on the dot com. a terrorist plot to go right into your gooden thwarted by moscow and kiev which was planned shortly after the presidential elections sunday. as the syrian people await the results of a landmark referendum on a new constitution that you stepped up for pressure ushering in a tough new set of sanctions on damascus. and cash rich berlin expected to back a new rescue deal for greece despite unease it won't be enough to save athens and worries that spain set the follow suit.

five pm in moscow i met good to have you with us here on r t our top story a plot to kill vladimir putin after next sunday's presidential vote has been for oil in a joint sting between ukraine and russia three suspects arrested earlier this month for a bomb plot confessed to planning the assassination one of them reportedly made contact with terror operatives while living in london or going off as more. buddah posing as press secretary confirmed to r t that the invents did take place however he restrained from commenting any further meanwhile channel one has shown the video of the two suspects describing how he prepared for this assassination one of them said that it was actually ordered by interest will cool one off but this information is still has to be confirmed since the investigation is still ongoing he also said that three people in this group three month they studied at the root ball for putin's motorcade. bodyguards there and were hiding from the voice switching

flights and. they were putting together an explosive device which went off right in that apartment the prime minister is quite heavily guarded by dozens of security officers both a new uniform and undercover the motorcade itself isn't a large really it usually consists of up to it was seven cars this courted by around four traffic police vehicles but the entire route all of the motorcade is also goaded by security officers this isn't the first time that was even put in became a target of an assassination plot but then never came to actual attempts on his life. several of the country's previous leaders have been targets of murder plot boris yeltsin mikhail gorbachev leonid brezhnev and of lattimer lenin all managed to avoid being killed thanks their security guards and intelligence services. assassination plots aside prime minister putin is gearing up for his presidential

bid sunday publishing a latest article outlining goals for russia's future this time the focus on foreign policy the premier slammed u.s. efforts to promote regime change in the arab world. the recent events showed that the desire to impose democracy by force can and often does lead to opposite results leads to a rise in extremism which attempts to change the course of the country's development and secure rule putin also reaffirmed moscow's refusal to back the u.s. led drive to pressure the syrian regime to step down political analyst dmitri babich says the kremlin simply wants the international community to adopt a more balanced and case specific approach to solving conflicts i think the whole article is not anti western. we do know obviously want to cooperate with western policy he's just on hate people with certain actions need to and other western

countries which as he approves in that article action in the west interest itself. you know he wants the program to be sold by syrians themselves without outside involvement and i think that's that's a very good difficult forward but it's the only possible one because we have some experience with civil wars in russia a civil war which is one by one side or another it's never a solution because the victors all of us they you with your eventual on the vanquished. he speaks about cold in the vulnerability of the united states seem in the it's a good concept you know why shouldn't some state be told lean vulnerable to security threats but he writes in his article that the stole doing vulnerability for the united states means total vulnerability for many other us maybe for all of the us because then the united states would not only be the biggest in the world with the biggest amount of firepower but also it will be able to strike anyone it

wants to strike. now let's check in now with the r.t. business desk to get some reaction to the prime minister's article. well the prime minister put in gives his view on how to resolve europe's economic woes and his article he suggests forming a common economic zone with the e.u. and return he writes europe should give up the third and you package join me for more on that in a business part. also ahead costo blanco spring as spanish protesters turn out by the thousands in a struggle to stay afloat during their country's debt crisis. but first the european union has slapped the syrian government with its toughest yet set of sanctions these include an asset freeze on officials a ban on importing precious metals and minerals from the country are these tests are cilia has more from brussels. aside from that all cargo flights will no longer be allowed to land at airports or wherever there is an exception to that if these

cargo flights are carrying passengers they will be given the all clear now it has to be said that. syria's largest trading partner more than twenty percent of trade question here is through these new sanctions is will these actually be effective in the past posed to asset freezes of about one hundred individuals. and oil and arms embargo yet the desired effect has not been achieved i mean the conflict has been going on for eleven months now. still continuing between the two sides of the country and all of this comes on the back of that meeting on friday between the friends of syria who had given a statement saying that they would like president bashar al assad to step down as well as organize a u.n. peacekeeping force this today was mentioned by the dutch for the minister again floating the idea of a peacekeeping mission to the country although there have been no details. yet it has to be said that this is not the last of the sanctions that syria is going to

get foreign secretary william hague had called for even more sanctions on the country and he said that new efforts for a u.n. resolution of the country will be taken up again in new york later this week. as the e.u. puts the squeeze on damascus the syrian people are expecting the results of saturday's vote on a new constitution their forms put forward by president assad are designed to end the ruling party's fifty year monopoly on power and pave the way for free elections official say the turnout was high despite an opposition boycott violence is raging in some parts of the country including the flashpoint city of homs where dozens were reportedly killed saturday rebels say it's a massacre the government insists it's fighting armed terrorists political analyst omar the xabi thinks putting pressure on assad is unbalanced and doesn't address the needs of syria. the direction is west. and the what's the plan to.

the president i thought the from office and they don't care at what cost if one wants to be can do with the city and ideally canting for basic human rights and basic a human and preserving human life one should call for a dialogue one should. not push more between the different groups within the city and cultural diversity to come together and bring in a new solution and i think this step that was done with the vote that i'm done for the constitution the amendments is that this step maybe is one step but it is step forward in that direction towards the conciliation and the true reform truly democratic reform that can save this city. that is being prepared for it it apparently from some forces in the west will stay with us here on r.t. still to come in the program playing with fire the u.s. and south korea start joint military exercises despite the threats of missile strikes in retaliation from the north. but first russia has called on iran to

provide assurances to the international community its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only in return moscow says tehran's rights to rename enrichment should be recognized. it is this it's very important for world powers to confirm once around answers all the questions raised by the international atomic energy agency on its nuclear program that it will in turn have the right to peaceful uranium enrichment this is the same rights exercised by other members of the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. the statement comes after the un's atomic watchdog said it was unable to confirm whether on a has the ability to build nuclear weapons tehran was criticized for its failure to cooperate with them during their recent visits to the country the western allies suspect the islamic state of building a nuclear bomb the country is under tough sanctions from the u.s. any new with israel also threatening a military strike former head of the u.n. nuclear agency shares his thoughts on the issue when our interview in the next hour

here's a preview. 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 to mendis pressure this gives me some hope that it would be possible to persuade them to move alt all of investment or to and to assure that there will be no bomb making the question is how you do it so there are some things that could be put on the table in a discussion of the biggest thing i think would be if these various were to come up and say that look we are warned about your retirement we think you might he was a bomb against us how about a swap we drop and do away with a lot of nuclear weapons and you stop all the everetts mint and it's saudi arabia egypt turkey all the others they agreed to commit themselves we will have new interests but we have no reprocessing that is what you call a nuclear weapons free zone for the middle east and i think that's why the aim should be but if i mention that today they would laugh at the.

german lawmakers are expected to back the new rescue package for greece later monday this despite worries athens will need even more cash in the future. and suggestions from germany's interior minister that it's time that greece left the euro zone altogether the hundred thirty billion euro balance was agreed in principle last week after months of intense discussions among euro zone leaders germany would be here as europe's richest economy has to contribute the majority towards it but there's a sense of unease in berlin that it will have to have a level have to keep coughing up cash to prevent a greek debt default the second bailout a little more than eighteen months what ensure our friends can pay its debt as for the time being but investment advisor patrick young things that could already be game over. greece is truly a tragedy in every sense of the word and i didn't what we're not doing is they're not only cutting i mean they're cutting flesh in fact they're possibly cutting into their own arteries and let's face it what does this deal actually do for preschool

what it says is that essentially if you wander through another five or six years old total potential destitution in all staring you might just stand off with one hundred times the debt that they basically how it was a moment in countries like germany or canada that was totally unreasonable and unbelievable the tragedy of greece is that two three years ago when it first came to light that their financial figures were a complete fiction and we finally knew the truth that we'd also suspected all along they really should have been owing to the euro without movement instead we've got this absolutely psychotic desire by a group of frankly well academically illiterate people in western europe particularly within germany who are desperate to manage to hold this all together and we've got another group of people who are absolutely determined to try and keep greece in the euro zone which of the incredibly highly paid greek politicians and the poor greeks themselves are absolutely stranded there is no way that greece can

manage to bring together all of these cuts so there is no possibility that greece is going to survive in the euro with the long term why we're throwing good money after bad and why were they bring actually the good people of greece on the ground absolutely defines launcher. but while euro zone leaders are hard at work to ensure greece remains within the euro the attention may soon need to shift to spain the country is feeling the pinch of deep cuts in public spending particularly in education and protesters are out on the streets for reports from valencia. here is sentiment was riding high off to spain during the year as a back in two thousand and two but a decade on in years of us started to put us all back to work with an economic crash be a against. government policies and we were we were in town was no question of quality but for all the latest round of cuts reforms but

nationwide protest in spain the lead here and it was the students leading the way they took their complaints as the classroom and onto the spanish street and we're spending millions like we're rich but actually we're seeing that we're not rich at all i mean we have high schools without without heating you know there's no money there are cutting where they shouldn't they're cutting the low income people and. and they just don't see anything that's they think it's right thing. to bring not the basic reason of nations but have led them to places and to think that is the come the latest country in the grip of the year in their eyes in one thousand of them bows in the book take the reins that look right now and again here and i see magic you know that it was upon the population well spain's protests have by and large been peaceful it will bring a familiar scenes last week

a spanish riot police clashed with protesters don't worry about the same thing happening here is it happening going to be we do i mean we think we're just a little be determined resolve the political helping is more or less the same with the yes because there's no money spain is not there yet while being a very different country with very different problems it's now facing a scarily similar scenario to that agrees with the press population being squeezed even tighter we are about two years should be going to greece in terms of. but you see the police see the troika. and the international more you found the european central bank and european union are imposing on but if a countries. spain portugal it's economics one hundred one it's very simple to understand that i mean if these countries. with problems and you force

the. public spending you. push them deep into recession like greece spain billions in foreign debt how do largely by gemini in france it's money which wouldn't be paid back less spain to leave the year as a schools without heating teachers without jobs came listeners and unemployment on the rise make for a bleak cold naysayers and as the country tips into a second recession and with more protests planned for later in the week seems like these could be set to become much more common on the streets this day so. they. stay with us here at r.t. still to come from politics to prison his career has been bruised by fist fights and drunken brawls but now ukraine's former interior minister faces more serious charges more just ahead. but first south korea and the u.s.

have started a large scale joint naval drills despite north korea's threats to attack if provoked for p.r. nyang the exercises involving hundreds of thousands of troops are a silent declaration of war in two thousand and ten the north responded to drills from its neighbor with an artillery strike that killed four people and raised fears of a wider conflict rigor frog an expert on north korea and east asia at the university of vienna thinks it won't take much to light the fuse. north korea has issued such statements in the past look it just means but you never know. bill you can play with fire safely for a while and the until you create some kind of a big blast on the school if you don't want to i'm really concerned because we have a new leader in north korea kim jong il with whom we have no experience whatsoever with whom we have a chance to actually opened some new avenues for cooperation and for resolving all

those pressing issues that we have on the table you have about two hundred thousand south korean troops about thirteen thousand american troops in this one exercise alone on the north korean side we have over one million soldiers it's a state that is on the constant state of emergency on high alert is a state that is in possession of nuclear weapons although we don't know exactly how many and in watch in which quality they are there but this is definitely a very a hard area and it's surrounded by countries like south korea japan and china so if they become involved in some kind of military confrontation the whole thing can easily get out of hand so i do believe that we are facing a potentially dangerous situation. world news at your fingertips at r.t. dot com here's what's a click away right now on our web site countering intelligence wiki leaks exposes millions of secret e-mails and what's being called the shadow cia private spy agency. and as the world's oil map shifts as new super powers emerge and the battle

for new emerge as well as new battles ahead for the pricey black gold we've got expert analysis in fall on our web site r t v dot com. for. ukraine's preparing for a political turbulence after one of the leading lights of the country's orange revolution was convicted of embezzling state funds former interior minister yuriy looks and go was given four years in prison or he's like sara shows he has the details from kiev. noted that his speeches once ignited thousands of hearts during the two thousand and four orange revolution where your real center was one of the driving forces now in no less inflammatory rhetoric from ukraine's former interior minister is heard from behind bars. president yannick which is

a gang fight against corruption that they are corrupt through and through that's why they orchestrated this case against me which has nothing to do with criminal law only with their desire to get rid of political rivals. his trial has lasted for more than a year during which look santa went on a hunger strike several times it is drawing clear parallels with that of ukraine's former prime minister yulia tymoshenko currently serving seven years in prison for abuse of power and both trials loud protests of support were ever present and say experts such strong public outcry has seriously changed the country's political landscape but it was. the ruling party's reading drop below you'll to mission calls party the public doesn't approve of persecution that's what the mission was reading is two to three times higher now even higher than that of president you know coverage the ruling elite unwillingly made all senko enter mission symbols of

a struggle against themselves and any political force can now use these symbols to gain votes. just like his caseload sank us korea had also been filled with controversy from fistfights with keef's mayor to being detained in frankfurt airport for a drunken brawl that will that along with doubtful decisions during his ministerial work makes the ruling party believe he is guilty then will you do it with you and then my your if you didn't have enough education and law for this job that's why he made many mistakes for instance he wants bragged of issuing a speeding fine to the president's son that he had no right to do that as only traffic police could and it was a violation if a person is in the wrong place he makes mistakes. and one needs to pay for his mistakes. and said weeks ago that whatever the verdict he would file a lawsuit with the european court of human rights because expected to review on april seventeenth combined with the continues global criticism of the tymoshenko

trial this could put even more strain on teves ruling elite the opposition has been picketing central kiev ever since june last year and tymoshenko says that the protests will not die down even when the euro twenty well football championship comes to ukraine so the case will definitely add more spice to what is expected to be a rather turbulent year for the ukrainian politics let's see reporting from kiev in ukraine. turning now to some other stories making headlines across the globe a suicide car bomb attack in afghanistan has left nine dead and several others wounded the blast happened at jalalabad airport in the eastern part of the country the taliban claimed responsibility for the attack saying it was in revenge for the burning of korans at a u.s. military base last week days of deadly protests over the burning a rocket across the country leading to the deaths of more than thirty people. a train carrying around seventy five people as darrelle been cata three railroad

employees were killed dozens of passengers injured when the carriages came off the tracks the train was traveling from niagara falls to toronto at least one air ambulance on standby as crews work to pull passengers from the wreckage because of the darrelle meant under investigation. and the silent film the artist stole the show at the academy awards bringing home five prizes including best picture and best actor it's the first silent movie to win since the very first oscar ceremony in nineteen twenty nine meryl streep grabbed best actress award for her portrayal of former british prime minister margaret thatcher in the iron lady and martin scorsese's persian iran hugo also claim five awards in the technical category. as we're reporting vida mir putin has been out. winding his foreign policy goals ahead of next week's presidential vote europe's energy policy came in for some criticism let's go now to the business desk work arena milliken is standing by with all the latest updates career well here outlines not only political but economic issues as well in his article published at the moscow's novus two newspaper prime

minister putin gives his view on how to resolve europe's economic woes he suggests forming a common economic zone with the e.u. and possibly even offering some financial help but in return putting is insisting that europe should give up the energy market reform is also known as the third energy package this package falls down to this that companies such as gazprom should not be allowed to own production and transportation networks at the same time he has always been critical of the idea saying it aims destroying energy pricing formula that depends on the oil price and it's and is used in in the country now money has not been a very successful day for the global equity markets the russian stocks are mixed the r.t.s. is nearly half a percent off and in my view it's a slightly down this hour here the biggest movers on the my six russian bank the t.b.'s the trend and is adding more than one and

a half percent but gazprom and if they're not that successful and are still trading in the red now europe was lower as well the forty and the dax are both sliding and the g twenty meeting over the weekend has added pressure on the euro zone to boost its a bailout fund and investors are now looking out for germany to approve a greek rescue package or is also declining on monday holding its longest rally tensions over iran's nuclear program have been one of the main factors driving the oil prices lower and following a major rally crude has slipped into the red losing between one and one and a half dollars and a high dollar is also putting pressure on their own crude and the russian ruble strong against both the currencies and. it has met the highest level against the euro since mid two thousand and ten. well that's all the latest i have for you but don't forget you can always find most tori's just log on to our website r t dot com slash business thanks for watching.

we have a global war lords walk a few minutes we have a lot of illegal call groups of the called citizens who says also our views in the home or right enough against my marriage was like many other marriage it wasn't forced marriage it's just money when i was fourteen years old you can liberate

other women and you certainly can't do it through the barrel of a gun the only effective social changes will be the afghans themselves afghan men and women we believe are going to stand and not truly cross paths without a part sufficient its chemical pollution and that of construction and stop people in the obama administration talking about how much they care about the women of afghanistan it's not true they don't care about the women of afghanistan.

to. the world the finance technology innovation all the news developments from around russia we've got the huge earth covered.

oh sure is that so much as i am going with your calls and right on top of them so here it is the price of crude remains stubbornly high and consumers feel the pinch but why are energy prices so hard is it the lack of supply and security. the and. more news today violence is once again flared up. these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations are on the day.