there is a small, a tray of generals that work with kim jong un. -- there is a small cadre of generalst work with kim jong un. >> thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> an ambitious journey that ended in disaster more than a century ago. a swedish explorer and his crew tried to be the first to reach the north pole. they died without making it but miraculously, the expedition diary's and photographs were found. >> the swedish engineer and futurist had the idea in the middle of the 1890's that he could be the one to discover the north pole by flying to it in a hydrogen balloon. he built a balloon which was like a spaceship for its kind. it was a grand, 100 foot tall, and as the considered in every detail. they left the harbor and took about an hour for them to descanted your boss to disappear from the view of those people watching them -- they left the harbor and it took about an hour for them to disappear from the people watching them. gradually, they countered more and more fog which is a fatal circumstance because it continues to shrink the supply of hydrogen. it bro

but kim jong-un has looked thoroughly at home in his new role, taking a standing ovation. is impossible to tell from outside the country, even here in south korea, just how much influence kim jong-un has over his father's comrades. but the celebrations are a chance for the regime to emphasize yet again the unique of 40 of the family name and the thin but priceless credentials of the new young leader. >> extraordinary pictures there. that new young leader also graces the cover of time this week. for more on their in-depth look at kim jong-un, i spoke to the navy -- to that magazine's editor. >> why did you put them on the cover? >> because he has been in power for two months now and there hasn't been an in-depth look at him yet. our journalist who is one of the world's four wars -- foremost authorities on north korea went and dug around for six or eight weeks and try to come up with the most comprehensive profile on the leader of north korea. >> there is an interesting thing in the article says the only sure thing is kim jong-un is the least known and at less understood the

tokyo-based news agency radio press said north korea ran 15 news reports about kim jong-un in january. this marks a sharp contrast with coverage given to his late father. kim jong-il was not seen in official news reports for nearly three months after his father died in 1994. kim jong-un's frequent appearances address the fact he is experienced despite his age. 9 of the 15 media reports, or 60 60%, were about his military activities. he officially became supreme military commander a day earlier. kim jong-un has made it clear he will press forward with the military first policy promoted by his father. state-run media is also suggesting kim jong-un will follow in his father's footsteps in the international front. an egyptian executive with close ties to north korea is now in pyongyang. he is chairman of telecon, which launches cell phones in the north. the firm is also building towering hotels in pyongyang. he met kim jong-il and was welcomed in pyongyang last year. kim jong-un's guardian and uncle was also at the banquet. there's speculation efforts to attract more foreign investment in

north korea leader kim jong-un's regime sends the first letter to south korea containing a long list of demands. kim jong-un has been in power for more than a month now. the issue is how he will deal with the southern neighbor. the regime send an open letter urging the country to respond to nine countries. north korea state run television is talking about the letter. the document calls on the south to offer an apology for not spending a mission to north korea expressing the condolences of the death of kim jong-il. the drill is scheduled to start at the end of this month. now as we mentioned, the letter contains questions for the south. the north wants the neighbor to stop criticizing it for the sinking of the war ship in 2010. the south korean government has shown a more flexible attitude on the dialogue. it wants the north to apologize for recent incidents. it dropped that demand as a pre-condition for talks. the open letter is aimed at increasing pressure on south korea president bak before general elections in april. south korea' unification ministry said the government won't respo

. ♪ north korea puts on a show of power for kim jong-un in a show of respect for his late father. m jong-un has reviewed the armed forces for the first time. he appeared before the parade. north koreans have been marking what would have been the birthday of his late father, kim jong-il. kim reviewed the parade from a balcony decorated with a portrait of his father. he stood with his uncle and others. the north leadership has intensified efforts to award him the highest title. gener gener generalmissimo. >>> japanese's government says about 120 pro-pyongyang residents in japan brought at least 17 million yen on a visit to north korea. public security officials say the korean residents, including officials of a pro-north korean association ratraveled to the north near beijing earlier this month. north koreas are expected to report when they take over 100,000 yen to the north. customs say at least $890,000 were brought into the country. the public safety officials say the association was asked by north korea to donate money to celebrate kim's anniversary. >> translator: north korea is

radio press says north korean media ran 15 news reports about kim jong-un in january. it's part of his role as supreme commander of the military. this is in sharp contrast with coverage of his late father. kim jong-il was not seen in official news reports for nearly three months after his father kim il son died in 1994. his frequent appearances suggest north korea's leadership is trying to show he is, in fact, experienced despite his age. nine of the 15 media reports or 60% were about his military activities. one showed him touring a tank division on january 1st. he officially became supreme military commander a day earlier. kim jong-un has made it clear he will press forward with the military first policy promoted by his father. state-run media is suggesting kim jong-un will start following in his father's foot steps on the international front. he might have an appointment with one of his country's major investors. north korean media says an egyptian executive is now in pyongyang. chairman of o rescom telecom. the company launched mobile phone services in november 2008

and kim jong il is dead, but north korea celebrates his 70th birthday in style. what's the profile of his son, a new leader, kim jong un? >> hello. thanks for joining us. at least eight palestinian children have been killed, this after an israeli truck hit a school bus on a road in the west bank. the bus was carrying at least 50 children, some of them just 5 years old. we understand at least 30 were injured. they've been taken to hospitals in the west bank city of ramallah and in israel. a short time ago, the palestinian president, mahmoud abbas, declared three days of mourning. joining me from jerusalem is the bbc's john donneson. pretty horrific crash. can you give us the details? >> well, what we believe is that this crash happened on a pretty busy road just outside ramallah. we understand that the school bus was carrying around 50 children. palestinian police say some of them were as young as 5 or 6 years old. we understand it collided with a truck, the bus flipped over, and then burst into flames. i should say, there's been very, very heavy rain overnight in this part of the world. the roads were wet, some of them

he says there is not much similarity between kim jong il and his son. kim jong uns a very different style to his father, much more matey, more tactile, more hands on. state media has shown him testing solar equipment, tasting their food, sitting on their beds. even the anchor has been replaced by a younger, softer looking model. the new style has generated a few column inches in the south. this newspaper for north korean defectors is run by a man better prepared than most to make the comparison. he met and dined with kim jong il before leaving north korea. >> he had such stages that people did not dare look in the face, but kim jong un has no choice but to oppress the people and embrace them. he is begging for their loyalty. >> whether his style signals war or weakness, here in the south, officials say it's his new policies they are watching for. on that score, north korea says nothing will change. when it comes to substance, kim jong un is kim jong il. >> you are watching "newsday". still to come on the program, the duchess of cambridge is greeted by fans and she

kim jong-un is showing interest in high tech gooj et cetera. north korea's leader order ready an ipad 2 when the computer became a hit last spring. he spent several teenage years in switzerland, is said to be an advocate of the computer to modernize the country's industries. ipad 2 is gaining popularity among sons and daughters of senior government officials. in the future, the tablet computer could be linged to the internet by large capacity phone networks set up by an egyptian telecommunications company. the number of users would likely be limited in north korea as the government might be afraid of the loss of social control. >>> germany's angela merkel is in china, trying to reassure the trading partner of the eu's help. ai from the business team joins us. what took place in discussions? >> merkel's meet white gold the chinese premier, he says he may offer more assistance to europe to help debt problems. wen jiabao met angela merkel. at a joint news conference, he said finding a solution to the crisis is important. wen added china is conside

north korea puts on a show of power for kim jong-un in a show of respect for his late father. kim jong-un has reviewed the country's armed forces for the first time as north korea's supreme commander. he appeared in front of the nation at a mass military parade. north koreans have been marking what would have been the 70th birthday of his late father, kim john-il. kim reviewed the parade from a balcony decorated with a portrait of his father. he stood with his uncle and others. the north's leadership appears to have intensified efforts to day fie the ruler. they gave him the highest title. analysts say they are using celebrations of his birthday to strengthen the rule of his son. >>> japan's government says 120 pro-young yang residents recently brought a total of 70 million yen, about $890,000 on a visit to north korea. public security officials say the korean residents, including executive officials of a pro-north korea association traveled to the north via beijing and other routes in late january and earlier this month. north korean residents are required to report to customs

jang dined with kim jong il before leaving north korea. >> kim jong il had such status that people didn't dare look him in the face, but kim jong un has no choice but to approach the people and embrace them. he's begging for their loyalty. >> the style signals warmth or weakness, here in the south, officials say it's the policies they're watching for. on that score, north korea says nothing will change. the style may be new, but when it comes to substance, it says, kim jong un is kim jong il. >> you're watching news on the bbc live from singapore and london. still to come on the program, the duchess of cambridge is greeted by fans as she makes a royal visit to liverpool. >> and we look around burma's newly built capital and get special access to the nation's semi civilian government in action. let's have a look at some of the stories making headlines around the world. starting with the "financial times," focusing on the greek debt crisis. the front page shows a report on the european financial ministers meeting that has been canceled. a warning for greece, summing up portugal's position post-bailouts where the debt-to-g.d.p. ratio

north korea has a new leader in kim jong un whose skills are still developing. on the other hand, president barack obama is facing an election campaign. this meeting is the first since the death of kim jong-il so it will likely reaffirm its position on its nuclear program, i think. >> what is its basic stance? >> kim jong-il never halted the nuclear development program. it's trying to bolster public support for the new leader. kim jong-un is being credited with leading the nuclear testing and firing of long-range ballistic missiles. the government is also claiming that the nuclear and missile development promoted by kim jong-il is among his greatest achievements. but north korea is facing -- so the country may show a more flexible attitude in order to secure relief supplies. >> is north korea likely to make any concessions over its nuclear development in these direct talks? >> i think there is little chance of that happening at this stage. washington has demanded that north korea suspended its uranium enrichment before the six-party talks can resume. i doubt the

north korea has a new leader in kim jong-un, whose political skills are still developing. on the other hand, president barack obama is facing an election campaign. this meeting is the first since the death of kim jong-il, so likely will reaffirm its position on its nuclear program. it won't halt its nuclear program. it's trying to boost public support for the new leader. kim jong-un is being credited with leading the nuclear testing and the firing of long-range ballistic missiles. they are also claiming the development promoted by kim jong-il is among his greatest achievements but north korea is planning stages, so the country may show a more flexible attitude in order to receive relief supplies. i think there is little chance of that happening at this stage. washington has demanded north korea suspend. i doubt the north will agree to that. just because the north korea's new leadership gets support by maintaining hard-line stance with negotiations with the united states. i think it will show its determination to stop north korea's uranium enrichment problem. its main concer

north korea has a new leader in kim jong-un whose skills are still developing. president barack obama is facing an election campaign. so the north will likely reaffirm its position on nuclear. pyongyang will never halt its nuclear development program. it's trying to boast public support for the new leader. kim jong-un is being credited with leading the nuclear testing and the firing of long range ballistic missiles. the government is also claiming that the nuclear and missile development promoted by kim jong-il is among his greatest achievements. but north korea is facing -- so the country may show a more flexible attitude in order to secure supplies. i think there is little chance of that happening at this stage. washington has demanded that north korea suspended its uranium enrichment. just because the north korea's new leadership believes it can win support by maintaining its stance in negotiations with the united states, i think it will show its determination. the main concern is that they may conduct a nuclear test or launch missiles as seeking aid from the

it was the first such meeting since north korea's longtime ruler kim jong il died in december and was succeeded by his son, kim jong un. secretary clinton today called it a reminder that the world is transforming. >> the united states-- i will be quick to add-- still has profound concerns. but on the occasion of kim jong il's death, i said that it is our hope that the new leadership will choose to guide their nation onto the path of peace by living up to its obligations. >> woodruff: this is not the in 1994, former president jimmy carter-- acting for the clinton administration-- brokered a deal for pyongyang to shut down nuclear plants in exchange f u.s. aid in building electrical power plants. the yongbyon plant remained closed until 2002 when both sides accused the other of not living up to the agreement. from there, the north went on to test-fire long-range missiles and conduct its first underground nuclear test. in 2007, the bush administration, along with south korea, russia, china and japan negotiated a new halt to north korea's nuclear program. this time, north korea again agreed to disable the complex at yongb

they show kim jong un inspecting front line troops. the unit he visited carried out the shelling of south korea's island in 2010. the report says kim ordered his soldiers to in his words, make a powerful retaliation in the enemy intrudes by just 0.001 millimetre. >> translator: the scoundrels are making an out of mind military exercise during the period of mourning for our leader kim jong il. it's tantamount to a silent declaration of war. >> reporter: the u.s. and south korea also plan to carry out joint marine landing exercises. they are based on the scenario of the north's invading islands in the south. the drills will be the first in 23 years. the u.s. military leaders claim the exercises are purely defensive, but some analysts see this as an opportunity for the north to boost the authority of kim jong un but launching some formal provocation. >> north korea warns no one can predict what will happen. the state run news agency called south korea and the united states warmongers. our report by an independent panel in japan confirms t

another important purpose is to gauge what's happening inside of jong un, any changes or eight railings regarding the death of kim happen to kim, who would succeed him? would there be a crisis? >> i think the consist senses view is there would be a crisis. kim jong-un is the blood relative and continuation of the line. if you look at the other individuals, they're powerful figures, but they don't have the authority to be the sole head. i think, as i mentioned earlier, we will also see a competition during the patron systems and systems of state trading companies. if something does happen to kim

that's his son, kim jong un. our correspondent has been looking at their very different public personalities. >> identities are mr. kim's bread and butter. business cards and rubber stamps are essential daily needs. ironic, because when he's not validating other people, mr. kim gets paid for being someone else. the former north korean leader, kim jong il. it doesn't take much to pull off the former dictator, says mr. kim, the permed hair,less distinctive jump suit, and maybe a bit of clapping. having a former north korean leader as a guest on your tv chat somehow or a prop for your music video is surprisingly popular near the south. but now that kim jong il is dead, will impersonators like mr. kim switch to mimicking his son? hmm, he says, there's not much similarity between kim jong il and his son, i'd need to get a different haircut. he'd probably need to do more than that. kim jong un has a very different style than his father, much more, well, matey, more tactile, more hands on. north korean state media has sh

these will be the first such talks since kim jong-un took over in december. representatives last met in october in geneva. the u.s. department spokesperson said the u.s. side wants to see if north korea is ready to take concrete steps toward denuclearization. the u.s. envoy will visit seoul and tokyo in the days following the talks. glenn davies will report on what he learns. >>> trade in china and north korea hit a record high last year. a 62% jump from the previous year reflects the north increasing dependence on china. there was $5.6 billion worth of trade between the countries. north korea leaders have been inviting foreign investment. they are aiming to boost the country's infrastructure and agriculture sectors. north korea has become isolated and seen little economic progress. the country has been forced to rely on china, a long-time ally. >>> a ratings agency has downgraded countries under scoring the financial crisis. the business team has the latest. ai. >> s&p has done the same thing and now moody's has downgraded italy and spain. it dropped italy,

hill to -- on kim jong un? he someone who is open to dialogue? >> the answers, we just don't know. we really do not know. we know less about this individual then we knew about osama bin laden, muammar gaddafi, or saddam hussein. the people they will be meeting are not people they have not met before, they are the negotiators that have been working on this going back to the clinton administration. the people will be the same but we will try to read based on what they say whether they are in the continuity policies or the change of policy or maybe sq%ei+ all. >> how valuable is the carrot of food aid that the u.s. has? how desperately does north korea needed the assistance that the u.s. could give them? >> i have talked to a number of the groups that have gone through north korea and they clearly assess there is a need. there is clearly a need that lost there is clearly a need there. the children are -- there is clearly a need there. the children are starving. a bit of donor tilt has set in in the international c

the delivery will help bolster the image of the newly installed regime of kim jong un. this week's talks were the first between the u.s. and north korea under the leadership of kim jong un. davies reported the context of the talks to chinese envoy chairman of the six-party talks on the north nuclear program. davies will travel to seoul and tokyo over the weekend to brief officials on the outcome of the talks. >> united nations spokesperson say syrian government officials at the highest levels are responsible for crimes against humanity. the u.n. report estimates more than 8,000 people have been killed since anti-government protests began last march. the u.n.'s human rights council interviewed about 370 people in syria and neighboring countries by phone or in person. the report says government troops have been firing of crowds of protesters in locations across the country. the document says syrian security officers interrogated demonstrators using electric shocks at a hospital in the central city. the report says the u.n. has received a list of senior government and milit

the delivery will help bolster the image of the newly instaled regime of kim jong un. this week's talks were the first between the u.s. and north korea under the leadership of kim jong un. davies reported the context of the talks to chinese envoy chairman of the six-party talks on the north nuclear program. davies will travel to seoul and tokyo over the weekend to brief officials on the outcome of the talks. >> united nations spokesperson say syrian government officials at the highest levels are responsible for crimes against humanity. the u.n. report estimates more than 8,000 people have been killed since anti-government protests began last march. the u.n.'s human rights council interviewed about 370 people in syria and neighboring countries by phone or in person. the report says government troops have been firing of crowds of protesters in locations across the country. the document says syrian security officers interrogated demonstrators using electric shocks at a hospital in the central city. the report says the u.n. has received a list of senior government and milit

such a gesture would also help stabilize the new kim jong un regime and booth national prestige. north korea will be particularly keen to u.s. talks to finish well. although the two parties have now decided to continue talks on friday, the u.s. side the not in a big hurry to see immediate results in north korea. the u.s. has much more urgent issues at hand such as syria and iran. but on the issue of the six-party talks coming on still needs to convince washington it's willing to denuclearize. friday's talks are most likely to turn this question. >>> a series of bombings and gun attacks have killed at least 39 people and wounded more than 230 others in and around the iraqi capital of baghdad. a car bomb exploded in central baghdad near a police check point on thursday morning followed by a second car bombing a few hundred meters away. another check point was attacked by a group of armed men. iraqi authorities say the terrorist attacks occurred at 16 locations. the casualties include many civilians. police believe the incidents to be coordinated and have potential baghdad and other

their new supreme commander is kim jong un. g leader seems to be continuing the policies of his father kim jong il. ♪ for years, north korea has unsettled the international community with its missile tests across a border that divides the korean peninsula. south korea is nervous about the intentions of its unpredictable neighbor. the country's nuclear program has become an international issue, but it is still unclear whether the regime has successfully developed a functioning nuclear bomb. >> never sending a little bit more pleasant. it is the biggest society event in austria, the viennese opera ball. >> the dress code has not changed in 57 years. white ties and details for the gentleman, floor length gowns for the ladies. >> every year, the auditorium of the vienna state opera is turned into a large ballroom. >> and the night opens with a debutante procession.+ here is a look at how they prepare for the big night. >> for him, these dance steps are as important as his qualifications. he and his dance partner are practicing for t

these will be the first such talks since kim jong-un took over as leader in december. representatives of the united states and north korea last met in october in geneva. u.s. state department spokesperson said the u.s. wants to see if north korea is ready to take concrete steps toward denuclearization. the talks have been stalled for more than three years. the u.s. envoy will visit seoul and tokyo in the days following the talks. davies will report on the progress. >>> trade his a high, 62% jump from the previous year reflects the north increasing dependence on china. china's customs authorities say there was $5.6 billion worth of trade between the countries. north korean leaders have been inviting foreign investment, aiming to boost the country's infrastructure as well as supporting manufacturing and agricultural sectors. but north korea has been increasingly isolated and seeing little economic progress. the country has been forced to rely on neighboring china, a long time ally. >>> the american president is laying out his plans for the coming year. ai uchida has the

they have a new regime under kim jong-un and reacted sharply to the military drill. it is believed north korean leadership is trying to show kim as the supreme commander and to send a warning to washington and seoul. >>> syrians held a referendum on a new constitution that could keep president bash add in power. state run tv showed images of as add and his wife casting their ballots. it also broadcast interviews with supporters of the new constitution. the constitution would impose a limit of two seven year terms on the president. it would allow a multi party system instead of the current single party rule by the bath party. the vote coincided with continued shelling in homs. they attacked with tanks and shells. a local activist says more than 130 were killed over the weekend. says civilians can't do anything but try to protect their families, there's no point in having a referendum. syrian officials say they will have parliamentary election in three months. analysts say the government is trying to divert international criticism from its crackdown. >>> an egyptian cou

parade in the nation's capital to mark the birthday of late leader kim jong il a pledge to defend his son and civs excess or kim jong un with their lives and crushed enemy forces attacked the crowds have been making their way to the city's main square to leave flowers next to his portrait since kim jong un died of a heart attack two months ago relations with neighboring south korea are at their lowest point in years. as libya celebrates the first anniversary in start of its nato backed up rising its national transitional council is struggling to take control over the country's volatile situation and mr internationals recently accused the n t c a failing to protect human rights claiming thousands of khadafi supporters are being held without charge and even tortured there are reports at least a dozen have died in a rebel prison since september as a result of mistreatment reports from libya say former rebels want to take over power civilians remain armed and the economy has crumbled since the war political scientist dr not a hush we tells r.t. there's even more trouble on the horizon. i see a very grim future in libya i s

we are ordered to worship kim jong un and kim un sung, the leaders of the country. >> what was it like to be a believer of north korea. >> we met every saturday evening. we had to be very quiet, we whispered when we prayed and sang songs. >> growing up she learned about stories of her city, the jerusalem of the east, 13 percent of the population was christian, 1945. half a century later, kim's faith made her a target. >> my parents often asked me to watch while my family prayed. >> meetings grew to include friends and extended family. >> we had one bible. my grandmother had a bible, we found strength in those pages. >> soon the authorities discovered her father was a secret believer. >> the police suspected something was going on. we believe they planted listening devices. >> miss kim's father was operating an underground church in north korea, raided the home, arrested him and both men probably ended up in one of the 6 labor camps in north korea. >> do you remember that day? >> [ foreign speaking ]. the day my father was arrested i was at school. he hugged me before i left for school.

their new leader kim jong un is pledging to stop enriching uranium -- iranian and allowing weapons inspectorsreturn to the country. the u.s. in return will deliver food to the nation. hillary clinton called a modest up in the right direction. >> a budget battle in the va said it -- senate has left the state budget and limbo. republicans failed to get a 21st vote to keep the state running third 2014. democrats say republicans are not sharing power in the equally divided senate. a new budget is still a possibility. >> no secret that gas prices have been surging. triple a is telling us how much since the year started. in february, gas prices jumped 8%. for the year they are up 14%. a combination of iran's threat to shut down the strait of hormuz and the economy improving is forcing a gas prices up. >> new information on how the slavery museum tends to get its debt in order. >> ipad sales have helped make apple worth more than some of the world's countries. >> we will tell you why real estate agents and home buyers are subs -- are upset with a proposal by gov. o'malley. >> more rain coming our wa

a political decision to send rice to maintain its clout with north korea under its new leader, kim jong-un. >>> taiwan's president appointed a financial expert as the new premier. the taiwan economy has been slowing as credit fears in europe loom large. he announced that appointment, following his re-election and parliamentary election on january 14th. chen has concentrated on economic stimulus measures as vice premier since 2010. >> translator: we will improve the distribution of income by changing the industrial structure. that's our important mission. >> other officials with expertise have also been appointed as finance minister and the head of an economic construction panel. the choices reflect his priority or economic stimulus policies. >>> china has been plagued by problems with school buses, especially in rural areas. the issue may ignite criticism of the government. we have ryuta okutani reporting. >> reporter: in september, the school bus crashed in the district of jiangsu in eastern china. 15 children were killed. it was later revealed that neither the bus drive nor the operator

months after kim jong-un took over from his father, they have announced that they will suspend the nuclearrogram in order for food aid. it would kickstart disarmament talks. there is a good deal of skepticism. >> on both sides of the pacific, at two of the world's most bitter adversaries confirm what has been rumored here for months. the u.s. and north korea had a deal. >> north korea has agreed to implement a moratorium on long- range missile launches, nuclear tests, and nuclear activities including uranium enrichment activities. today's announcement indicates a modest first step in the right direction. >> in return, north korea can expect almost a quarter million tons of nutritional assistance. one more reminder that the world is transforming around us. not everybody is celebrating. many have been here before. the cooling tower at this nuclear site was destroyed. a symbol of success for multi lateral negotiations. the mood of the international corp. lasted not much longer than the tower itself. north korea has carried out nuclear tests since then, shelled south caribbean island and unvei

attention is focused on whether the north's nuclear stance has changed under new leader kim jong un. there's speculation about whether north korea will come ply with the demand to stop the nuclear enrichment program in exchange for food aid. the voters in yemen are casting their ballots to replace the outgoing president who has ruled the county for more than two decades. he will be the fourth arab leader to leave office amid democracy revolts. tuesday's voting is part of deals he made last november. he agreed to step down in exchange for immunity from prosecution for a range of crimes including a deadly crackdown on protesters. the vice president is running for -- uncontested as the consensus candidate in the election. but anti-government demonstrators are poised to continue their protests. in the country's south an al qaeda linked group has been gaining ground. on tuesday a polling station in the area was attacked by an armed group. it remains uncertain whether the election will help steer the country out of its yearlong turmoil. >>> international nuclear inspectors are trying to de

attention is focused on whether the north's nuclear stance changed under the new leader, kim jong-un. there's also speculation about whether north korea will comply with the u.s. demand to stop its uranium enrichment program in exchange for food aid. >>> japan and australia held the first meeting about whether japan should join talks on the trans-pacific partnership free trade agreement. government officials from the two countries met tuesday. australian officials say they welcome the start of japan's consultations for joining the talks, but they stopped short of expressing support for japan actually participating in the free trade negotiations. they stressed that a prins well is all are tariff free, including farm products. they are continuing discussions on the requirements japan must fulfill to join the talks. six out of nine countries already in the negotiations have so far expressed support for japan's participation. >>> the british royal family is celebrating a milestone. the diamond jubilee of queen elizabeth. february 6th was the 60th anniversary of her taking the throne. they

observers say the new leadership under kim jong-un intends to tighten its grip on the country and keep south korea and the united states in check. >>> the country plans a series of events for april 15th, including the mass games. the north's new leadership invited japanese researchers, former lawmakers and members of private organizations. also invited dignitaries from countries it maintains friendly ties with, including china and russia. sources say some of the north's top officials voiced reservations about inviting japanese guests. the leadership saw it as a chance to improve bilateral relations. >>> a chinese vessel has demanded that a japanese coast guard ship halt its survey activities in the east china sea. the japanese government launches a protest with china saying it's within japan's exclusive economic zone. it occurred on sunday some 170 kilometers north northwest of kume island. a chinese oceanic administration ship contacted a japanese coast guard survey vessel by radio and told the crew to stop their activities saying they're in chinese waters. the japanese survey vessel

just two months after kim jong un took over for his father, the reclusive state has announced they will suspend their enrichment program in exchange for food from the u.s. if they follow through, this would kickstart other talks. there is a good deal of skepticism. >> on both sides of the pacific today, two of the world's most bitter adversaries confirmed what has been rumored here for months, that the u.s. and north korea had a deal. >> north korea has agreed to implement a moratorium on long- range missile launches, nuclear tests, and nuclear activity including uranium enrichment activities. today's announcement represents a modest for step in the right direction. >> in return for that first step, north korea can expect a quarter of a million tons of nutritional assistance along with people to monitor where it goes. one more reminder, says the u.s., that the world is transforming our around us. not everyone is celebrating, many have been here before. four years ago, the cooling tower at this nuclear site was destroyed. a symbol of success to more bilateral negotiations. the mood of in

a political decision to send rice to maintain its clout with north korea, under its new leader, kim jong-un. >>> taiwan's president appointed a financial expert as the new premier. the taiwan economy has been slowing as credit fears in europe loom large. he announced that appointment, following his re-election and parliamentary election on january 14th. he concentrated on economic stimulus measures as vice premier since 2010. >> translator: we will improve the distribution of income by changing the industrial structure. that's our important mission. >> other officials with expertise have also been appointed as finance minister and the head of an economic construction panel. the choices reflect his priority or economic stimulus policies. >>> "newsline" is the place to turn to for the latest on japan post-march 11th. we have two segments offering two unique perspectives on the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami. don't miss "nuclear watch" and "the road ahead" on "newsline". >>> come back home is the message of a mayor of the town near the fukushima nuclear power plant who wants all evacu

kim jong il the u.s. it was going to make an announcement about a food a process with north korea so this is nothing to do with kim jong un now being in power as you said this was decided before kim jong il's death i don't know the details of what was the agreement earlier in december so there might be a new aspects right now to a disagreement but as i said this has been in discussion for quite some time clearly a positive step but can the world community really trust north korea not to go back on its word and pursue nuclear ambitions as as we've seen in the past. well this is not a formal agreement we have here right now this is more in line with what the north koreans like to call words for words and actions for actions so it depends not only on north korea and what they do but it also depends on. the u.s. is going to react in the next period of time and whether or not the six party talks process gets back in on track and what happens in that regard so it sort of is a tool in addition to north korea the other five parties also have to do their part or right the onus as you say to be one of the parties and apart from nor

we don't expect that kim jong-un, north korea's new young leader to change pyongyang's policy to attempt to export most of its weapons system. i note that in this year's statement of the record that you noted yourself that we elevated our discussion of cyber threats to follow terrorism and proliferation. and perhaps in something of a cole-new castle it to confirm cyber threat is one of the most challenges ones we face. we see an environment in which he mooernlg merging technology are developed and implemented before security responses are put in

paraded in the nation's capital to mark the birthday of late leader kim jong il they pledged to defend his son and successor kim jong un with their lives and crushed enemy forces if attacked crowds have been making their way to the city's main square to leave flowers next as portrait since kim jong il died of a heart attack two months ago relations with neighboring south korea are at their lowest point in years. of the double hit of infertility and recession is forcing some hopeful parents to get creative and we in the us it costs as much as one hundred thousand dollars to use a surrogate mother to start a family but get on a plane to india and it could be much cheaper largest british reader about one couple who to just. arrogances in for it all came to india from texas two weeks ago india is a bit of a challenge for someone who used to travelling in the states and in europe. but you figure out your way around the world and they're not here to see elephants and by being coles they also came to meet peter for the first time their new baby boy it was the easiest pregnancy i mean. although peter is genetically their baby

paraded in the nation's capital to mark the birthday of labor leader kim jong il he pledged to defend his son and successor kim jong un with their lives and crush any forces if attacked crowds of it may. the weight of the city's main square to leave flowers next to his portrait now since kim jong il died of a heart attack two months ago relations with neighboring south korea are at their lowest point in years. so that's the news this hour up next is a business update with kareena. i don't walk into business here in r.t. thanks for joining me this hour our top story russia is not imposing commercial sanctions against iran over its nuclear program but it's still being affected the gulf state take approximately fifteen percent of russia's still exports over trade across the caspian could be severely impacted because of restrictions imposed by banks in the west now to discuss the issue i'm joined by as you know what i call the steel editor industry research group plans thanks for coming to the program so what is the problem theoretically russia is free to sell still to run but what's going wrong yes russia is for itself s