this is r.t. time for the main stories we're covering a few today an assassination attempt targeting russia's prime minister vladimir putin has been foiled by russian ukrainian special forces according to russia's main state t.v. channel the suspects reportedly admitted planning to make that moscow write off of sunday's presidential ballot. syria is awaiting results of sunday's referendum on a new draft constitution to end one party rule with a government already heading it as a success for the opposition boycotted about it and the escalating violence.

and as the anti austerity drive grips the euro zone spain's impoverished students lash out at more cuts saying they've been abandoned by their government or the german minister says greece would be better off leaving the eurozone despite securing a new bailout. both several independent american intelligence agencies don't believe iran is building a nuclear bomb but international pressure over its nuclear program is still mounting next we talk to the former head of the u.n. nuclear watchdog who shares his thoughts on the issue. with the world's eyes focused on iran and nuclear issues both peaceful and non-peak making the headlines week after week interest in this subject is at a peak and where to many people go to try and get insight and answers but hans blix

you are a former weapons inspector diplomat and politician you've been immersed in this world for a long time thank you for joining me pleasure so we'll start off with top story at the moment it's very difficult to tell just how serious the crisis is from week to week is it and p. is didn't trough how serious do you think it is the moment i think it is very serious you have american aircraft carriers in the gulf you have british and french vessels in the gulf you have an iranian moral or general saying that they might close off the strait of hormuz so it is very tense and you have israelis saying that they have bomb iran bomb uranium nuclear installations and you haven't the presidential candidates or the source seem to say yes we should be tough with iran

implying that they might need to bomb iran it is a situation that cries for defusing a lot of prestige and a lot of injured pride and i think the more belligerent the outside world sounds to iran the more the iranian population will support its government regarded as a what they like or what they think about the government other respects it is a dangerous situation how likely is it that iran is really going to say where we'll play the game we'll talk the talk but really we're getting a bomb and we don't care what anyone else iran does not need a weapon even. iraq today they don't meet against pakistan against russia against turkey so i don't see that tremendous pressure this gives me some hope that it would be possible to persuade them to move out of investment or to and to ensure that there will be no bomb making the question is how you do it and i don't think it has been done with all that cleverness i haven't seen all the details but

that i think it could have been done better i don't think they behaved somebody insulting to the rain as you say iran must behave itself as if it were truly a seven year old boy sort of a neo colonialist tool and this doesn't at all i think the western europeans the u.k. france and germany that were the first to go in with us at that time as a backseat driver they came up with rewards and say that yes this is enrichment is dangerous you should suspend it and we would actually give rewards for that and they came up with some useful things they said that if you would suspend enrichment we are willing to help you to get into the world trade organization that was important we are even they are willing to help you to build up to receive elian nuclear you want to have nuclear power no problem we are not against high technology in iran we are worried about enrichment and they said we can facilitate investments in iran so there was some good it's actually their own tables and i

think that the bush administration was more dedicated to sticks. carrots so they begin with some economic sanctions and some sanctions of traveling of urine and so forth and in due course we want to hear that yes we have to push more for sanctions maybe have run the diplomatic path and then the sanctions remain the sound now we're talking about stopping all importing and maybe bombing but i think they're lost that imagination there are still things that can be done on the reward side have there for instance said to the rains that if we have a settlement u.s. will resume diplomatic relations. have they said that you want to have a pipeline from from iran to india well it with a settlement you could have it so there are some things that could be put on the table in a discussion the biggest thing i think would be if this really is were to come up and say that look we are worried about your retirement we think you might use a bomb against us how about a swap we drop and do away with our military our nuclear weapons and you will stop

all the richmond and it's saudi arabia egypt turkey all the others they agreed to commit themselves we will have no regrets but we have no reprocessing that is what you call a nuclear weapon for you so for the middle east and i think that's where the aim should be but if i mention that today they would love it well this is the point i mean i let me just play devil's that with you for a minute that is one view nuclear free zone but as you say at the moment there wouldn't be this crisis if there wasn't a perception that iran is heading towards getting a nuclear weapon so some people have said that well perhaps it might be a good thing if iran had a nuclear weapon perhaps it might be a useful thing. i don't think so i think that any spread and the further spread further spread of nuclear weapons is not a good thing it is dangerous when there are many fingers on the nuclear triggers

and i don't like the israeli finger i don't like the indian pakistani u.s. or any of the things i really wish to reduce them at the same time i don't think that it's the world's and if iran were to come to a nuclear weapon israel says is the existential question for them i think not i think that the deterrence will act between israel and iran as it acts between india and pakistan. i think the israeli nuclear weapons would be somewhat neutralized in their effect by the existence of a weapon in iran in iran i can see the risk that iran would peddled its nuclear secrets technology to other groups but that exists already so i don't think i don't think the world comes to an end with a nuclear having said that i think it is highly desirable that iran moves away suspend the enrichment on the point that is

a lot of your career has been spent looking at that very question how do you verify that how do you know where is this technical scientific evidence well they're actually making a bomb is not an easy thing i have not made one. a lawyer not not an engineer it's not an easy thing but it's been judged that the most crucial element of the bomb after all is the explosive material and that is either enriched uranium to something like ninety percent or it is plutonium and the iranians can enrich to twenty percent we know that they could raise to ninety percent if they wanted to so the crucial point remains do they enrich to more than twenty percent do they stay at this and it is supervision of that in that respect i think we must say that the rains have been fairly good they have allowed inspection they have not declared all that they should i think they have not lived up to their obligations under the safeguards agreement but they do inspectors are there and i think they can they

have the means of seeing how much are they are reaching and to what level all the rich are so so long as the inspectors are there then the world will be assured that no they are not accumulating but here but of course they could they could throw out inspectors one day or they could i don't think they can cheat very much many critics of inspection process is under diplomatic efforts would say that well this is really just a tool. of nato of the u.s. and they're just there to get reasons to get excuses either for intervention or for sanctions what do you think about no i'm a strong believer in inspections international civil service. international an objective or. non political civil service that seeks or be active is something we need. and we don't need we don't want to have

a civil service that applies to the american argument when we were in new york i think we were given credit for trying to get to the truth and i think we deserve that we were absolutely trying to get to the facts you cannot be a hundred per cent but when you compare to what the u.s. and u.k. were saying about the situation in iraq and what we were saying we were much much closer to the truth the reality is you know if a doctor cannot have a good therapy unless he has a good diagnosis and if government sit there then make the wrong diagnosis about is about iraq war about iran well how can you have the good therapy you as a as a civil service however you'd like. to call it give a diagnosis and as far as you're concerned the powers that be can do what they want with that but as you said. perhaps those diagnosis have been misused. what do you

think maybe what you think is going wrong that there's a new element also in the i.a.e.a. inspections that is that came off to ninety ninety one because in ninety ninety one we realized that iraq is had been cheating we went to declared installations but not to other places and they were building things elsewhere so we said if intelligence knew about this if the cia knew about these things they should tell the the i.a.e.a. can then ask the iraq and say that look we have heard this we would like to go there and therefore you say there is nothing in them live letters in so we then encouraged us and others to come with intelligence and they have done that here great deal with iran now the i.a.e.a. for the i.a.e.a. this should be a one way traffic if the i.a.e.a. should not be the prolonged arm of the cia because then it loses the confidence of the country as they go to but they can't receive it they can critically examine it and of course the cia intelligence can always try to fool everybody all for the

information maybe to offer maybe this information and therefore they have to examine it critically if we in new york during the iraq crisis had accepted the intelligence that you know well they say and so it must be so then of course we would have failed the i think has been very cautious with about the information they received about iraq so the combination of the national states and the inspectors who are there legally on the site is a very very useful well the world doesn't seem to be getting any simpler but we thank you for helping to make it a little bit more sense of it so mr blix trying much like. you know how sometimes you see a story and it seems so for lengthly you think you understand it and then you glimpse something else and you hear or see some other part of it and realized

everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harpur welcome to the big picture. wealthy british science holds. on to the title of. the british. markets why not scandals. find out what's really happening to the global economy in these kinds of reports.

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an assassination attempt targeting russia's prime minister vladimir putin has been foiled by russian and ukrainian special forces russia's main state t.v. channel. reportedly admitted planning to move in moscow to sunday's presidential ballot. syria is awaiting results of sunday's referendum on a new draft constitution to end one party with the government already having it as a success for the opposition boycotted the ballot amid escalating violence. and. drug groups the u.s. . students are. saying they've been abandoned by their government

minister says greece would be better off leaving the eurozone this one securing a new. sports news. hello welcome to the world of sport here is what's coming up. on teach us exclusively to the newly appointed and added the restart of the russian premier league season next week a. spot on liverpool beat championship side cardiff city on penalties at wembley to win the league cup their first piece of silverware since two thousand and six. and hunter gatherer rory mcilroy misses the opportunity to become the world's number one golfer as hunter mehan collects the second match play title of his career. but the start angie have won their final friendly ahead of the resumption

of the russian premier league season next weekend they beat ukrainian side arsenal key have three no into an r.t.s. which is ron paul of late has spoken exclusively to new manager go skating and he started that chap by asking about the club's most recent signing defender christopher samba from black but. what i heard from from the president through my coaching go that it was in the latest hours in the ladies' minutes before the deadline of friday night yesterday and also a couple of us coming in so we have two two people coming in extra it was a latests latest call of course he is an experienced player is playing really quite a lot of games in the premier league and this is one of the or maybe the best league in the world so he got a lot of experience i think he brings also a lot of of dynamic and personality and character to the team as well because we are of course looking for the balance. yeah let's say the mental power technical

power and he's experienced i mean with under a shove and you make an attempt to try and sign him function well but under him we have i have frequent contact and well he he can he was welcome in but we have to see what will happen with him in the future was going like there's a need for the remainder of this season was a good move for him well he says it's his home and he did very well in the first part office staying in london i met him several times also over the years it was good to see him and he gave also good name to russian football in general brought yeah it was always good to see good players in russia and once he's come back on it's a level yeah then he can be very useful for senate when really do you think over the last year or so with underachieving i don't know if a lot of things went wrong but he started very well in premier league and it's too

far away to give a proper judgment about that when it's obviously in a team he was in and out then maybe it didn't work out as well as it should be in the last month. you've been named head coach when i make it easier to bring in top name players specifically a world class trainer like this was hitting at the helm turnabout will help their tracks. it might help it might help but at the end of the players must be convinced that it's a serious i'm a serious person but the club also is a serious club now i think that's that that helps of course we have a lot of contacts worldwide but i just don't want to just on bringing foreign a foreigner foreigners for me for russia and for now and for the future the world cup is coming up and more progress in football we have to empathise also on the youth education and so i'm not focusing with my name worldwide on big players of course but also in saying slipstream also young promising

russian players. well elsewhere in football liverpool have won their first trophy in six years after lifting the league cup at wembley they say after a dramatic three two penalty shootout win over championship side cardiff city nothing separated the sides in normal time already the time playing spot kicks were decisive there was the wall st peter surprisingly in the first half when jerry mason rushed on to right kenny miller through ball. seven times champions were level midway through the second period however through an unlikely source to find the martin skilful reacting quickest to make it one one forcing extra time. how then thought he'd won it for canada wishes men. before an equaliser a dramatic equaliser from ben turner made it two and meant penalties. and what a day of mixed emotions for the gerard family and to me missed his penalty for

cardiff which meant that liverpool won three to one thousand stephen optimistic up . to seventy four was the. way a little way through. to the. normally i think it goes on you know off the next. thing. while also on sunday manchester united close the gap on leaders manchester city back to two points in the premier league after winning two one and nor age ryan giggs celebrated his nine hundred two parents for the club with the winning goal in the late game of the day stoke three swans eternal and also came from the games taught them in a quite remarkable north london the way the emirates five two it finished in favor

of the gun as it moved back into the champions league places they now trail third by surprise by seven points but have them firmly in less sites ago. inventor. possible. yes of course but. you know as much as before the game it was impossible even before it's possible could be done to consistency because everybody in the premier league know. really. points so it is since the start of the season. it's good you but if you continue to play like. now in golf rory mcilroy was unable to climb to the top of the world rankings as he lost in the world match play championship final to hunter may harm the defeat means the twenty two year old missed the chance to become world number one as the american took a second career match play ground my hand was able to turn this excellent a shot on the six into

a run of four birdies in the next five holes. the twenty nine year old would go for up after almost holding another approach the tenth my hand northern irish opponent had already knocked out another top rank contender an arch rival lee westwood in the semifinal battle royal battled back from three down after four holes in that much and continue to show his class with an eagle on the eleventh that battle with westwood marat taken a lot out of mcelroy may hand secured a two one victory at the seventeenth to california in this w g c title to his collection for p.g.a. crowns to his name. now i have on the hardwood kobe bryant and kevin durant were the cream of the n.b.a. crop helping the western conference stars beat that eastern counterparts in the all star game and in the game's most valuable play on as well brian became the top scorer in the event's history in the narrow one hundred fifty to one hundred forty

nine when the clippers are this year cinderella story and the dynamic duo of chris paul and blake griffin once again put on a show for the fans in florida. ryan wild past michael jordan to become the top scorer ever in all star events the thirty three year old finished with twenty seven points while his teammate for the night john got thirty six again through the high scoring affair one hundred fifty to one hundred forty nine the final score with the western conference team prevailing for the second straight year while john said he never thought he'd get the chance to shine brightest on such a huge stage. is an exciting feeling to be named all star but to step it up in love and become a v.p. this is only something as a kid you dream about and come from work come from i didn't think i would be here so i think it's just been a been a blessing to me i'm excited. you know taking us back to oklahoma city as well. now

in tennis austrian your good meltzer has overcome a broken toe to claim his fourth career title he beat canadia miller's roenicke seven five seven six two in the regions morgan keegan championships in memphis the thirty year old hasn't won a title since winning his in his own town of vienna in two thousand and ten and back injuries have seen him slip to thirty eight in the world rankings over the last twelve months in contrast run it had one nine matches in a row in straight sets took a single break in the first set and so with an ace before winning the second set tie break seven five seven six the final score afterwards well to break his tie before every tournament he says he's delighted to get his hands on the trophy. i am delighted to have played a really good match today against a big serving guy and i kept myself together i knew it i'm not going to get a lot of chances and i had to break points i think i converted them both. i'm

really pleased with the way i played rashly coming back in the second set and the tie breaker was high quality i'm really happy to the ice now where it's playoff time in the kontinental hockey league the line up for the last sixteen is known and there's one fixture attracting the most attention sell about you i have against bars the defending champions will go face to face with the two tiger and cup winners at least first round of playoffs and the other last sixteen fixtures regular season will instruct also called a western conference champion scarse and pictures by moscow the first playoff games will take place on wednesday. stand with winter sports where martin jew because of latvia has come gold at the world championships skeleton competition in lake placid the reigning world champion dominated the competition throughout all four hates he entered the final attempt with more than a second and a half advantage over the chasing pack only a crash could have prevented two things from winning the trophy but it was a seamless run as the lovely and competing for the fifty four point six seconds

germany's front romel took silver losing two seconds to the winner. of new zealand completed the podium. well you are up to date that's always pool for now more in just under two hours time join us that. culture is that so much as i can recall right on it and so here it is the price of crude remain stubbornly high and consumers feel the pinch but why are energy prices so hard is it a lack of supply and security. live

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