whose popularity is greater this is what democracy is about. president medvedev says putin's popularity was the factor in backing him for president in two thousand and twelve particularly since they stand for the same policies he was explaining his much publicized withdrawal from the race and during an interview with the russian media he is expected to take up the role of prime minister in a new government if putin returns to the presidency. and terror in libya thousands are driven from their homes in the coastal city of syria as a fighting intensifies between pro and anti gadhafi forces showing no sign of letting up the city is suffering a heavy shelling and tank fire with nato warplanes oh flying overhead the red cross warns of the dire humanitarian situation on the ground. and that brings you up to date for now i'll be back in with an update in at the top of the hour but first our t. takes you on an exhilarating trip to russia's far east to meet some of the rarest animal species the regions of the witching beauty.

seven thousand kilometers from moscow a group of research has begun an expedition through the nature reserve. there is wanted to see eagle nest close to a small river on the shore of the sea of a not very far from here low tide compels them to go to the sea to look for food. the stella siegel is listed in russia's red book of endangered animals eagles of this toy only found in russians for east each year. the company for reserve ranges inspects us you know to do so the expedition would have to come hundreds of kilometers over the course of ten days. ornithologist. joined by. a volunteer from scotland they were accompanied

by range of let me on the journey. this is where the two rivers meet their totally different the children journey is a deep culture with a strong current the water in the coffee is warm they even different color the challenger is greenish because of floodwaters but the kava always stays brown and. still the sea eagles can afford to be free in the. they don't have to worry about food there is no fish in the sea of a halt a nearby river has the stella sea eagle is the largest bird in the area. and is almost seventy centimeters as an adult. kilograms i can feel a branch an eagle is behind it. the boat is going to a far corner of the reserve of. just expect to see chicks that they believe hatched

in an eagle's nest a few days ago. the engine noise. upon seeing the new arrivals he backs away and swiftly disappears into the forest the group has no worries as really attacked people during the summer. a telescope is the most important item in the expeditions inventory by attaching a video camera the only. see what's going on in the eagle's nest even though it only takes a few minutes to get to the nest when it actually comes to climbing the tree preparations take a. stellar sea eagles nest above the ground the people can are you sure giving a delicate girl that much to carry is a good idea. elsie ashford is the first woman to ever climb a tree in the megaton ski resort of in the past you know we take always employed the help of the men in the group. yes. elsie is

a research at the royal society for the protection of in scotland but nests have been her line of work the several years she has brought all the necessary equipment from scotland because she thinks using familiar equipment in an unfamiliar place is much safer. than the venue for climbing this tree is no easy job it will take elsie at least forty minutes to get to the nest especially if she observes all of the safety rules. elsie's progress is blocked she cannot go any further this is where a video camera attached to a rolled comes in handy connection except a key element of the monitoring procedure is inspecting us at the start of the season we need to know how many chips have had him and how many have survived to the end of the season and then if they're mature enough to leave their nest. the

film is shot from different angles special care is taken not to scare away adult bugs otherwise they might never return to the nest and the chicks would die of starvation. elsie takes a look at the footage before she's even got down from the tree. to small white chicks very lively. passing around in the sunshine fighting a little of each other she speaks like this just like you have next to very healthy chick. decades ago they were good like prison camps and. inmates used to be sent to what is now nature is to procure a fish and game today people are. but i mean out of a gauche patrols the territory making his way along narrow trails left by as he always carries a gun with him

a trespasser can be easily spotted from this elevation intruders crossing the reserves by injuries as a threat. but branches lying close to the pole speak of a campfire unwelcome guests or this is what is left of a branch that got caught in a fire even though more than thirty years of past i still shudder when i think back to that inferno. this with this way of getting to any part of the reserve in an emergency is by helicopter. when a fire flares up the helicopters will have to make dozens of trips a day but even that does little to help. the tiger may remain a blaze to weeks. sometimes far as come to such a large area that far from all over the region come to help quick controlling five is especially difficult in can do for us forests it takes many years to recover

from such a blaze floods are just as dangerous as far in early spring transporting fuel and basic necessities to the reserves isn't. extreme and often a life threatening task which is more than. one occasion snowmobiles broke down and we had to walk scores of kilometers such incidents would have made many others quit this job but something keeps us going i think it gives us adrenaline i'm happy it's part of my life. it's a challenge that keeps you in good shape. the following morning the weather changes abruptly it is clear from the four coss that the rain will keep coming down for almost a week we all are followed just decide against inspecting of a sea eagle nests but they do want to waste that time so they begin looking through the video they filmed the day before this is just going to put some of the other i

would like to take a closer look at what you filmed i couldn't see it clearly in the sunlight. well i didn't expect to see that the chicks i saw were older and they behaved in a very different way. now this this is the first time i've seen chicks fighting all the time they're behaving naturally as they should it's not like they saw you with your camera it was hidden after all. l.c.s. food began learning russian a few months before arriving in the mega time region while in the reserve each day she notes down new words she his from her russian colleagues at work it's important if you're working that you don't learn too many every day because you can't remember them you need to have a few words you practice so you can use them when you need them quickly. a day later and time is running out the expedition now has to move to another sector of

the reserve. didn't go through the second phase of the expedition is about to begin and will visit the coney peninsula on the on ski islands where the maritime sector is will see eagle nests check the bears and tags the lines for now this part of the trip is done. already. three hundred kilometers from the previous campsite and tugboat fashioned into an expedition vessel into the sea of a. series several killer whales of the ship they seem to be to which the ship's captain many happy returns for his sixty fifth birthday get the boat ready for a large plastic check point is on the horizon. station on the peninsula is home to ranges of the maritime sector of the state nature reserve the

environment is very harsh. accompanies the group of researches at this stage of the expedition with a service record of more than twenty years is one of the reserves veterans so gay began his career as a rank and file employee now he is in charge of the ranges guarding the reserves maritime sector they are on duty for about a month at a time the rangers are a self-sufficient community. apart from guarding the territory they keep records of the natural environment was the situation no money nothing to speak of little significant no intruders apart from some of the little animals. and what about the stellar siegel's a couple who come from there cheering low tide you'll see them. low tide doesn't come until several hours later at that time a mountain stream flowing into the sea of a halt can be crossed normally the title current is so strong that it is impossible

to keep one's balance the water is all year round and falling in would be dangerous there are no signs of life in the eagle's nest its owner is away hunting for food but soon it appears on the horizon. look even if. the climate here is almost completely different to the previous location. even in the height of summer the weather poses a challenge it's a little bit cold. but it's not winter it's it's summer so it's a me it's is like. winter in scotland maybe. you can feel. the rain just take two dogs on the daily twelve kilometer patrol the dogs begin barking as soon as they smell

a bat they are just as indispensable when rangers look for peaches hunting. often the poachers have better equipment than the reserve personnel. oh of the month order the poachers carry weapons their boats have powerful engines and most of the work and on top of the lawyers provide legal protection for your own like you to find any eyewitnesses here a ranger would have to work very hard before the offender could be brought to trial which you wouldn't put forward. as soon as the expedition ship leaves plus the station a family of humpback whales appears the captain steers the vessel along the shore of the researches takes stock of the best inhabiting the coney and in civil war i can see a female bear down there and a little cub is nearby. when the bears are spotted their exact location will be mailed to the map while the research is conduct their work ship moves the slow

speed. but would evening the captain steps on the gas as they head for the ski arlen's it's crucial that the ship reached its destination while the weather is still good. twenty years ago the largest country in the world to see to a suitable. place had been changed. to teach began a journey. where did it take to. be is he to you. steve. to meet.

culture is that so much different and there's a huge music is there a power on. that's the mark of the united nations the global body in search of a mission often derided as incompetent and ineffective the u.n. is also accused of. four days of policies the stuff of the expedition. but still a long way away but the expedition has already run out of fresh water rain just say again bets off looks for a spot to land the boat and see that there's the eagle the sea is quite shallow off shore so again raises the outboard engine and covers the last few metres using or was once he is on shore he realizes that trespass is a visit to the protected area only recently for the fourth well this water canister tells me they left the place only

a short time ago because the bear came later with you it's clear it's been a good deal of time here sharpening its claws i'm quite sure the guys wasted no time either. potion most likely. there are no people around but there are fresh tracks on the ground left by a bad soon the animal is spotted through binoculars but it pays no attention to the expedition a bit later the only follow just see another stella segal a short distance away. meanwhile the ranger returns from his rounds of the territory he says he has found no poachers. some say the series here in the north is very monotonous but in fact it is very beautiful this is where the dander in our springtime flower which is listed in russia's red book endangered plants and animals this one began to bloom just a few days ago. when the rising tide comes they will need to collect some two hundred liters of fresh water this supply should last until the end of the trip

many of the expedition participants have been suffering from dehydration this is the only chance to replenish the water supply for as long as the ship remains at sea. this water is absolutely fresh because it comes here from the snow fields the water is cold but it's pure completely clean and very good for drinking and it's smooth to. the water is now on board and the ships anchor is raised the weather is ideal for making observations half an hour later taken to an eagle's nest which is not on the map but he will mark it is new the eagle seems to be alone the nest is very tiny. the weather rapidly deteriorates and the birds head to the rocks watching them becomes impossible moreover the fog makes sailing in these conditions dangerous so

the ship comes to a halt. of gets into a motor boat to have. a mark off an old friend of his is in charge of a lighthouse. so gay lives there with his wife the cape covers an area of just over one square kilometer. and you want to. keep or. najah hello there hello i haven't seen you in ages how are you. this is a rare sight here the nearest settlement is sixty kilometers from cape town you know i made some pies fresh from the oven i make some tea if you wait a minute oh thank you idea nadezhda misty takes care of the household chores. is responsible for maintaining the lighthouse he has to be

a jack of all trades there is nobody to help if something goes wrong. we'll we're proud to live here even if it means living so far away. just as we are like border guards. it's like living at the end of the world that's true there are rocks on one side and sea on the other there are no people around here you see nobody but beasts and even they are very tame. before dusk goes to the lighthouse there are more than two hundred time one steps in the spiral staircase. in the soviet union the lighthouse was a strategic naval installation and was guarded accordingly a sentry was on round the clock duty at the entrance. much has changed since then but the litel still requires daily maintenance specially designed lenses enable the light to be seen from twelve nautical miles away even though the power of the lamps

is five hundred watts with us is this i was a child when my parents brought me here in one thousand nine hundred sixty two. that's when i took a fancy to this place when i grew up i brought my kids here they too have grown up here as such i might call my family a dynasty of sorts. towards evening the ship departs for the ski arlen's. the only follow this will meet with fellow scientists studying sea lions. we're now approaching my take you'll island the main destination of our trip the place is very beautiful and interesting here the sea is about one hundred meters deep ships are best to steer clear of this place during a storm or change inside there is no telling what tricks it may have in store for you. but. the pacific's northernmost habitats of sea

lions is all meant to kill island in the late one nine hundred eighty s. scientists raise the alarm after discovering a dramatic fall in the number of these mammals. since then an international group of scientists has come to the ski arlen's each year. to begin with all the adults he learns to shoot away from the beach then they were called the pups so as to estimate the size of the population more accurately the newborns of intact and given a number. the procedure makes it possible to track the animals movements in the sea of a halt. over roughly twenty years which is the average lifespan of a sea lawyer. for what we see with this book obviously the animals don't like being disturbed but then it's only one day during their mating season was set a particular day aside when the harm done to the sea lion population is reduced to

a minimum say. the procedure has been perfected down to the smallest detail to start vets administer an anaesthetic to the sea lion pups to ensure a painless operation. you've been on the sea lions breathe in a special gas for about three minutes he falls asleep and wake seps and ten minutes later it doesn't take long to recover from the anaesthetic. just move with him i am going to take some blood samples if he sees it as the blood test will tell us something about the state of the newborn's self to see if they're healthy enough that's already dear they have a chance the job involves a good deal of physical labor and unfortunately the team is short handed this year . the expedition is grateful to elsie ashford for help as the tosk is not easy a one week old sea lawyer and weighs an average of twenty seven kilograms stay

special. with these analysts and it's quite nice to me because. i can just help just carrying an animal so i can be useful and it helps getting what likely. as biologists label the sea lion pups the adults in the water the scientists need to make haste to finish the job as soon as they can this year the expedition has brought together researches from japan russia and the united states they have to solve the language barrier as they go. really important for us to work us in an american colleagues and russian colleagues store see lines don't look at the border and say oh stuff it was american over there and russia over here they swim across the border quite frequently so we have to work in cooperation to better understand the nature that goes across the borders is doing whether they're doing well or not what we need to do to manage them. in early spring sealants come to the beach almost to kill island over the ice males of the first two or roy they have to

fight for a place on the beach. this ruling sound means the sea lion has laid claim to the area that i'm with what are the theme i have been working with such animals for more than twenty years but i'm still and they said their behavior sea lions on shore behave very differently at sea. but given us you up with me when they're on the beach they're agile like birds but at sea they get very inquisitive they approach divers in sync with them for some sign up but they try to touch him especially if they're wearing shiny objects by sea lions attacking humans no that has never happened but the. the scientists have labelled two hundred c. laws. pops. has difficulty recording the individual characteristics.

humans were never here. on the beach going to sea in search of food and they're seeing their pups. to the departure of their colleagues the following morning the. nature of. these calls. to kill island. but even people shouting at the top of the voices can hardly be. more than four million met to kill even though it's six square kilometers few and far between in the south because the wind is a strong cliffs it's the central part of the. trust. there's a difference between nesting habits looks for example occupy narrow cliff cornices while buzzards make their nests among rocks this means that there are no free plots

of land and the birds occupy the entire island. research. it is a very hard place to get to a previous expedition into haiti. and that. results this time. of the scientists everybody works together and it's not it's not difficult it's not like. historic sea voyage where you have no or very many health problems i see even more than i expected because i've been very lucky to be here at the time when there are many different interesting projects. the ship leaves. during low tide just before dusk in the mess room he asked for it learns how to cook traditional russian borscht. puts puts a tells on the boil for ten minutes then added ten just to. the expedition members

unknown the last noida port the ship it is obvious that everyone is tired but everyone is reflecting on the vivid impressions of the trip even those that have been here before the captain says jokingly that next time elsie ashford will combine both jobs as researcher and a cook meanwhile a captain's mate sets of course back to maggette humpback whale again appears on the horizon just like during the voyage to the empty islands the expedition to the megatons good nature reserve is nearing its end it has covered more than the finals and kilometers in ten days and collected a wealth of material for the study. the team's mission is complete.

on the warpath nato troops in kosovo impose a shoot to kill policy after bulldozing barricades. over the seizure of a disputed checkpoint trouble reignited in the region after pristina sent in troops take control of a border post leading to serbia two weeks ago the move infuriated the mostly serb north of the breakaway republic who say kosovar albanians are trampling on their rights. which is a choice is made by the people and these are not me you would see time saluki true any politician and any political force may lose an election what do you mean everything has been determined that the people decide who they should vote for whose popularity is greater this is what democracy is about. president medvedev says that putin's popularity was that the factor in backing him for president in two thousand and twelve particularly since they stand for the same policies he was explaining his much publicized withdrawal from.