back there were those here reminder of the top stories the un said strongly for massive observer mission to syria last ditch attempt to pull down an all out civil war the security council is expected to approve in the form of three hundred monitors later on saturday a. decision time in france over file deals voters are made by presidential hopefuls eyeing up the top job in a country riven by social divisions and record unemployment voters will cast their choices on sunday when incumbent president nicolas sarkozy and popular socialist leader francois. main contenders. plus the chinese economic powerhouse sets its sights on the arctic as beijing weighs in for slice of the untapped riches

chinese were in your store you were to see you blabber a few of them swore an arctic resources. i'm next in the latest edition of our program this time with an oriental twist. hello konichiwa on this week's program will be taking a look at japanese culture in the russian capital although it's several hundred thousand kilometers away but he lost the visor fascinated by such subjects as our gali asian cuisine and japanese animation so joining us as we take a look at various shops class and sports and the malls starting off here of japan. although thousands of kilometers from moscow some people forget that russia and the

far eastern area of the country the creels and the islands. that you countries have strong commercial relations russians have been fascinated by japanese traditions and culture for centuries. opens in one thousand nine hundred eight to japan foundation here is a welcome addition for everyone in moscow from japanese ex-pats to the thousands of russian students japanese. as you can see the live restocks thousands of books videos d.v.d.'s and c.d.'s. and all are available to rent the study. is. from our god it's a language classes the cultural department is a focal point of education and creativity as various workshops amounts across is held here. here you can see class in action the art form of japanese calligraphy and then being studied for over three thousand years and knowledge of calligraphy

is an important step in the understanding of japanese culture because here practicing with it's my first time it's not as easy as i thought it would be skill patience and imagination is needed. brushstrokes can't. speaker rated and any lack of confidence will show up in the work characters must be written only once and there's no altering touching heart going to them afterwards. there are several other workshops people of all ages and nationalities can participate in. this is a class showcasing the art of peacefully arranging flowers and leaves in vases and other contain is the choice of what flowers to arrange is guided by the desire to create harmony between the flower and container five flowers a blend in well with its surroundings the key consideration is to use a few stems and least as possible and you compose elegant consuls to highlight the

flowers b.c. . to our next location and shopping like any other major capital city moscow has its own foreign communities many things have set up the schools in moscow publish their own newspapers magazines and open stores selling their own crafts and local juice cons make it to tokyo never mind you can still visit this japanese supermarket to stock up on delicious sushi in japanese saki. the store here off is an authentic japanese culture experience based around two fundamental principles because the freshness of gradients. great. for my friend well this store starts pretty much everything you need for a taste of japan that said it's not just about food stuffs like see we plum why are there you know a whole range of products such as. sets. and shampoo which you can see here yes surprise surprise it's not cheap but what to do if you're after that japanese

experience here in the russian capital. and as a showcase to the diverse and ever develop and cultural scene and lifestyle of the russian capital this is restaurants and ethics each shops are opening at an amazing great. we had our first store open in one thousand. ninety three on prospect neurons our idea back then was to sell japanese food for the japanese community in moscow our main customers were ex-pats until ninety nine and then japanese food became very popular and fashionable among russians to. the invasion of japanese cuisine to the russian market of the past decade is only to apparent there are hundreds of japanese eateries in moscow including both high end restaurants and student cafes from a swanky famous restaurant local television far spookiest six you can get your sushi twenty four hours a day. the festival of contemporary japanese culture called j fest has become a lot and you will event in the recent travels all. featuring all

aspects of pop culture including fashion cuisine computer games and japanese animation manga it attracts thousands of generally young visitors. the last festival was held in of them a try to eleven and highlighted four aspects russian music animation and architecture. to the japanese embassy now and its team here to be promotes that country's culture in russia and to find out more about the promotion of japanese culture in moscow let's meet this week's guests great to me today thank you very much for your time but tell me about your job here at the japanese embassy is. a lot about japanese politics japanese economy or what's going on in japan including culture so that more and more russian people understand and feel close to or speaking of how close they are it's i find it fascinating that moscow is in fact. a long way away but i believe that russia is because its neighbor and

yes russia is the largest country in the world and the eastern part is very close to the power actually the distance between japan and russia is only through a forty three kilometers. and they are suffering yes. but they're both very culturally both very very different yes very different and i think every year the interest in japan gets larger and larger every year no matter what kind of japanese festivals like there are in the music. and our traditional cultures paintings people can't just come in our last year we have. a japanese contemporary culture festival in the vendor and during the two day period we have over twelve thousand people well visit so. there is no doubt that the japanese culture in japan itself they try very very popular and becoming more and more popular among

the russian people here final question what do you miss about about japan or the newest hot springs. of course it will own my god my hometown now but thanks very much for the all you welcome your work here on the she couple thank you very much sixty percent. of. the japanese are also brain miniature trees and of course bonsai has found many followers in russia to the original bonsai practice focuses on long time cultivation the shaping of very small trees it's not easy to grow and demand for a cat to show up here out of it said the old russian exhibition center as their response like trees you can buy the young tree for around thirty dollars and trying crate yourself you can get an already shaped exclusive tree which might cost of the eight thousand dollars. cultural and entertainment calendar is packed with various

events celebrating the life of the rising sun all year round to moscow museum of modern art is now hosting an exhibition of contemporary art called double perspectives that showcase what over thirty artists from japan. do but it is high on the project we try to. choose both the superior styles ages and from different parts of japan to present the whole diversity of the country's contemporary art there is talk of. the french fidelity to cinema organizes annual festivals of anime. while performances of japanese traumas always sold out advance of moscow's various news equals. if you want to express yourself through song then why not try outs karaoke coming from the japanese words meaning empty orchestra from underground and grungy to v.i.p. and swanky there are hundreds of karaoke holes in the russian capital many venues

have thousands of songs to choose from including russian and english and it's a popular form of time with the people of all ages and nationalities. i'm travelling half an hour outside the city since we've arrived here tough i don't location and if you feel the japanese culture was all about peaceful bonsai trees graceful kimono dress and meditation you thought wrong so well all right well the statue next to me and i could be some ideas for let me. just take a look at the medals here the men and women at the center have been winning awards pairs combat sports competitions says the nineteen sixties although other martial arts are enjoyed here japanese sumo wrestling is one of the most popular house in order when our school opened thirty years ago it was the first school in russia which held student practice so then sumit was generally unknown and an unusual activity for russians but now it's become very common our authority or to the liberals must be just as a competitive full contact sport where wrestler attempts to force some of the

wrestling out of the secular range it's a great way to keep fit for many it's an ideal way to distress and a great outlet for expression men and women includes is just take a look time guys . to start it's on with the belt otherwise known as the washing in japan these can be traditionally over night meters long and you would make it just feel quite strange but they provide the great news is. i feel lost it was like and the ring with the recent champion a leg but horse tension is not the word to come face to face with a giants award winning version sumo wrestler is simply terrifying. and here he comes.

from the paper folding fascinating hobby of origami to the recent sushi mania that's taken as a moscow geoffrey's culture has exploded in the russian capital luckily for many they don't have to be training for sumo wrestling ring twist muscovites ties for cultural grace. and although i constantly battle to prove how amazing the city of moscow is this is home fights i'm sure i went with. well at least i tried them for say that's all the time we have left on the space program on japanese culture in the russian capital i'll see you again at the same time next week about. how may.

any news. and move to a currency crisis tough cuts. tragic integration killers. who will be left standing when the people speech. the french election on r.t. . the close up team has been to the spirit little sponges. where blacksmithing has developed from a craft into an industry. now archie goes far north. where returns to good roads and rail are

a battle against the elements where the culture is the only transport for medics to reach those in need. and where rain and fish are treasures for the people locals of the. autonomy area. are to. lula's. just such.

an essential malaysian and massive observer mission to syria a last ditch attempt to bring about all out civil war the security council expected to approve the deployment of three hundred daughters later on saturday a. decision time in france. the final appeals to voters are made by ten presidential hopefuls off the top job in a country riven by social divisions employment voters will cast their vote boyce's on sunday incumbent president nicolas sarkozy and popular socialist leader francois hollande in tatters. plus the chinese economic powerhouse said something. chinese. to seal the operation the u.s. on exploring our resources. just for the top stories time now for

a sports update with andrew. hello and welcome to this ball times three companies and these are the headlines rights for the titles any travel to krasnodar with the chance of claiming that russian prime unique crime scene ideas. plus dream of a god prepared a place in a mosque going one more win would make them pay jail champions. on march destroying top cities in iraq djokovic and rafael nadal breeze into the semifinals of a monthly column on the andy murray shoes that. said he could claim back to back russian primary league titles today victory against japan would be enough that he simply side a spot that moscow failed to beat and she after last week's tuna when it home to just north goalie chinese but that is man

a twelve points clear of spotlight at the top just five games the guy however is in a will be without injury defended nicholas long but and have drawn their last two games against the ban. well zanies game is the late kick off and before that i'm cut into saying based inside. both at home second bottom so i'm third place welcome city royals to your second last guy would looking to leapfrog spark i think the second spot in the right the champions league places. but i were in england there are seven games blackburn and bolton who oppose the relegation zone face an origin sponsor respectively while at the top it's about the right for the final champions league spot tottenham who are currently fourth or away q.p.r. while in full in chelsea who are just two points behind by arsenal in the london darby the plays in high spirits are plenty big trade i will pass alone in the champions league semi but they know they are in a tough fight to qualify for next season's tournament. it's important to be in the

champions league for this club but it's. the difficult season for this club this season in the premier league and we are trying our best to make up the points that we have for the teams in front of us and we have made some points up in the short time but the there isn't much time and we just have to try our best and try and get as many points as we can he's a massive game for us of course and i don't need to look at. my ease in my head but to. have been remarkably consistent in the last two months and. i'm confident. a very strong response from what both alone will look to bounce back from their champions league defeat with a victory in tonight's classico they host we. can and could move to within a point of their rivals at the top of their sides have met five times already this season pass alone have yet to be beaten so it is no surprise coach pep guardiola

says his team will keep playing the way they have done all season. straight to modify some details to. bring more control the game. in that way you will. it will be better you have more chances to create opportunities to score to score goals. but i think we know each other really well. and will want to try to play the same philosophy now is not going to change many many things. titles could also be won on the ice this afternoon on guard will be k h l champions for the first time in their history if they beat in our moscow siberian side exit muscovites in overtime on thursday to go three one up in the finals of their best of seven series and today they will have home advantage

as the action switches however dynamic coach alex not uk says his team will not panic under the pressure and believe they can produce a victory to keep the tie alive eleven god was putting was through and says he does expect another tight game i apologize about the pitches there where russia is preparing for a fed cup semi final showdown with in moscow and to see it probably change will facially yankovic's in the data first singles match and that will be followed by certain of his nets of against and advantage reverse singles will follow on sunday along with the doubles and that will seem really killing care and giving a best fly the flag for russia they will face the lesser known biljana driven off ski and alexander corney russia full time champions and the favorites against the seventy you've never got this far before. jack of which are nothing little remain on course to meet in the final of the monte carlo masters both got through their

quarter finals without any major problems although djokovic didn't start too well against robin haas and was broken in the opening game but the world number one came back to take care of a set six ball and stroll through the second set six one standing in the way next this check comes good it came from a set that set the seed andy murray in almost three outs. and no doubt kept up his amazing record of monte carlo where he has been champion for the last seven years this family defeatist tennis love well i think in straight sets the record is forty eight going in a row on these clay courts and i will play gilles simone next in the semi's after the french open got past show wulfric to tsonga. formula one. and the german. go to the pictures now formula one a nickel rosberg story to top the time change during the second practice for sunday's controversial bahrain grand prix the german was just under half

a second faster than anyone else in his own poll by a margin in china last sunday before securing his maiden victory red bull's mark webber was second fastest followed by world champion sebastian vettel while lewis hamilton quickest in the first practice was fourth force india pulled out of the session and returned to their hotel before dark after fourteen members who were caught up in a petrol bomb incident minds that. this is a trick of really enjoyed and that's a very good memories here. but it's again it's just difficult you know we were going to be exact of course we did very well but we still. i mean previously we did have a few issues in the races. so it's possible that this could be a bit more difficult here well russian swimmers are putting in a few fast times today with limpid hopeful showing they're on track for the london games at their national championships in moscow at the moment under a great cheer from his pace to take first place in the men's fifty meter freestyle

event. this week of hole so built his ticket to london after he beat fellow olympic hopefuls lead to me motives of him to second place the men's two hundred metres backstroke event was won by limping bronze medalist. chani. i was worried for my team but you give me a look at morgan semifinal yesterday and i really got worried in the final but in the end he one hundred meters has to drive at all and that's the main thing and now we're just going to focus on preparing for the little bits. already olympic band. who one hundred meters brushstroke on thursday repeated that they ate in the fifty need to catch a great she and muscle fellow olympian that is. over second to clinch her second gold medal i'm sorry and to see is we're back cemented her position in the. his national team by winning the women's fifty meter backstroke. we have a good team at the moment especially recently unlike four years ago where it was

a little fraction our training has gone in good job preparing us the team has stayed friends so we'll go to the olympics and high spirits and all the support in the chair that. everyone is in great shape they'll want to go to the olympics unfortunately the national championships are the only event where you can qualify and there's a sportsman who deserve to go but up from the under par right now but it's disappointing and competition is really tough. i don't have the water there is good news for russian gymnasts staff and she has recovered from the ligament damage and her comeback is eagerly awaited at the olympics constantine atop of as a story. the soviet union used to be the world's best in women's gymnastics producing a plethora of top gymnast who brought home thirty three olympic gold eleven more than romania the global competition in the sport has increased dramatically over

the last three decades. but in the guinness can students complete that there are forty two medals at stake overall at the olympics you know the last roll championships these medals went to twenty one countries soley in the women's events just forty six teams will battle for gold and our priority is the team competition because it's the most prestigious the all around events come second after a leader mustaf you know won the first medal in twenty years for russia in the all around event at the world championships and we are counting on her new national with russia's brightest star the twenty to an all round world champion. suffered a serious knee injury at last year's european championships and was ruled out for more than six months however the seventy year old is back and preparing for early for her most important event so why build on the olympics. for sure i've almost recovered from my injury i competed at the domestic

championship i was happy with my performance i doubt i'm the biggest star on the team however i feel the responsibility of the olympics will be even higher than at the world championships. before her injury my stuff and i had the most difficult program in the world we're trying not to rush a comeback recovery is going well and she's regaining her form step by step she's already training at full strength and will be ready for. this to gymnast who have suffered such a need for the olympics have made successful returns but none of them won the girl . however some point them say the starting was injury may be a blessing for her. last reigning world champion to win olympic gold was ukraine to live a couple ever back in one thousand nine hundred six. so they have spine missing last year's world championships greg ames focus is off russia's best medal hope and could ensure she finishes where she belongs on top of the podium in spain but are

both parties. like to head that is all the sport for the moment more enough for us to. pass.

well. it's technology innovation all the latest developments around russia.