sometimes across the country with the people struggling under the heavy weight of western sanctions. and the end of an era for north korea a country mourns the death of its ruler cam jong il as his young son steps into the power hailed as the new supreme commander news of the leader's passing put the state's neighbors on trial are causing fears for the region's mounting uncertainty . up next thirty interviews a former head of the un's nuclear watchdog on how kim jong il's death may impact the region stay with us. well i'm joined by mr hans blix from stop calling mr blix chair to international atomic agency for energy agency for sixteen years and was they had of the u.n.

inspections team in iraq prior to the second iraqi war mr blix it's great to have you with us sir now i'd like to start with i say latest news came young male who during whose seventeen year old rule north korea has emerged as a nuclear state has died of a heart failure now his son is the next national leader what do we know about him are things going to stay pretty much the same or worse where general security under threat how vigorously will he have push for nuclear weapons. while we are generally rather read. about the. architecture of the power building in north korea. but the changes be underway for some time but of course with good. growth in figure is. there is always a risk to a. structure that can be changed. i think it is important

that the outside world. does not make them for us because they will feel themselves in a situation of some weakness and any threats from the outside knives to make them provocative for the last few years iran was number one nuclear enemy for the united states do you expect maybe a shift of interest from iran to north korea or does a country need to have oil as well to justify that much attention from the west no i think both places are of great importance in the north korean situation first of all we know that within artillery range from north korea so even without nuclear weapons the situation that would be a risky one and if north korea were provoked at him. there could be a risk also of encouraging senior forces in japan. i don't see that

now at all but that would be a risk in the case of iran. on the other hand we see that already in. their work in iran to develop it capacity we enrich uranium has increased threat tensions enormously and there goes a great arms race going on and we hear who works in israel and then in the united states saying that they should bomb iran others say that they don't know where all the nuclear installations are and that it is meaningless. this the gingrich or one of the presidential candidates says that he thinks down to the world for a regime change but i don't think he explained whether he would like the a regime change to be the afghan model of model or the iraqi model. but holidays are all around us service is very soon similar to what happened in iraq.

could we be seeing the new iraqi scenario unfolding here as far as iran goes well there are some similarities in the. escalation of the language and the threats. that we had in the case of iraq and now having case of iran on the other hand we must remember that in the case of iraq they talked about. weapons that in fact did not exists today they are talking about iranian intentions that may or may or may not exist. but the difference is that iran certainly has a lot of nuclear installations iraq did not have that but in your own opinion is iran of any imminent threat to any nation at this point. i don't think so really you give as good through that you are merely dad has come out

in the very a very bad language about israel wiping israel off the map of the world but i think most people with me think that he is really talking to the arab street he has want to wanted to destabilize arab states that have supported the united states . iraq iran does not have a track record of aggression in fact there was iraq that attacked iran so i don't see an immediate threat from iran but i can understand that israelis are nervous but the u.s. and israel maintain the latest i report provides very strong evidence that iran is seeking a nuclear weapon. here's the question do you think iran has a nuclear weapon. no i think in nobody really thinks they have a nuclear weapon and i think one must read that report rather carefully what

they say is that they see some evidence that could explode could be explained if they were dealing with a weapon or a mere weapon and that there seems on the other evidence that is very hard to explain unless they were working towards a weapon but they have not said that they established that iraq or actually intends to do it they might stop short of their weapons well judging from your experience how should this intelligence be treated and how far can actually i.a.e.a. go in checking the credibility of such intelligence. well they do it or not the every city here in the iran and it's a big country and then it places can be hidden so i think there are limits to what they can find out but that doesn't really affect what the outside world should do

in my view they must continue to talk to iran and to persuade iran that they will not need an a nuclear weapon and nor do they in need any enrichment capability i'm near some european states the u.k. and france and germany started such talks and they have been expanded to also russia and china and the united states are participants in it and i think that is the wise road to go they have offered iran some good things and i think they could offer more things there is also on the way a big conference about a nuclear weapon free zone in the middle east which will take place in helsinki next year. and all originally the idea was to get the israel to do away with this nuclear weapons but i think if this if the conference were to try those to do away with the israeli nuclear weapons and uranium enrichment capability and get the

other states in the middle east to come along then there might be more hopeful future you know many believe that iran actually may be willing to get to a point what is able to produce a nuclear weapon but doesn't actually do it unless its security established threatened is that a likely strategy. it is possible we know from the case of israel that they do not admit that they have nuclear weapons they say that they will not be the first three introduce nuclear weapons in the middle east maybe one day the iranians will say that we also will not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons in the middle east and maintain the situation ambiguity. but i think it would be better if all the parties came to the conclusion that they should have neither nuclear weapons nor its human capability and israelis would be more secure there would be

a warning now that syria saudi arabia and egypt might also go for a response and iran certainly should be nervous that these earliest might bomb them just as israel did iraq in the 1980's and syria in two thousand and seven what is the likelihood actually that israel may be at this point now that it has isolated itself from turkey also from egypt it has disappointed sarkozy it has disappointed obama very strong rhetoric going on back and forth between iran and israel what is the likelihood that it has become more dangerous and maybe it will actually show for the first time that it us has it does have nuclear arsenal and use it probably too long iran. well it's hard to judge i mean some people think that this kind of language and threats by their us individuals in israel and also by hawks in the united states that it was the iranians from their present course

however i am somewhat doubtful that one can scare a country away from. nuclear weapons i think that carrots are better person aiding them that they can gain quite a lot by staying away from weapons and from enrichment. saying there will be a point where i will be convincing israel not to use its nuclear nuclear arsenal i think the israelis are very well aware of the game you're using its weapons and even when they talk about bombing iran there is nothing to suggest that they will use nuclear weapons for it and i do hope very much that if anything came to a war that no nuclear weapons would be used and it would also be very bad if they attack the civilian nuclear reactors that iran has in bush or but any kind of attack i think is

a total conflagration in the middle east the iranian mullahs are not sitting in to twiddle their thumbs they will have a counterattack of course and maybe they will drag in the united states in the war so it's a terrible fire that they are playing with. and one last question why do you think iran is so reluctant to accept all the incentives offered to them by the international community is it just not simply enough. well it may be a question of pride also i think that the western states that i've talked to them some some times i sounded rather high handed they have said that if you were suspend your to richmond to we may be willing to sit down with you and that is a sort of neo colonialists neal colonialist told they're a proud people many others are and i think that the. they will have to talk to them say important partner for important states state

that they are and to discuss with them what would they gain by abandoning enrichment they can gain a lot and i do not see that they have much advantage on the richmond because they can import the fuel they need from russia or from other places they have only two nuclear power reactors this country sweden where i'm standing now we have ten and we import a richer a new message. it is cheaper so i don't see iran would loose very much by doing away with it there may be a lot of pride in this mr blix thank you very much for this interview. is that so much a lot of people. twenty years ago historic event the soviet union came to an end and with it the conclusion of. the soviet union's.

the commission free accreditation free transport charges free. range minced free risk free. to tide free. download free broadcast quality video for your media projects and a free media dog r.t. dot com. wealthy british style holds a spot on the front. of the. markets financed scandals find out what's really happening to the global economy for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines joining to cause a report on r.t. .

if lines. would be soon which brightened if you knew about song from phones to impressions. please phones totty dot com. these top stories from r t tens of thousands gather for a peaceful rally in the russian capital demanding a rerun of parliamentary elections president dmitri medvedev valves that folder reforms promising an overhaul of the country's political system. the head of the arab league's mission to syria arrives in damascus amid fresh claims of pinelands international pressure mounts on the syrian regime to end its crackdown on protesters as violence intensifies across the country with people struggling under the heavy weight of western sanctions. and the end of an era for north korea

a country mourns the death of its ruler kevin jong il as his youngest son steps into power hailed as the new supreme commander news of the leaders pouncing put the state's neighbors on high alert calls and fears for the region's mounting uncertainty. as is r t now the sports news with oman. hello and welcome to sport on r t coming to you from the russian capital with me or i'm on call for of all first as always the headlines. the rink dreams russia's junior ice hockey team goes to canada to defend the world side's old one employed follow. reaching for the stars long jump the norm and on zaria collegiate aims to make a huge debut at the london olympics. gangs of new york the giants run out

confident winners over local rivals jets to get the big apple bragging rights and a chance for in the n.f.c. east ground but will start with ice hockey where there were eight games on offer in the kontinental hockey league on sunday three early matches to tell you about first where off on billy's conceded in their ninth consecutive matchups are losing to deny moscow on home ice over in almost square the score all for two defending the guardian cup champion saliva to live one whole match against more with the same four to score in brockport should have been scored two seconds here it goes against visiting sort of better news you know gird which were enough to win the match now let's follow up with the suits and the garden cup winners are the bores who defeated visiting sides c.b.e. by three blocks to one while kate shells that boys v.t. has lost two or drives of on guard in the moscow region by the narrowest of margins to one nifty he may be the middle of the book was next to the match between severstal and you gras and it scoreless in regulation and oversight and but the

home side got the upper hand in that penalty shoot outs while sports up in moscow a loss to the visiting it meant a lot of money to warsaw in the russian capital so one gets a little to have now extended their winning streak to seven matches and staying with i saw a queue where the russian national junior team are preparing to defend the world crown they captured a year ago it's one in twelve championships get underway in calgary canada on monday and robert barr the neon has the preview. the young victor is lending at home in blaze of glory to live the world youth champions get up in front of their adoring fans the russian youth hockey team cool or the truth the out of the hands of their canadian peers in buffalo us in a dramatic finale last year. now the reigning champions are ready to take on the even tougher challenge in their own

land the hockey canada they hope to hold on to the ground they cantered a year ago. but of course when el facing an even tougher task we won the title and now we need to defend it and our opponents are going to see us in a different way with much more respect and with the aspiration to beat us we'll see how we can handle that coloration. this man probably more than anyone else in the team holds the outcome in his hands one of the most gifted russian players of the new generation eve gainey has needs of the nineteen year old forward played an essential role in his team's brilliant performance last year. that you have been slated just kept on shining taking part in the kitchen all-star game in twenty eleven and also making his debut with the national senior team but he's back for his third world year jump and ships which gets norway on monday and he's looking

forward to settling some old scores all of that smaller than i enjoy playing against canadians it gives me a kind of a special drive recalling last year's finals in buffalo even when they took the three no lead and the whole arena started singing our team got a spark to them even more so we scored the winner and the home crowd walked out a whole minute earlier it was unbelievable you know with it's a safe bet my native dragons men will give their all to get the feeling once again . and it really does take much more than one great turns to cheer them because it's of says that russian fans have every reason to expect some new up and comers to show in the big showdown with the most of them each one of our squad can be a leader all for one and one for all that's the way we play it doesn't matter if it's me was or was a lot of goals or any of my cimi. i will the golden boy is

a russian ice hokey will raise their first test in the group stage begins switzerland. r.t. newschool region. one of the world's brightest up and coming along john stars is hoping to make the upcoming london twenty as well the next her shining moment zaria collation has been training right here in the russian capital after a string a world class performances into wednesday eleven that collation out won gold at the under twenty three european championships and the european championships this year that's when iraq also owns the second best mark among juniors ever after she broke the seventy meter barrier aged nineteen collation of becoming a popular figure securing plenty of endorsement deals thanks to her looks and achievements and the upstart long jumper is already focused at stake in the next step to have a chance at standing at the podium in london this summer. i. think this is

over this new we say it's a dream is something that is unrealistic and a long way from reality so for me the olympics are not a dream a time get something that i'm aiming for and focusing on in just over a year's time i hope we're going to be in a very fast in big games and i will be talking success not just things go well and i can perform to the best of my ability and become a champion of it moving on to the national football league now where talk turned out to be cheap for the jets coach rex ryan the new york giants coming out confidence once in nine fourteen winners over a gang green after plenty of media barbs from both sides leading up to the clash john's quarterback eli manning finding beats or cruise's spies being pinned inside his own end zone and the twenty five year old showed his blazing speed by making a huge ninety nine yards down run the giants going up seven seven late in the second quarter after that amazing effort by their breakout star ahmad bradshaw also

a big contributor for the g. men as he gashed the jets defense for two touchdowns the giants thus setting up an n.f.c. east side all showdown with the dallas cowboys in the final week. the denver broncos quarterback team t. ball has been known for his late comeback here royce but he was the exact opposite against buffalo denver was up seven three before my calvin turned that side during the offseason overlook special teams plays and eighty yard ponds return putting buffalo for their first lead of the game meanwhile couldn't bring his team back late this interception return score by jerry is byrd was followed by another one from spencer johnson forty fourteen the final the broncos fall back into for the a.f.c. west. meanwhile has began that c.b.s. process of recovery from a broken leg he sustained earlier. this month during the club world cup the

barcelona star hoping to see his once heal so he can help spain defend their consentual title of the year old so went to its wealth the thirty year old checked out of a barcelona hospital after undergoing surgery on monday but doctors say villa will likely be out for around four or five months that means that he can technically aim to make the euro its way to twelve thirty mins which starts in june while villa himself is focused on recovery rather than any kolob or international competition. if you're gonna lose not to be able to plea in any final competition yet there is still many months ahead with it happens and to think the forehead is not my still around and really concentrate on a day to day basis and i can tell you i will do everything to do back not necessarily for the champions league and year route twenty two will. build it. and with the year twenty eleven almost over it is high time to reflect on that

seems an athlete which made an impact in the sporting world and while some were bases setting world records and helping their teams with trophies others were winning in less conventional ways save monza gorski takes a look at some of the more offbeat sporting events of the year. running up flights of stairs and riding a bike are both good exercise but going up the stairs on a bike is a completely different ballgame well known footballer zombie is often putting on a show in barcelona but this time it was a slightly less famous zob excess stealing the spotlight from a soccer namesake with a flawless take me he was able to ascend one hundred fifty floors and setting a new record this hotel building seems like a mound to climb but science achieved that feat six times over. while australia's most athletic cockroaches are given an opportunity to showcase their unique physical gifts the thirtieth annual cockroach race in queensland drew plenty of

interest with competitors really itching to get out of the gates fourteen events and all to be contested between more than five hundred participants the cost of owning your very own thoroughbred insect athlete is just ten dollars and proceeds from the tournaments are given to local charities crashes are always something to be avoided especially in motor sport but sending your vehicle tumbling down this long straight is the only way to win here the ramp rollover championship sees the participants trying their best to crash in style and earn points but for some just getting out of the car in one piece is a reward enough twenty nine year old wayne drury emerging as the winner from all this carnage. staying with the racing theme and using the lawn more has never been this much fun or competitive the motor is divided into three groups from the simple engine to all the way to cutting edge of grass trimming my creswell a cut above the rest in group two in a ten lap race sub par playing conditions are the essence of this footballing

competition rather than a nuisance mud sweat and tears on the pitches at the swans soccer world cup in scotland with participants really having no choice but to play dirty brazil holland and even russia i'm on the countries where the sport is growing increasingly popular yvonne's are gorski r.t. that's all for now but more sport will be coming your way in less than a couple of hours meanwhile our youtube channel at r.t. sport news is always available for your comments so head there when you get a chance thanks for watching. witnesses. to history in the making. testimony. ten stories that shapes two thousand and eleven on our t.v. .

well to british soil it's moved on to the tigris.

river the. markets why not. find out what's really happening to the global economy cars report on our. top stories from our t.v. tens of thousands rally peacefully in central moscow against the results of the recent parliamentary vote while president dmitry medvedev a valid bold political reforms. the head of the arab league mission to syria arrives in damascus amid fresh claims of violence. and a new era as north korea mourns the death of its ruler ken jong il his youngest son steps into power.