a month before egypt's presidential vote confusion and disappointment over the election campaign grows with the reinstatement of mubarak's former prime minister as a candidate casting a shadow over hopes for democratic change. we involved in alexander litvinenko death. wish lie detector experts clear russian m.p. of any involvement in the murder of a former security officer and xander when younger in london six years ago. europe's heralded open borders come under threat as nicolas sarkozy ups's anti immigration rhetoric ahead of the presidential runoff saying france could quit the shang and say. this day with a full get the spinal interview as head of state to the media presses outgoing president will sum up his four years in power and outline goals for the future more

details minutes ahead. and this is our table crossing live from moscow i'm kerry johnston egypt is due to announce a final list of presidential candidates with a vote now less than a month away however there are fresh concerns that the revolution was in vain and the last prime minister under hosni mubarak is back in the running for the top job his candidacy was blocked under a law banning a form barack officials from taking part in the race for three ports now from cairo . just a month before the elections and you've got this incredibly confusing political landscape is going to be very difficult for the list of candidates now to get across the policies to the electorate and to getting support where they need to and the different areas of the population really very much this controversy about the

disqualified candidate kitchens and so we really don't know where they stand at the moment some of the polls have put almost forty percent of egyptian people as not having any idea or tool at the moment just who they going to support and another large percentage say to the candidates they were going to support and now melissa candidates that have been barred is seen as having taken away from the very important discussion about the policies about just who these candidates are and maybe after this finalists publish you're going to see that discussion now gaining momentum but very much a feeling that way you have this excitement about the first three presidential election a sense really now of disappointment and frustration that we're seeing this interference in the electoral system and some of the people we've been speaking to this last week now actually calling for the vote to be postponed for the election commission to be fired and for replacement to be found the full body votes go ahead last

friday you saw the huge numbers turning out wrong paris where again we've already had the muslim brotherhood calling for the sunni million man march the back of the finalists a kind of a being published you probably will see another call from a lot of the queen to come out and protest really to apply pressure to the ruling military council to. to let them know that if if they're not seen. going through with this process democratically if the no seem to be complying with the cool candy for power in the egyptian people showing that the mood the willing to continue fighting and want to gyptian saw gauging the results of last year's revolution. syria people are still suffering from the going. to approach what will once a prosperous industrial city of factories and i ruins and business owners are reportedly blackmailed into supporting the uprising. british lie

detector experts say russian m.p. and very little boy considered by the u.k. as the main suspect in the murder of former security officer alexander litvinenko had nothing to do with his death but of oil passed a polygraph test conducted by specialists from the u.k. as part of a new documentary well arty's laura smith looks now at how this revelation might affect a case that's long been a stumbling block in russian british relations. stephen did you do anything that led to the death of alexander litvinenko no but were you involved in alexandria listening cause death you know. have you ever had any dealings with borneo you know another step towards proving his innocence in a test administered by british experts andrey lugovoy passes the lie detector polygraph science says he didn't kill alexander litvinenko in london in two thousand and six when i get a result. in my mind it's the right result if or not i don't get

a result it's inconclusive i would buy my guns one hundred percent and if it was admissible in court i would be very pleased a good thing called a skeptic might say that as a former security services agent look up well i might have had training to cheat the test but alexander corrupt core a documentary maker whose idea it was pollute our voice to undergo it thinks that's unlikely even every american police station has a polygraph test and if it was so easy to fall why the security services would use it or to date as far as they are concerned examiners they say that this is the ultimate way to determine if one. is lying or telling the truth it might not sway british courts where lie detector tests on tax acted as standalone evidence the u.k. authorities are unlikely to make an exception in this case given the extraordinary lengths they've gone to to get their hands on look up voigt even asking russia to

change its constitution to allow his extradition so we were clear that while it was a reasonably big ask it was not unreasonable to say that they should change the constitution to make possible the sort of judicial co-operation foreign minister sergei lavrov gave his british counterpart short shrift a new government remains in russia but he knows there's nothing his country can do to persuade the british that they're accusing the wrong man. if i did the scene with the help of russian specialists that the british would have been suspicious about the results so i insisted that the test should be administered by british experts people who came to trust me are members of the british polygraph association and we will invite these experts as witnesses in any court proceedings i don't expect any serious change but for me it was the moment of truth i think this is just the latest step that andrei lugovoy has taken to attempt to clear his name with the british authorities last november harrison pancras coroner's court

because wife marino won the rights to a new wise arranging inquest into her husband's death hugo voice said he welcomed the news and offered to give evidence by video link look of oil realizes this won't close the case but for him it's more evidence to suggest he's as innocent as he's always claimed norris myth r.t. london. well to discuss the wider implications of this now to speak to a martin mccoy and expert on russia at the university of london he joins us live from the u.k. capital thanks for joining us here on r.t. what impact do you expect these polygraph results to have on the investigation. it's a very positive step because it been done by a british company but one should remember that. in an english court it's not really admissible as evidence as you pointed out but it could be brought forward you could get the polygraph people to attest testified that they believe that lugovoy was

telling the truth that in fact was not lying and so on that would be evidence in his defense so therefore i would see it as a positive step forward of course the next step is for scotland yard common to look at the evidence and to say whether they think it's a step forward like to examine it and so on and so forth then after that would be for the british government then to make a move because the look avoid case litvinenko case really soured under russian relations for several years both countries need to move forward now the test results support the claims made by the father of the deceased that little boy is innocent and that the real killers are connected somehow to russian tycoon maurice why hasn't the u.k. taken these accusations into consideration do you think. well i'm sure they have but. he from the president's point of view is the best he's seen as

somebody who is negative and somebody is working against the president russian of ministration he's made some very very anti putin statements and so on so therefore if you look at the english press and you get something about. it it's obviously been accused by the kremlin the credibility rate is very low. so therefore preserve . his name comes up all the time but in britain taken very seriously. now as you mentioned earlier their case and russia's refusal to extradite a little boy contributed considerably to a plunge in russian and british relations if lugovoy is officially cleared of accusations do you think that will affect ties between the two nations. that will advance ties but if you look only political ties which are in the doldrums which are difficult if you look at commercial trade relations scientific relations and so

on they're very very good. large numbers of russians living in london their children to be educated in england so concerned for from that point of view from a cultural commercial point of view relations are quite good but of course political relations aren't all that good and britain and russia need to work together there are many problems in your if you look at the european union which is in deep trouble in britain and russia could in fact work together and try and find solutions or through the you have the case in afghanistan when it is going to withdraw support and russia plays a very important role that britain would like russia to play that role so therefore if this problem could be removed then one could look forward to a much more positive chapter in the russian relations ok we have to leave it there thank you for that marty mccoy an expert on russia at the university of london live from the u.k. capital. where they are to you spoke to the father of alexander litvinenko who

explained why he no longer believed that russia's security services were behind his son's murder you can see highlights of the interview on friday here r.t. . europeans could soon see the end of the free travel zone with front set to push other east to curb open borders if nicolas sarkozy has his way the sitting president said he no longer wants what he called a civil like europe claiming that a union which can't control migration is finished his stance is widely seen as an attempt to harness a far right votes for his reelection bid article personal reports. no border control with within the zone is surely one of the strongest symbols of european unity but this may now be under threat since france and germany want to see each member of the zone to be able to introduce border controls without the approval of the others the interior ministers of the two countries are formulated a document in which they did see that such steps would be measures of last resort

and wouldn't last for over thirty b.s. but in reality it could mean the reappearance of checkpoints illegal immigration is a very serious issue both for germany and for france both have been trying we criticizing a lack of control on the european union's extrude borders especially when it comes to countries like greece and its border with turkey or italy which has been waiting through fountains of refugees from arab countries would then go to other european union nations france has already threatened to pull out to be champions on hold together if no serious measures are taken to help improve the situation but millions of europeans have been enjoying free travel since one thousand nine hundred five and many analysts have said that the reintroduction of wood controls would be a serious hit to european unity which hasn't been exactly going through its easiest times we do to be euro zone crisis. and across the atlantic the u.s. debt hole is being successfully disguised by scrupulous ratings agencies to max and

stacey today's kaiser report. as the financial services sector considers themselves wholly some sort of religion moody's and s. and p. of course did give the holy blessing to toxic sinning assets they were sinners and they said no i have sanctified these assets to staple indulgences right out of the text from the middle ages you've committed a sin give me some money and you're absolved from that sin you go directly to heaven same thing with reading and she's. give us some money will turn your triple c. rated toxic securities sludge into a aaa rated god love and security. yes latest edition of the cause report is coming your way in just about fifteen minutes top. of the high is one of those in russia over the past four years with a focus on the final question and answer event with outgoing president dmitry

medvedev in a special session with journalists who also be quizzed on his future role in russian politics. has details all eyes will be on that russia's president is reaching with a bit of us this will be his the last interview to the media in his current position but the first time meeting with bet it will actually be talking not just the representatives from russia's state run media outlets but also with journalists from opposition t.v. channels now he's expected to sum up his four years in power and also outline goals for the future as to meet is expected to to become prime minister was what was it has already suggested that makes him a bit of do that no good reason it is or is going to take over the presidential post on may seventh and he's also suggested that maybe to me that if head of the united russia party now if it's the largest party of russia it has faced criticism following the december elections to russia's parliament there were allegations of

fraud which brought out tens of thousands of people out on the streets especially moscow these were some of the largest protests in russia's modern history so it will be interesting to see what kind of vision for the future and it's really that if as he is known to be a rather liberal and progressive politician and whether or not he will be able to breathe new life into this extremely large political body in the country. well that final question and answer session with dmitri medvedev as head of state is set to begin in less than an hour's time we'll be bringing it to you live here r.t. . for years at the top of russian politics. one last chance to quiz the president before he leaves the kremlin. journalists from across the spectrum go head to head with dmitri medvedev thursday from eight am g.m.t. on r.t.

. did i kill innocent kid a was it a call this of course and that's never answered it. i'm a song from the skull still with me i think of it every day. i steal the flies fired from the memories. so much so long time i'm just here trying to tell him. i was ashamed. i was ashamed that i'd been neutered i was ashamed that i hadn't a clue. why i got my arm i got my legs i'm alive. but

in the mind. what i want to be out of or to. cannot believe what i was going on once or i think. that i was a good soldier. but now i'm a soldier on the other side and i think i'm just as good. as. the.

france is pushing for military intervention in syria saying the u.n. should consider measures if an international peace plan collapses violence from both the government and all the opposition forces is continuing despite the cease fire agreement that's acceptable to discover that bridges syrians are often being forced to engage in the conflict. a lifetime of work burned over night. this is one of a growing number of businesses in syria destroyed by those claiming to advance the cause of that revolution this factory was a classic example of syrian interpreter ship one hundred and fifty employees producing textiles for furniture it was never turning out

a lot of profit but provided a distant living for its people all of which is now gone north bratz no warnings one evening in fabry a group of young man threw molotov cocktails into the building the owner said they had just enough time to evacuate the workers to safety but the rest of the inning he just watched his entire fortune go up in flames. the much prided textile machines they bought from spain three years ago had to be sold for scrap most employees lost their only source of income i don't think it was a personal attack against me political person i think the people who did it to me are seeking to undermine the industry as a whole to terrify people into supporting them. aleppo is syria's largest city and its industrial capital prior to the uprising it was enjoying some of the highest growth rates in the region this industrial park alone housed more than three

thousand small and mid-sized factories. in the past six months some have gone out of business because of the economic sanctions while others because of industrial terrorism. they had of the local chambre of industry sas it's almost impossible to distinguish between attacks reach out politically motivated and those that are outright criminal we witnessed kidnappings we witnessed. attacks on factories. that are being in our bodies of trucks carrying the raw material or finished goods . threats putting people on hit lists assassinations of course all these activities criminal activities are taking place on the the cause of supporting the revolution what they call it us advocated engineer for us al shahabi says many in industry side with the opposition when it calls for fighting

corruption and liberalizing the country's economy but they couldn't disagree more with the means of achieving it. the first thing that older support us. we will kidnap your son or your kidney because you will we ask you to and you didn't pay for our. cause of peaceful cause and i wonder how can this be peaceful if you are getting money like. organized crime and there are many who succumbed to the racketeers to keep their business afloat the owner of this textile factory had to fire his workforce after one of his production shops came under attack he says he now hands over thirty percent of his profits to those who claim to represent the freedom cars the i've been receiving threats to stop working my people to demonstrations we have to pay the money so that they leave us alone while

the support for lepers business people is seen as crucial for the survival of assad's government even the most liberal of them now want nothing to do with the militarized position dealing with corrupt officials may be frustrating but it doesn't compare to losing your entire business to the revolution wreck it tears it's on a boycott see aleppo syria taking a look now at other news from around the world this hour. u.s. republican presidential candidate newt gingrich is expected to end his campaign for the white house next week but decision comes just days after republican front runner mitt romney swept five straight primaries all but assuring himself the nomination gingrich has only won two primaries south carolina and georgia since the election season began in january very republican critics and suspended his campaign two weeks ago. but he started prime minister yousuf raza gilani has

been found guilty of contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against the nation's president whoever the supreme court only handed him a symbolic sentence just a few minutes detention before he was released into a sea of supporters the verdict might be seen as a victory for good ali who is expected to continue his role in office despite previously saying he would step down if found guilty. news corp chairman rupert murdoch has been questioned about his dealings with the u.k. prime minister david cameron during an official probe into british media ethics its involvement with u.k. politicians is now a key issue following the phone hacking scandal which brought down the media tycoon's news of the world tabloid speculation grew after murdoch's son revealed he discussed a proposed takeover of it could have something not broadcast it you know christmas dinner cameron. continues to give evidence today. very israel's top general benny gantz says iran has not and will not build

a nuclear bomb however israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is continuing to push for more sanctions against iran retired u.s. colonel douglas macgregor says is ready lobbyists in congress are driving the war rhetoric. so i think the american israeli public affairs committee and its a subordinate elements are affiliated elements that represent enormous quantities of money that over many years have cultivated the enormous influence and power in congress and you said we were talking just to appease the lobbyists i think you've got a lot of people on the hill who fall into two categories one category that is interested in money and wants to be reelected and they don't want to run the risk of the various lobbies that are that are pushing military action against iran to contribute money to their approach. and they can watch that interview in full. well that snow across the business desk

can join the tension high that's harsh and we understand that lukoil has found a way to well significantly increase its or production absolutely and is doing so by investing quite a bit of money into iraq a bit more about in just a moment but first let's check out the equity markets the russian markets in the second hour of trade are in the mixed territory as you can see the r.t.s. is gaining value while the my sex is trading in the red among the blue chips draws nafta is trading pretty much won after the company on wednesday signed yet another arctic deal this time with italy's annie just last week it find a similar deal with axel mobil to develop russia's offshore project and the projects and. other blue chips we're looking out as a truck maker kamaz and mobile phone operator m.t.'s are both outperforming the market as you can see there and of course. the main driver is the asian markets of

the moment and they are actively trading and they are in the block as you can see there is the nikkei has bounced back into black over the past hour after slipping into red a couple of hours ago. the main driver there is wall street overnight it really did quite well and you know that saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away will apple certainly healthy for wall street on wednesday as a report that would have better than expected bully results driving the nasdaq two of the heftiest daily gains so far this year and apple itself did quite well it posted gains of around nine percent closing at six hundred ten dollars a share and of course those the comments by of the fed reserve chairman ben bernanke also who did a lot for the market by really not a changing the momentum by really being quite neutral at least that's how the

markets interpreted those promises to help if that help is needed and at the moment let's check out how the oil markets are performing crude is mixed as you can see that of the g.i. is gaining value while. brant is the shedding on the latest reports that said inventories increase in the united states the biggest oil consumer and staying with the oil sector russia's biggest private oil producer luke oil has started production at one of iraq's richest oil fields it's called the west corner to the company hopes to boost output to five hundred thousand barrels a day by two thousand and fourteen that would be a poor of lou cools current daily production to boost the project requires thirty billion dollars of investment spent among other things on clearing the area of thousands of land mines left there from the time of the war with iran in the eighty's and the last but not least the let's check out the currency market as you

can see the euro's pretty much flat against the dollar the russian ruble is gaining value at the moment against both the euro and the greenback and that's the latest from the business desk area i'll be back in about fifteen minutes. any backs that up that action. well that will be delving deeper into the world of business in a few minutes as the kaiser report on veils dirty secrets but on the financial headlines start a recap of our main story stay with us.