tv [untitled] September 7, 2012 2:30pm-3:00pm EDT
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live from moscow this is our top stories now exactly half past the hour in the russian capital breaking economic barriers in a free trade zone in asia pacific dominate discussions at the apec summit in russia . greater role for the country's partnership with china in shaping regional and global affairs. syrian state t.v. says one of two bomb blasts have rocked damascus today have claimed at least five lives meanwhile the u.s. reportedly sends more agents to the border with syria to train the rebels as france considered sending them heavy artillery. on the record for many becomes the
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democratic presidential candidate with war promises of change but his opponents say he's failed to deliver on his original pledges from four years ago obama hit back at the republicans and criticized mitt romney for pulling russia america's number one enemy. well up next as promised r.t. talks to the author of revolution south america and the rise of the new left about the future of the world's most famous whistleblower julian assange in-depth interview next week. r.t. sitting down with nicholas kozlov author journalist and an expert on south america nicholas thank you very much for joining r.t. are it thank you you recently wrote an article in which he said that joining us and has certainly managed to discombobulate and disrupt a larger swath of the geo political system now of course referring to the fact that this man is an eyestrain citizen wanted by sweden in many respects by the u.k.
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and by the us and now being protected by ecuador in your opinion what was the main reason behind the ecuadorian president's decision to grant jolene assigns a cylon well i think that korea probably thinks that julian assange is persecuted and so he's motivated on that score but i also think that rafael correa has his own internal political reasons for wanting to grant asylum to julian assange ecuador holds presidential elections in february of two thousand and thirteen and i think rafael correa seems to be holding a pretty solid margin of a pretty positive margin but i think that he might want to shore up some support and and i think that this issue plays to national sentiment in ecuador and wounded a sense of wounded pride because ecuador is
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a small country it's pretty impoverished and the united states says intervened on many in over the years in ecuador and on many occasions and in the political sphere in the military sphere and even the cia has launched destabilization in ecuador going back to the early sixty's and so i think korea is playing on this nationalist sentiment because ecuador and still like to be bullied they don't like to be pushed around. what does ecuador have to lose by backing a songe i mean obviously in doing so there's a bit of and tag and izing against the us even possibly the u.k. well ecuador's stands to lose. economically because it exports a lot of flowers. also mangoes pineapple and most importantly
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petroleum products the united states and so these are very vulnerable industries in the event that washington should retaliate and already there there are business groups in the unit in washington that are lobbying the bamma administration to cut off the preferential trade preferences the duty free trade preferences for ecuador and goods and there was one business representative who was actually quoted as saying that this a sancia fair plays to our favor and so these efforts seem to be led by the petroleum industry which is upset by korea's nationalistic oil policy this is actual actually a conflict which predates the songe affair but going back several years. you know chevron has resisted the ecuadoran. well the ecuadorian traditional system which says that it should pay damages for environmental pollution in ecuador and amazon
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because before it was chevron you know chevron bought up texaco and so this is been a very tense state of affairs in ecuador going back some time and so according to reports the. chevron is leading this lobbying effort to rescind the or maybe not leading but it's least participating in efforts to racin these trade privileges for for ecuador and in this sense i think the songe affair is. it's like it's like a pawn in this wider geo political game so it's not going to necessarily help korea and it may actually give the oil industry and these other industries an excuse to slap on. trade restriction ecuador's neighbors in latin america have strongly condemned threats coming from the u.k. on the issue of ecuador granting julian assange to political asylum how strong do
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you believe their support is on this and how much weight will it carry when it comes to the standoff possibly escalating. well i think that the different countries in the region have different agendas and one interesting facet of the story is the falkland islands believe it or not because argentina has been locked in this diplomatic battle with britain over the falklands for some time and cristina fernandez de care center has been whipping up diplomatic support for her claims and she's been quite effective in in rounding up support in her corner. argentina wants to explore for oil lucrative oil and gas in the falklands and so argentina sees this as an opportunity to whip up support against britain so i don't think that argentina has any particular regard for julia signs per se and in fact a lot of the cables that he leaked were quite unflattering towards argentina because they cast cure sinners in an unflattering light so i think the
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countries in the region are all playing playing this out for their own political reasons and they have their own constituencies to appease and so i think that this . argentina wants to appease nationalist sentiment in argentina and ecuador wants to appease nationalist sentiments there i think brazil is a little reluctant for the reasons that i say i said before because brazil is very interested in pursuing this under the radar kind of strategy it probably calculates that it's better to not alienate the u.s. so i think brazil will go up to a point with its rhetoric but not maybe not go so far as to join with the alba countries the more radical countries like venezuela and ecuador so how would act with automatic short range safe passage for a science because after all as soon as he steps out of the embassy. onto
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the territory of britain he will be arrested well i don't i don't really see necessarily. way out there's been talk about diplomatic pouch is which is seems really arcane to me but it's to be sure there is this custom of diplomatic pouch is where you can bring that through the airport in they could put him in a bag but it just seems very arcane and far fetched to me if a sound does end up on ecuadorian soil what kind of consequences will it have for the country and ordinary people living there well at first it wasn't really sure how this issue would play for korea politically just because i think a lot of ecuadorians are very poor they confront just a daily battle for survival and so at first i thought this was this is a pretty esoteric issue people have more bread and butter concerns and yet in the past few days you've seen protest in front of the british consulate in quiet
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killers and the scene pito and it's just been a kind of a bizarre and surreal sight to see indigenous people dressed in traditional clothing with a handkerchief of julian assange and which is very surprising to me so maybe this suggests that maybe this issue resonates that maybe korea struck a chord and a lot of ecuadorians are. resent the bullying of the united states and they don't like getting pushed around and so they're going to take the to this issue the u.s. state department has said that it believes that the issue surrounding julian assange is a bilateral issue between ecuador and the united kingdom and that the u.s. has no role to play in the matter and that other countries should not get involved how plausible is that i find it completely implausible that the united states is not involved in this in some way and then the other day the united states said very
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ridiculously that could or should not bring this matter before the organization of american. states that this is a matter between ecuador and britain but that's just completely preposterous it's totally legitimate for ecuador to raise an issue of its own sovereignty at the organization of american states and i think this just points to us i see because the u.s. wants to get its way in the oas and has done so historically and now it's saying no you shouldn't bring this issue before the oh yes international media keep stressing that the u.s. has not made any moves to requests songes extradition do you believe that washington is actually planning on getting a saw inch or do you believe that they have no interest in brain stanched america well i think that there's this grand jury that in virginia that's that's empowered to side on it that was a sealed indictment. but well we don't know but i think the state
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department and many parties in washington would love to see julian a songe brought to justice and many republicans and even some democrats like dianne feinstein so the power elite in washington will probably stop at nothing to get its hands on julian a songe for releasing the cable gate scandal and embarrassing the state department but openly they're not going to say why i don't know this is well i think that they don't want to look bad in the international arena they don't want to look vindictive so they're saying this is a matter for sweden in these other countries to work out but i think probably behind the scenes united states is aging on britain i find it rather difficult to believe that britain would not have made these threats without having been pressured by washington given the fact that a number of whistleblowers are being persecuted by the u.s.
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government as a matter of fact the obama administration is considered to be waging an unprecedented war on. whistleblower's how do you think that will play in this fight against extradition for julian the songe and impact the entire whistleblowing movement well i think you'd have to say on balance that this exerts a rather chilling effect because who the hell wants to see diplomatic refuge if they can avoid it and i think a lot of people might be interested in whistle blowing but not if it means that you're going to be stateless and you have to seek. protection in a foreign embassy nevertheless i'm interested to see that in september there's a new whistle blowing organization that's being launched in iceland and which has international support so maybe in a sense what goes around comes around people will see that there's been persecution
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of wiki leaks and then it actually might ricochet and they'll be more whistleblowers as a result because they'll see that there's this crackdown and so now there's more of a need than ever some experts say that the united kingdom and in fact all the players involved in this circumstance surrounding julian assange have managed to dig themselves into a hole on this issue diplomatically speaking what would you consider to be the smartest way out for all of them well i think. i think that i personally hope that cooler heads will prevail i think that. it's rather absurd that sweden did not did not. question join the songs in the ecuadorian embassy to begin with and i think a lot of this crisis could have been avoided if sweden had just gone there and just proceeded with the questioning but now that it's escalated beyond that point i think i hope that cooler heads can prevail and that britain doesn't go invading the
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so resistant tb breaking economic barriers in the free trade zone in asia pacific dominate discussions at the apec summit in russia that in prison outlined a greater role for the country's. ship with china in shaping regional and global the. syrian state t.v. says one of two bomb blasts to have rocked damascus today has claimed at least five lives meanwhile the u.s. reportedly sends more agents to the border with syria to train the rebels as france considers sending them a heavy artillery. america bomb of full body becomes the democratic presidential candidate more promises of change but his opponents say he's failed to deliver on his original pledges from four years ago. to view things and criticize mitt romney
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for putting russia america's number one. with a news team with more news stories in fifteen minutes from now in the meantime unions' him with that since so far so good for the russian football team in that world cup twenty four team quest you know it is indeed if they want to make brazil in two years' time they have to do what they did tonight and beat lower ranked nations well they did just that more coming up right now. i'm going to have you with us ten minutes of sports coming your way right now let's get to. steady not spectacular in russia when the opening world cup twenty fourteen qualifier seeing off a stubborn northern irish side in moscow. progress novak djokovic stays on
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course to defend his u.s. open tennis title after a straight sets quarter final win. and remembering one year on since a plane crash play in the lives of the entire local t.v. ice hockey squad commemorates those who lost their lives. people first where it may not have been pretty but rusher off the mark on the road to rio the home side is beating northern ireland two nil in their opening world cup qualifying clash a plucky irish side to the big favorites before a well worth goal from the. settled russian nerves on the half hour mark a second half penalty courtesy of another of the need to. finally put the tie to bed doesn't the minutes from the end so new manager fabio capello off to a winning start but a bigger test awaits in just four days time a qualifier away to israel. let's talk tennis soul for u.s. open men semifinal star no known thomas burdick murray joined by defending champion
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novak djokovic for thursday joke which needing only three sets to san juan martin del potro packing the second seeded serb easily taking the six two you have to work much harder though in the second set edging it on a tie break i. i. for djokovic is down but for her to be too young to sort of age in an epic five seven conquered the per on court for four and a half hours with the fourth seeded. claiming the first set six three he would lose the next two before storming back in the fourth quarter decider for showing his resolve to clamber back from a deficit in the final set on forth a tie break she would win seven. while the women semifinals feature three players who have already won a grand slam this year alone twenty twelve french open champion reassure up of is one of them her match up of this trillion open champion and world under one victoria azarenka is due to start any moment twenty five your trouble but seeking
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a second title of flushing meadows it's like favorite in this one despite the rankings belorussian azarenka off the beach in the final of the aussie open back in january leader twenty twelve wimbledon champion takes on sarah irani in the other semi. to go for the european challenge tour has touched on once again in moscow it's one of the country's biggest events with total prize money reaching a quarter of a million euro michael schenker will cross the fairways sent us this report. is traditionally an old sport but russia is still pretty new to it there are few russian professional golfers and even fewer professional golf courses but it's a live a golf club just outside moscow has made sure it stands out not only in russia but internationally and it's attracting professional golfers from all over the world obviously. golfers and. this could be a good for russian people to come over here and what's been people bring your
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professional bring golf and i'm going. to encourage the russian people to stop playing golf but of course it's more than just a jack nicklaus designed golf course it's part of the european challenge tour which is naturally up the stakes and attracted a whole bunch of pro golfers to the event to challenge tour and that's pretty high level in europe. and i think everyone wants to get the chance to play as many tournament or so you want and this one is a good week for a lot of guys and i think the guys they probably struggled getting but otherwise i think it's really good field this week of the few russian golfers participating in this year's cup there's one that people would be forgiven for thinking he's on the wrong court tennis legend of guinea kafelnikov is surprising one of russia's bright is golfing enthusiastic so much so that he won the russian cup in two thousand and eleven he's an avid supporter of further investment into the sport and
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previously has been the spokesman for the cup was this tournament is without doubt a great russian gold i want to see more and more such tournaments happening in the country but for now we have to make do with what we have you know maybe russia's biggest problem is the fact that there are still so few professional golfers in the country it's the only recognizable player is a former tennis great then there's obviously room for improvement and with immaculate eighteen hole courses like that to live a golf course it must only be a matter of time so the players are in unison that russia still has a way to go before they can realistically challenge some of the more established golfing destinations around the world but with state of the art courses like this the sport will only benefit in the next three days some of the world's best golfers will duke it out to see just who will take the bulk of the two hundred fifty thousand euro prize money and with my handicap it certainly ain't going to be me like of tanker moscow region stick to their day job mike well that's they were goal
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for when i three weeks away from the biggest team event of the year team usa seeking to wrestle the ryder cup back from europe when the competition tees off on september twenty eighth in chicago european skipper jose maria olazabal well aware that the home fans will also bring their a game to the medina country club. they're going to be variable but we know how. it's you go cross-country they love sports if you're going to go. for them then let it be sick you can use the biggest event going to be hosting. and i was there a year ago and even then people knew about what was to come and in that regard i don't have any doubt that they're going to be allowed. it's been a somber day all across russia the sporting world with the country commemorating one year since the plane crash which killed the entire lock on the t.v. host level ice hockey team friends and families of the forty four victims along with countless fans paying their respects in the central russian city
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a morning church service was followed by a flower laying ceremony on friday the families of the deceased then travel to the site of the crash where a commemorative twenty minutes being built ice hockey fans from across the globe have also been arriving in the city they will have witnessed the jerseys of all the victims raised up to the rafters at the squad's arena only the flight engineer survived the tragedy but memory still overwhelmingly role for the victims' families in particular. you just hope that in time they find strength and they find peace and then they're able to. have you know to take with them. all of those good strong all the days that the your. husbands and fathers. pays tribute to those who lost their lives on not tragic september night last year.
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the. that's all the sport for i worry whether it's next here in twenty four hour our take. up. more news today violence is once again flared up the front saying these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. the giant corporations are on the day. the book. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so for lengthly you think you understand it and then you
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