we had little frayed with russia, the european union has athe european union has a great deal of trade. the underlying geopolitical structure determines what comes out of it and it is a characteristic of human beings that somebody must be held responsible and it must not be me, therefore it must be you. the fact of the matter is there are many forces beyond anyone's control. >> i have been researching for some time, i thank you for a pretty good service, however i want to thank you for what is a pretty good service. however one of the points of contention between the u.s. and europe is the question of genetic modification of agriculture. strafford used to cover this topic extensively but hasn't done a single article on this since 2006. wiki leaks says this is because of the financial relationship between stratford and influential companies. would you care to comment on that? >> we have that relationship with wiki leaks and many things. >> the big point -- >> we don't know enough about it. it is a high technical subject in which science is divided. there is nothing we can add to it. the

the european union has a great deal of trade. i do not think responsibility is the issue of blame is the issue. it is it is the underlying geopolitical structure that determines what comes out of it and it is one of the characteristics of human beings that someone must be held responsible and it must not be me. the fact of the matter is they're are many forces beyond anyone's control. >> i have been using research for some time. however, i want to thank you for what is basically a pretty good service. the question of genetic modification of agriculture. stratford used to cover this topic extensively but has not run a single a single article on this since 2,006. this is because of the financial relationship between stratford and the influential companies. would you care to comment? >> we have know relationship >> why have you ignored? >> essentially we don't know enough about it. it is a highly technical subject on which science is divided and there is nothing that we can say and add. there are many issues we do not discuss. we co

union, european union that is an economic success story. >> welcome back to china. welcome back to "countdown. [laughter] let's turn to china. we are not in china. also rates -- policy rates being cuts. let's bring in the head of macro strategy at aviva investors. we just interest growth in five years. we have had factorygate for five months in china. does it lead to further monetary easing? >> yes. if you put it in the context of what is going on, there's a structural reform progress, a large-scale shifting. it is the way china does business, if you like. that is slowing the country down. that is going to continue to slow down and that combined with the dis-inflationary forces we're seeing globally partly because of the oil price but partly because of commodities and everything else, that that slowdown is compounding. the chinese authorities are trying to guide the economy on a glide slope so to speak. they know it is slowing down but don't want it to slow down too much. stuff like the day we had today will continue to reinforce only that they have to come up with

it is important to set up a mechanism between eurasian economic union and the european union. we welcome growing support from this idea by european leaders. this year, we celebrated the 40th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of the paris charter. we would like to reaffirm our commitment to these principles. like to ensure stability and prosperity in the atlantic region based on equality and mutual respect. we wish success to the group of wise men of osce, celebrity the 70th anniversary of the end of the world war. thank you very much. [applause] >> thank you very much for the statement. he has agreed to take some questions. we have a bit of time. i have already received two cards with questions and we will take those first. then we will call on the next colleagues. just give me a chance to call up the first one. the first one was joe, who i will ask where he is to ask this question himself. >> i understand the problems that you mentioned that you had with the united states such as on the cse or the missile-defense. apart from the fact that on the inf treaty that you think j

the european union has a great deal of trade. in the end i don't think responsibility is the issue or blame is the issue. it is the underlying geopolitical structure that determines what comes out of that ended as one of the characteristics of human beings that somebody must be held responsible and of course it must not be me therefore it must be you. the fact of the matter is there are many forces beyond anyone's control. that's my answer. >> i've been using research for some time. thank you for what is basically a good harvest. however, i want to thank you for what is basically pretty good service. under the points of contention between the u.s. and europe is a question of genetic modification of agriculture. strafford used to cover this topic x and civilly, but hasn't done a single article on this since 2006. wikileaks says this is because of the financial relationship between strafford and companies such as nonsense. would you care to comment on not quite >> we have no relationship with monsanto and the other company wikileak

other than we have a meeting of european union leaders here on thursday. now, if the talks don't get off the ground, if they don't succeed in reestablishing the minsk agreements opening the way of a cease-fire in some kind of process of de-escalating the situation, i think people in angela merkel, franÇois hollande and other leaders will be under pressure here to increase the severity of the sanctions on the russians. there is, of course, this notion that the europeans and the americans are no longer acting in the same way. we've seen these breezing calls for arms to be sent to the ukrainians the european resisting that. if this process falls apart on wednesday, i think there will be some voices here, particularly among the eastern european members of the european union to at least impose much tougher sanctions on the russians, and i think there will be for the first time here a serious discussion about whether or not the european union should participate in arming the ukrainians. >> the german chancellor has met with barack obama to discuss the situation

but the europeans have said that with the european union it doesn't count. but what has happened here is that the countries that face russia, the baltics poland and romania we face them alone. the other europeans are not part of it. as if world war ii in the pacific seemed to be at risk and iowa wasn't really involved. and that is the real reality of europe. and so the nationstate represents a shared fate and shared history and shared culture. in one of the things the european union tried to do was not abolished the love of one's own but redefine it so that there were two loves, your country and also europe. it's pretty much what they tried to do in virginia at the revolution. it was very hard those few months. and this is the underlying crisis of europe today, which is increasingly the institutions that have held europe together between 1992 and 2008 that are collapsing. meetings are held, votes are taken, but the fundamental innards are not continued. before that. map of time before the russian occupation, europe was a nightmare. in my life would not be wh

and the european union, and we welcome growing support for this idea by european leaders. in this year, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the helsinki act and the 25th anniversary of the paris charger. we would like to reaffirm our commitment to these principles and we would like to continue , prosperity in the european region. we wish success to the group of wise men of osce celebrating the 70th anniversary of the second world war. we should be aware of our common and shared responsibilities. thank you very much. [applause] >> foreign secretary lavrov, thank you very much. he has agreed to take some questions. we have a bit of time. i have already received two cards with two questions and will take those first and then we will call on the next colleagues. just give me a chance to call up the first one. the first one was joe yoffe, whom i am going to ask, where is he? i'm going to have him ask this question himself. >> mr. foreign minister, i understand all of the problems that you mentioned that you had with the united states, such as cfe, or on the missile defense, an

and the european union, and we welcome growing support for this idea by european leaders. in this year, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the helsinki act and the other charters signed against terrorism, and we would like to continue prosperity in the european region and we wish success to the group of wise men of osce celebrating the 70th anniversary of the second world war. we should be aware of our common and shared responsibilities. thank you very much. [applause] >> foreign secretary lavrov thank you very much. he has agreed to take some questions. we have a bit of time. i have already received two cards with two questions and will take those first and then we will call on the next colleagues. just give me a chance to call up the first one. the first one was joe yoffe, whom i am going to ask, where is he? i'm going to have him ask this question himself. >> mr. foreign minister, i understand all of the problems that you mentioned that you had with the united states, such as cfe, or on the missile defense and apart from the fact, or on the treaty against cruise missi

it says greece accepts supervision by the european union and european central bank which is a climb down because previously, greece had said it will never, ever be supervised anymore by technocrats from the institution. but it leaves the door open talking about a possible new contract for recovery and growth and possible further debt measures. so what this amounts to david, is a kind of face-saving mechanism for the greek government to say, look we will continue with our loans, we'll continue with most of the conditions, we will want to be able to discuss more conditions with you and the conditions we don't really like and we'll be able to sell it to our own voters, because we don't talk about the word "bailout," which they despise and we despise. >> mark that's very helpful for laying out the ground. we'll cover this in greater depth in business with aaron a little bit later in the program as well. more on greece still to come. >>> as for other news around the world, libya has asked the u.n. to lift the arms embargo on the country to help address the worsening security situation. the li

he is coming to hungary to show that he still has a friend and ally in the european union. this is the first time that he comes to an eu capital since last june. >> was this a big step for people? what set of support is there for him? >> well, it is a very delicate situation. he tries to cut back a little bit from his previous rhetoric and he is now talking about eastern opening so much but there is no way out. they are talking about a ukraine and the gas prices, it is also important to see that he just visited the ukraine this week and he is going to poland the day after tomorrow, so he's trying to show that he is a loyal ally of the european union. >> obviously they have a lot of business to talk about. i gas deal being on the agenda. we can take you back to kia where frank is standby. so, they have lost much of debaltseve after weeks of fighting. what is the line from the government? >> they made it clear that there is only one side to blame, the rebels and russia. he said, this is not a violation of the agreements that was agreed last week the tween the german chancello

it would be the worse thing that could happen tigress not so much to the european union. they would have to refer to their national currency, they will have to deal with their own economic problems. they will have to find some other creditors that will help them to get the help that they sneed. i don't know who is going to do that. new details details are emerging about what caused transair sean flight to crash. >> deep into a second night still they bring ashore the fragments of flight g.e. 235. they seem so light so flimsy, it is hard to imagine that they were part of a fuselage designed to with with stand the forces of flight. no match the the the spinal plunge into the river. incredible that anyone managed to surround damascus vise. this man did. and he saved four others. unbuckling their seat belt ass the water rose. >> i saw the others were drowning. if i did not move quick enough. one of several to say something was wrong before take off. one father who saved his son reportedly moved his family to the right side of the plane. there was a problem with the engine. >>

european union. i'm not sure bloomberg's european headquarters will be here in london if we were not -- members of the european union. you can't comment on that. guy: the bcc, -- john saying that he does support the referendum. they see head of a big business. he is saying yes he does. >> i wanted to talk about john's comments. john is somebody have i a lot of respect for. he has been very helpful to me throughout my time in opposition. let's not forget that -- it is a multimember organization. it consistsor different chambers throughout the country. there are a mixture of views by the way on the -- whether or not to have a referendum if you speak, for example, to colleagues in the london chambers. i'm a london member of parliament. they actually have a very strong view that it is crucial that the u.k. remains a member of the european union. what i'm saying is those are the views over the chamber. you speak to other groups and they are very clear they think referendum would create a huge amount of un

union. we should not be making friends with russia during a time of war. we should be getting closer to europe, not to russia. >> hungarian prime and mr. v -- prime minister viktor orban has earned the nickname "little putin." orban says hungary cannot turn its main energy supplier. although he supported eu sanctions against moscow, orban has been vocal about their negative and economic impact. the meeting may prove more symbolically important for putin as he attempts to show he still has a friend in europe. it will mark his first bilateral visit to an eu country since june. >> in other news, another 40,000 people took to the streets of the danish capital to patriot to the victims of last week's shootings. the killings came one month after similar attacks on france. the 22-year-old gunman has been named by the local media as omar ellis el-hussein. >> he had come to the attention of the danish ugly before when he was convicted of abrogated assault -- of abrogated aggravated assault. he was re

and the european union, and we welcome growing support for this idea by european leaders. in this year, we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the helsinki act and the 25th anniversary of the paris charger. we would like to reaffirm our commitment to these principles and we would like to continue prosperity in the european region. we wish success to the group of wise men of osce celebrating the 70th anniversary of the second world war. we should be aware of our common and shared responsibilities. thank you very much. [applause] >> foreign secretary lavrov, thank you very much. he has agreed to take some questions. we have a bit of time. i have already received two cards with two questions and will take those first and then we will call on the next colleagues. just give me a chance to call up the first one. the first one was joe yoffe, whom i am going to ask, where is he? i'm going to have him ask this question himself. >> mr. foreign minister, i understand all of the problems that you mentioned that you had with the united states, such as cfe, or on the missile defense, and

greece asks the european union to extend its bailout loan. germany says no deal. >> defeated in debaltseve. ukraine says sending in u.n. peacekeepers is the only way to stop the fighting with rebels. >> and europe's struggle to deal with a surge of migrants arriving in lampedusa. the island is reaching its limit. ♪ is greece out of the eurozone? we may be closer than ever to an answer. >> athens sent a request to the european union to have it loan requested -- extended by six months. the reaction from berlin was no. the german finance minister said the request lacked a proposal for a solution and accused greece of trying to keep the bailout without meeting the terms. >> there is only a week left until greece defaults on its debt. >> it was a previously unthinkable move. in accepting continued supervision by the ecb, imf, and eu the greek government recognized financial obligations to its creditors, but in talks to eurozone finance ministers athens called on its partners to show understanding for the country's financial difficulties. >> i be

rules of the european union. we want to recorrect the framework, not smash the framework were his words. so some positive signs but no details. >> are we at all then beginning to see an outline of a deal given the two sides, particularly i'm thinking of greece -- germany, rather, on the other side seem to be so far apart? >> well there's room for overlap, you might say, but the key things might start to happen sort of from now on depending on what messages have been sent and received here in brussels in paris this afternoon. mr. tsipras is on his way there now. and in germany tomorrow. those will be key meetings as well as what's the outcome of what's happening in frankfurt, the european central bank the greek finance minister is there. in terms of how it might work, still a big difference. yes, greece is talking about restructuring, changing the way the whole deal works so that its debt become tied to the economic

leaders of the european union say they'll continue to press russia to help implement a cease-fire in eastern ukraine. >>> and the team of u.s. specialists is showing japanese nurses and police how to best respond to cases of sexual assault. >>> japan's governing coalition is debating legislation that could change the way the country defends itself. at the center of the discussion is the future of the country's self-defense forces including how their role might be expanded. nhk world's ms. hoe nishikawa reports wp >> reporter: the debate over japan's right to collective vefl defense is nearing what may be the final stage. the outcome could determine where and how the country's self-defense forces are deployed. the japanese constitution currently allows them to be dispatched only when the country is under threat. the coalition is discussing whether the sdf should be allowed to go to the aid of closely related countries, as well. prime minister shinzo abe wants to change the current security policy to allow for such collective self-defense. >> translator: we'll resolutely protect people

the e.c.b., the european union commission, and the i.m.f. have agreed that these programs are the basis of any discussion we have. i have always said i will wait for greece to come with a sustainable proposal and then we will talk about this. >> the point angela made is right. we never have guarantees any particular course of action or particular course of action works. all works. as i have said before, by the time a decision reaches my desk, by definition, it is a hard problem with no easy answers. otherwise someone else would have solved it and i would never hear about it. the issue you raised that can we be certain about any lethal aid we provide ukraine is used properly does not fall into the wrong hands, does not lead to overaggressive actions that cannot be sustained by the ukrainians, what kinds of reactions does it prompt not simply from separatists but the russians, those are issues that have to be considered. the measure by which i make these decisions is is it more likely to be effective than not? that's what our deliberations wil

because at the moment the eurozone and european union generally are a microclimate of economic gloom that is holding back progress across the world. and it needs -- it's not just the euro, it needs reform of the supply side. it needs to be much more competitive. and we in britain can lead that argument. >> the worry, of course, about a referendum is it could lead to britain leaving the e.u., what is the percentage chance of a brexit? >> vanishingly small provided we get the change that we need. and that's how i see it. and prime minister cameron has a lot of support and increasing support now around the table in brussels for the kinds ever -- kinds of sensible reforms that he wants to see. employment law in europe is -- the general burden of regulation in europe is hostile to job creation, hostile to business growth, and in the end bad news for businesses around the world. we need to change that and do better. >> prime minister cameron said he will call for a referendum. in 2017 if he wins. you said it should be sooner. why? >> i was agreing with what the prime minister said. there w

i can say this for myself and on behalf of my colleagues in the european union. >> you have not yet made a decision as to whether weapons ought to be delivered to ukraine. what would be your red line. what would be the red line that needs to be crossed for to you decide and what do you think this will hold by way of a promise. it could make matters worse and what can president obama do to defuse this conflict, and president putin demanded again that the government in kiev negotiate directly with the operatists. when do you think the right moment has come to do this and with looking at all the big issues it has discussed this breach of confidence due to the nsa affair, of the u.s.-german relations has that played a role today? >> do you want to go first? >> i can gladly start. the question as to how one assesses the effectiveness of certain measures has been dealt with. the president has not made a decision as he said. what is important for me is that we stand very closely together on the question of a new renewed diplomatic effort. we keep each other informed. we're in close touch and no

the european union as a group. discussions on difficult issues are difficult discussions and they take time. we very much hope that they will be conclusive. that they will help restore peace and more certainly. -- certainty. one of the risks over the potential success of this program is obviously of a geopolitical nave. you know the sooner -- ♪ >> welcome back. good morning. a very busy 10 minutes. christine lagarde was speaking in brussels. she said the total finance package will be worth $40 billion. there will be an e.u. contribution. we'll bring you to top lines as the show progresses. a meeting in minsk over foreign policy. the ukraine. a meeting in brussels over debt for greece. talks between greece and their creditors went into the early hours of the morning as most people expected they would but they failed to solve their differences. kicking the can down the road, they will meet monday. they managed to strike an optimistic note. take a listen. >> an obviously positive one. it should reflect the very posi

and the way the european union is trying to handle this crisis? >> well, in the end there has to be a negotiated settlement. and in the end, it should be based on the principles of the hell singhhelsinki final act the united nations charter and a host of agreements to which the united states, western europe and russia are signatory. particularly the charter of paris of 1990 and the trilateral agreement of moscow of 1994, and the budapest memorandum of 1994. they're very explicit in their terms. which was to maintain the full support for the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of ukraine. >> another former u.s. ambassador to ukraine john hertzer said if putin isn't stopped now there's a danger he would move in on other baltic states likest estonia. do you fear that putin has those ambitions? >> other states are vulnerable to these tactics of subversion. let's call it what it is. it is a subversion of a sovereign state. a neighbor to which russia has had solemn agreements to maintain its integrity. william miller -- >> so the answer

union -- affiliate with the european union. >> i would like to hear from you if there's an outcome that would satisfy the aspirations of all the players, france and jrm ni. ukraine that this should remain sovereign and inviolate. russia that it should have some juice in its near abroad, and the united states that the map should mean something, and territories should be protectable and defensible. can you see a way to thread the needle where everyone gets enough of what they want. >> i can suggest an agreement near to what we did. it was like eastern ukraine, a part that historically had been part of another country, empire, where we had difference in terms of culture and language, and where there were areas you could not go, because a bomb is thrown, it would be hard. the solution was to give it the high level of independence within the territorial borders of italy, and is the driving part of the countries. and the part i love. a solution like this will satisfy ukraine, and anyone who wants, including myself, that borders are borders, but would satisfy russia because the russian culture

>> hungary is probably the most scrutinized country in the european union. any comparison to any country where there is a dictatorship is not only harmful but highly unjustified. >> reporter: like most economies in eastern europe, hyun-jin rir's nothungary's last not done well. thousandsen onto the streets in protest. opponents of the government want the crowds to come out again. question is whether enough hungarians want change. robin forester walker, al jazeera, beud budapest. >> john holman reports. >> world's longest ever helium balloon flight began with smiles in japan and land he of the two eagles off of mexico's northwest coast. >> now we are feeling good and optimistic. and very glad to be among people. >> american troy bradley and russia leonid, endured 160 hours cramped together in a cabin smaller than a king sized bed. their route took them across the pacific ocean the balloon capsule weighs only 100 kilos and is stuffed with state-of-the-art equipment. ballooning has always captured public attention helped along in recent years with high flying a

and i can say this on behalf of my colleagues in the european union. sorry. i have to call you myself. from dpa, the germ man press agency. president you said you have not made a decision as to whether weapons ought to be delivered to the ukraine. what would be the red line that needs to be crossed for you to decide armament of the ukrainian army. and what do you think will this hold by way of a promise. the chancellor said it will make matters -- diffuse this conflict. and president putin today demanded yet again that the government in kiev negotiate directly with the separatists. what do you think the right moment has come to do this and with looking at all of the big issues that it's discussed, this breach of confidence due to the nsa affair has, after u.s.-german relations, has that played a role today? >> do you want to go first, angela? >> translator: i can gladly start. the question as to how one assesses the effectiveness of certain measures has been actually dealt with. the president has not yet made a decision as he said. what's important for me is

the prime minister and president and the doors of the european union was wide open. the problem he has is he can't guarantee anything in the east despite a shaky ceasefire. it is still looking like the party and is entirely a time of frozen conflict designed to hold ukraine back from a meaningful partnership or alliances with the west and may be why the big names are keeping their distance on this occasion. >> at least seven people have been killed after the cap sizing of bangladesh according to a local government official. it hit a cargo in the river, 40km north-west of dhaka. there were thoughts that passengers were on board. >> a town has been taken from boko haram. it was occupied for six years. these pictures show baga before boko haram moved in. five days later, pictures show it was badly damaged and the whole area was flattened. >> the foreign minister is visiting cameroon's president in a show of support. the visit comes before a planned offensive carried out by a regional force next month, carving out territory. carrying out more raids. >> still ahead on al

union -- affiliate with the european union. >> i would like to hear from you if there's an outcome that would satisfy the aspirations of all the players, france and jrm ni. ukraine that this should remain sovereign and inviolate. russia that it should have some juice in its near abroad, and the united states that the map should mean something, and territories should be protectable and defensible. can you see a way to thread the needle where everyone gets enough of what they want. >> i can suggest an agreement near to what we did. it was like eastern ukraine, a part that historically had been part of another country, empire where we had difference in terms of culture and language and where there were areas you could not go because a bomb is thrown, it would be hard. the solution was to give it the high level of independence within the territorial borders of italy, and is the driving part of the countries. and the part i love. a solution like this will satisfy ukraine, and anyone who wants, including myself that borders are borders, but would satisfy russia because the russian culture and

. >> in the history of the european union, nothing good has come out of ultimatums. in the history, we proceed from crisis to crisis and this is how we improve it. i have no doubt within the next two days in the notion of an ultimatum will be withdrawn -- any notion of an ultimatum will be withdrawn. >> after everything that has happened, i am very skeptical because the greek government has not moved at all. this is not a question for negotiation but a decision for greece, what it actually wants. whether it wants to go down ina path to win back the trust of the markets. >> we're looking at this again overall the situation as they must decide by friday. deadlines come over this is serious. the 20th of february -- come and go but this is serious greeted. the 28th of february is when this runs out. >> the banking system in other parts of the eurozone fear of getting a haircut, that is a bit worried. >> jpmorgan has deposits being taken out of greek banks. that is people taking money out of the savings physically and putting it under the mattress. that is the concern. s&

you have a couple of back payments from the european union. we do not know -- what we also do not know is how the rest of the imf bailout package is panning out, either. greece is owed money by the imf, but the imf rule is that the country has to be solvent 12 months. so there are a number of things to be worked out before april before you even get to the end of the four-month bailout extension. >> mario draghi's letter said this is a good starting point. does this give us a little bit more relief in that the ecb could reinstate the access to funding, emergency lending? moody's says an increase in deposit might flow from greek banks. it is a real tussle at the moment between liquidity, what the ecb will do, and contagion. >> absolutely. whether the government remains solvent and secondly, you have similar arguments for the banks. there seems to be no reason why, given that the bailout extension has been agreed, why the ecb cannot begin to accept greek assets in regular operations, which would make the greek banks less dependent on emergency li

union is something -- european union will be able to accept and contain. >> thank you so much. we will talk about russia next. >> we will go into the details of that. what is the right game to play here? if you are to think of a game and think about what is happening with greece and the eurogroup what is it? poker, chess. hans nichols was talking about monopoly. is it jenga? or is it the game patients. or operation. the patient is on the table and you are trying to remove things. >> is that the credit crunch? >> that is the end of the game. >> coming up, we also talk russia. battles around the transport hub threatening to undermine the peace accord signed this weekend. we will take a look at the fragile truce next. ♪ >> we just had some breaking news from the bank of indonesia, unexpectedly cutting rates. economists were expecting a hold. this is significant because we are seeing central-bank easing around the world. >> as an economist, you are thinking, what has happened since the beginning of the year? have any of these central banks actually delivered rate cuts? you have n

he was talking about a european union police mission. there was even one am of the ukraine that said he believes there could be some sort of european combat force. hard to see that happening because the european union so far has tried to keep out of sending any sort of personnel to the front line here in this conflict. the russian for their part saying they believe that all of this cease-fire should be continued to be monitored boy the osce. so we'll wait and see what happens. the big question now is going to be whether or not the heavy weapons are going to start withdrawing from the front line. is what happened in debaltseve going to leave to a quieting down of the situation in eastern ukraine, and will both sides start withdrawing heavy weapons affray from the front line to create the buffer zone that is so important as the next phase of the cease-fire that the international community is trying to stop from falling apart. >> so fred as we wait for a decision on the u.n. peacekeepers what is the status of the osc observers now that ukra

union, we demand a harsh response to these actions. now i'm going to the front line to meet those who left debaltseve and i have a high honor to shake their hands and meet the here -- heroes. >>> the fall of debaltseve is a big disappointment. it's right in the middle there, it also is a rail hub that is important for delivering coal supplies, so you see why it's so important. paul brennan is our correspondent in the area -- not right in debaltseve, but he sent us a report from about 5 kilometers outside of the town. >> reporter: we're a check point, and this is as far as we'll being allowed to go. the soldiers perfectly friendly toward us, but not allowing us beyond this point. the reason why they say is because there are ukrainian forces here still defending their positions even now. that said the main fighting appears to have finished. when we first arrived there is a significant artillery and tank barrage underway. we saw tanks firing shells in the general direction that way, and still here we have two tanks over there, armor here

union have attended an anti-extremism summit in washington. u.s. president barack obama has called on the world to unite in the fight against terrorism. >> we must remain unwavering in our fight against terrorist organizations. >> obama delivered the remarks at a ministerial level meeting on thursday. they also stressed that the international community should try to enlighten people as well as counter poverty and support education. the president says this would keep youth from being attracted to radicalism. japan's state minister for foreign affairs condemned the recent killings of two japanese hostages by islamic state militants. >> translator: we strongly condemn these despicable acts of violence. japan will behave responsibly as a member of the international community in the fight against terrorism. >> he reiterated japan's plan to offer $15.5 million to fight terrorists in middle eastern and african countries. jordan's foreign minister nasser jude said they're fighting a war against extremist organizations and their ideals. he added that a

union and others that can help bolster the european economy so that they have the space to continue to execute some of the reforms and anti-corruption measures that they've made. one of the most important things is to help them succeed economically. that's how people on the ground feel this change and transformation inside ukraine. if that experiment fails, then the larger project of an independent ukraine will fail. and so we're going to do everything we can to help bolster that but there's no doubt if diplomacy fails this week, there's going to continue to be a strong unified response between the united states and europe. that's not going to change. there may be some areas where there are tactical disagreements or may not be. but the broad principle that we have to stand up for not just ukraine but the territorial sovereignty is one where we're completely unified. >> translator: french president and i have decided to make one further attempt to make progress through diplomatic means, we have the minsk agreement, never been implemented and the situation has worsened on the ground.

we will find a way. >> but the european union has in a lot of money into greece. how much money can the deep putting in? -- can they keep putting in? >> we are supported by most of the european governments. it is time for a new start. how much it will be will be a question of negotiations. i've heard messages in the last few days and hours. i'm sure mr. tsipras and his minister of finance will discuss with mr. schauble and later on with miss merkel and find a way. >> mr. tsipras would like to get to be forgiven or restructured. what kind of message would give to other countries that are indebted with financial problems, like spain and to go? could not -- spain and portugal? could not the whole eurozone unravel? >> we have a similar situation in spain. there are strong horses -- forces in the political landscape. we will have elections there too. we have to change it. it is the premise they get to their voters. i think it is -- it is the promise they gave to their voters. i think it is the right thing to do. >> is this reason party -- the syriza party in coalition

union. the newly elected government submitted a letter to the euro group earlier on thursday asking for a six-month extension. the euro group is meeting on friday to consider at than's behand. john psaropoulos filed this report. >> reporter: there is a stalemate at the moment. the greeks have said they have submitted they request to the euro group for an extension of the loan agreement. they have said that the euro group meeting tomorrow has only two choices to accept or reject the greek request. now we will discover who wants the solution and who doesn't. this in response to a german statement earlier in the day, that the greek request was inadequately phrased. it is not a proposal that leads to a substantial solution. what was the greek request? they have asked for a six-month bridge period a truce if you will which its creditors would finance. that means they would meet greece's debt schedule the repayment that is owed to the central bank monetary fund and other european countries, and th

that is also why i arrive to brussels to coordinate our next step of the european union partners. the eu has demonstrated again as usual the real partnership with ukraine. >> and somewhat clearly high on this agenda there also, the situation in greece. >> reporter: yes, very much so. it was alexis tsipras first day if you like on the eu stage here and this follows an evening of very awkward and ultimately unsuccessful talks between his finance minister and the other finance ministers from the euro group, trying to work out a deal to renegotiate greece's very unpopular bail-out program. the greeks have come to the table here in brussels saying listen you have a mandate we do not accept the continuation of this deal, it's punishing us and ruining our economy. alexis tsipras called it the wounds of austerity he was hoping to heal today. they weren't able to work out the deal last night a number of people blame the greeks playing sort of game of brinksmanship if you like. also looking forward to hearing from mr. tsipras himself how he proposes to come back with counterproposals in ord

but this is the classical way to negotiate inside the european union, the euro zone. because there is no plan b, no one takes the political to put the things to uncertain territory, so compromise is the only solution. >> reporter: u.s. central commander official has given a timeframe for a potential offensive to recapture iraqi city of mosul from i.s.i.s. fighters iraqi and kurdish military force have 25,000 troops is currently being prepared, the u.s. official said it could be ready to fight for control of iraq second largest city by april and roslyn joins me now from washington. jordan do we know why the u.s. is releasing this information now? >> well it's not clear why they decided to announce this apparent spring offensive, but it's not uncommon for the u.s. military to have done so in other conflicts. they talk about an annual spring offensive in afghanistan and they did talk about a similar action every year in iraq during the last war. so it's not unusual. but it does raise some questions about whether or not it's too soon to try to do this given that u.s. advi

thank you for joining us on the news hour >>> russia is fast growing out of friends in the european union. hungary, though is an exception. president vladimir putin has just visited budapest to propose a new gas deal. >> reporter: vladimir putin is not welcomed in most european capitols, but in budapest he was treated like an old friend. the prime minister hailed his visit as a success for hungary, the two reached agreements on gas and other deals, and president putin, hinted that if only europe was willing, more cheap russian gas could come its way. >> translator: if no one hinders us, then we can implement to turkey. we can use an agreement to join hungary with serbia and other partners. >> reporter: this visit has not gone unnoticed, there are critical voices in europe that say that victor is talking to the wrong guy. vladimir putin has just had more of his officials sanctioned by the e.u. over ukraine and the argument goes that he is trying to tie countries like hungary into energy dependency and that it's a strategy to divide europe. >> reporter: to make that point, some 2,000 people

. >> the european union is planning to hold talks with the united states and egypt sometimes referred to by the name diash. >> it is clear that it is a complex situation very dangerous, so far it has been so mainly for the migration roots, now obviously there is another dimensions that should push all the sides inside libya. to realize that it is a threat to the entire country to all the libyans and that would require a joint action to face the threats. >> warning that if left uncheck fire department libya fighting groups linked to isil could be at europe's doorsteps. tell us more about what is being discussed there. >> well, the foreign minister is here at the u.n. and he is making his rounds trying to persuade people of a new egyptian initiative, egypt at the head of a coalition to try to deal with isil. got many saying much, one that was was the russian ambassador and that's interesting. because it shed as little light on what egypt is planning a lot of talk of an intervention but when ambassador was asked about it he said he supported what they were planned and he was ask willed i

did the european union give him anything but a warm welcome? correspondent in brussels has the answer. >> jordan executes two militants and promises and earth shaking response that the islamic state confirms jordanian pilot alive -- burns are jordanian pilot alive. >> stunning images of a with 58 passengers crashing into a river in taiwan. >> hello again. greece's new political leaders have added brussels and paris to their whirlwind tour across europe. >> you could get the impression that all the talk of a showdown between athens and its creditors has been, well, mostly talk. >> greek prime minister alexis tsipras today met with eu leaders in brussels and then french president francois hollande in paris. as he has been doing all week, tsipras pushed for a rethink on his country's debt burden. >> he emerged from the talks of the. areis he winning his creditors over? we will ask our correspondent in brussels in just a moment. >> first, we start in paris. >> paris was the second stop of the day on alexis tsipras' european charm offensive. he is s

union. >> reporter: putin is not a communist. communism is still a dirty word in hungary and you won't find many soviet symbols except here. tens of thousands of hundred gairanshungarianslost their lives. but they remember the soviet repression and invasion of hungry inhunghungary in 1956. the relationship the a complex one of antagonism and dependency. today's dependency is on energy supply. the country gets 80% of its natural gas from russia, a hither to cheap and reliable partner and a new contract is expected to be signed with putin's visit. western critics accuse hung hungary of getting too coaz coazy cozy with the kremlin. >> for putin this is important in terms of showing that he has territory of the eu. for orban this is crucial because his political rule very much depends on the promise of cheap energy and cheap gas prices. >> hungary and a half gates the course between east and west. robin forester walker, al jazeera, budapest. >> still to come in this hour. outrage in turkey over the brutal murder of a young woman spar

. >> germany rejecting a greek request for more time to pay back his massive loan to the european union. the tsipras government asked for a six month extension the existing bailout agreement involving $270 billion runs out this month. the euro ministers are due to consider the proposal on friday. >> from athens, the wonderful building behind you john will give us the political view on this. so greece and its new government says we can't repay the money the germans saying you've got to. what sort of impasse does that leave one with, a climb down from either side or just a little bit of negotiation? >> well, repayment of the money isn't a point of disagreement at the moment. the greeks have said that we do want to repay all of the loans given us, but say we cannot do it in the present time frame and we need six months to discuss a rescheduling of the repayment that have debt. they also, why do they need so long they also want to discuss a new growth plan for greece. the trouble is at the moment, the european side hasn't agreed to grant that six month period, because doing so means they ha

. >> the european union putting a lot of faith and optimism in the current effort. what happens if those talks fail, where does it go from there? >> well, that makes the following days eu summit a very interesting summit, they are not always so interesting. but so much capital is put in the process, if the diplomatic talks go nowhere or unravel there will be renewed pressure for the european union to unleash sanctions and we'll see a few more voice behind these 23 member states backing u.s.'s call for arms. the spanish foreign minister today was complaining they cost the eu over $23 billion so far. getting tougher on russia with sanctions is going to be difficult because they need 28 member-states to agree unanimously to move forward on that. so if minsk talks fail on wednesday this summit here on thursday i think is going to be rather fraught. >> fine, in brussels, thank you. there have been strong words from both sides in the fight against boko haram in northeastern nigeria where three country's armies are anonymity ranged against the armed group. the national sec

new regulations from the european union could put more farmers at risk. >> reporter: if you could fake the idea of triumph over adversity and put it in a bottle this would be it. olive oil produced by farmers under occupation in the west bank. trees under constant threat of settlement expansion. the organization promotes the oil with the farmers who cleared the tree. fair trade acted as a badge of honours, opening huge markets and being a mark the palestinian broad. >> the fact that the product, palestinian oil, is imported to it 24 countries, that's a sign that we exist as a land. >> it has doubled the market for palestinian product. and at least it made it - while we were operating in an area where it was basically preaching to the converted who wanted to support the farmers, now it's gone out to people who buy it, based on excellent quality. >> yet as much as fair trade is approach to work. millions of farmers who produce sugar cane across asia and the caribbean are at risk not by settlement but the policies of the european union. the long of term down term led europe to lift the qu

greece joined the european union. in the late twos after years of unretrained spending greece is at risk of defaulting on the zone. in 20 so to 2012 they bailed out greece. it was in return tore strict austerity measures. spending cuts were met with strikes and protests. greece faced multiple tax hikes, 27% unemployment and in late january voters expected more from the syriza anti-austerity party, which one in part to renegotiate the deal. most greeks hope whatever happens next does not include more austerity measures. >> reporter: these are the chin whose parents lost the ability to care for them many seeing the crisis among 300. s ox s children's villages not only does it not seek subsidies. it pace 130,000 in taxes. five times what it made before the crisis. with that money, it could care for 25 children. there's a lot of important charities and institutions. it's not because they are lacking the governmental subsidies or support. but because the government taxation, is taking the money, is taking the money from pr