two thousand and ten as part of a prisoner swap and that was under the former russian president dmitri medvedev when he was president and so he's been living in the united kingdom since then and it's thought that he's the man who has been found on this on this bench now it's also important to add that the police also haven't named or said what this substance could potentially be but that hasn't stopped of course the media from drawing potential power levels with the case of the former russian spy alexander litvinenko who was poisoned in two thousand and six if you recall back to two thousand and six that was when a man named. alexander litvinenko was poisoned and died a slow horrible death immediately people's minds go back to alexander litvinenko polonium two ten and everything so while the media here are perhaps jumping to conclusions the police are being very very careful and saying that information at this point anyway is still very scant. now sources in the u.k. emergency services have been quoted as saying the former ins by may have suffered a prescription drug overdose symptoms apparentl

two thousand and ten as part of a prisoner swap and that was under the former russian president dmitri medvedev when he was president and so he's been living in the united kingdom since then and it's thought that he's the man who has been found on this on this bench now it's also important to add that the police also haven't named or said what this substance could potentially be but that hasn't stopped of course the media from drawing potential power levels with the case of the former russian spy alexander litvinenko who was poisoned in two thousand and six so while the media here are perhaps jumping to conclusions the police are being very very careful and saying that information at this point anyway is still very scant you. know it from london let's get the thoughts that talking about next. an x m i five intelligence officer sean annie nice to see you we thought your best place talker this you see the basic details of this story what's your gut feeling here than. my very first response was that this might just be some sort of drug instant there have been numerous stories over the last couple

interest in africa has been building for a while president vladimir putin and prime minister dmitry medvedev have visited in recent years the diplomatic push carries faint echoes of former times when the u.s.s.r. contested western influence by supporting marxist guerrillas fighting against colonial rulers such as in mozambique but when the soviet union dissolved so too did russia's influence far from home of robb's africa tour coincides with a similar visit by u.s. state secretary rex tillerson they'll overlap in ethiopia and russia's foreign ministry has suggested a meeting there you have guinea current us of was a soviet and russian ambassador in africa he thinks the confidence is increasingly interesting for many global powers. and you know this is a very important period in the history of africa and international relations african influence in world politics and economics is growing in the past fifteen years african treaty pay has doubled without africa none of the global issues of our century can be solved russia's trade with africa is growing it was fourteen point five billion dollars

intelligence outfits and foreign intelligence agencies and as part of a spy swap he was pardoned by dmitri medvedev and so he was released and has been living in the u.k. and these sources saying that that's the man who has been found ill now the police have also not named what the substance is or given any suggestion of there being foul play out of work however the media have already got to work in making comparisons with mr litvinenko of course who was poisoned those years ago and so the media at least jumping to conclusions and trying to perhaps make a suggestion at this point that there has been some type of foul play here but again important to note that the police adjusting or even not naming who this gentleman is or even what the substance is but we're definitely be keeping our eye on this story as more information totally all over in london really get back to that just earlier for as some of the other will show all right thanks lisa for they're desperate. and author and political analyst martin mccauley it was talk about a sense good to see you on the line yet we don't know what's happening

two thousand and ten as part of a prisoner swap and that was under the former russian president dmitri medvedev when he was president and so he's been living in the united kingdom since then and it's thought that he's the man who has been found on this on this bench now it's also important to add that the police also haven't named or said what this substance could potentially be but that hasn't stopped of course the media from drawing potential power levels with the case of the former russian spy alexander litvinenko who was poisoned in two thousand and six if you recall back to two thousand and six that was when a man named. alexander litvinenko was poisoned and died a slow horrible death immediately people's minds go back to alexander litvinenko in polonium two ten in everything so while the media here are perhaps jumping to conclusions the police are being very very careful and saying that information at this point anyway is still very scant. sources in the u.k. emergency services have been quoted as saying the former spy may have suffered a prescription drug overdose his symptoms apparently

he was prime minister, having handed the presidency over to his associate, dmitry medvedev. >> as thed longer and got colder and colder, the protests got bigger and bigger. >> reporter: as putin saw people turning against him, hillary clinton weighed in. >> the russian people, like people everywhere, deserve the right to have their voices heard and their votes counted. >> when putin hears something like that, i imagine he hears bush talking about saddam hussein. he hears that as, they are coming for me. they're trying to drive me from power. what the hell do you know about my people and whether they deserve to have their voices heard? like, i'll tell you if they should have their voices heard. >> reporter: with his back against the wall -- [ chanting ] >> reporter: putin turned the tables. he blamed the protests on hillary clinton. claiming that she was the one who incited them with her complaints about the election. >> there are growing restrictions on the exercise of fundamental rights. >> quote/unquote, she sent a signal. that was his words. >> reporter: putin's strategy propelled

he was telling th the dmitry medvedev tell vladimir i will have more flexibility after the election. >> almost like the old days where the united states and allies something of a position. not so good part of this, joe, foreign policy on auto pilot. we still could have done a lot more. if we really want to hurt the russians and putin specifically you go after the banks here, where there is still a lot of russian money being housed. >> i think what's happened is the allies have kind of shamed the president into this action today. we would be standing alone obviously if we didn't do something it allows the president cover. he can say look, i'm tough on russia. what putin is laughing at trump tonight because he knows he has license to do whatever he wants. >> did the administration send a strong enough signal? >> not yet. if you want to send a strong signal, i think at some point have you got to look at some money sanctions. you have got to get at putin and the individuals around him. >> sean: you mean like president trump pursuing energy independence? that the heart of the russian econ

then you had obama on the hot mic whispering to dmitry medvedev.tell vladimir i will have more flexibility after the election. more flexibility after." we'll show you the tape. >> tell him after the election i'll have more flexibility. >> i transmit to vladimir. >> sean: how did that work out for obama? 2014, congressman devin nunes of the house intel committee issued explicit warning to president obama, the russians are coming and want to influence our elections and putin wants to create chaos in the united states and around the world. what did obama do? absolutely nothing. instead keeping an eye on russia he mocked candidate trump in 2016 saying it's ridiculous that russia could rig an election. he saidstop whining. remember this? >> there are no serious person out there who would suggest somehow you could even rig america's elections. in part because they are so do centralized and the number of votes involved. there is no evidence that it has happened in the past. or there are instances that it will happen this time. i advise mr. trump to stop w

then of course you had obama on the hot mike whispering to dmitry medvedev.e saidla "tell vladimir i have more flexibility after the election. we'll show you the tape. >> after my election, i have more flexibility. i transmit toty. vladimir. how did that work out for obama? in 2014, a history listen, congressman devin nunes of the committee issued annes of the explicit warning to president obama. the russians are coming and want to influence the election and putin wants to create chaos in the united states and around the world. what did obama do? absolutely nothing. instead of keeping an eye on russia, obama mocked then candidate drop in 2016, saying, it's ridiculous to think that anyone could rig an election. no serious person would ever say that or believe that. he said stop whining. remember this. >> there is no serious person out there who would suggest somehow that you could even rake america's elections. in part because they are so s decentralized. and the numbers of votes involved. there is no evidence that that has happened in the past for that there

interest in africa has been building for a while president vladimir putin and prime minister dmitry medvedev have visited in recent years the diplomatic push carries faint echoes of former times when the u.s.s.r. contested western influence by supporting marxist guerrillas fighting against colonial rulers such as in mozambique but when the soviet union dissolved so too did russia's influence far from home of robb's africa tour coincides with a similar visit by u.s. state secretary rex tillerson they'll overlap in ethiopia and russia's foreign ministry has suggested a meeting there if gainey current was a soviet and russian ambassador in africa he thinks the confidence is increasingly interesting for many global powers. then when you know this is a very important period in the history of africa and international relations african influence in world politics and economics is growing in the past fifteen years african g.d.p. has doubled without africa none of the global issues of our century can be solved russia's trade with africa is growing it was fourteen point five billion dollars in two tho

russia's vladimir putin who got around the term limits problem by becoming prime minister while dmitri medvedev kept the seat warm for him put in then returned as president in two thousand to twelve and he's expected to be elected to a fourth term next sunday. tongan is a political analyst who advises the chinese government on economic and development issues he believes she wanted to abolish term limits to ensure his legacy. i think the real concern is what happens in the future or how if and how she unwinds this kind of power coupling that he's created i mean if you go back to deng xiaoping he centralized power and then at the end he tried to make sure that there was a much more disciplined way of exercising a least for the next two generations and even with jiang zemin you as you'll recall he held on to the military commission chairmanship for fifteen years so what you have here really is paying sending out a very strong domestic message that this policy of rebuilding the party anti-corruption s o e reform economic progress is going to continue because without a strong message at this point t

as russia's vladimir putin got round the term limit problem by becoming prime minister while dmitri medvedev kept the sea room for him was a long low before putin returned as president in two thousand and twelve and is expected to be elected for a fourth term think someday kerry brown is director of the lao china is to use it king's college here in london he joins me now via skype thanks very much for speaking to us and those who are hearing that the. potential end of term limits for heads of state is by no means a trend that is restricted to china how would you say compares to his counterparts around the world. well he's in control of a much bigger country in a more important country and also a country which is quite soon going to be the world's largest economy probably so it's the stakes are much much higher but i don't really think we should see this is being a return to a kind of maoist sort of power. don't have an independent kind of basis and charisma that was sort of more than the party that was the problem really whereas i mean she's in pain works within the party and the country tha

the most explicit and the one, the highest level threat came from dmitry medvedev, the prime ministerand voicemails threatening me and my colleagues with death. they are serious about this and angry with me. i'm concerned, living in the uk, if these people are allowed to get it away with it. it means i'm not safe and my colleagues are not safe. do you think you should have and need more protection than you get here in the ushg? i take care of myself. i don't believe that the government has the capability to deal with a situation like this. if putin really wa nts to situation like this. if putin really wants to get me, he'll get me. there is no way to avoid it. the one way to protect me, which would be better than anything else, would be to have a robust and meaningful response, a serious response, notjust kicking out a diplomat or two go after the assets of putin's ole gashes if it's proved he has done this killing. thank you. we can speak to our political correspondent, vicki young. you were listening to the foreign secretary, robust and tough talking language from boris johnson secr

two thousand and ten as part of a prisoner swap and that was under the former russian president dmitri medvedev when he was president and so he's been living in the united kingdom since then and it's thought that he's the man who has been found on this on this bench now it's also important to add that the police also haven't named or said what this substance could potentially be but that hasn't stopped of course the media from drawing potential power levels with the case of the former russian spy alexander litvinenko who was poisoned in two thousand and six if you recall back to two thousand and six that was when a man named. alexander litvinenko was poisoned and died a slow horrible death immediately people's minds go back to alexander litvinenko in polonium two ten in everything so while the media here are perhaps jumping to conclusions the police are being very very careful and saying that information at this point anyway is still very scant. we discussed the story with political analyst and author martin mccauley. immediately when you find the russian. f.s.b. curdle. to take him to hospital