't ask for a pause and what's going on that. well we'd have a very strange case or miscommunication. mr gorski or all these people. without two years on your snow in about it it's possible because he is known to take his own decisions not necessarily taken advice or maybe missed important just decide that it's time to. any case i remember there was a lot of people from the russian liberal intelligentsia ask who can bargain for his term expires so what i'm sort of responded. to their letter so i would see . that announcement comes amid a new case against ucas what they're called skis for my company as you know how well it affects the investigation want to think. well. you course was a huge company and. billions of dollars certainly a lot of them a lot of this minute was not quite clean because you know they're going to get himself acknowledged that they did this all on tax up to my station a lot o

composting the role of russian culture and the russian language and what. we need to consider that when we can seriously education policy we don't. need the schools that teach we need that if you're a culture that bring up a personality. in a culture that possible of independent thinking. and started for next year. we'll have. you apart from the standardized exam students. we also have to write the fine i say. and that will be. included in the record books of course teachers need to be able to use some modern technology is the one to be able to work and we shouldn't have disabilities. as we need to come up with new retraining programs i know that the education ministry is working on it who needs. to finalize this we're going to finalise this program it was another major you shoe a very good. in which we see that. which education that curriculum is. to go into shifts. of course to the positive demographic situation where you see korean children while a million and i would like to address the federal regional authorities we need to assess usual need to provid

do you feel that plays into the russian perspective here and russian actions here, and if so in what way? >> there are a couple of things that one has to bear in mind about putin himself. one of which is that his goal from taking the presidency in 1999-2000 was to restore russia as a state internally but also some of russia's power standing, not in a cold war since -- i think we have made it very we're here on the panel that is not a russian objective or a putin objective, but to basically make russia back of a player. he said he went to make sure there was a geopolitical demand for russia as well they geo- economical demand. that is something that russia and putin himself have affected, and as we are talking about here, there is certainly a demand for russia to play some kind of role in the middle east, even on our part of the u.s. we see russia as an important player. i have to -- i have to than the europeans here. the europeans have played a very important role in the negotiations of iran, even if they're not playing more broadly upon the middle east process. the other elements ab

russian people remember all fortunes were made in the ninety s and suddenly the richest russian men overnight guests will not despise seemed to be in too many russians just in a very limited so call all the restrictions me. add the staff of the costs gainesville as well as the clip of state himself that's a bad day and cheney didn't opt for cars and what's going on that. well we have here is change. he's always community. even if that was the role of these things. we don't use it on a snowy mountain. this possible and it was the norm today his own decisions. seventy eight and unwise. or maybe mr clinton has decided that it's time to set the goals keep reading are in any case i remember that there was a lot of our people from the russian hebrew and contingency plan should have asked for them to pop in and posted before his term expires. so all weekend so the freeze on that. to them at the sentencing. i then ask and comes amid new case again steve. it has come across these for my company as a knock at how would that affect the investigation what you think. oh well. cube the euro's was a huge co

i just spewed it's after being released from russian to all of the oil tycoon the l a cost. it is the news conference here in berlin later this afternoon speaking at checkpoint charlie a symbolic place which is to be a crossing point between east and west during the cold war. he expressed gratitude to those who supported him during his decade long incarceration heath and german towns uncle a miracle in particular where kosky also pledged to help political prisoners in russia the throughput of course can go to bed. ruth museum at checkpoint charlie early in the morning he looked fit and refreshed for a man who just emerged from a decade in prison. there were hundreds of journalists on him for the event. of course he said that he was taken aback by the huge media interest. most people can be deployed dealt the onetime threat to russian president vladimir who will do next. but he was unable to be specific. she deployed close to the future which might just don't know yet. as a prisoner told you to really really cold which you don't know what is possible and what is not possible

a suicide blast in the russian city of volgograd kills fourteen passengers on a bus less than a day out so deadly bombing ripped through the city's train station. russia's president vladimir putin orders tighter security across the whole country in the wake of the bombings actually investigate the security situation in sochi the host city of the upcoming winter olympic games. and other top stories this hour also official intelligence and u.s. government attackers are routinely bugging computer gadgets purchased online according to french and i say leaks published in germany. and syria and misses it scares deadline for reaching its house with toxic weapons we'll speak exclusively to the head will be organization but we prohibit ahead of the weapons to find out why. this is also international coming to life from moscow hello and welcome to the program and for the second time interest today's the russian city of all the grad has been targeted by terrorists today fourteen people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew up on a bus less than twenty four hours earlier a similar sort on th

do you feel that plays into the russian perspective here and russian actions here, and if so in what way? >> there are a couple of things that one has to bear in mind about putin himself. one of which is that his goal from taking the presidency in 1999, 2000 was to restore russia as a state internally but also some of russia's great power standing, not in a cold war sense -- i think we have made it very we're here on the panel that is not a russian objective or a putin objective, but to basically make russia back of a player. he said he wantedt to make sure there was a geopolitical demand for russia as well they geo- economical demand. that is something that russia and putin himself have effected, and as we are talking about here, there is certainly a demand for russia to play some kind of role in the middle east, even on our part of the u.s. we see russia as an important player. i have to defend the europeans here. the europeans have played a very important role in the negotiations of iran, even if they're not playing more broadly upon the middle east process. the other elements abo

the russians spent a lot of time with this. my old outfit is also engaged with providing assistance. the interesting part for me is how much will the russians allow other international partners to exist. the logistics surrounding these events becomes borderline chaos when you deal with vip visitors, kings and queens and heads of states that like to show up at the event, bringing a challenge to security agents doing protection for attendees and the olympic athletes. >> the head of russia's olympic security said: credible? >> obviously not. part of of that is russian pride, part of that is an attempt to send a message that we are prepared. it's inconceivable that you would have two attacks in two days from a group from dagestan in the caucus, and there wouldn't be additional measures taken. this is a difficult task. i mean, as fred suggests, if you can control the venues, where people go ice skatingor indoor event, events outside, they are soft targets. if they are trying to make a point, trying to embarrassment putin and draw at

opponent in russian it means poetry lawyers months the civically to demonize independent that to this what i would like to ask you something different . this year justice ministry has decided to look how complying with this law and they in the shade if i'm not mistaken i think around fourteen cases of legal proceedings against various angelos and in one out of fourteen cases those al gore's actually won legal proceedings in court against the state and this is in a country that according to human rights watch has no independent judiciary. where the state prosecutors you just sat and yours how would that be possible well i wouldn't want to ruin you have some dope of the problem as the first to wall the prosecutor's office actually launched this massive campaign of the units of aggressive inspections and over one thousand organisations rick choked across the country and in some cases those inspections were just completely over the top where activists were all asked for their correspondence when the prosecutors wanted access to their computers and so on and so forth but then dozens of gro

the russian actions or near the occupy line. are very frustrating but we want to normalize our relations with neighbor there right now i've just quoted the statement by the new prime minister of cores that we have rich cultural and economic ties but all warts political steps is russia ready to take to normalize relations with georgia or. personally you have you changed your stance on georgia or once after the shift in. the political structure you have such a comprehensive question. well i have changed my position. towards the. georgian politicians and those who are in power i have always had a positive attitude towards the georgian nation towards the people even when the. fillets is were under we. were in the military conflict was. due to the reasons you're well aware of even. in those times i had very warm attitudes towards the georgian people and it was reaffirmed even in those hours difficult hours by the attitude of georgians to wards russia did i say that and probably in one of the. us a grand for well you know an old man c

but those who are russian are not surprised. going back to normalities is doing a favor to somebody. in this case, people who do not belong to prison, it's a sign of normalization, but in reality it's a sign that putin want high level of participation in sochi because he's invest there. >> khodorkovsky literally went right from his cell to the plane and onto berlin. is part of he being free mean he is out of the country. >> i think so, that he will be completely out of russia, and therefore not being able to become a political leader. >> is he still rich? >> yes, he's certainly quite rich. we can see that there are organizations that are well off. >> katherine stoner, did people reign in their ambitions seeing what could happen from trying to fly too high in putin's russia? >> yes, he was really an example that putin made for the others. around the same time we have others like boris and those who control important media assets and oil and gas assets, and we saw them withdraw more and more from politics, and they had been warned

an elderly take you live to moscow for the russian president vladimir putin is making his annual state of one thousand people attending both the upper and lower houses of worship allah but they have as well as government leaders and supreme court judges. onto the international control and their destruction. we need to aim for is stronger now through attrition between the syrian press incidentally also strengthens the rule of the un. naturally she shoots the sign to excel in this old city and diplomatic means. it should be no place for a minute intervention to stop which are not accepted by the international society of course there is a wicked sense of the rainy knew she would just make a fuss that no need to be continued to compose his own. that school was done to protect the brain in life were new to thailand is most interested in its ease and security for all the states of the region opening is true keep it. well what's so we had previously the reigning uk shoe was one of the main reasons why the media to defend senor up with steve's deployed. now we see that the rhythmically ratio h

it's a high-stakes drama and a flash point of the larger power struggle between russian president putin on one side and the united states and europe on the other. on this edition of our program we're going to dig in to why all this matters for america. but we start on the ground in kiev's independent square. >> for more than two weeks demonstrators have rallied against the government in the ukraine's capitol kiev. in the middle of the night riot police moved into independent square. >> we're standing here, but we're moving. we're moving forward step by step, we're going forward. everyone makes a big effort for our country, for our families, and the whole world is watching ukraine. >> in freezing conditions the police pushed and shoved their way in the square trying to remove barricades and tents. protesters pushed back for hours chanting shame while those in occupied buildings dumped ice cold water on approaching police. finally the authorities pulled back. the government claimed they only wanted to restore traffic downtown. protesters are protesting against the decision of president ya

civilians regularly in russian it means. lawyers months the civically to demonize independent that to this what i would like to ask you something different. this year justice ministry has decided to look how complying with this law they initiated if i'm not mistaken i think around fourteen cases of legal proceedings against various angelos and in one out of fourteen cases those algos actually want legal proceedings in court against the state and this is in a country that according to human rights watch has no independent judiciary where the state prosecutors do you just sat and yours how would that be possible well i would you want to ruin your some dope of the problem as the first to wall the prosecutor's office actually launched this massive campaign of the. units of aggressive inspections over one fell then organisations rick choked across the country and in some cases those inspections were just completely over the top where activists were all asked for their correspondence when the prosecutors wanted access to their com

the the russian oriented or right and russian speaking part eastern part of ukraine is a minority of the country so if you say a majority of a minority want something but a majority of a majority in the other part of the country want to want something different by simple arithmetic an overall majority of ukrainians want a better relationship a more favorable economic relationship with e.u. this is about economics and this kind of the kind of cold war mentality or zero trying to define this as a zero sum game it's disappointing. let me make it clear i'm. i'm the head of a project that i think tank in philadelphia all the foreign policy research into the not speaking for the u.s. government i'm speaking based on eight years of our analysis of the situation in the post communist region and of our policies towards american and european west european policies e.u. policies towards the region in that perspective i think very frankly that the current government in moscow has made a mistake by putting pressure defining this is a zero sum game where if you crane we win some economic advantage

a suicide bomber attacked a russian train station. more than a dozen people are killed. >>> tension remains high in south sudan, the rebels moving on the city. >> weeks of protest in kiev. and protestors march on the capitol. >> a head injury in a sea accident. >> a suicide bomber has attacked a train station in southern russia killing at least 15 people, another 34 have been injured. it happened in the southern city of volgograd. comes just months before the russian winter olympics are set to start. >> a body lice on the ground -- lies on the ground as merge services the blast captured on camera. the station was packed with thousands of people leaving on their christmas holidays. inevitably, the attack killed and injured dozens of people. >> according to preliminary information the power of this explosion was the equivalent of 10 kill greams o kilograms of t. prevented the suicide bomber from getting through the metal detector into thing hall at the time there were lots of people because three trains were late. >> seven people died o

it's a phone vaguely in russian it means. their lawyers months the civically to demonize indep. back to this what i would like to ask you something different. this year justice ministry has decided to look how and yours are complying with this law they initiated if i'm not mistaken i think around fourteen cases of legal proceedings against various angelos and in one out of fourteen cases those laws actually won legal proceedings in court against the state and this is in a country that according to human rights watch has no independent judiciary where the state prosecutors do just sad and yours how would that be possible well we want to ruin you have some dough but the problem was that first the wall the prosecutor's office actually launched this massive campaign of the units of aggressive inspections and all in one fell then organisations which got across the country and in some cases those inspections were just completely over the top where activists were all asked for their correspondence one of the prosecutors wanted acces

russian has very important strategic interest in ukraine. it is the home of the black sea fleet for russia. russia needs ukraine to cooperate with it in terms of leasing lands and access to the black sea as a result. again as i say earlier mr. putin and many people like him view ukraine as a natural part of the traditional ira russian empire. to have asia and the united eure united states behind europe to bring the ukraine further into their orbit is a threat. and they'll encourage that. the threat is very high. >> hold that thought, everyone. we'll be right back. this is "inside story." exclusive... former president jimmy carter reflects on the life and legacy of nelson mandela. >> that spirit of nelson mandela is embedded deeply in the heart and soul of the south africans... >> they worked side by side for freedom, now president carter talks about mandela's global impact. a revealing interview you won't see anywhere else. >> i've never heard him say, that he was grateful to the united states... >> talk to al jazeera with jimmy carter only

business and the russian environment and so on so this may be linked also to improving the f.b.i. environment so that foreigners would see right we can now invest in russia and is a safer place to invest because as long as he was in jail the average business one of the west said that could happen to me or one of my friends and so on and now he's out and they may in fact come back and say right possibly the environment is better than russia desperately needs for the investment it needs as as putin pointed out the labor productivity is half or two thirds behind western leading western countries and saw the need for in technology the need for an expertise you have to invite in people and so on you have to create an environment you must establish the rule of law. extremely important otherwise if you invest a million dollars is it safe so this may be one of the measures to improve the environment the environment so that farmers will come back and invest in the russian economy because the normas opportunity is there russia has enormous raw material resources it needs to upgrade its infr

since then he has been cut off and embargoed by putin and the russians. that has had more of an effect. i get the impression that they are very smart man. i got the impression that they are watching carefully the flow of events. there have been guarded remarks supporting the demonstrators but not calling for a change in government or even specifically a change in government policy. i think they are going to primarily weathervane as to how the course of events take place. on the one hand, they would view economic reforms as a threat to the virtual monopolies that they have in certain aspects of ukrainian economy. but on the other hand, they see the economic benefits to being part of the eu. they are dramatically better than economic ties to russia. they are balancing that out. do not underestimate how smart they are. we think is an old guard -- that we think that an oligarch is an old fat guy smoking a cigar. these guys are not that. they are smart and they have gotten to the top of the economy with its fierce competition. four of the five that i met with

you want to discuss this with a regional governments together with the russian parliament and the russian government so they could work out. a beneficial and acceptable solutions but you can't postpone solving these problems any more but i don't want to put forward any ideas of my own because in that case it will because. the final the ultimate decision and it will it will be hindering an open and free discussion i would like the people to talk openly about it so that they can could put forward their own arguments their own process columns i've recently met with the municipal leaders and i know that there are very well staffed. and i know that they're exposed to a lot of criticism. and yet it's i know that they are at the forefront of the fight for a better future. this is really they have to make really difficult choices and this is really a big ordeal for them and those who go through this ordeal successfully are the best professionals so i would like the. municipal governments to produce the best of the resources so to speak so that after the municipal government of people could move f

reports the draw for nixon was world cup finals couldn't have got much better but the russian. can be a capello's side of the lines of defending champions spain free time winners germany and brazil they were drawn in the last group age and with belgium signs career and i would you and we play their matches in a much cooler climate of the. we are happy about the draw we're also happy about the fact that we're not playing in the northern part of the country that's very important to us. russia were drawn in the same group as belgium the last time they qualified for war camp in two thousand and two on but occasionally lost forty two before crashing out at the group stage for midfielder alexander must avoid played in the tournament for the russians and says despite drawing the inform belgians their opponents could have been much tougher language a lot of people say belgium are really top side but then again if you ask the majority of people who they want in a group belgium or argentina belgium or germany belgium or spain everyone would say belgium and this sums it all up because. ru

president putin says he's ready to sign a pardon for russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky he spent more than a decade behind bars for. tax evasion. this amnesty international says syrian rebels have established a new form of tyranny enforcing a reign of terror with secret prisons where children as young as eight are allegedly tortured. and pride and prejudice rejects an offer to fund food banks by hundreds of thousands of people in britain going hungry our top stories this hour. from a studio center here in moscow where it's just turned eleven pm this is international president vladimir putin says he'll sign a motion to pardon jailed russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky the businessman who spent more than ten years behind bars for embezzlement has reportedly already filed a petition to be pardoned. reports. well the president was hosting a media conference which lasted over four hours but the biggest news came after it finished he was surrounded by journalists and someone asked the question about me and suddenly the president said that the former had asked him to be released and he says

but those who are russian are not surprised. going back to normalities is doing a favor to somebody. in this case, people who do not belong to prison, it's a sign of normalization, but in reality it's a sign that putin want high level of participation in sochi because he's invest there . >> khodorkovsky literally went right from his cell to the plane and onto berlin. is part of he being free mean he is out of the country. >> i think so, that he will be completely out of russia, and therefore not being able to become a political leader. >> is he still rich? rich. we can see that there are organizations that are well off. >> katherine stoner, did people reign in their ambitions seeing what could happen from trying to fly too high in putin's russia? >> yes, he was really an example that putin made for the others. around the same time we have others like boris and those who control important media assets and oil and gas assets, and we saw them withdraw more and more from politics, and they had been warned by putin to stay out of pol

russian relations in the 21st century." welcome to you both. angela stent to you first, why the khodorkovsky pardon? >> well, i think it reveals two things. one of them is that putin clearly doesn't feel threatened any more by khodorkovsky sow doesn't have to keep him in jail. and i think there's a lot of-- it that it's been ten years but i think secondly it has to do with all the things we heard in your important. the upcoming sochi game, the criticism russia for many of the things that putin has done recently but particularly the so-called homosexual propaganda law, which has people really riled up about what will happen at sochi about the treatment of athletes am so i think this a gesture to show that russia listens to some of the outside world's concerns, that it isn't just imprisoning people t isn't negative and it's supposed to symbolically show that russia and that putin himself have become more open to some of these issues. >> woodruff: dimityi simes how do you read what he has done for khodorkovsky. >> exactly right but to put things i

associate and he said oh you're russian i said no no i'm british but i speak a little bit of russian i lived there for a long time and he said oh you're like mr putin i said mr putin is doing good things for russia and he then said i agree and i would i particularly like the way he stands up to other international countries especially the united states and i have a great deal of respect for him in fact i wish he was a teacher he said i would do anything to send my son to study. what do you make of that impression from abroad yeah i i think both the internal the liberal minority liberal opposition in russia and the west will only read this the way they want to that it's proof that these crimes were politically motivated which even the european court of human rights has ruled that in the case it is not but that is the way they will read it that is where the western mainstream media will present it on putin sides i think it presents that he feels at the height of his power he's just had three fuge diplomatic victories in the last year. the great british protest movement two years ago pe

breaking news a nasty international as suicide blast in the russian city of volgograd kills at least fourteen passengers on a bus less than a day after a deadly bombing ripped through the city's train station. russia's president vladimir putin orders tightest security across the whole country in the wake of the bombings. and while some are suggesting that socks are related to the upcoming winter games and sultry but the international olympic committee she says it has no concerns about safety posse investigates the security situation and the host city. this is asking to national coming to you live from moscow and we start with breaking news this hour for the second time and just to day's the russian city of volgograd has been targeted by terrorists today fourteen people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew up on a bus less than twenty four hours earlier a similar sold on the city as a railway station climbed at least claimed at least seventeen lives archies margaret howell is following developments in volgograd for us. i am here in the marketplace where that troll a bus explod

one pm in moscow i match reza continuing today's breaking news coverage russian president vladimir putin has ordered security to be tightened across russia after the southern city of volgograd was struck by two explosions in a space of less than twenty four hours a latest blast ripping through a trolley bus during the monday morning rush hour in one vesta gaiters now suspect was a suicide attack both bombings have cleaned up to thirty two lives or he's margaret howell has been covering the events throughout the day in volgograd margaret are we any closer to getting more details about what happened today well some new details have emerged regarding the bombing this morning long a lot for enforcement officials now believe that the bomber there was a suicide bomber that he is male they believe that they may have found his body they are in the process of identifying it now now as you mentioned the two explosive devices identical this one in particular having roughly four k. g.'s of t.n.t. as opposed to the one before it with ten. about a smaller bomb in size but the impact still devastating

the unity and integrity of the russian state. [applause] dear colleagues, in the may 2012 decrees, specific measures were identified that were designed to ensure dynamic development À la the areas. -- in all of the areas. those decrees provided a single program of action, accumulating the willpower and desires of millions of people. the aspiration of russians people -- of russia's people to a better life. often times one hears there is not enough resource and funds. it implements plans to bring the bar down to simplify the tasks. dear colleagues, i am now embarking on an important and responsible subject. i do not believe that we are built on a -- printable. -- on a formal principle. the economic situation may change and is changing, but this is not an excuse for revising our goals. one needs to do actual work and to look for solutions and to set budget and other priorities property -- properly. i suggest all government programs be brought up to speed within the next two years. the budget of all levels should be switched to prob

investments in ukraine are substantial one point five billion dollars thousands of russians of russian companies. but i work in the metal industry cameco industry processing industry and we're creating an economy that we pay attention to our copper. you know the story here especially in the gas industry. still have special prices for ukraine for russian gas and ukraine was able to save about ten billion dollars over the past three years due to those special prices about realizing situation on the ukrainian market to be. the result of the international global financial crisis. because the gas prong anough to gus has signed an additional protocol to get in their contract that way and that's the gas chrome will not continue to sell gas at the price so to. sixty eight dollars for a thousand cubic meters which in which they must be because we think this is a temporary solution considering that it would even need to go out in the long term agreements shewed that we'll be. talking about gas supplies to ukraine and also put it to them reliable transit you through ukraine you go to war or you c

are grave human rights abuses including political manipulation of justice that are happening in the russian federation given that so many private profile people have been involved in political activity have been released early do you think that signifies any change in the way the kremlin operates or indeed the political climate in the country while it's largely the revolving door of russian political just is all the war of trumped up charges where you have some high profile political prisoners being released in one single week just before christmas just before the holidays develop should be ready to celebrate but done at the same time are the people still remain in jail on three charges if we could stay on the subject of what our cost in sochi olympic because you you mentioned that you believe that this was part of the political campaign and when the place and it's interesting the holocaust himself was asked about it during the press conference and i want to play this question by b.b.c. for you are you encouraging people to show she's really fix or to stay away so essentially the holocaust

his help him take place on thin ice after finishing as runner up to teenager marks in court at the russian championships in sochi. plus ice battles spotlight moscow slumped to their sixth straight defeat crushing six mil. champions dummer moscow heaping more misery on the cash strapped club. and there's also doc off a seven time we're not lucky me a child in russian team come to a twelfth victory as their trucks gear up for the thirty fifth dakar rally. but first to the ice and yevgeny pollution might not be going for gold in sochi as the two thousand and six and the big figure skating champion good only finished second at the russian national championships which have a big say in deciding who will represent the country at their home winter games in february which is on course for the tussle. it might be the end of a dream for one of russia's most talismanic figure skaters guinea. after just missing out on a limb big gold mine coover despite before me a quadruple jum the thirty one year old had hoped to make amends at this home games but opera season blinded by a back injury the two thousa

president putin says he is ready to sign a pardon for a russian tycoon mikhail political skate has spent more than a decade behind bars to embezzle and one talks of asian. into it came off to krishna faced more and still it was a questions from journalists on russia's domestic and foreign policy. also on the scene international says hardline seaward rebels have astonished at a new form of tyranny in forcing away enough terror with secret prisons which run as young as a measure they tortured. bride and approach to its london rejects any you offered to fund food banks despite hundreds of sons of people in britain not getting enough to eat. this is all see international coming to live from moscow hello and welcome to the program and with start with breaking news this hour president legend repeaters as hill sign a motion to pardon child russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky the businessman who spend more than ten years behind bars for embezzlement has reportedly already filed a petition to be pardoned. now reports. well the president was hosting a media conference which lasted over four hours

breaking news announcing to national as suicide blast in the russian city of volgograd kills fourteen passengers on a bus less than a day after a deadly bombing ripped through this it is train station. russia's president vladimir putin orders time to security across the whole country in the wake of the bombings. and some are suggesting their tongues are related to the upcoming winter games in sultry but the international olympic committee says it has no concerns about safety the international investigation the security situation in the host city. this is on c international coming to life from moscow and welcome to the program and always start with the breaking news this hour for the second time in just two days the russian city of volgograd has been targeted by terrorists today forcing people have been killed after a suicide bomber blew up on a bus less than twenty four hours earlier a similar sort on the city as a railway station claimed at least seventeen lives margaret howell is following developments involving ground. i am here in the marketplace where that troll a bus exploded th

spying for the russians in 1985. good news is you're in the middle of the biggest case we've ever run. >> joining us is the man who actually busted robert hanson, the former fbi agent, eric o'neill. thanks very much for coming in. let's talk about this case that evan was just reporting on. what do you make of this alleged spy ring? >> well, it sounds a little bit like the mobster investigations where you can't get them for what you want to get them for but you get them for tax fraud. we have a group of russians who are working in the different diplomacy, the diplomacy in d.c. and consulate in new york, and it seems that you guys broke a good story, the initial investigation may have been for intelligence, for spying, and they found some other information that was able to release a much broader and distressing number of actions against them. >> if these were all russian diplomats or their spouses, for example, they would have diplomatic immunity as evan points out and the u.s. -- unless the russians agree to waive it,

grave human rights abuses including political money pollution of justice that are happening in the russian federation well given that so many private profile people who have been involved in political activity have been released early do you think that signifies any change in the way the kremlin operates or indeed the political climate in the country while it slug the removing war or russian political just is already the war of trumped up charges where you have some high profile political prisoners being released in one single week just before christmas just before the holiday he says developed should be ready to celebrate but done at the same time although people still remain in jail on three charges if we could stay on the subject of what our cost in sochi olympic because you you mentioned that you believe that this was part of the political campaign and manipulation and it's interesting how the self was asked about it during the press conference and i want to play this question by b.b.c. for you are you encouraging people. really fix it to stay away so essentially the holocaust a man wh

three tries by french chinese and i want to be an ice breaker is to reach a strain to the russian ship stuck in antarctic ice the academic chicago ski has been stranded since christmas with its crew said to be evacuated now by helicopter and american icebreaker the polar star could still give it a go but that won't be for another week despite all this scientists aboard the ship weren't wasting their time and continue their research and even got to know some of the local wildlife. more than one kilometer long train carrying crude oil crashed into another train in the u.s. state of north dakota the collision setting off a series of blasts that left more than twenty wagons on fire no one was injured but local authorities did evacuate a nearby town just in case the incident raised alarms over the safety of a growing oil by rail traffic following a spike in fracking in north dakota more than two thirds of the state's oil production is currently shipped by rail. the u.n. refugee agency says a humanitarian crisis in the central african republic may be eminent many people there are seeking she

grave human rights abuses including political money policeman of justice that are happening in the russian federation given that so many private profile people who have been involved in political activity have been released early do you think that signifies any change in the way the kremlin operates or indeed the political climate in the country while it's like the revolving door of russian political just is a revolving door of trumped up charges where you have some high profile political president. the rule is in one single week just before christmas just before the holiday says develop should be ready to celebrate but done at the same time although people still remain in jail on three charges if we could stay on the subject of. sochi olympic because you you mentioned that you believe that this was part of the political campaign and when you place and it's interesting the holocaust himself was asked about it during the press conference and i want to play this question by b.b.c. for you are you encouraging people to show she's really fix or to stay away. so essentially the holocaust a man

the russians spent a lot of time with this. my old outfit is also engaged with providing assistance. the interesting part for me is how much will the russians allow other international partners to exist. the logistics surrounding these events becomes borderline chaos when you deal with vip visitors, kings and queens and heads of states that like to show up at the event, bringing a challenge to security agents doing protection for attendees and the olympic athletes. >> the head of russia's olympic security said: >> do you think that is credible? >> obviously not. part of of that is russian pride, part of that is an attempt to send a message that we are prepared. it's inconceivable that you would have two attacks in two days from a group from dagestan in the caucus, and there wouldn't be additional measures taken. this is a difficult task. i mean, as fred suggests, if you can control the venues, where people go ice skating or indoor event, events outside, they are soft targets. if they are trying to make a point, trying to embarr

most people here speak russian. the city's cultural identity is linked intrinsically to russian. >> talking about joining the european union today or tomorrow, the report in ukraine. >> the city's workers see europe as foreign, abstract and above all, a threat to their jobs. a quarter of ukraine's exports goes to russia. he says local products don't meet european standards. and russia's threat to cut the markets if they sign with the i is real he says the >> if russia stops buying our products today, factories will stop making money and stop paying taxes. so how is the state supposed to pay our pensions? >> this is a light aircraft manufacturer. it's director supports integration with both europe and russia but has seen first-hand that the russias don't. >> we already sold them 16 planes, and they had ordered two more. but when all this fuss about ukraine and europe started, they canceled. when they signed their agreement, they reinstated the rder right away. >> a third of the 50 employees are russian-born. their eq

two attempts a reach the russian vessel have failed. there is no guarantee that another ship will be able to get to them in time. >> what was supposed to be a scientific expedition has now left a russian ship and its passengers stranded at sea since christmas eve. 74 people, including a team of researchers stuck off the coast about 100 miles east of a french research station. they left new zealand in november on a privately funded expedition commemorating the 100th anniversary of an an arctic exploration. last week, things went terribly wrong. battling blizzard like weather, the ship sent a distress signal after the ship was trapped in ice. several attempts to free the ship have failed pap chinese ice breaker came within six nautical miles of the ship saturday, but bad weather and ice conditions kept the snow dragon from reach, inc. it. another ice breaker from france couldn't make it past the edge of the ice. these explorers hope another ice breaking ship located 100 miles away can free them. >> it is making way slowly. mainly due to t

would like to get back to the economy are hundreds say the situation russian economy. is not very well some have been talking about stagnation some say going into recession and who have been able to move along the innovation track so walk can we do to get out of these downline what about the national welfare fund water its role will be there or if there is a real crisis some say we need to. invest into infrastructure projects what about ukraine what you mean by ukraine. decided to spend some of these funds into ukraine . i mean we will place some of the funds in ukrainian bonds. understand it's a very exciting issue and the jews topic i mean ukraine given our decision. indeed. the funds of our world for reserve funds we have invested in very. high liquid stocks and bonds to the u.s. treasuries and. securities but the situation of the u.s. economy well it's been going up and we're happy about that but challenges let's look at the national debt that's a big issue. how will the main. currency behave we don't know that's where ukraine rating is not that high of cause . we

visit the russian to attend. it's a tradition that dates back many years some say it began as early as the nine hundred thirty s. when both norway and the then soviet union was still new to the occupy. the norwegians told their neighbors their traditional game called. we never even seen a stick before when we started playing we didn't know the rules and we were constantly asking questions now we've got the hang of it and how one wants. but i think we're on equal ground we're good at volleyball and always win a basketball we're about even in football and as for chess we've got a new player who will bring us victory. all the competitions are held simple to flee. winning is a matter of both countries especially when it comes to football and bundy. twice in the competitions history as the better team. at the national game. the second time. but fortune wasn't to smile on them this time. the football had the fans on the edge of their seats with the team's neck and neck . as though the russians proved victorious. i lost

the russians. the olympic games in sochi would be a really successful and that's why the bird joins in these. congratulations and wishes. so you talked about. corporate parties stage companies. put a lot of people off you know and many corporations started to cancel their part of the new year parties ok that's good you know doing to. turn abuses just. because you know what you just. print media. have it really difficult to find the money for a new year's party is how much do you need. just invite you to the anniversary thirty year anniversary of service said nick was to remember on may meeting of cause. it was the you know as you can see we are here and you know my personal lives further improve. merriman is that could you explain why i didn't marry you you know i married my husband. don't get it wrong. i. love you in a platonic way so i invite you. to. the sixth of march the president is going to have a party of diversity there's a big issue facing print media you pay a lot of attention to the you

visit the russian to attend. it's a tradition that dates back many years some say it began as the nine hundred thirty s. when both norway and the then soviet union was still new to the occupy. the norwegians told their neighbors their traditional game called. we never even seen a stick before when we started playing we didn't know the rules and we were constantly asking questions now we've got the hang of it how one wants. about this. but i think we're on equal ground we're good at volleyball and always win a basketball we're about even in football and as for chess we've got a new player who will bring us victory. all the competitions are held simple to flee. winning is a matter of those countries especially when it comes to football and bundy. only twice in the competition's history as the better to be from the norwegians at the national game. the second time was last year but fortune wasn't to smile on them this time. the football had the fans on the edge of their seats with the team's neck and neck. as though

the russian president saying that in his address the. ultimately that russia does want to be involved with ukraine saying that it is open for dialogue those say that if indeed kiev does want a partnership moscow's willing to talk and will offer economic integration on equal terms meanwhile the united states is expressing extreme disgust with the way off the already using kiev have been dealing with opposition and here's our t's are really going to go with more on that. it's new it's hip it's exciting and it's a revolution and like moths to a flame the bright lights of rebellion are drawing in western politicians political has beans to even homegrown rock stars all keen to breathe the air of change taste to pictures in the fashion the message the foreign media is having a blast to the chest here feel they're fighting for the future of the country pro european protesters clashing with police they saw these agreements as a chance to open ukraine up to european business ideas rule of law standards here my done has received a massive amounts