there are lots of -- it's a fascinating story, brussels. basically, the characters are the countries. so the drama is in the interaction between these sort of, i don't know if you ever saw a show called "allo, allo." the drama is in the interaction between these slightly stereotypical characters who generally conform to type but

is brussels going to pitch in to make sure that this deal works? >> first of all it is about putting everybody on the same page. francois hollande and angela merkel are going to do that, and i'm sure they have a lot of stories to tell after their negotiation marathon back in minsk. then it is about assessing the situation. as one senior eu diplomat put it towards me, that is not as easy as some people may think. even leaders here do not have all the information they need on the ground. then it is maybe about sending a signal to russia, and we expect this to happen, to not implement the sanctions that had been decided and were supposed to be implemented next monday but to postpone that. >> you know there will be some holdouts. some easter eu states like:, like lithuania are very skeptical of russia's intentions. -- some eastern eu states like poland, like lithuania. >> those countries were the ones supporting arms deliveries to ukraine, and of course, they are very skeptical of this cease-fire agreement, saying that in no case should the sanctions b

he is in brussels and he covered those talks for us today. what came out of those talks?>> both sides remain very tightlipped after these talks. all we know for the moment is that further talks will follow and what we know is that greece hopes for a deal. they hope for more time to conduct reforms. that is the point where there is mutual interest, because after all, let's be honest the troika was not all about austerity only, but it was also about structural reform. that was indeed an impression one could get today, that greece is prepared to conduct a certain number of structural reforms. >> ok, tsipras and the greek finance minister, they have been going all over europe for the past couple of days trying to drum up support. what do they have to show for themselves now particularly ahead of this key meaning with the german finance minister on thursday? >> of course it was a smart move on the part of the greek government to first of all visit the countries that have been traditionally, or in recent years been in favor of state finance, or let's put it more cynically, debt

neave barker is in brussels and we have john psaropoulos standing by for us in athens.ve, we're hearing signs of progress, little ones i guess. what is the latest, neave? >> reporter: well, when euro and greek prime ministers arrived early, i don't think anyone this would be a short day. the meeting didn't start for four hours after the scheduled start time with very little explanation given for the delay. but roughly an hour or so ago, we had signs that a possible agreement could be in the cards. a communique had been signed between greek officials and euro group members. we know very little about that document. we know, though that it is apparently an extension of the greek bailout. some information is slowly emerging. particularly on greek state television. i'm sure john can tell us more about that from athens. the suggestion is that this is a step in the right direction, but it could also be little more than an interim deal that goes on for another round of discussions before potentially being ratified by euro zone members. >> neave barker following all of the devel

in brussels, eu officials have come to respect the young italian leader. country may be struggling economically, but politically it has stabilized under a prime minister who has pledged to push ahead with reform. >> italy is changing. not because europe demands it, but because it is the right way to go. the road to reform must not be blocked. instead, we must speed up perform. >> one year on renzi's balance sheet is mixed. he managed to push through only a few of the reforms he promised. he started referring to 1000-day reforms. in rome, they say he started as a sprinter but has since become an endurance runner. >> renzi has a lot on his plate internationally. just a few hundred kilometers south of sicily, the country's former colony of libya has collapsed into conflict in recent months. >> in the resulting lawlessness thousands of people have been escaping or transiting through libya for europe, making the journey across a narrow stretch of the mediterranean to the italian island of lampedusa. for them, it is a getaway to europe because of how close it is

berlin and brussels want athens to commit more clearly to its current credit terms. the newly elected prime minister 's government must stick to its anti-austerity campaign promises , even if the clock is ticking. >> we are not at odds with germany. we have a public mandate which asks for an end to austerity and the bailout, and our government cannot and will not deviate from that mandate. reporter: even if alexis tsipras wants to focus more on growth than austerity measures, his government is facing increasing pressure to accept a compromise. annette: german chancellor angela merkel is meeting president france lond, talking about the greek debt crisis and worsening -- francois hollande talking about the greek debt crisis and worsening crisis in ukraine. we will speak to our international affairs editor armen georgian. much of the focus has been on germany's -- germany versus greece over the country's debt crisis. what role is france playing in all of this? armen: french president francois hollande has spoken on the phone this week several times with the greek prime

we will be live in brussels with the latest. but we messed up. those are the words from one overall, the biggest pc maker. it left users potentially exposed to hacking and monitoring. >> earnings from the world's biggest yogurt maker. we will bring you news from dan on -- danone. i am mark barton. >> as london fashion week begins we will tell you how much the industry breaks for britain. we will tell you about london's next generation. >> crunch talks in brussels over greece's proposal to extend its european loan row graham. faxed yesterday the greek -- loan program. >> yesterday the great prime minister said he has a positive conversation with angela merkel hours after her finance minister dismissed the loan extension request. the german rejection prompted an angry rejection from greece's deputy pm. >> we must realize at this moment it appears there are powers that would like greece on its knees so they can impose their will, and i believe we can all think of what helps our country and what helps these powers. >> let's get the latest from brusse

what does brussels have to say about this visit? >> the authoritarian style of government in hungary is currently not an issue here in brussels. people here are preoccupied with the debate, the terrorist threat. where the hungarian physician is interesting is, -- hungarian p-- hungarian position is interesting is where you look at the ukrainian conflict. the import ban on -- on agricultural goods is where leaders closely monitor how angela merkel is negotiating. >> ukraine is a flashpoint in this tug-of-war between east and west. is there concern in brussels that hungary could in fact become the next ukraine? we could see more of that tug-of-war play out? >> the next ukraine, i wouldn't say. tug-of-war, more likely. hungary has very close economic relations to russia. as i said, they suffer under the counter sanctions regime, but they also suffer under the scrapping of the south stream pipeline project, which was a prestigious project that would have allowed more gas come from russia to europe. all of that one has to put in perspect

st of economic reform plans to brussels meeting a deadline. both of the european commission's indicate and agreement to the bailout extension. kiev says separatist forces are closer to the port city. one rebel leader claims his forces have begun pulling back heavy weapons as per the cease-fire agreement. an liable for terrorism, a u.s. jury has found the -- responsible for attacks in israel over 10 years ago. hundreds of millions of dollars of damages have been awarded to american families who brought the case. and also coming up to you over the next hour, a call from oscar-winning actress bliss -- patricia arquette. what the report says gender wage parity is good for any economy. as the first anniversary of the russian annexation of crimea approaches our citizens happy with the new disposition? this is live from paris. ♪ and our top story after coming close to missing a monday deadline, it has now been confirmed that greece's a list of economic reform plans to european institutions and the imf just before midnight after weeks of wrangling. at

they rushed off to brussels where the brussels summit was delayed. we'll probably hear more from them later. right now the fullest information we have is from the russian president. if you prepare what he said with the comments with the ukrainian president, it does look as though there is an agreement for a cease-fire which is due to start from midnight of february the 14th to the 15th. there is an agreement for heavy weaponry to be pulled back from lines of control over the ukrainian forces on the one hand, where they are today, and the rebel forces the line they had agreed to last september, to create a demilitarized zone. >> bridgette kendall there for us live in moscow. let's talk to aaron now. he's here with the latest business news for us as usual. and you begin with another big european story today. greece, the bailout discussions going on. >> they do. they went on for about seven hours last night. and absolute nowhere, alice. here we are again, indeed. despite seven hours of crisis talks between the greek finance minister, and his counterpart

parents will have to submit a new economic reform program to brussels. avalanches have killed more than 120 people in afghanistan. >> and many more are thought to be buried under the snow. >> heavy winter snows have affected mountainous regions in the northeast of the country. disaster relief officials say more than 100 homes have been destroyed. power cables have also been damaged, cutting off our -- power too much of kabul. the austrian parliament has passed legislation restricting foreign funding of legislations. the rule also requires that imams be able to speak german. >> austria's interior minister says the measures are aimed at combating the rise of radical islam, many muslims say they are being single out and see the move as an attack on their religious freedom. >> some 250 muslims turned out to demonstrate in of austria's parliament. many belong to the network muslim civil society. it was set up last october to discuss the governing coalition 's plan for a new islam law. members feel that they are being discriminated against. they say that they

christine lagarde was speaking in brussels.he said the total finance package will be worth $40 billion. there will be an e.u. contribution. we'll bring you to top lines as the show progresses. a meeting in minsk over foreign policy. the ukraine. a meeting in brussels over debt for greece. talks between greece and their creditors went into the early hours of the morning as most people expected they would but they failed to solve their differences. kicking the can down the road, they will meet monday. they managed to strike an optimistic note. take a listen. >> an obviously positive one. it should reflect the very positive attitude of everyone around the table today. i was very impressed by the discussion. it was clear to me and my colleagues that the intention for everyone at the table was to find common ground and that to me is encouraging. >> any closer to issuing 8 billion in t bills? >> don't ask me. it is so late at night. >> it is a serious question. markets are wondering about it. will you the ability to fund your governm

brussels and the breakdown in brussels yesterday evening. stocks collapsed and there is bailout fatigue. seemingly no end in sight. thank you for joining us this morning. as we go towards the end of the month, what you consider the main issue to be after the collapse of talks yesterday. >> the mate issue that everybody recognizes is that the ball is in greece's court. the hope is that the greece authorities will have the insurance program. the first one has to do with the rhetoric of the greek government and no bail extension is to be accepted. the second issue in question is the main problem for me. it is facing serious time constraints. if no compromise is done this week, by the end of february, there will be a hard problem down the road. greece will face credit issues within march and, by the end of the month, a very much extension question whether they will want to stay in the euro or not. the commerce increased the chances to 50%. >> i look at the market and the stock exchange opens up lower at -4.5%. the big curb has been the banks on

let's talk about brussels.e ministers will reconvene for news talks aimed at financing greece and its competitors. the prime minister said he was competent of a favorable outcome from greece. signs of compromise said greece stocks high. the finance minister says there is a chance of an accord today. hans nichols has been monitoring developments, and he joins us from berlin. talking this morning, what else did he have to say? >> mr. sip then -- tsipan warned there was a huge danger for greece if it leaves the eurozone. he said the debt write-down would be a big mistake. he almost sounded german. here is what we are going to get from the greek side. they are facing a european front that is pretty united. mr. verify this -- mr. varafacas is likely to talk about how confident he is. he says, i am full of confidence. you are either thinking they are holding the feet to the fire or they could have more like worm because -- like worm because 61% say they support the -- more legroom because 61% say they support the tsi

our international correspondent is in brussels. hans, you have the greek prime minister saying he's optimistic. others are saying that germany is ready to watch its hands of the whole thing and send greece packing. what is really happening right now? is it even possible to know? >> no. because the meeting is just starting. the finance ministers are going in. what we have is a great deal of optimism. the question is -- will he be isolated in that optimism when he looks around the table and sees 18 other finance ministers? we have talked to a lot of them and it seems like the german position is dominating. that is -- greece needs to make a substantial reform and they need to stay in their bailout proposal. there has not been a whole lot of give on that. eric and stephanie, if you are hoping for a split between anglais margaret -- angela merkel in the finance minister that does not appear to be the case. she said that she wanted to see significant moves from greece. greece says that they have gone 4/5 of the way and they need germany

traveling back to brussels.german counterpart, wolfgang schaeuble, who will decide whether greece gets the money or not. this is what we've been talking about and this is something we will keep a close eye on. other top headlines. the u.s. in iraq are planning an offensive to retake iraq's second-largest city. the operation to gain control of mosul will require 5000 islamic troops. the campaign would mark the first test for iraqi forces since isis extremists swept across northern iraq. whenever working on -- lenovo working on a deal to let users uninstall software. lenovo admitted it was a mistake to have software included after coming under fire from angry owners. the firm has promised the fix will be open today. telecom italia slowed its pace of revenue declined last year and reported net debt that beat estimates. sales dropped in 2014. compared with a 9.1% decrease for 2013. samsung is the latest company to venture global payments after it acquired loop pay, pitting it against apple. here for more is jason an

the new prime minister has been holding talks in brussels. greece's finance minister described a meeting as crucial. he'll be meeting with germany finance minister in berlin on thursday. we have more from berlin. >> greece's new left-wing leadership's defensive meeting with finance ministers in brussels. now that he says that it has resulted in a humanitarian crisis in the country. what are they trying to sell? they want greece's major international lender, among the european communicationer the imf in washington, and help them restructure the debt burden, it's sovereign debt, which weighs heavily on the economy and for which greece must borrow. they want to swap sovereign debt bonds for so-called growth related bonds to convert the debt that they currently owe at fixed maturity rates in times to something that would only be repaid once greece returns to solid growth. they want the best of both worlds. >> now to the massive new trade deal being thrashed out between the united states and europe. it's supporters say it will herald in a new free

there is a meeting in brussels today so all the leaders are here. they could get together on the sidelines and we could have more development later today. >> thank you. hans nichols joining us from brussels. >> a reaction to the fallout in asia. let's go to the touchscreen with the latest on the euro. >> if you look, equity markets are remarkably sanguine. you will see quite a it to volatility. the dow jones is down by a third of 1% and the s&p down by nearly half a percent. volatility, some beautiful numbers -- a move in the stock exchange just under 4% since the low on the asc was made. these are some of the main names that we will be focused on today. these banks have issued quite a lot that they can use at the ecb, which is the only funder. hans werner was in this morning, introducing capital control. that is what is needed to stop deposits flowing out of the greek system. the euro had a mild dip. you can see that it moved a little bit lower. the talks broke up in the language of absurdity but the foreign exchange markets seem to be less than pe

officials in brussels. the election over a week ago had promises of reducing heavy debt. the greek finance minister is in frankfurt, germany and meetings are to show determination in slashing the debt. >> a group of british activists traveled to brussels to voice anger over a trade deal between the u.s. and europe. the deal is going through its latest round of negotiation this is week. we report from belgium's capital. >> the rolling hills of the west of england were you ever many places energy companies would like to frack for gas. people like louise fear the trade deal would render opposition to fracking completely powerless. >> if, for example local community and the local planning officer decided that they didn't want to have fracking within their location, and they turned down an application the companies could sue if they thought their profits were going to be damaged. >> dozens like louise took the train to brussels. people say it is a closed game changing deal between the united states and europe. >> from cigarette companies to health companies to all the way thro

go live to brussels. a meeting of the finance ministers.he austrian finance minister saying that the euros area finance ministers have agreed on a four-month extension of the a deal if greets meets conditions. let's go to brussels live. >> that changes in the agreement that will have to be worked out. there is a hope to reach in the and a positive outcome to have a successful review and conclusion of the program in time and that requires trust and i think tonight was a first up in this process of rebuilding trust. trust comes or quicker than it comes. tonight was a very important step in that process. i'm glad to report to that the work we have done over the last weeks has paid off. we have established common ground again to reach an agreement on the statement which will be distributed to you as i'm speaking. the statement outlines the details of our agreement. i will not read it all out, you can read it for yourself. i will outline the main elements. yesterday, as you know we received a request from the greek authorities for an extension o

the eurogroup finance ministers meet in brussels to discuss the greek bailout but go home early after athens ejects the proposals. >> gunfire instead of a cease-fire. outbreaks of fighting in eastern ukraine threatening peace deal. >> the people in copenhagen hold a vigil for the victims of this weekend's deadly rampage. >> it is over and it is over early. the face-off in brussels between greece and the euro zone's other finance ministers. >> the new greek government has said time and again that it will not accept any continuation of the indebted nations bailout terms. the proposal put forth was for athens to agree to extending its bailout by half a year and successfully conclude it. the greeks called the proposal irrational and unacceptable. the government was elected on promises to radically change the deal. gail in brussels for us. no deal again. are we getting closer or further away from an agreement? >> that is a really good question. i just came back from the european council. a very strange atmosphere, dare i say. it's a great -- greek government is still playing poker, they ar

philippa thomas in brussels for us.se, the cease-fire is due to come into effect on the 15th of february. you could argue all this started on the 20th of february last year, where more than 50 anti-government protesters were shot dead in kiev's square. it prompted moscow then to an next crimea and it sparked a separatist war in the east. at the time riot police were blamed for the death, but they were not the only ones shooting that day. the bbc witnessed those shootings has been back to investigate. >> these are the scenes that triggered the breakup of ukraine. scenes that have brought the world to the brink of a new cold war. unarmed protesters guns down in the street by the riot police who were retreating from kiev's square. by the end of the day, more than 60 people were dead including three policemen. ukraine's new leaders maintain that responsibility for the shooting lies entirely on security forces acting on behalf of the previous government. our investigation suggests that's not the whole picture. [ gunfire ] on

in some ways brussels and frankfurt are organized.ss you have a clear line out of brussels that the agreement and the bailout is over, i do not expect the ecb will go ahead of the eu. the ecb two weeks ago kind of forced greece's hand and they seemed to be talking in conjunction with the eu. the eu line is very much greece needs to stay in the bailout program. francine: hans nichols in brussels with the latest for what we are expecting from the greeks and the ecb later. guy: let's bring in behrenberg's economist. we seem to find ourselves in a situation where the greeks are requesting a loan extension. similar to a planned already rejected by, amongst others, wolfgang schaeuble. where are we in the process of finding a middle ground? it is clear that some exists but we need to get language right. >> it is more than just semantics. there are differences between the extension of a loan agreement and the extension of it bailout. they will consult with finance ministers to see if it is worth convening a meeting. there will be a meeting of

big meetings today in brussels between greece and their creditors.does it take to reach an agreement here? everybody was optimistic then germany rejected it. what is the story? >> it is quite an important day. grace's take it or leave it stance on germany's action of the greek proposal yesterday is mainly due to the fact that greece's proposal has quite a few contentions on the table. germany on the other hand sees the proposal as vague lacking in details, and open to interpretations. hopefully the cone ball -- the phone call between them yesterday shed some light on this and the greek proposal can serve not as a trojan horse but as a basis to find a solution today in the eurogroup meeting. a solution that will look behind the words and straight to the problem. fiscal targets have to be met. privatizations have to be pushed forward. serious reforms on the labor front have to be undertaken. otherwise, february 28 deadline is approaching and there is so much left for the greek banking system. jonathan: let's talk about the greek banking system. everybo

hans nichols joins me from brussels. we are already seeing headlines suggesting, you tell me. >> the headlines are confusing. one greek official here in brussels said they have a preliminary deal. they may have a deal. a few minutes after we heard from that first official, we heard from a second greek official saying the deal is not final yet. about 10 days ago the finance minister from greece thought he had a deal. he called up athens and he said he could not agree to the language and he had to pull the deal from the table. that was 10 days ago. we have a similar replay of that tonight? it took them two hours to actually get into the meeting. they were doing a lot of prep work. the deal is on the table and everyone is looking it over. i suspect -- if athens gets the go-ahead, we may have a deal tonight. there's a lot of hedges. one final point earlier alexis tsipras said if there is not a deal, he wants to have a eurogroup leader all the presidents back here in brussels on sunday. you have the weekend. they have this de

it will be in brussels. we will get those readings. >> are there also signs that greece will look to russia if they fail to make a deal in brussels? >> we have the defense minister, he is a part of the minority party, he says they've been contacted by russia and china and they look to them. at the same time, the foreign minister has meetings in russia today with his russian counterpart. it is opening up this prospect that greece has a plan b and that could mean getting some sort of bridge financing either from russia or in some accounts, china. francine? >> thank you so much, hans nichols and berlin. he will be covering that story and brussels today and tomorrow morning. french, german, and ukrainian leaders are meeting in belarus today to discuss ukraine. the ukrainian president has confirmed that he will be attending. chancellor merkel and president hollande month ago, according to officials. for more, let's bring in ryan chilcote. what are we expecting at the meeting? >> there's going to be a meeting. >>

we are going to brussels. greece's finance minister is in brussels.ndication he will have anything to do when he gets there. international correspondent hans nichols is back in brussels. what is happening? hans: right now we have to have all the finance ministers come together and see whether or not be greece proposal can be boiled down to the three or four sentences that german and that's it germany and an increasing number of countries are calling for, that they want to see greece stay in a bailout program and then they can talk about additional money. greece wants a loosening of their bailout program, but they still want access to funds whether it is ecb funds or more bailout funds. today looks like it will finally come to a head. we will see whether or not there can be any sort of agreement or fudging of positions. erik: hans, would you agree that what i just characterized as something of a bridge is what verify this is looking -- is what varoufakis is looking for? once it is over, i want something new, and you guys have to ease back at least on t

there are greek talks starting in brussels shortly.heard from the german finance minister, saying that he is very skeptical of a greek deal in brussels. plenty more after a short break. ♪ . >> welcome to "the pulse." i am francine lacqua. here on bloomberg's top headlines. japan's economy expanded less of an economist estimated. -- less event economists -- less ativan -- economists estimated. [indiscernible] greece's euro area lenders voiced skepticism. discussion fa to make sufficientiled progress. ; negotiations will continue in brussels. ukraine's truce with russia is at a risk of unraveling. the government of kiev and pro-russian separatists accuse each other of several violations. the town on the road that connects donetsk and the standoff near the town is emerging as the biggest threat. hsbc ceo is offering his apology about how the bankrupt customer evade taxes. they have no appetite to do business with clients who are evading their taxes. manus cranny joins us with the latest. does a very hot political potato. we are couple of

the scene will move to brussels. we will have the imf talking in brussels later on as well.oks as if we might be close to some arrangement. we will talk to ryan more about that later on. thank you very much. stay tuned to "countdown." we are on twitter of course. when we come back, we will be speaking about industrial businesses that could be heavily impacted by what we've seen in the oil price. fascinating conversation coming up. ♪ >> welcome back to "countdown." fourth-quarter earnings beat estimates from analysts this morning. the company is on track to achieve targets for 2015. joining us on the phone from amsterdam is the company's ceo. thank you for joining us. i wonder if we could get to the impact of lower oil prices on your business. how much is the weakness in the oil price helping? >> the weakness in the oil price will have an impact. the drop in oil price has been so apparent to everybody that the dynamics will need some time to unfold. customers have noticed certain oil price drops certain market segments for us, will show less activities. on the raw material si

they will head to brussels.y eu meeting has been pushed back so they can make it. >> we think, just looking at live pictures. they seem to be on their way out as well. >> one thing we can preclude we are unlikely to get more sanctions imposed against russia. what we were hearing from officials, there is a visible failure of the collapse of the top if the russian president verse out another is agreed upon , they are going to discuss imposing more sanctions. >> this comes from -- >> the does it meanwhile peacekeepers on the ground or does not mean that -- does it mean we will have peacekeepers on the ground or does it not mean that? >> they have people on the ground and will say where the fire is coming from and what is going on. they are there to observe and not peace keep. >> it is interesting to look at body language. merkel and hollande seems to be in a jovial mood. not a perfect a deal, but something that is pretty strong. >> everybody was concerned a complete collapse would be a calamity. if these talks yiel

greece's prime minister taking his charm offensive to brussels and frankfurt. >>> and casualties of war we talk with veterans who have been deported to mexico after serving with the u.s. army. >>> and thousands of patriots fans brave the freezing weather to to catch a glimpse of the super bowl champions. >> but first 25 people are dead and 17 are missing after a plane crash in taiwan. the aircraft went down shortly after take off and plunged into a river in taipei. >> in taiwan cars often have on board camera in case there is an accident but no one imagined recording one like this, a passenger plane cartwheeling out of the sky. it clips a taxi before plowing into the wall. the driver survived. but many on the flight didn't. it crashed into the river in suburban taipei. rescuers quickly realized the scale of the operation that confronted them. >> as you can see at the scene the head of the plane is in the water. right now we're asking the military to set up a makeshift bridge to get near the fuselage to carry out operations. >> the survivors included this young child but later it became

. >> greece's new leaders have been in brussels and frankfurt meeting minute officers from the european union. alexis tsapris has won the election on anti-austerity platform. he says that talks have been moving in the right direction. >> greece is new left-wing leadership is on a sort dual-prong offensive visiting the major institutions in the e.u. alexis tsipras in brussels, and the finance minister in. >> i had the opportunity to present to him our government's unwavering determination that it can't possibly be business as usual in greece, both in terms of the reforms that we need in order to end the affliction of the greek economy and society for many years. >> what are they selling to european leaders? well they're trying to convince these institutions, greece's international lenders to help restructure its debt burden. in which greece must borrow heavily. they want to mix debt with growth-related debt that would be repaid only once greece reaches solid growth. the country wants the best of bother world to ditch the bail out program and austerity of which greece has been able to bor

thank you from brussels. >> the ukrainian president called for u.n. peacekeepers to maintain a ceasefire. a truce was called but hasn't stopped fighting. poroshenko is particularly concerned about the town of debaltseve which ukrainian troops with draw from on wednesday. >> i'd like to add that the situation is getting more exacerbated, because with the support of the russian army, militants virtually wiped out debaltseve from the surface of the earth and now debaltseve reminds me of the moon landscape. >> paul brennan sends us this from the stronghold of donetsk. >> the shell that caused this crater arrived at 11:00 p.m. thursday night. that's almost to the hour exactly five days after the minsk ceasefire deal supposedly came into force. this is northern donetsk. the shell sprayed the side of this residential block with shrapnel metal. there is as smear of blood on the doorstep. it is mercifully not human, it was a dog caught in the blast. it's not the first time that this particular block has been hilt by a shell. it's happened before. it probably w

hans nichols in brussels.alking to the greek finance minister varoufakis. what is he saying? >> his logic is that it is illogical for greece to accept and stay in this program in any way because they were elected on a mandate to leave that very program. that is why they call that absurd, illogical. even with that talk, he did seem more confident than his counterparts on the other side of the negotiation. mr. varoufakis made it very clear he is going to continue to negotiate. >> we have been saying steadfastly from the very beginning that we want an honorable settlement. we want to wed together these principles. the principle that we need to be respected and the principle that we has a government want to challenge this program. it is not a bluff. it is the only option you have. it is plan a. there is no plan b. >> what mr. varoufakis said was that he was presented at a document at the beginnings of these meetings and he could have signed that on the spot but then that was withdrawn after the dutch finance minis

. >> finance ministers meet in brussels ahead of them -- meet in brussels today.head of the meeting he says there is no way forward yet. >> there is no plan on the table. the commission wants to enter the debate tomorrow with a plan. with the way forward. the president will not have a plan. we must together, with a plan for greece and the eurozone, and we will see what are the technical issues that have to be dealt with. first of all, we have got to talk to each other. that is what was lacking until now. >> hans nichols has been following the story from germany. good morning to you. what we expect to see coming out of brussels today? >> what will get is the formal presentation from finance minister. rhetorically, neither side is budging. during the no-confidence vote he said there is no going back. the line from the germans seems almost as resolute. he said it is over if greece does not ask for its final. >> we won't negotiate a new program tomorrow. we completed the program tediously. i can remember precisely it was the end of 2012, and actually this program shou

. >> defiance from the greek government ahead of emergency talks in brussels. the finance minister says athens cannot pay back it's debt in the future sending the three year yield above 10% and banking stocks lower. >> hopes of a deal appear slims with european officials admitting it's unlukely rebels will give up recent gains in the region. >> investors give sky the red card. shares tumble after it pays 4.2 billion pounds to show premiere league football but bt hits the back of the net with it's own deal. >> nicely done. heineken shares higher but they may lose fiz this year amid demand in markets. >> we are still battling with our programs. they will be addressed in the long hall. battling against weak demographics in europe. countries are recovering. >> you're watching worldwide exchange. bringing you business news from around the globe. >> let's have a quick look at where the greek bond yields are trading. the two year not the three year, has kbon above 20%. that's at 20.2% with the three year at 18.2%. banking stocks are sharply lower and the athens index

that will be alexis stipras in brussels. there still does seem to be considerable distance between the greek position and the german position. those are the powerful players that the greeks need to win over. if you're looking for any signs of optimism, all we can say is that it is in nobody's interest that greece leaves the eurozone. it's not in the interest of the rest of europe, and it's not in the interest of people here in greece. >> thank you very much. barnaby phillips in the greek capitol. coming up after the break the police in egypt arrest 21 football fans following a deadly stampede in a stadium in cairo. >>> and looking at things to come in the capitol of ethiopia. and in sport extreme competitors in one of the world's toughest races. get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. a global perspective wherever you are. the major headlines in context. mashable says... you'll never miss the latest news >> they will continue looking for survivors... >> the potential for energy production is huge... >> no noi

. >> is a bromance brewing in brussels? he received a warm welcome from the european president amist word he will try to convince him to try to increase the country's bailout. >> you're watching worldwide exchange. bringing you business news from around the globe. >> and we're just getting the euro zone composite pmi for january. this is 52.7. it was forecast at 52.3. this follows the numbers. the competition pmi was 52.6. we had in the last 15 minutes or so data as well. italy beat france beat and germany slightly below expectations. the euro dollar off session lows 1.146. >> the overall euro zone private sector growing at the fastest pace in six months in january. firms slashing their rate. january services pmi at 52.1. the euro dollar trading at 1.14. interesting to see the reverse trade over the past couplel of months. alexis is at the moment meeting with commissioner president. the financial times is reporting he will ask him for a technical extension of the country's current bailout. we'll have all the details at 9:30

joining us now is julia live in brussels with all the news.julia. >> we're counting down to wednesday evening. that was the deadline for the greeks to say come back with a better problem. what we heard last night was the greeks accepting an extension to the bailout program. they're offering a six month extension to the program but they have to continue to abide by the conditions and have to abide by the reforms they promised to achieve. they said there would be flexibility but we don't know what it involves. on the other hand we have a four month extension. they said look we won't spend any money that we promised our greek people. we'll wait and see what we can negotiate further forward. we'll continue to pay our creditors surely somewhere in the midst of that is a compromise but not a lot of optimism as far as guests we have been talking to this morning or conversations i have been having but i spoke to the president of the euro group and i said this is it now. the ball in greece's court and we're waiting for them to come back with a deal per

a lot going on out of brussels.en buffett is facing criticism from analysts who cover berkshire hathaway over the company's financial disclosure. the financial times interviewed five of the six analysts who noted the difficulty in modelling the results based on the quarterly filings. buffett is dismissing the criticism. he said that berkshire communicates all relevant information. >>> yeah. coming up. >> more to come on show. we'll talk about u.s. markets and the consumer discretionary sector. more on u.s. markets coming up after the break. the future of the market is never clear. but at t. rowe price we can help guide your retirement savings. our experience is one reason 100% of our retirement funds beat their 10-year lipper averages. so wherever your long-term goals take you we can help you feel confident. request a prospectus or summary prospectus with investment information, risks, fees and expenses to read and consider carefully before investing. call us or your advisor. t. rowe price. invest with confidence. >

we put that to our brussels euro chief. >> the greek government will send that list. nobody i talked to was worried about that. that's why they are exchanging documents and e-mails and telephone calls to make sure this final version everyone is expecting actually contains what is necessary and what is necessary is a list of reforms that goes beyond promises, where they find hard facts something institutions believe will make a difference and at the same time is feasible. the people i have talked to believe this can be done with the guidance of the institutions and it is in the interest of everyone to come up with something like that because it will give everyone a little more time to come up with a master plan. >> with the greek government walking a tightrope between satisfying euro legion creditors and delivering on anti-austerity election promises, investors seem to think a crisis would be averted and the hope for a deal led to a surge of stocks today. >> while waiting for the greek proposals, investors in frankfurt have been very optimistic that it will come to a s

the prime minister uncan any understanding of the way brussels works.aid there needs to be a win-win solution as far as the greek negotiations are concern. he's right. how can all sides come out looking like they scored a victory. there's strong incentives on all sides to keep the negotiations going to be able to make some kind of comprise. and that's what it's looking like now. the more people i speak to the less indication there is that we're going to reach a deal today. there was already talk in the greek press this weekend perhaps we might need a further group on friday. i think in the short term this will favor greece. the clock is ticking on the timing. they're ability to ask for some kind of extension of a bailout program even if they don't want to. in the longer term then they favor stocks to shift back to the euro group when the clock starts ticking as far as finance concerns. that comes toward the end of the bailout deal on february 28th. what we heard over the weekend is the discussions were continuing. trying to thrash some kind of comprise

brussels is in focus. hans nichols will make it his way over today. what do we expect?is pretty low going into the meeting. >> the bar is low and the deadline is ticking. the interview this morning, they asked him how long he had and made a joke that it is not a leap year. there is not a lot of optimism about the prospects for a deal. all the finance minister -- all the finance ministers seem negative and there were harsh comments about the new greek government haven irresponsibly. the french minister had a warning about negative consequences if they did not come to some sort of agreement. the meeting starts at 2:00 and we start trying to get a readout in real time and find out what they put on it after they find it all out. >> i want to get to germany. the afd turned up and gave support in the parliament. what is the significance of that? >> it looks like it will come in and allow them to enter parliament. merkel did not contest the election. she has been is he with greece and her personal credibility is not on the line. it does signify something. it is going to be in

brussels, we have a bargain. greece reaches a deal to extend the bailout. there are strings attached. monopoly has had players lying property and going to jail. this new game is also full of intrigue and questionable moves. welcome to our viewers on public television here in america and around the globe. seven days of mourning have been declared in libya after one of the deadliest attacks once the toppling of muammar gaddafi. dozens were injured when multiple car bombs were detonated. the last took place in the city. 21 injections were murdered. a move that prompted egypt to launch airstrikes. condolences to your country. what would you like the international community to do now to try to help libya which is affected by more violence. >> there is a rising threat by isis but recently we had attacks in tripoli against a hotel and then we had this beheading, this horrible beheading of the 21 egyptian christians this past sunday and this horrendous attack of this morning. we are grieved in libya. we are feeling a sense of urgency. >> you would like the u.n. to

>> a meeting in minsk would be on wednesday and another in brussels on thursday.still don't have firm confirmation from merkel's government on whether or not she does indeed plan to travel to minsk. last week, she went to kiev and on to moscow, that didn't yield a lot. one thing to note if, these negotiations fail, it may be a predicated -- it may increase merkel's strength or negotiating position in brussels to increase sanctions. we'll see whether or not she goes to minsk or comes back with an agreement and ultimately what is going to happen on thursday in brussels. guy? guy: busy week. thank you. hans nichols joining us from berlin. let me give you a heads up on something else that is coming up. we were speaking with the shadow business secretary. later on we'll speak with ed balls. he will be speaking to the british chamber of commerce as well. he'll be joining the program from there. we'll stay on air a little bit longer to take that. we're also going to be taking the prime minister's speech and the q & a that follows it. all of that coming up. we'll take a b

. >> for the latest, let's pull in our correspondent in brussels and our correspondent in greece. max, let's start with you. finance ministers are still locked in talks, but as we've heard, there have been some hopeful signs. tell us more. >> absolutely. we have confirmation from the greek side and also from the german side that there's a deal on the table, and finance ministers are just talking about the final wording. we have to be careful because we were at this stage a couple of days ago already, and when everybody thought the deal was done actually, there was a call made to athens as it was described by the greek finance minister and they called the whole thing off. this time, it seems to be different because apparently the greek prime minister is a form to bet -- informed about the deal. the head of the eurogroup said, "this is what we can do. this is what you'll get," and apparently there is agreement. >> we have to be careful. we have not seen the details of what this agreement could entail but a sign of agreement for athens? >> i think it is very early to make any kind of

brussels and that your role finance or have the final say.ject the proposal. >> thank you so much. hans nichols. we have spain a waiting on the greek debate. >> taking a hard line. over to madrid. charles, we understand that -- took a fairly hard line. take us through that. >> and that is right. we are characterizing as the enforcer for this tough line with the greeks. there was a very clear reason behind the government's tough stance on greece and it is really the fact that the anti-austerity part two is riding high in the polls and his government doesn't want to give too much comfort. >> would you say that de guindos is taking on the enforcer role with greece? >> yes, i think so. what is at stake for the spanish to government is the fact they do not want -- to be given an easy ride and their allies the party integrates to be seen to be having it easy. how would play into the hands of the anti-austerity party which is based on opinion polls is the party with the most electrical support in spain. >> charles penty. >> today's titter question -

we'll find out tomorrow at that meeting in brussels. >> mark thank you very much. we are going to watch that closely here on bbc world. let's get a bit of analysis on this with aaron who's there for us. aaron, the way mark said it that this is maybe enough of a face-saving measure for the greek government. what do you think that means? >> i think this also suggests we've been waiting. we've been waiting. the euro group gave athens, the new government to this friday tomorrow, to put an extension on to ask a formal request. but i think this suggests greece blinked first. we may have some watered down austerity, but it's still going to have to come with something. because both sides have something to lose. and it's all in the statement that we'll see being released -- get released or released after this euro group meeting tomorrow. because athens alexis tsipras, the greek prime minister he's to save face as you were mentioning, to the voters. and of course for the euro group, europe didn't want to set a precedent. it couldn't afford to give greece too much slack, beca