two thirty pm in moscow these are your r.t. headlines an assassination attempt targeting russia's prime minister vladimir putin has been foiled by russian and ukrainian special forces suspects reportedly admitted planning to make their move in moscow right after sunday's presidential ballot. syria waiting the results of sunday's referendum on a new draft constitution to end single party rule but the opposition boycotted the vote i made rising violence meanwhile the european council has piled more put pressure on the regime agreeing to new sanctions. and as the entitled sturdy drive

grips the eurozone spain's impoverished students lash out of more cuts saying they've been abandoned by their government while a german minister says priest would be better off leaving the eurozone despite scoring a new bell and. several independent u.s. intelligence agencies don't think iran is building a nuclear bomb but international pressure over its nuclear program still mounts up next week here with the from the former head of the u.n. nuclear watchdog who shares his thoughts on the topic. when the world's eyes focused on iran and nuclear issues both peaceful and normal making the headlines week after week interest in this subject is at a peak and where did many people go to try and get insight and answers but to hans blix you're 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 a peak is didn't trough how serious do you think it is imminent or i think it is very serious you have american aircraft carriers in the gulf you have british and french navy vessels in the gulf you have. moral or general saying that they might close off the strait of hormuz so it is very tense and israel is saying that they should bomb iran bomb the iranian nuclear installations and presidential candidates or so. yes we should be tough with iran implying that. to bomb iran it is a situation that cries for some diffuse a lot of prestige and

a lot of injured pride and i think the more belligerent the outside while it sounds to iran the more the iranian population will support its government very large as to what they lived 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 well 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 against iraq today they don't need 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 have behaved

somebody insulting to the rain as you say iran must behave itself as if it were an unruly seven year old boy sort of a neo colonialist tool and this doesn't help 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 back seat 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 suspend enrichment we are willing to help you to get into the world trade organization that was important we were even they are willing to help you to build up there were civilian 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. to a carrot so they begin with some economic sanctions or some sanctions or traveling

of the year and so forth. course we want to hear that yes we have to push more for sanctions that we have run the diplomatic path and the only sanctions remain and 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 if 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 radius 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

commitments we will have no regrets but we have no reprocessing that is what you call a nuclear weapon free zone 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 the 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 was in which will reduce them at the same time i don't think

that it's the world's and if iran were actually to come to a nuclear weapon israel says is the existential question for them i think not i think that the they do terence 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 iraq 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 that 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 the technical scientific evidence well the actual 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 reach 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 everything is have been thoroughly 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 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 the 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 two zero. of nato of us and they're just there to get reasons to get excuses either for intervention or 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 they 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 heart 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 make the wrong diagnosis about is about iraq where about iran well how can you have the good therapy you 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 then you say there is nothing in them lift letters in so we then encouraged us and others to come with intelligence to the eye and they have done that to 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 countries 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 off of information maybe to. maybe this information and therefore they have to examine it critically if we in new york during the iraq crisis had accepted the intel so yeah

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 two recent 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.

move. move move move move move. the most soon. to. download the official anti up location on the phone the i pod touch from the i choose ops to synch all teachers life on the. city of london mum ati's mind bold costs an r.s.s. feeds now in the palm of your. questions on the dot com. the.

chance to be soo much brighter. about sums from funds to crash and so. these firms don't totty don't come.

an assassination attempt targeting russia's prime minister putin has been foiled by russian and ukrainian special forces suspects reportedly admitted planning to make their move in moscow right after sunday's presidential vote. syria awaits results of sunday's referendum on a new draft constitution that war and single party rule by the opposition of boycotts the ballot amid escalating violence meanwhile the european council piles more pressure on the regime agreeing to new sanctions. and as anti austerity grips the eurozone spain's and harbor students lash out at more cuts saying they've been a bed by their government meanwhile a german minister says greece would be better off leaving the eurozone despite

getting a new bailout. paul's up next with all the latest sports news stay with us. hello welcome to the sports headlines here is what's coming up. gossip chats exclusively to the newly appointed anji boss out of the restart of the russian premier league season next weekend. spots all the liverpool will be championship side cardiff city on penalties at wembley to win the league cup their first piece of silverware since two thousand six. hundred and gather on rory mcilroy misses the opportunity to become the world's number one goal for as one to may harm collect the second match play title of his career. but it starts with football nanji have won their final friendly ahead of the resumption of the russian

premier league season next weekend they've been ukrainian side arsenal kiev three mail in turkey and artie's richard ron paul has spoken exclusively to new manager goes hiddink and he started that by asking about the club's most recent signing to friend of christopher summer from black but. what i heard from from the president through my coaching go that it was only the latest hours in the ladies' minutes before the deadline of friday night yesterday and also a couple of his coming in so we have two two people coming in extra it was a late this 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. here let's say the mental power technical

power and he's experienced i mean with under shot and you make an attempt to try and sign him function well but under him we 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 back to the needs for the remainder of this season was a good move for him well e.c.s. said it's his home and he did very well in the first part office staying in london i met him several times also over there 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 his level yeah then he can be very useful for senate but when wrong 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 world class training like this was hitting a helm term that will help their tracks. might help it might help but at the end 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 have just on bringing foreigners foreigners 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 the same slipstream also young promising russian players now elsewhere in football liverpool have won their first trophy in six years after lifting the league cup at wembley this after a dramatic three two penalty shootout win over championship side cardiff city nothing separated the sides in normal time or extra time meaning spot kicks why decisive it was the world's probably took a surprisingly in the first half when john mason passed on to a kenny miller through. the seven times when his were level midway through the second period however true i don't like to see defender martin scared to reacting quickest to make it one one and forcing extra time. when stored in one if a carrier bases men. before i dramatic inquiries from ben turner made it and

meant penalties and what a day of mixed emotions for the general family and saying missed his penalty for cardiff which meant liverpool won three today because and steven got to lift the cup. as you said before it was the. way a little way for the polish. to get to work to do. normally i think it goes on you know off the next. thing you're going to be feeling. while also on sunday manchester united close the gap. on leaders manchester city and back to two points in the premier laker after winning two wanted nor edge right gate celebrated his nine hundred thirty parents for the club with the winning goal in the late game of the day started three swans a to help and arsenal time from down against tottenham in a quite remarkable north london. five two it finished in favor of the gun is real

but into the champions league places they now trail third place by seven points but have them firmly in their sights according to boss arsene venter. is. possible if you keep on going yes of course why not but. you know as much as before the game it was impossible even before but if it's possible could be done to consistency because everybody in the premier league know. points so it is since the start of the season we have it which could you be able. to continue to play like. now engulfs 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 mehan the defeat means the twenty two year old missed the chance to become the world number one as the american took his second career matchplay crown was able to turn this excellent t.

shirt on the second into a run of four consecutive birdies over the course of the next five holes. the twenty nine year old would go for up after almost holding another upright at the time. they had his northern irish opponent had already knocked out another top contender in arch rival lee westwood in the semifinal mcelroy battled back from three down after four holes in that one and continue to show his class with an eagle on the eleventh that battle with westwood may have taken a lot out of mcelroy and they had secured a two one victory at the seventeenth california adding this w g c title to his collection he now has four p.g.a. crowns to his name. now over on the hardwood kobe bryant and kevin durant's with the cream of the n.b.a. crop helping the western conference stars beat their eastern counterparts in the all star game ending the game's most valuable play on is while bryant became the top scorer in the event's history in the narrow one hundred fifty to one hundred

forty nine when the clippers this year cinderella story and the dynamic duo of chris paul blake griffin once again put on a show for them in florida bryant meanwhile passed 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 got thirty six the game proved a high scoring affair one hundred fifty two one hundred forty nine the final score with the western conference team prevailing for the second straight year while duran said he never thought he'd get the chance to shine on such a huge stage. this is exciting thrilling to be named all star but to step it up in love and become every piece is only something that 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 i'm glad i'm taking it back to oklahoma city

as well. now in tennis australia in meltzer has overcome a broken toe to claim his fourth career title he beat canadian milosz right next seven five seven six two in the regions morgan keegan championships in memphis the thirty year old hasn't won a title since winning in his hometown of vienna in two thousand and ten and back injuries have seen him slip to thirty eighth in the world rankings over the last twelve months in contrast run it in one nine matches in a row in straight sets so took a single break in the first set and did out with an ace before winning a second set tiebreaker seven five seven six the final score afterwards melts a joke you might break you so 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 that big serving guy and i kept myself together i knew it i'm not going to get a lot of chances so i had to break points i think are converging on both. i'm

really pleased with the way our plate specially coming back in the second break it was high quality i'm really happy now to the ice 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 some of our you are going to pass the defending champions will go face to face with the two time to go and win is in the first round of the playoffs and the other last sixteen fixtures regular season when his truck so take the western conference champions scar st petersburg moscow the first playoff game to take place on wednesday. with winter sports and finally martin because of his claim gold at the world championships skeleton competition in lake placid the reigning world champion who dominated the competition throughout all four heats he entered the final attempt with more than a second and a half advantage over the chasing only a crash would have prevented you from winning the trophy but it was

a seamless run as the latvian completed he four in fifty four point six seconds. well that's all the sport would have more in a couple of hours time join us then. culture is that so much i know we should call on a company and the price of crude remains stubbornly high and consumers feel the pinch the wire energy prices so hard because of the lack of supply and security.

more news today violence is once again flared up. in these.