among those travelling to pyongyang are the head of south korea's main intelligence agency and presidential security office. coming up later tonight here on the bbc news channel — we'll have special coverage of italy's general election, with results and analysis live from rome as the polls close. now though, it's time for our world. in a moscow nightclub, the opposition candidate makes her pitch to the capital's cultural elite. russian democracy is a strange and sometimes dangerous beast. it's a fake election. it is a fake election? yes, i am always telling that. explain what you mean. i mean like in a casino, when the win is always on the house. in russia it is always on putin's side. so i'm not trying to win, i have no illusions about that. i am taking part to be heard. once upon a time, in the former capital of the czars,

a girl was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. when the communist empire collapsed, it produced an alchemy that turned silver into gold for some. ksenia sobcha k‘s family was among those view. her father, one of the founders of russia's new democracy, became the mayor of st petersburg. he would later die in uncertain circumstances, while his former deputy, a once unknown kgb officer, would become the most powerful man in russia. he was the person who gave who gave putin his firstjob. i was a little girl back then. but by a strange twist of fate, nearly two decades later, the girl with the silver spoon

would challenge the new czar 350 miles south of moscow, the city of kursk. ksenia sobchak is on the campaign trail. her task here is to show she can talk to ordinary russians, too. the biggest problem in russia is not freedom of speech. unfortunately, for many people, it is the poverty. out in the suburbs, residents have been complaining they can't get their children into a local nursery. sobchak herself is the mother

of a young child, and she's hoping that will help her connect with these voters. well, now she is haranguing some local officials. this is pretty much the kind of thing putin does when he goes around the region. how do you feel like people react to you, coming, as you do, from quite a privileged background? you know, i don't try to be like, i am like one of you, because, well, it's not true.

if i wear red lipstick in my everyday time, why should i go without makeup to them. so i am not a populist. i come in a good car and in good clothes, but i own this money, i did not steal it. corruption is a big issue in this election for all candidates. after a slightly optimistic welcome at local campaign headquarters, sobchak take things one step further. in russian politics, there are certain red lines. among them, putin and his inner circle. are you saying putin is corrupt? i'm saying putin created a system

for those money to get money from the state. direct criticism of vladimir putin seems dangerous, and many people do not want to know. but sobchak‘s journey to dissidence has been an unusual one. when money gets into my hand, i spend everything on clothes. it's where my budget stays. it's about $3000—$4000 month. in the first decade of this century, as many russians struggled, ksenia sobchak transformed herself from society rich kid to tv celebrity, feeding the masses a diet of reality television and branding

herself simply ‘ksenia'. but then the girl with the silver spoon had another transformation. in 2011, shejoined opposition protests and was promptly carted off to a police cell. alexei navalny, the movement's leader, has long been a thorn in the kremlin's side. i was close with him for all those years. we shared many values and we still share many of those values, i hope. but when navalny was banned from standing in this year's elections, and ksenia announced that she was running instead, his supporters called her a traitor. they said that she was a kremlin agent, just more reality tv. could that be true?

could it be that ksenia sobchak is doing the kremlin's bidding? i paid a visit to her campaign headquarters to meet one of her top advisers, a woman well versed in the darker arts of russian politics. she should be — she used to work for vladimir putin himself. just to be clear, this is ksenia sobchak‘s own campaign advisers saying yes, we are playing the kremlin's game — but in russia, there is always more than one game going on. and that's exactly what sobchak

says she's trying to do. if there is one thing that ksenia sobchak understands, it's the power of television. she is using her candidacy to talk about issues that are taboo. to say this on state tv is heresy — genuinely subversive. shocked presenters have resorted to surreal measures to try and drown her out. but here's the conundrum:

the kremlin controls everything — who gets to stand in elections, and who gets to go on television. so what is going on? ksenia treads a delicate path. before she set out on herjourney, the girl with the silver spoon needed to get the approval of the czar in the kremlin. she needed wise counsel. alexei venediktov is one of russia's most famous and well—connected journalists. as it happens, ksenia is in the process of making a film

about her father, the former mayor of st petersburg. putin, his former deputy, agreed to an interview. so, in september, she went to see him in the kremlin. and then in the end, and said that, you know, that this decision, i just want you to know that i am going to challenge you. and he was like, silent for a second, then said, well, that is your decision — but it is your responsibility. what you think he meant by that? i don't even want to think about that. i don't think anything nice. and so the czar decided to accept his challenger. but not everybody was happy. behind the facade of monolithic power, different factions struggled for control. how indeed? how had the girl who spoke out against the czar get permission to run against him?

the answer to this riddle lies buried in the past, when vladimir putin worked for ksenia sobchak‘s father in st petersburg. perhaps it should more accurately be titled the museum of how russian democracy was poisoned at source. the name anatoly sobchak stands alongside the likes of gorbachev and yeltsin. the story of how the anti—soviet reformer chose an obscure kgb officer as his deputy is also the story of how factions

from the old soviet security establishment have come to be running russia today. anatoly sobchak was voted out of office in 1996 amid allegations of corruption. while his political fortunes declined, his deputy‘s were on the rise. putin moved to moscow and got a job in the kremlin. when anti—corru ption investigators called sobchak in for questioning, putin personally helped spirit him out of the country. with sobchak gone, the investigation ground to a halt. a few years later an independent journalist in saint petersburg had an unexpected visitor. a man by the name of yury shutov

claimed to have the details of the sobchak investigation. he had a dossier, i didn't take it into my rooms, i didn't open it. why would a journalist not want to read the dossier? the answer is self—preservation. not long after this, shutov was charged with murder. when a judge dismissed the case due to lack of evidence, armed officers burst into the courtroom and rearrested him. he ended his days in a remote prison colony. he knew too much. he used to work for sobchak. and because... he was dangerous, when he was free. but sobchak was already out of the picture. why was he still dangerous? he was dangerous to someone around sobchak, someone who was very

close to sobchak. i suspect that he was dangerous to putin as well. in the course of making a film about her father, ksenia sobchak got hold of classified investigation files. she says the case was cooked up by hardliners to discredit her father. but she does confirm for the first time that vladimir putin was questioned as part of the investigation. all those interviews and investigations with him, with putin, they look very unprofessional. it's a fact that they found nothing, they were very disappointed. they didn't succeed. in moscow, factions were manoeuvring.

putin was being groomed as the successor to boris yeltsin. the battle was over who would have sway over the new leader. in february 2000, anatoly sobchak died suddenly at the age of 62. at the funeral, russia's new president was distraught. that was the first and last time everybody saw him crying in russia. i still remember it. one of the shocks i had was his reaction. he was totally killed by this. but what killed sobchak? to this day, that remains a mystery. the original autopsy was inconclusive, and many were suspicious, including sobchak‘s widow, ksenia's mother. she had her own autopsy performed but instead of making the results public, she keeps them locked in a safe in a secret location. today, the kremlin is still a place of rival factions. to threaten their power

is to take a terrible risk. the girl with the silver spoon is not a girl any more. her family history may protect her, but only up to a point. meanwhile, back on the sobchak campaign trail. from public transport to pensions to childcare, ksenia listens to people's everyday problems as if she were a real candidate in a real election. and the passengers on this trolley

bus know all about her family ties. and yet... what, then, is the purpose of all this elaborate theatre? if ksenia is a threat to the regime, why let her run at all? i have spoken to a senior government official on the condition i could not quote them by name. i said, "what is the point of having an election when everybody acknowledges only one person can win?" they said, "look, this is a western invention that you have. we don't have a classical

democracy in russia. we have what is called a developing democracy." the truth is, russian democracy has stopped developing. it is frozen, paralysed by two certain facts: just as surely as putin will win the next election, he will also not be around forever. behind the walls of the kremlin, powerful people are playing games. ksenia sobchak is a pawn. some factions are

pushing herforward. others want to hold her back. the girl with the silver spoon knows all this. but she thinks the pawn just might become the queen. that is my chess game. i'd play this option of going to elections, because i was thinking that i had the chance of going through, because of my name, because they underestimate me, because i have a past which they can always put on me, because they are not afraid of me as much as navalny. who is the better chess player — you or putin? i don't know. we will see in the end. but the end is not near. i am only starting. the aftermath of the wintry weather

still lingers but the thaw is in progress. it will stay unsettled and is still some snow in the forecast for scotland. instead of the high pressure and the east have low pressure and the east have low pressure towards the south—west, warmer waters lost the atlantic, by the time it comes to the south of the time it comes to the south of the british isles it'sjust much kinder, nothing like we had just gone and the tempters gradually getting closer to average values.

heavy rain into the south west of england and wales and towards the midlands on monday, that could give rapid and some flooding issues. sunshine for many but still some wintry showers. much more milder here, 5 degrees fred miller. we continue with the low pressure, quite flabby, nothing in the way of winds which could mean mist and fog. further north into scotland perhaps rainfor further north into scotland perhaps rain for northern ireland briefly on tuesday, with intensity we could again see some significant snow particularly for higher ground of scotla nd particularly for higher ground of scotland rain landing all that snow again could god and issue with the rapid melting. for wednesday quite a decent dave england and wales there will be showers developing the forecast, could see helen thunder and some intense rain. finally a

breather in the weather for scotland, rain to the north and west but for many good spells of sunshine and 7 degrees is the forecast high for edinburgh. wednesday into thursday, the same low pressure, looking for the south it's getting about developing on its tail to the south weather front which could bring heavier rain on thursday into southernmost reaches of the british isles. could also see some showers across northern ireland and the north—west of england and they could still be a bit wintry. we still have that called air close by so that could turn showers somewhat wintry. thursday and friday it looks like the low will bring another front with the risk of snow above the higher ground of wales, heavy rain pushing further south. by the time they get later on that is when the uncertainty they get later on that is when the u ncerta i nty starts they get later on that is when the uncertainty starts to come into the forecast, it looks like it'll stay u nsettled forecast, it looks like it'll stay unsettled but it's by the jet stream. later on in the week looks a google get quite a big buckle, it

will push right away across the british isles and does that it could lead some pretty mild air into us from the south but i'm afraid that's only one solution, possibly the more favoured of the two but we might just see that dip in the jet stream is not quite to extreme so it might be south—western europe that benefits from the milder air later on next week. some uncertainty, it will be worth staying tuned as we get closer to the time. further ahead the outlook pretty similar, staying unsettled, more wind and rain and stilla staying unsettled, more wind and rain and still a risk of snow for scotland, worth staying tuned. hello and welcome to bbc news. we are going to bring you a special programme tonight, to bring you the very latest on the elections that have been going on in italy. it is a general election and italians are waiting to find out who will form their new government. of course,

italy is famous for its coalitions and this time it is even more uncertain than ever, partly because of the populist groups like a five star movement, who are predicted to do well today, and partly due to changes in the whole voting system. these are pictures of today, matteo renzi casting his vote. and, of course, the polls are about to close. the former prime minister silvio berlusconi has re—emerged as a political force, even silvio berlusconi has re—emerged as a politicalforce, even though he cannot stand and become prime minister as yet because of a fraud charge. he is frame much seen as a power. this is matteo renzi casting his vote today. it is expected there could again be a coalition. let's get the very latest on the background to this whole election.

italians are electing members of both houses of parliament. 630 in the lower house of deputies and 315 in the upper house, the senate but at this time the system has been tweaked so that seeds of first past the post, the candidate with most votes in the district wins. the other ones are chosen by proportional representation, based on the share of the vote nationally. this election sees some new faces and not so new battling it out for supremacy. the keeper is likely to be silvio berlusconi. yes, here's back. —— a key player. if fraud conviction bars him from holding office at least until next year. he is teamed up with two parties on the ha rd is teamed up with two parties on the hard right, including la lega. the

five star movement could gain at the expense of matteo renzi's ruling democratic party who are trailing in the polls. italian politics is all about coalitions. which combination could come out on top? 0ne possibility is a right—wing coalition with fortson italia and my leaguejoined by the brothers of italy. the other centre—left party free and equal have refuse the idea ofa free and equal have refuse the idea of a coalition for that there could bea of a coalition for that there could be a german star grand coalition between centre—left and centre right foot of it is all very uncertain. —— a german style coalition between ce ntre—left a german style coalition between centre—left and centre right. that was an explanation of the background to the election. let's get the

latest now. katya has been following the build—up to today's vote. in polling stations across italy today there was a sense of uncertainty. voters