afo communications. >> ambassador, the czech republic is landlocked. it, the country so people can visualize it on the map, the border countries. >> the longest border of ours is with germany. we basically sort of a triangle that comes into the belly of germany, so we border with bavaria on the south and with saxony on the north. on the north border, quite a long border is on poland and on the eastern, we border with slovakia, which i said used to be one country before. and then you have austria on the south. >> the population of the czech republic now is how much? >> 10 million and the slovaks' have 5 million. it used to be a 15 million nation and it split 2 to 1. >> the capital is prague, which i understand is one of the most beautiful cities in the absolute world. >> that is correct. >> and a great tourist attraction, i would say. if you put all the czech people together, all of those of czech background, what are the characteristics of the culture and the people? >> it is difficult to ask an ambassador, of course. it is like, if i say something, it

we are talking to the ambassador from the czech republic. possible by the national education association, the nation's largest advocate for children and public education. the american federation of teachers, a union of professionals. the singapore tourism board. there is something for everyone. singapore airlines. a great way to fly. poongsan corporation, forging a higher global standard. the rotondaro family trust. the ctc foundation. afo communications. >> ambassador, the czech republic is landlocked. it, the country so people can visualize it on the map, the border countries. >> the longest border of ours is with germany. we basically sort of a triangle that comes into the belly of germany, so we border with bavaria on the south and with saxony on the north. on the north border, quite a long border is on poland and on the eastern, we border with slovakia, which i said used to be one country before. and then you have austria on the south. >> the population of the czech republic now is how much? >> 10 million and the slovaks' have 5 million

in the czech republic, where the death penalty was banned in 1990, there are only 35 lifers. otto bitterman is one of the most infamous. >> translator: i was sentenced to life in prison for committing five murders. >> he was a notorious criminal. his case was very notorious. but to me, he was actually a very pleasant person to deal with. he was very polite. very walk. mild mannered. he was actually just a very affable guy. >> bitterman led a small gang that robbed and killed at least four men and one woman over a three-year span. >> translator: it actually started when i got into a certain gang of friends with whom i had common interests, as far as weapons and drinking alcohol and having parties. and for things like that, of course, you need money. and, of course, as a kung kid i didn't feel like working, but on the other hand i wanted to have money. >> how many people you the personally murder, otto? >> myself personally, i actually killed three people. but i participated in all five of the murders. >> bitterman buried one of the victims in his own backyard. >> translator: i

and the czech republic refused to join. >> making a tree outside the eu. obviously, they wanted to do it inside the eu, which is why they are already talking about bringing it back inside the e.u.. we are not industry. we are not part of it. we do not have to ratify it or take it to the british parliament. that is what the vetoes secures. >> this was a victory for germany's chancellor angela merkel, who has been determined that the euro zone countries sign up for balanced budgets. gavin hewitt, bbc news, brussels. >> the fall of syrian president bashir ocelot -- bashar al assad is evident. according to the secretary. violence is only growing. the bbc's bridget kendall reports. >> the sound of gunfire echoing through a residential area. maybe not yet civil war in syria, but the battle has reached the outskirts of damascus. government tanks and other heavy weaponry reasserted control over areas that had been in the hands of the opposition, like this street in one suburb. according to this unverified footage, now littered with debris. the contrast with last w

nations signed up for stricter death rules while the czech republic joins the u.k. in rejecting the much hyped proposal. coming up next here in our team we sit down with m a p martin callanan from the u.k. conservative party to learn more about where the fallout of the year's first block summit will be felt. today we're joined by martin. the u.k. conservative party and he's also the new head of the european conservatives and a reformist group at the european parliament thanks very much for joining us today the first question is the e.u. has now imposed a block wide oil embargo on iran is this part of president sanctions on the country over its controversial nuclear program statement british prime minister david cameron along with french president. said that quote our message is clear we have no quarrel with the iranian people but the leadership has failed to restore international confidence in the exclusively peaceful nature of its nuclear program now at what cost to the european union is this message being delivered. you have agreed that we are not going to buy any

they have now been joined by the czech republic, which has a strong streak of euro skepticism.ke a step back from that of germany has achieved what it set out to. most all countries in the eurozone and most countries in the european union will now be signing up to this compact, which sets strict rules on the way you manage your budget. >> briefly, in terms of the long-term health of the eurozone, how critical will this summit be -- and the signing of this treaty be? >> i suspect this may be one of the more forgettable summits, frankly. there are already those who say that this treaty is really rather irrelevant to the survival of the eurozone. for example, along the french socialist camp, they have the front-runner who has said he would renegotiate. >> ok. thank you. much for joining us -- thank you very much for joining us. one of the striking images from libya was the image of people looting the halls of the gaddafi home. we have gone back to the compound. with the gaddafi's don, others are now trying to call it home -- gaddafi's gone, others are now trying to call it home. >

and the czech republic refused to join. >> outside the eu. obviously, they would prefer to have it inside the eu, which is why they are already trying to talk about bringing it back inside the e.u.. we are not part of it. we are not bound by it. we do not have to ratify it. we do not take it with the british parliament. >> the agreement is a victory for germany's chancellor angela merkel, who has been determined that the euro zone countries sign up to balance budgets. bbc news, brussels. >> well, amid the economic gloom coming out of europe and much of the rest of the world right now, there is another success. africa. their growth is expected to hit 6% this year, and there is oil- rich nigeria. there are claims of widespread corruption. can this west african giant continue to shoulder such a berm approved a report from the commercial capital. >> it is not pretty, but it is booming. welcome to the best comic chaotic part of africa's economic rise. and meet an entrepreneur and a member of the growing middle class. >> the level of infrastructure

only britain and the czech republic refused to back the new pact. they agreed to launch a permanent bailout fund in july, one year earlier than planned. eu leaders urged greece to continue negotiations private bondholders to restructure its debt. if no deal is reached, greece could default. the proposal was met with strong opposition. >>> switching gears, here in japan, recent jobs data showed unemployment rate in december worsened from the previous month. the internal affairs ministry says the seasonally adjusted jobless rate 4.6%, up 0.1 percentage point from november. the number of unemployed 2.75 million, while people with jobs stood at a little over 62 million. separately, the labor ministry says job availability in december rose. there were 71 positions available for every 100 job seekers. the labor ministry says the job market is showing signs of improvement, but it calls for a close watch over the effects of the strong yen on unemployment. >>> over on wall street, the markets closed slightly lower, recovering earlier losses on some bargain h

general elections in the czech republic.s quite a highly politically charged atmosphere. >> and it's about to become even more heated. the deputy prime minister takes the stand at a conference and strikes his health minister. >> seemed like a conventional boring speech, and then excitement. >> no one knew it was going to happen. i think it really did come out of the blue. >> and no one is more stunned than the abused health minister. >> at first it seemed like the victim here was going to be above it all and show some dignity and take his slap on the head and leave. >> he's obviously stopped by an adviser. presumably he said, you can't just let him get away with it, get back in there, and the audience loves that. >> you empowered me from behind, why didn't you face me like a man? you're a coward, he says. >> there's a real punch-and-judy aspect to it. >> i think this guy was trying to talk his way out of it and got beaten up more. >> but what could have sparked such a public display of anger? there could only be one answer.

twenty five out of twenty seven nations agreed to a strict budget discipline but britain and the czech republic refused to sign the document that imposes sanctions on members breaching budget rules some analysts who move brings europe a step closer to a fiscal union but also from the to be capital says the new rules will be hard to follow. it's true implications naturally not all countries will be able to adapt and be within the be within the limits and inevitably wever start pain penalties and would prefer to to get out of the euro so there's not been need as many countries using this current issue which is not particularly great for intra europe trade and the second thing is it will gradually see more rifts between the european nations and maybe all together who. will become a currency for only the strongest will survive. i love check out the markets oil first and it's gaining value us traders get the message that greece is closer to the final stage of the talks with bondholders that brings hope the e.u. crisis might soon be resolved which in turn increases the risk for out of the appetite fo

nations agreed to a stricter budget discipline but britain and the czech republic refused to sign the document that imposes sanctions on members breaching budget rules some analysts hope the move brings europe a step closer to a fiscal union but i let such calls so for me to be capital says the new rules will be pretty hard to fall. i think there's two implications naturally not all countries will be able to adopt a verse and be within the within the limits and inevitably wever start pain penalties and would prefer to to get out of the euro so there's not be as many countries using this current solution which is particularly great for europe trade and the second thing is it will gradually see more rifts between the european nations and maybe all to give a view will all become a currency for only the strongest will survive. time now to check out the markets oil first states gaining value as traders get the message that greece is closer to the final stage of the talks with bondholders that brings hope the e.u. crisis might soon be resolved which it turned then creases the appetite for r

five even nations agreed to a new treaty making it a sanctionable crime to use deficit while the czech republic joined the u.k. in rejecting the much hyped proposal. and the philippines finds itself in the middle of a power struggle between two global giants turning the battle of wills to its advantage. and to corporate protesters from the occupy wall street movement in washington are gearing up for tough police action they have passed a deadline set up by local authorities to remove camping equipment from the city squares but wall discovered the activists are remaining loyal to the cause. so we are here at macpherson square where protesters have been occupying the park since october throughout the demonstration about one hundred tents have been pitched here the national park service has repeatedly slapped these notices on tents here at macpherson square informing protesters that they can no longer camp out here that means they have to get rid of sleeping bags and any other material which allows them to live here protesters are responding by painting that symbol on the notice which demonstrates

plus a bittersweet victory for the euro twenty five nations sign up for stricter rules while the czech republic joins the u.k. jesting much higher proposal. a.t.m. the russian capital you're watching r t i'm marina joshua welcome to the program the battle over syria shifts to the un security council in new york as its members are set to negotiate a new resolution on syria backing the arab league's peace plan moscow has slammed the document already saying the current text may open the door for a levy a style intervention. explains. the united nations security council will hear a report from the arab league today detailing findings from its recent monitoring mission in syria this of course coming as an arab european drafted resolution on syria is already circulating among council members the draft was introduced by morocco on friday and calls in part syrian president bashar al assad to transfer powers his powers to his deputy while a unity government is formed in preparation for new elections now according to reports this draft resolution also says the security council could quote adopt further m

we shot in the czech republic in an abandoned russian air base. the whole for like two mile space all you saw was like vintage 1943 military air base. it is what we recreated and they put these kids through training, eight days of hard intense training and sleeping in the snow and then finally put them in the planes and when you have a professional pilot take you up as an actor he has to show you his skills. a lot of throwing up in them planes. >> mike: are you admitting there was a little bit of upchucking going on? in there was as lot of upchucking. >> mike: most people don't want to admit that. you realize you have no future in politics if you are that honest. >> i got sick a couple of times. >> mike: you played a lot of roles in which you played real people. my favorite film that i think you have done up until now was men of honor the phenomenal story of karl brasheers. and the tuskegee air men, so much the story. is it harder tore play a role when the story is true? >> well, the word isn't harder. you have to be more focused. you have to find

only britain and the czech republic did not agree. >> we recognize financial stability is not enough to get out of the economic crisis. we must do more in particular on economic growth. >> the eu leaders urged greece to conclude negotiations with private bond holders to restructure debt. if no deal is met, greece to default. the proposal met with a strong opposition. that wraps up this edition of "newsline." i'm catherine kobayashi in tokyo. do stay with us. >> california's gold is produced

. >>> real life snow dogs hit the trail in the czech republic. almost 100 teams from eight countries are competing in the 16th annual dog sled race, considered to be the toughest in europe. they'll have to overcome 149 miles of deep snow and freezing temperatures in just four days. mushers must also spend one night sleeping in the snow. that must be the toughest. >>> finally in new york city, the westminster kennel club dog show is getting more crowded. that's because the show will welcome six new breeds to the competition. among the new faces will be american english coonhound and the terrier. the newbies gathered for a press conference before the big event this february. looks a little different from their backyard, i'm sure. >> there's so many new breeds of dogs too. there's labradoodles and all these combined -- >> those are supposed to be very popular. >>> well, it is time for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. marking the 67th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp where the na

. >> germany and the czech republic have taken a similar stance as has venezuela, but the medical advice here where 40,000 women are affected is there's no need for implants to be removed, only those causing pain such as tenderness. and he claims despite the high ruptture rate his implants are safe other than the ruptturing. >> and at the center of a security scare. julia gill yard was handing out meddles when protesters gathered outside and started to bang on windows. they were rescued by security services after about 20 minutes. we had the latest from sydney. >> two were rescued after a scrum to get them to safety. they were at an awards ceremony. and the aboriginal people got wind of them being in this restaurant. they went over. about 200 of them. they started to bang on the window and then security people and miss gill yard's bodyguards thought it was getting sketchy, mrs. gillard was gabbed by her bodyguard literally raking her across the ground and at one point she nearly hit the ground and lost her footing in some high heels. the opposition leader tony abbott is following on behi

russian victoria azarenka hit a forehand whatever to brush aside if that's the mission of the czech republic six two six two as the number three seed enjoyed yet another big mystery victory. and waiting in the quarterfinals is number eight seed going to advance across the pole needed less than an hour to overpower germany's they're very good six one six one the twenty two year old really confident after enduring the said battle in the match. finally on to ice hockey and thousands of fans flooded to the last capital of a regatta over the weekend so watch the east remain unbeaten against the west in the fourth cage shell all star extravaganza rather more than on reports. let in how keep fence written out for the stars on surly it was their turn to meet the biggest jones europe strongest league has to offer at the cape all star game twenty twelve with one of the greatest russian players of all time sergei further of living the peak of the eastern conference and the pride of lebanon hockey send this as a lynch captaining the best from the west that is why for the first time in the history of the

. >> the husband of the ukrainian prime minister has requested political asylum in the czech republic. it is believed made his request at the end of last year when in october, his wife was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of office. the french president nicolas sarkozy insists his country will go ahead with a new tax on financial transactions following talks of the italian prime minister in paris on friday. sarkozy announced he wants the tax enforced by the end of the year and is willing to do so unilaterally if necessary. the government of chile have suggested indigenous activist or responsible for a forest fire that killed seven firefighters. activist accused the government of taking advantage of the disaster to criminalize their movement. aircraft engineers and australia -- to be grounded. >> of been discovered in some of the aircraft wings found on planes operated by qantas and singapore airlines. airbus insist their planes are safe. >> the giant of the sky, an imposing sight. there are some concerns about its safety. more cracks have been found. aircraft engineers and

the czech republic has granted political asylum to the husband of the former ukrainian prime minister who was jailed last year for abuse of office. a lawyer s said alexander, in te pictures coming up here, had asked for asylum because the government in kiev have launched a criminal probe against him in order to pressure her. both the eu and united states saher conviction was politically motivated. turkish police have arrested a former head of the military in connection with an alleged plot to destabilize the government. the general is being held after several hourss of questioning st night. prosecutors allege that he was part of a plot by t military to fund and internet campaign aimed at discrediting the government have the time the -- the government of the prime minister. several suspects includiding havelready been charged in the case. it is one of the oldest acquires in the world, and no doubt, johann sebastian bach' would be proud he was once director -- it is one of the oldest choirs in the world. this year, it tends 800 years old and is planning a party that will last all year.

lanka pulled out of a leg injury to set down a good second seed that they could to get to the czech republicthe wimbledon champion is looking for her second major title and the chance to meet for caroline wozniacki at the top of the world rankings. when i played the first five games. from. our last match when i played. i have but how i played today and hopefully it will be continue. well standing in the way next is what while the one hour event of each the serbian needed just over an hour or two out missing american banking six three six four she aims to return to the straight and final for the first time since two thousand and eight. going to be very tough one i mean tired she is definitely playing. she is one of the heart this moment then it's going to be great for me in both. really. are there and draw my best in her and you know in the bathroom play will win all over on the man inside reigning champion novak djokovic powered past nicolette move the top right exactly six six one six one victory in just over an hour french study looking . taking his situation right now in matter but lookin

czech republic, germany, 140 kilometer an hour winds forecast. uk and belgium, 110. that's really some very dangerous -- the dangerous looking conditions here across much of the continent. lingering system in the central mediterranean as well. nothing much going on though in the iberian peninsula. look at that temperature in lisbon, 16 degrees. i leave you now with your extended forecast. >>> that's our broadcast for this hour on "newsline." i'm michio kijima in tokyo. thank you for watching. bye-bye

sixteenth denmark while the bourne carried out the outfield leads the women's fields ahead of the czech republic's transcripts of up and victoria as a rank of better routes followed by chirac of one the time in two thousand days vera zvonareva is russia's second highest ranked woman in seven the knowledge who created history at melbourne park last year by becoming the first chinese woman to reach a grand slam final seeded while defending champion killed clijsters of belgium twelve and russia's anastasio public cenk about his sixty thousand over in the men's draw world number one novak djokovic is the top seed head of rafael nadal and roger federer andy murray who has been the runner up for the past two years received for the draw for the tournament will take place in melbourne on thursday january twelfth. last people now and five players recorded double digit scores as moscow region side him key thrashed a lot of in team vs by seventy seven points to fifty four to stay top of the d.t.p. league which reports. are coming up. two straight defeats tim key would turn in to get two thousand and twelve b

needed only two sets to advance into the next round by between let's say our desk of the czech republic is the world number seven place competitive to my kind of a next who knocked out. six two seven five the trouble though failed to join host team mates in round three i should also see that saw irani fatally. so i think fifteenth seed to change the last two viking all the years say five seven six six three. for. her also needed all three sets to bait car as far as navarro of spain while maria kirilenko sent canadian alexandre packing six four one six six two is currently taking on american stevens. in the men's game there are no more russians left after the last representative remaining on the courts of melbourne and it's become all of lost in the second round frenchman michel a drug defeated him in five sets nine seeds qualify for the next round by beating local james duckworth for number one and top seed novak djokovic dominated drought of colombia claimed a straight said six three six two six one victory. made it into the third round by seeing off the top of france. russian side. an

russia maria kirilenko pulled out with a leg injury to set down that second seed to that of the czech republicthe wimbledon champion is looking for her second major title and the chance to leapfrog caroline wozniacki at the top of the world rankings. when i played the first five games. from. our last megalo play. i have but how i played today and hopefully it will be continue. well standing in the way next is what world number one ana event of each the serbian needed just over an hour or two out missing american banking six three six four sharing three turns to spare you the final for the first time since two thousand and eight. going to be a very tough one i mean by just definitely playing. she is one of the heart this boost of the moment then it's going to be great for me and bode. really had to go our dear and draw my best of her and you know the bathroom. wall over on the man inside reigning champion novak djokovic powered past nicolette move the top notch to a six six one six one victory in just over an hour french studies looking. well taking his situation in matter but looking just over

britain and the czech republic were the only eu members to reject the plan. >>> more trouble for mortgagefreddie mac. according to report by npr and pro publica. the back lender is spending millions of dollars betting against homeowners. the investigation suggests freddie mac is making sure lenders have enough money to loan home buyers, but that the agency's investment arm is betting homeowners won't be able to refinance their mortgages at lower rates. >> the senate has taken the first step toward approving the stock act. 93 senators voted to proceed to debate on the bill, which prohibits congress using insiders information for stock purchases. the legislation picked it up after a report on "60 minutes" showed how members of congress were allowed to make stock deals that would have been illegal for anyone else. >>> and, finally, replacing a water-damaged cell phone can be expensive, but now a california company is introducing a spray that will waterproof your phone, protecting it if you spill a drink on your phone, or if you even drop it in the toilet. betty, in that case, i think i might

had no problems against bars a couple of the czech republic russian needed two sets to claim a seven six six one victory. failed to book a place in the second round after a straight sets defeat to second seed better create a. verizon arrow is currently again. about to start opening match against. eighteen seed. is ready to take on. south africa another russian. action on the second day of the competition she's up against stephanie do come into . the men's game. set up against the. bear. facing tough opposition in the form of untreatable work from kazakhstan of the russian examination plays suspended. and earlier world number two rough on adult overcame a knee injury to advance into the second round of the australian open the spaniard sealed the deal with his ninth a spec eight american qualifier an excuse and six four six one six one was the final score their journalist tom house is up next for him. and roger federer resolve their pretoria disagreement about the tennis calendar after their third seed cruised past russian qualifier i looked under the draft i. things were. fine between

make the czech republic and choose day in the knockout stages . now the man who guided the all blacks rugby team to world cup glory has been country's new year's almost list graham henry led new zealand to their first world cup title in twenty four years last october the noro eight seven win over france in the final sixteen year old former school teacher. served graham henry. a former players and coaches to receive new zealand's highest honor the all blacks captain richie mccaw was also approached by prime minister john key but he had done stating he was too young thirty to receive such an act that henry was delighted with his own. feel very humble about. what people have. come from and. respect for them. but i wouldn't be recalled. and let's finish up by taking a look back at one of the most exhilarating events of twenty eleven the rachelle laid off the cliff diving world championships gary hunt may have won the. experience all those deserve a pat on the block. anticipation. dearie. freedom. we still believe but we should see it in. dealing with

of the czech republic the world number seven place compared to the heart of the next. six to seven five. fail to join the team mates in round three as she looks to seeded sorry ron it will be to the. house so i think fifteenth seed. a lot to. say five seven six three six four well number two particular also needed all three to beat them are off spain america langkow sans canadian alexander was not packing six one six six two. was a straight sets win against american sloane stephens. on the men's side world number one and top seed novak djokovic dominated. claimed a straight sets six three six two six one win this place is french clinical next. fourth seed and made it into the third round by. france two time australian open final is six one six four six four victory. there are no more russians left after the last representative remaining. to become all of lost in the second round frenchman michelle the draw defeated him in five sets not. qualifying for the next round by beating local hope james duckworth for. over two basketball nowhere birth russian side or next had en

the end of the third period before a punter named meets goal other than the victory make the czech republic and choose the in the knockout stages. now the man who guided the all blacks rugby team to world cup glory has been knighted in his country's new years on this list graham henry led new zealand to their first world cup title in twenty four years last october the noro eight seven win over france in the final and a sixteen year old former school teacher can now call them self serve graham henry is the latest in a handful of former players and coaches to receive new zealand's highest honor the all blacks captain richie mccall was also approached by prime minister john key but he turned the night to darren stating he was too young thirty to receive such an act that henry was delighted with his own. daughters. feel very humble about bats and as i say it's a reflection on what people have done every time. and i appreciate where it's come from and. got a lot of respect for them. but i wouldn't be asked to be called. and let's finish up by taking a look back at one of the most exhilarating ev

husband of jailed with ukrainian politicians yulia tymoshenko has requested political asylum in the czech republicalexander tymoshenko made the request at the end of last year. in october, his wife, the former prime minister, was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of office. six firefighters died battling a blaze in southern chile. over the past week, multiple forest fires have ravaged large areas of central and southern chile. the president says some appear to have been started deliberately. after a decade when american politics has been defined by the country's involvement in texas wars -- in afghanistan and iraq -- president obama signaled a major shift in strategy for the world's main superpower, with cuts of about half a trillion dollars over the next decade. details are to come, but it looks like a 10% to 15% reduction in the size of the army and marines. operations will focus on the asia-pacific region rather than europe, to counter the growing threat of china. the u.s. will only be able to fight when war at a time in the future, rather than two simultaneously as now, but even aft

maria kirilenko pulled out with a leg injury as a step down against second seed patrick of the czech republic wimbledon champion books per second. major title the chance to leapfrog caroline wozniacki at the top of the world rankings. when i played the first five games was going. found our last match when i played it was bigoted far and. away by how i play it today and hopefully it will be continued. well standing in the way next is for what world number one and if out of it the serbian needed just over an hour to outmuscle american value king six three six four she aims to return to the story of a final for the first time since two thousand and eight. is going to be a very tough one i mean i just doubt it will bring some great. one in the heart this moment then it's going to be great for me and bode. really. our dear and draw my best of her and you know the bad player when. wall on the men's side reigning champion novak djokovic powered past nicolas mono the top right after a six six one six one victory in just over an hour as the french struggled with only injury. you know taking his situat