putin makes his comeback in the kremlin as he's sworn in as head of state. the new leader promises major reforms but opinions are needed on the streets of moscow where there are protests and more details for you in just a moment. but crane arrests a human rights activist just days before his interview with talk whistleblower julian assange before airs right here on our. watch the explosive show one choose to. be falls under the weight of france's mounting debt a socialist leader francois hollande grabs the presidency spelling change for the

future of the euro zone. a very warm welcome to you from all of us here at r.t. moscow i'm with you on this historic day lot of me putin now officially russia's president we saw him sworn in for a third term during a grand ceremony at the kremlin he will now hold the post for the next six years our correspondent. you were inside the kremlin jury the inauguration i think people of el coined the phrase earlier on this morning by saying a lot of pomp and circumstance certainly an impressive inauguration in st george's hall as i understand it you were there how was it fact it was in several holes but i was lucky enough to be in send george's hall with a little more than a thousand guests there overall understand that three thousand guests were there

including some of the eyepiece from the military from religious fair sportsmen actors i mean you just name it just all of russian elite was there rubbing shoulders with him was certainly some exquisite experience the whole inauguration process. quite fast it took less than an hour the whole thing from the beginning to the end first we saw on the on the life pictures on the television sets in this and george's hall how put in the was traveling from the government building to the kremlin through cordoned off streets of moscow with some amazing simply amazing air aerial shots it's the first time we've seen some novelties high technologies of the television of the way it was filmed then we saw them both entering the kremlin building then it is interesting to see because medvedev looked a little maybe nervous or even sad at times well label putin was doing it for the third time so he looked calm and collected very cool he just walked in just with so many applause so many people chanting his name in the hall probably being happy

that he is being reinstated here as the president for the third time in russia then he took the oath which is only thirty three words long that is three words shorter than the oath of the american president i believe we can listen to a little bit his oath. as i fulfill the duties of the president of the russian federation i swear to protect and guaranteed rights and freedoms of our citizens to observe and protect the constitution of the russian federation to protect the sovereignty independence and territorial integrity of our state to serve its people faithfully. so you can see how calm and collected and was during the this very nervous moment pronouncing this oath just twenty minutes after the official part of the united nations finished the hall where we stood was practically empty because all of the guests which included the form we tell in prime minister silvio berlusconi the former german chancellor

gerhard schroeder and many many other guests as i said v.i.p.'s went to a dollar dinner i was sitting and lucky to be there but i've heard some really tasty things on the menu they are like black caviar style scallops lots of wine expensive champagne so clearly there was a big party and celebration there but certainly the body is over now and still lots of work ahead for that if we can and i say there might have been some names in attendance to take precedence over you for example. yeltsin's widow. he was also there as well so better luck next time. thank you. quote there are still a lot of work ahead of a lot of he want to large majority to return him to power but it wasn't without the bus he was in with me the backing of everybody that's not crossed over to our correspondent and he said nah you're just outside the kremlin for us and and he said you have been talking about the opposition here just how much opposition has putin been facing in his lead up to the owner you know very. well just on the eve

of this inauguration we saw for the first time a protest movement which began as one for free and fair elections after a vast claims of fraud in the duma vote in december we saw some violets now so far the movement tended to be growing although it has to be said after the winter it started to use a little bit of steam but sunday was the first time that we saw any kind of violence in the movement which so far has been not only peaceful but quite best of as times but when it comes to prudent it usually tends to be pretty black and white you're either for or against anti or pro there's few people that will argue with that few people who are on the line and really see things in a balanced way but one thing that a lot of people though agree on is that if wooten wants to see any success in this third term he's going to have to make some changes. he's back for an unprecedented third term after a break as prime minister and many say russia will need to see putin two point zero

any leader who's been in power for five six seven years in a difficult position because people get used to him and the taken for granted he has to then reinvent himself putin has made the promise i had of the poll he proposed vast reforms from a major crackdown on corruption to diversifying the economy and raising living standards it's delicious it'll be just students next term will be the one that forms his legacy as a politician in russian history and i'm sure it will be a positive one. but the people to be convinced most are the opposition who gathered in the largest numbers russia has seen for decades after claims a vast front in december's duma vote and clashed with riot police on the eve of the inauguration. he needs to set out for reform and not a reform on paper but something real something that both the opposition and you

know the regular people not just in moscow but all throughout russia can see that this is really putin two point zero the most popular politician no doubt has a majority of support across russia and is credited with extraordinary development in the country but putin leaves few people in different at home and abroad it usually comes down to love or hate but i don't think that everything that putin has done is defensible or by a by a very wide stretch but there are some people who argue in such transparent bad faith that it's and you know it's impossible not to notice that it's just it's a person it's a personality thing in the west he's seen as harsher than especially on foreign policy which could prove to be a challenge on issues like the reset with the u.s. and pushes for intervention in the middle east but on the economic front analyst have already sense to change at least three key issues to entry profit isolation

investment climate reform we see. putin changing his. emphasis and direction on particular issues in a way which corresponds with a political shift. a shift that is most evident on the web russians have never been more active in politics twitter facebook or something putin will have to embrace if he wants to stay in touch yes to participate otherwise you'd be excluded and you would have the other russia which talks its own language and the president will talk his language leaving the question now that he's back can putin move forward. as a given isn't it many people are saying that the protests we saw on sunday where violence did break out but it was all due to a few provocations which led to violence and arrest and then today inauguration day we saw protests very small it should be said some even as close as just across from

the kremlin on money elsewhere where we're standing there were a rest about one hundred twenty people arrested throughout moscow on inauguration day one thing certainly is clear rory that people are really really active in what's happening in russia and to talk more about this trend joining me is fred ware from the christian science monitor fred. never before have you seen so many people involved in russian politics where do you stand on what how do you make what do you make of all this is it's long as i've been living in this country which is about twenty six years. people have been saying we want to be more like europe and in the last few years as i cover russian events and in my newspaper i often get angry mail criticism from people who say it's just your western double standards and your russophobia you don't see that we already are for a list of democratic country much like a western european one and then you get

a whiff of european politics and everybody panics i don't see anything out of the ordinary here what is happening is that that facade that. you know that pretends that all the russian people are united. behind their leader is breaking down and it's breaking down and not in the healthy way it's true yesterday ice at the rally they were mostly overwhelmingly peaceful citizens who were out to express themselves sometimes you know sharp european style opinions but. peacefully and there might have been a few. people who imagine themselves as leaders of the revolution or something who provoked but it must also be said that the russian police haven't seen your face way of presenting a show of force like their ranks and ranks of armored cops with all the bridges and roads blocked with heavy machinery as if they were expecting

a second german invasion or something rather than just the rally of peaceful citizens and argue that they weren't really am is there yes or they were really prepared for any kind of actually confrontation they didn't have any kind of water cannons any kind of gas do you think they were ready for this kind of publication if you want my personal opinion and i have seen this over and over again is that the police are extremely unprofessional they have this show of force idea and they do not have the kinds of methods equipment methods tactics that any european police force does have for limiting those provocateurs for isolating them or you know that's why you can have much bigger and even more rambunctious rallies in european countries even in canada where i come from and you don't end up with hundreds of people being arrested it's because the police have this new aunts panoply of ways to deal with them here it's the show of force and if

things break down then you get the head beating and tear gas. so you know i'm not i'm not trying to apportion blame here i'm just i'm just saying they are. they could just get everybody could lighten up realize that we were just experiencing a little bit of european style politics and everybody could develop from right fred we are from the christian science monitor talking about his impressions of the russian opposition political life in the country as my dear putin's third term in the kremlin has officially begun. all right are these and he said i would live just outside the kremlin thank you. but for any authority so arrested the country's main human rights activist who's been one of the leaders of the ongoing uprising now bill about job was detained late saturday on his arrival from lebanon comes just days before his appearance on julian assange just show here are

not see whether whistleblower quizzed him and an egyptian activist over the revolutions in the arab states with details on this now. ban it. well the authorities are said is that now bill run job is being suspected of committing a number of crimes punishable by law and that he's now being held on charges of inciting and taking part in a legal demonstrations and should be remembered though that labial rajah's position has landed him in a number of made in the target even of the bahraini authorities before because he is a highly prominent activist there and also one of the most vocal outspoken critics of the country's ruling family and that's really what makes this next step so you enough times is so so significant because this is thought to be. last interview before his latest arrest now is considered one of the heroes of the first protests that took place in bahrain last february he's now got over one hundred forty thousand followers on twitter disease the head of the bahraini center for human

rights and he's really the driving force behind the mass demonstrations that we're still seeing in the streets of bahrain despite a government ban on on public protests there since it became known that he was appearing on sanjay and that's that's what he elaborates on in this next episode when i said in my twitter account that i'm going to meet julian assange and i'm going to speak to me t.v. programme my house was surrounded by almost one hundred policemen and. machine guns and they realized that i was not at home and didn't do you just. to tell me to come to depopulation prosecutor today at four o'clock where i am here so the very day that he was summoned by the public prosecutor's office in bahrain he actually chose instead to appear on as angie's talk show and and appear on r.t. using the platform as an international platform even to criticize the regime in bahrain and it's for this reason they do now standage things why he's been arrested

basically by appearing on this. ranch out would indeed be risking a great deal but even so. he that he would be willing to pay any consequences that come of it because he says he would be fighting in the name of democracy this is what he had to say it's not different. but this is destroyed this is the freedom disses democracy that we are fighting for as a cost and do we have to bid of course and the cost might be very expensive as we have been causing but we're willing to believe that all the changes that we are fighting for now one of the other guests this week on a do not show is another prominent activists in the in the arab spring his name is our abdel fattah he was a he was a highly influential figure in the uprising in egypt last year in tahrir square that like right up to has become a target of your thora sees the fact that you know sound is speaking to the very

people who are making leave things happen in these countries and are willing to face the consequences as we've seen with now bill roggio with his arrest this weekend well that really that's what makes this next episode really one that's not to be missed and you can catch it here marty is being shown at eleven thirty g.m.t. this tuesday. to speak to two leading revolutionaries one from bahrain for the revolution failed was a leadership for the revolution is now in turmoil what makes a revolution and where is the arab spring going to go. live from moscow this is r.t. it's good to have you with us today still ahead for you this hour. vote syria's holding its first parliamentary election in decades after president. new constitution however the opposition to boycott the vote calling it all one big farce. francoise hollande has defeated

nicolas sarkozy in the french presidential runoff making him the latest e.u. leader to be swept aside by the crippling debt crisis among the first steps the president elect is planning is to push back against german led austerity measures chancellor angela merkel has already invited to burgle in for talks with us reporter from paris is artist has australia. it's very quiet because they had big celebrations last night be deliberate steel was certainly having a big party until the morning now for us all and in his acceptance speech yesterday did talk a lot about unity which has been much of the theme of his entire campaign he said he's the one who's going to bring about solidarity and unity in criticizing sarkozy's divisive presidency but of course the unity he's talking about does hinge on his ability to bring about the promises that he had made particularly the practical promises of jobs and employment and this is

a no easy feat given the the economic circumstances of france and again he is the first thing he wanted to do is to talk to german chancellor angela merkel to push for this growth or yentl approach and he has a lot of supporters on this approach however even the supporters are skeptical as to how much he can really do given the constraints i mean france is a part of the euro zone there are sixteen other nations who are using this currency there are a lot of rules to be followed and so they're looking at how much maneuver room he really has on it comes to international dealings there's going to be the nato summit and he had said that he wants to pull out french troops from afghanistan a year earlier than planned he will have to and he's expected to present this blood to president barack obama and the the rest of the nato alliance and also when it comes to issues like syria and iran observers are saying that we may expect a less aggressive press whatever this observation is based on the rhetoric so far so of course we have to see the actions that this new president will be taking now french people at the end of the day said that they voted for change but let's not

forget that when nicolas sarkozy was voted in two thousand and seven they also voted for change so it's in for so long does have a lot of work to do ahead of him and prove that he does the service presidency. reporting r.t. dot com today all the latest from today's presidential inauguration ceremony. in the hot water runs google for leaving the persian gulf name on its online maps. could be motivating the internet giant r t v dot com. also controversy surrounds pictures of starling placed on public buses in russia on the eve of victory day you can read all about that also dot com. just turning twenty minutes past the hour here in moscow syria's holding a parliamentary election with the ongoing shaky cease fire the first such vote in decades allows the formation of political factions to compete with the ruling

ba'ath party let's get the latest now. live in damascus good to see you the vote comes amid ongoing reports of violence as we continue to hear here at r.t. is that a big impact on the amount of people willing to actually venture out and cast their ballots. well there is no election fever here by any stretch of the imagination that being said there has been a steady stream of people here in damascus since the polls they pinned at seven am this morning and our state t.v. is already reporting that the turnout his high population of around twenty four million fourteen million people are actually eligible to participate in the parliament here elections votes the polls close at ten pm so it is going to be interesting to see what the actual voter turnout is onesies polls have closed as he said here in damascus there's been fairly big build up to the voting you can see

campaign places all aver the capital that being said damascus can often hear phil a bit like a parallel universe in other cities that have seen fierce fighting and indeed very close to damascus and some of the suburbs is a very different story indeed in fact we visited some of those and they've actually had more cups of the campaign posters instead of the candidates you've got faces of the people who have been killed in this ongoing conflict and obviously this election taking place against the backdrop of the u.n. observers being here in the country to maybe see the implementation of the peace plan and so all of this is really lead to criticisms as to the timings of the elections when you talk about so you describe someone call a polarized opinions or regarding this election the amount of sarcasm and cynicism in certain towns when you venture out of damascus but the bottom line is this is the first such election in almost half a century in syria many would say that's quite a historic feat. well it's certainly being billed by the government here as

a really key step in president assad's political reforms. three months off to the constitutional reforms and so really the very much pushing this is a real chance for the people who've been calling for change to come out to cost their votes that's been a lot of the rest of the ballots lay down the weapons but of course you know part of what caused this whole conflict in the first place is just how long these reforms have been. to arrive and really a feeling amongst a lot of people that it's simply too little too late the opposition have boycotted the vote altogether they've called it a shot of a lot of people have to be said to feel that they should have tried to participate . and at least push for some form of monitoring perhaps of the election. the opposition should have first dissipated and should have requested some sort of

money turning money turning teams in order to. scrutinize the elections and that is a sort of elections this is not. it is one of the mistakes of the position that we did not purchase a piece which is one of the mistakes of the government did not encourage your position. well the voting continuing to go ahead at the moment and you had that there is a feeling amongst the opposition amongst a lot of people indeed that these elections simply aren't enough and certainly not at a time when the violence in the country is continuing to claim life so against that backdrop really there is a sense that the actual impact of the serious change to the serious political landscape won't be hugely affected by these votes but nonetheless they are going ahead and you are seeing very small steps now being taken towards this political reform party life in damascus or to certify thank you. all right now let's get to a

reminder now of our top story here on r.t.e. of law to me a person now sworn in as the new president of russia at a grand inauguration ceremony in the kremlin or do we handed power to the new head of state who took over the constitution a thirty one gun salute then greeted putin after the ceremony and i'll be back in just a few moments with the headlines of all right now let's take a look back at some of the highlights of this morning's event. let me ask one. thousand let. me.

i thank you thank you thank. us. though this is the this is good to get it's a good look was possible even at his. age

.

the big.

it's just so. six.

fifty two meters. away more than a thousand tongues. skin thickness thirty centimeters the guinness record. commemorating the battle of stalingrad. the motherland caught up on our teeth.