speaks very honestly but i don't agree with his policies and so if i were living here i wouldn't vote for him no he gets more independents then both then all three candidates of the candidates so why does the media not pay attention to him well basically because he is against the establishment he's against everything is having a stand for against the military national complex here against the federal reserve you think he has a chance here oh he is there are ten zero why he doesn't have the finances of the team necessary to put together a serious campaign. so you're just talking about how he's running not actually his policies or whether or not he'd be good for the country well if he could doesn't have the team in the money to get his message out nobody's going to hear it whether or not you think ron paul actually has a chance to become the next u.s. president the bottom line is if elected he certainly would shake things up and that seems to be something everyone is looking for.

and then it's time for the off the world upside here for now though do bear in mind our website dot com a great source of news and analysis twenty four hours a day some of the stories we've got lined up for you there right now for example up find out how the cia web site has become the latest victim in a series of high terror attacks from the anonymous group after suffering a big crash on friday night. if you can believe it how much a dollar could help delay any military strike on iran is really activists are urging their government against an offensive ahead of the pope's massive gig to tel aviv in may that a much much more to talk. he .

down the official altie allocation to on the phone call talk from the. video on demand. and r.s.s. feeds now in the palm of your. machine on the dot com. let's get to the outside world of the here for you some other global news in brief we will start with sudan where sudan the newly independent south sudan have signed a non-aggression treaty the agreement aims to relieve tensions over oil fees for territory on the border which officials sort of warn could escalate into

a military conflict south sudan split from the north last year ending decades of civil war in which some one point five million people died. iran's president has to make a major announcement on the country's controversial nuclear program in the next few days. gave no details but said it would never hold its program to enrich uranium which he says is for peaceful purposes he was speaking on the thirty third anniversary of the country's islamic revolution tens of thousands of pro-government demonstrators gathered across iran to mark the occasion. lithuania has become the latest country to see public discontent with the international anti-piracy accord known as act hundreds of rallied outside government buildings in the capital vilnius critics of the treaty which aims to protect intellectual property say it would harm freedom of speech and lead to

online censorship similar rallies are expected in london poland and denmark staging protests over the past few weeks signed by most edu states has yet to be ratified by the european parliament which is set to debate it in. argentina has accused britain of sending nuclear missiles near the disputed falkland islands the country's foreign minister claimed a submarine with nuclear weapons was recently sent there as part of britain's deployment london described the claims as quote absurd discoloration and tensions over the falklands comes in the run up to the thirtieth anniversary of the two countries going to war. why now as a russian city of sochi gears up for the winter olympics some of the biggest stars of winter sports of gathered at the resort to try out the new slopes with just two years now until the big event that sampling the wrongness of for the down here world cup with us the russian president right there dmitri medvedev also taking to

the snow to showcase his they're pretty slick skiing skills and as our taste in his polaski reports tests for the two thousand and fourteen sochi games are evidently in full swing. so she's been known to have warm february's in the past but not this year blizzards and temperatures well below zero may be great for some winter sports but for downhill skiing you want good visibility and less snow that's already on the ground and not still falling preparing that this in such conditions was a challenge but the weather is of course a key factor in heavy fog and blizzard can hold us up and cause delays but it hasn't affected overall preparations in the resort it is now ready to host the world ski cup and despite bad weather delays were minimal and as the mountain skies cleared domestic competitions began in earnest to put facilities to the test the venues here on the slopes and bridges across napoli are now are undergoing this

sternest examination yet the head of the two thousand and fourteen winter games for both the organizers and the athletes it's a perfect chance to fly in tune their routines ladies were the first to compete on the slopes for russia's downhill ski cup some compared the experience favorably with the two thousand and ten winter olympics in vancouver and then you look piece here can be compared to what i signed canada except there was ice in vancouver too which made it even more difficult but the overall conditions here are good. alexandra burke or people came out on the top of the competition she says smaller events like this one offer an important rehearsal before the main event in sochi in two thousand and fourteen. it's a chance to train more and will have the advantage in comparison to other skiers who only come here for the olympics with thirty kilometers of new posts and world class accommodation the organizers hope to make the test competitions some gettable for spectators and athletes

a lawyer but above all this experience is priceless for the salty two thousand and fourteen organizing committee that will use this competition as a dry run to give olympic preparations a boost then as well all ski sochi. let's stay with a sporting theme i'll be at a very different one the urban adventure activity it's known as park or the pills to many two legged adrenaline junkies and it seems it also appeals to some four legged ones as well that take for example a very special dog in western ukraine quickly becoming an internet sensation as reports artie's alexy are saskia. the two thousand and one french movie that came across she launched a new world wide great the park or thousands of print using worldwide took to the sixty's work to perform and breathtaking stunts on the walls and rooftops this skill of running and jumping from one surface to another is not so hard to master.

after a few slip ups and bruises you will eventually get it right but imagine if you were doing that standing on four legs and not being as a gyle as a human being. but this ranji fellow proves nothing's impossible we need to tread a stuffer cierra terrier from western ukraine you may see mean looking but in fact that is extremely kind hearted and he is one of only two dogs known to the world yes yes no i am what there is a dog like that in hawaii it might have appeared before to it but honestly i knew nothing about it when we started training besides that dog is much later in the tricks are not a spectacular. owner you've guinea had been doing park or until a knee injury ruined his career his unfulfilled dreams suddenly reincarnated in a six month old puppy for more than four years tried has been doing some amazing stuff both in urban landscapes and historic landmarks.

when he was only six months old he jumped to a cheer and from there he jumped on top of a fridge that's when we thought he had talent this greed is very energetic and sometimes they're used in dog fighters before the five years we've been doing parkway were true it has never been aggressive to anyone he hasn't fought to even barked at anyone. it looks like a case of serious animal training just like in a circus but you get he says he has only invented a few tricks for trad believe it or not the dog makes almost all of the moves. he finds it interesting you can see in the videos it looks like he's enjoying what he does i only coordinate him and very often he improvises some say that i field and park or myself and i will make the dog do what i was unable to do you can see for yourself nobody makes you do it with. breathtaking videos have garnered millions of you tube views and earned him global recognition in their hometown

you've gainey and he have not become offline celebrities just yet at least until a movie starring the unique dog hits the big screen in the summer but everyone in the neighborhood can rest assured threat is not a threat. reporting from chad enough i don't ukraine. a debate about russian democracy and the future of it just ahead in our spotlight program but i'll be back before that with a recap of the top headlines see you shortly.

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see headlines now egypt's streets and squares are alive with rallying crowds once again exactly a year off the president mubarak was forced from power protesters are calling for the military rulers to step down immediately accusing them of hindering reform. piled on the syrian regime as violence escalates in the new resolution claiming it lands at the u.n. general assembly state t.v.

in the meantime says an army general was assassinated in the capital damascus the first killing of a high ranking military officer since protests began. brussels with more cops in exchange for a bailout cash people vent their frustration on the streets of athens six ministers have resigned in protest of the plan which now has to be given the green light by. my colleague bill daughters here in half an hour's time but for now it's spotlight with. what is the future for russian democracy you're watching ott. well with. science technology innovation all the latest developments from around russia we've got the future covered.

hello again to welcome to spotlight the interview show in our team time now we're not and today we're talking about of lattimer putin's view on democracy during the last twenty years russia has been going through a democratic transition success has been made by the way wasn't easy and there were wrong turns true as the presidential election gets closer many speculate on how this process will continue if either of the candidates is elected this week the favorite in the race prime minister putin expressed his opinion in an article seen as part of his electoral benefit so is he planning to make russia more democratic and how discuss it with the head of the general political science department at the high school of economics mr coffee and mr schuster simon schuster head of

the time moscow bureau. over the last two months russia has seen the biggest really since the time of yeltsin an active electorate and they did political debate is what makes the current presidential race different from the previous two it all started with protests over the stay do my lection results last december when the ruling united russia party won which triggered ballot rigging accusations ever since the opposition has regularly how this rallies and has become exceptionally active online demanding changes that would make. the election process more transparent last weekend however the protesters have to face the fact the government supporters are also ready to defend their point of view on the streets according to the visual data he should by the police the pro-government rally even outnumbered the anti government one friday in their putin addressed both sides

shortly after the meetings in the other of his pre-election articles the prime minister's manifesto published in russia's corner sunday league admits the quality of the state is a lagging behind civil society which has become more mature active and responsible at the same time putin sees the current political activity in the country as an achievement of his years in power a byproduct of the economic stability he brought about. i learned simon welcome to the share thank you for being with us well first of all did this article give you an impression that putin really considers the civil awareness in russia his own achievement or it's more important for him to make others believe that one of his main goals is delicate as asian and russian. well of course yes to make democratization part of his pre-election strategy and image

because he realizes now after the protests that have been going on for two months little bit more that a huge portion of the population in the electorate demand that kind of democratization they had some hope of it being achieved under an invidious presidency. in his rhetoric if not in his actions gave some hope that democratization was on its way but after they made their switch put and said he's coming back to the presidency there was no there was no certainty among among the liberal middle class segment of the electorate this was happening so yes britain has to offer this how genuine it is it's a big question you know you have to you have to wait for actions to back it up and the debate is this is this working well it's not democracy it's i think maybe the most important of all yeah exactly yeah but i would remind you that democracy in russia it's a long term project it's not the immediate reaction to the protests we are facing

in december. following months russia is very young by judging by historical standards it's just twenty years of practice all this very important you saying so so you think that this is put his article what he writes isn't part of his dialogue with the protestors but rather his manifesto and part of this long process rather than the immediate reaction no no no no i would suggest it's both because of the it's kind of reply to the pressure from the radical opposition and at the same time it's what is called vision for the future because whoever put in clearly understands that it's immediate immediate experience perience must be some college and analyzed and thought for a week and. it's not my case that he started his article with some something. it's about ninety's and. the beginning of the twenty first century and this experience

is very valuable it was very tragic especially if we remember the ninety's in russia but nonetheless steps towards the more complete more full fledged democracy and democracy i would remind every country that democracy is continuing process we might need a vision from the outside of my next question put in says the society i quote it has grown smart he praises the middle class he says we created by saying we he means himself and president medvedev but he's running for presidency and not taking part in the debates well as usual i mean the he didn't take it it didn't but at a point in the debates when he was running for the first two thousand of it it didn't take part in the debates with with other candidates so. looking from the outside do you see changes put himself is the change i mean for from the onset and

from the inside i think it looks ridiculous that he would he would propose democratization and not take part in presidential debates like candidate in this from the inside it looks ok i mean i mean i didn't if you if you looked at the slogans of the people who were ad the rallies people who commented on there are. many things they dislike about putin but everybody takes the for granted well you never does that's what i mean nobody said this is this was ridiculous. i mean i suppose there's a part of the electorate that is used to standing sort of above the political fray and not taking part in it but i take issue with one phrase used to responding to the radical opposition is no longer responding to the radical opposition he's responding to a huge segment of the population who has been making its demands very clear in the streets and in other ways this is this is by the government's own estimates thirty percent of the population that makes up the urban middle life in that yes but in

the front of what. we've seen just radical opposition so it's immediate response to all this pressure let's hear what lot of important things about the russian civil society. today governance in russia lang's behind you to read in a sort of civil society to participate in our civil society has become much more mature active and responsible we need to modernize the mechanisms our democracy so that the corresponds. to. the very beginning of the article there's another quote says the society must be ready to use the democratic mechanisms and spend its time and effort to rule the state he's clearly appealing to the so-called. are increasing we may call them the

the road to hoe nationally as maybe maybe not there are some of them are not radicals all of them are pretty relaxed i mean but but. this article will the opposition whatever that is what take it as a response that's very important and in this article that his suggestions what they want or what you want to change may be in the point of taking its opposition is united but as we know the opposition is for augmented fracture and the only point of concern is about putting mass must resign this is the slogan of this opposition and there is partly to the question of why he he is abstaining from immediate personal participation in the debates and he is potentially head of state he is experience being of head of state of twice and his counterpart since just aspirants it's just hopeful president so that the. practical knowledge of how

to be president so this is partly the whole can explain why putin is so reluctant to do mediately and personally but he trusted his representatives for instance not only and that i. had a debate with but. it's goes well well let's hear another quote let's hear what a lot of reporting writes about out to make trials in russia more transparent. what must be given to the possible online broadcast look for cd tom clancy. they will instantly shoot who's working. we should rule not to see he says with the use of a. judge's summing up is dictated by understood on plead. the

russian system is different from many others cameras television cameras are allowed in many quarters but russia and russia many courts are they call them closed where there's no public no press and no cameras so do you think if this proposal goes i mean if we wept cameras in the courts this will provoke judges to to to make more and board trials closed if. it's possible i mean if. controversial decisions are made under a web camera that will immediately become the subject for debate online and as been clear for a few years in russia the blogosphere and the internet are more and more setting the agenda politically socially and in every respect so a judge would feel. some greater sense of responsibility or consequence by making decisions that are obviously corrupt political you in the united states

absolutely prohibited to heaven. and you're for any cameras and that's why we see the sales force. drop it so i mean these things are cosmetic is it more than a democratic. i think you know i would take issue with the very idea of placing web cameras in polling stations or in courts what is a pretty cosmetic change i mean that may have problems in the courts and in the electoral system are systemic and they require you know a top down reform but it depends upon the procedure that on the practice practices for instance let's imagine. this is the. of the station of course yes. we are counting the waters of bulletins and what camera is fixing and you'll being for instance in new york you can subscribe for for this and just looking closely at what's going on here and. just realize that in that are being

a bit less real now that we're talking to our political scientists here in the helicopter sorry for interrupting journalists i'm not sure if the spotlight will be back in a couple of minutes after a break so stay with us to. use .

the physical exam. more news today violence has once again flared up. and these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations are only day. welcome back to spotlight i'm al green alvin just a reminder that my guests in the studio today are journalist simon shuster and political scientist leon youth political doom and we've started talking about this

this proposal in the latest putins are not about placing cameras in courts before he before he proposed putting web cameras on polling station so you say this is cosmetic but but but well. some people consider this being a breakthrough i mean i mean i mean i mean a live streaming from court from polling station this is this is that was unthinkable i mean even a couple of years ago you know i'm a member of presidential council on human rights and we like them so will this work yes or no in the console and my friends colleagues members of this console we can see the very democratic step really yeah you think this will work yes we agree on this point it's a very interesting suggestion and we'll do everything that. that will be

a real result that is you know its main point i would say or i would repeat my question to you as a member of this council if it's a closed trial if the court decides it's going to be a close trial will this well camera be switched off or will they cut the live treatment bill streaming but it will be recorded some sort of someone on here talking about polling stations but come on not not in the court what are the courts no i don't know what we didn't discuss we didn't just go about their this is very may i mean a concrete step to put in can take any day in the current system of sort of top down. rule is to resolve the same situation in the magnitsky case. this is this is a clear breach of judicial practice i mean the international community is all up in arms about it. russian civil society and many of the people out on the street raise this as a point that that could be a concrete gesture of change all we're seeing in the article so far is a lot of promises promises.