to be in the running for next year's russian presidential election a few names are already in the hat but as far as the foreign media is concerned there's only one man they are focusing on and that's the outspoken opposition leader alexina valmy he's clocked up plenty of column inches in the western media over the years where he has been described as a challenge the incumbent vladimir putin but never found these not eligible to stand for the election after being found guilty of embezzlement and given five years suspended prison sentence even so he's regularly described as a kremlin critic who attracts thousands of supporters while on sunday he submitted the necessary paperwork to be a candidate for the next election in next march hundreds of supporters joined him although the numbers were markedly down on his last attempt in twenty twelve when more than thirty thousand did turn out in moscow. meanwhile another contender will also see a new name in the running for the communist party is putting forward pavel gluten in who replaces and election veteran who had been trying to get the kremlin's top

job for over twenty years because you down after takes a closer look now at the election hopeful. his name doesn't say much if anything at all to the majority of russians meet pavel grodin and the new face of the russian communist party in this presidential race he's taking the place of a man who ran for the communists in every election but one since one thousand nine hundred ninety six so who is he was he known for and why put him on the ballot well first and foremost he's a businessman who's been building a socialist utopia in miniature for just over a decade just outside moscow nicknamed the strawberry king he governs a small community that's become a shining example of what socialism can achieve. certain . experts.

these are some of the socialist dreams turned reality at the livin farm gordon has long been active in the grassroots russian politics he was one of lattimer putin campaigners back in two thousand helping him rise to power a decade later he switched factions and backed the communists saying russia had taken a wrong turn russia's communist party of today is a very different beast from the one during the soviet union and gruden hopes to steer it more towards a swedish or german style of socialism citing his own socialist success outside moscow even of my own. after the farming community that i've led for more than twenty years we've done everything to show that if socialist ideas hadn't been abandoned but instead had been firmly adhere to we don't now be living like in our community which means free education free health care social benefits for

pensioners free workshops for children and all the other things that you've seen that so the intrigue is now will he managed to tempt all of russia with his ideal of a socialist oasis it has done of. thanks for watching us this morning still ahead for you this hour we have a look at what might make christmas merry for mrs merkel and also the curious choice to take the editor's chair for a leading teen magazine in the u.s. those stories just ahead. when lawmakers manufacture consensus and still public wealth. when the ruling classes project themselves. in the final.

to be the one person. breaking or middle of the room six. million more you leave the room. again welcome back now as santa claus makes his way around the world today

delivering toys to children what would be on the wish list for a care few key world leaders do you think well and see children has been asking people in london for their thoughts on these. interviews and they will probably wish the breaks had never happened and that she was never promoted its prime minister three some i probably can albert brooks i've been the p.b.m. it wastes his soul to see how we can help donald trump not be so right finally. yeah. probably a better way to deal with maybe north korea in some way a. drinking straw. i guess he's always going to need. to go to spice.

just bring out all the cliches there's a little bit of it in his. muscles. he's pretty happy. for anything. a more stable europe probably. has been wondering what else. i have written on christmas or what has been a difficult year. if you will be able to get a hold over the. it was written by mrs. lynn. saying this is. just saying. sequence.

wish that when the world cup in russia or in twenty eighteen there are a few political points it seems that the. thing for a british help with. please can we still tout the coalition shenanigans. policy with which we are not convinced. it is better not to govern than to govern badly it's been months since the election here in germany in negotiations with the social democrats on forming a new grand coalition get underway in january they're far from a done deal you know we're not entering a grand coalition we said this clearly after the elections and we still stand by this angle of merkel's christian democratic union party are also changed in their negotiating stance but

a bigger problem may come in the form of their prepared sister party the christian social union stepping down its horse z. hope for their long serving out outspoken leader he was always almost always willing to step into line behind well he is going to be replaced by marcus who's already being trying to appeal to the party's base and it's the party's base that doesn't like a lot of anglo merkel's policies particularly when it comes to refugees and asylum policy with our world is accidental christian jewish humanistic islam has not made an outstanding contribution to bavaria and the last two hundred years and now we have to be clear about the roots of our own land. can you make it so the c.s.u. did stuff this up for me. they're all those that have started to write angular merkel's political obituary heading into twenty eight thing i'd say that was

a bit premature for a chancellor that remains personally popular with a large proportion of the people here in germany however it's not like you couldn't benefit from a christmas wish or two coming through wishing you all a very merry christmas from all of the team here in germany for our tea in berlin and peace for all of us. now then in a year that has seen hillary clinton try to explain away her failure to become the u.s. president with a tell all book she's now got america in her sights are washington correspondents american shares her thoughts on that. and that's exactly what hillary clinton's been doing since she lost the election searching for any way whatsoever to get back under the spotlight and when teen vogue invited her to guest at it it's december issue what resulted was an ode to hillary never the less we resist guest edited by hillary rodham clinton and it

features no less than three essays written by various women on what exactly they learned from hillary clinton and as an american female i feel as though i've learned so much from her myself so here's my list number one it's perfectly ok to be totally hypocritical i believe. that marriage is. not just a bond but a sacred bond between a man and a woman i support marriage for lesbian and gay couples i support it personally and as a matter of policy and law number to deflect criticism by shaming anyone who criticizes you as sexist this is a man who has called women pigs slobs and dogs number three never take responsibility for your failures last but not least number four blame russia for everything and was on the way to winning until the combination of jim crow means letter on october twenty eighth and russian wiki leaks raise doubts in the minds of

people who were inclined to vote for me but got scared off but the one thing that i would say that i've learned the most from hillary would be to be as far away from her brand of politics and divison from this as i can possibly be hillary has spent an entire career trying to chop up what is the fabric of america i race by gender religion by political view bipartisanship as she's divided america to such a point that america was almost. nice of bull another section contains advice for young woman in quotes from well you can guess who but too bad the issue doesn't include her best known quotations you could put half of trump's supporters into what i call the basket of deplorable or this piece of humor to dodge a question on inspirationally wiping her email server before giving it to the f.b.i. . like

a clock or something. ok so it is vogue after all so here's your fashion advice from hillary clinton if i want to knock a story off the front page i just changed my has style. and here's chapter three a set of pictures of hillary clinton laughing so here's a special moment i think they missed we came we saw who died. so what's next after teen vogue well it seems hillary might be marketing herself almost like she's going out of fashion i think that it is diminishing the intelligence of young women who want to have both sides or all sides presented to them and then to be able to be entrusted with the information to make an intelligent decision when you only present one side of an argument you say you send a message to teen girls we don't think you're smart enough to figure this out for

yourself so we're going to tell you what you're going to think that's propaganda not free not free speech. well one of the key attractions at the disney resorts in florida the moments the hall of presidents which does feature leaders past and present in robot form and they finally got a donald trump in place to after a six month delay but those who've seen it do say there's more than a passing resemblance to a certain someone we've just been talking about acting. i was.

thinking of more like angela merkel my we're just finally before we go just to let you know that next we'll have an exclusive live interview with russia's top diplomat so i will be wrapping up the year's challenges and solutions in a head to head with r.t. and we'll be tackling him on a range of issues too which have dominated the past twelve months from the ongoing trouble spots in the middle east to the standoff in the korean peninsula and donald trump's various moves of course which have stirred things up at home and abroad so that's coming up next hour only here on out. brings you up to date so you could have a company this morning don't forget you can keep across all the stories on our social media pages and you change.

it's. about your sudden passing i've only just learnt. and taken your last bang term you're out to you as we all knew it would i tell you i'm sorry. so i write these last words and hopes to put to rest things that i never got off my chest. i remember when we first met my life turned on each day. but then my feelings started to change you talked about more like it was a kid.