surrounded by putin loyalists and subservient to putin's political dominance. there's a cable from 2009 titled "questioning putin's work ethic," which describes his fatigue, his hands off behavior and his isolation. the cable, which was approved by the u.s. ambassador to russia says, there are consistent reports that putin resents the workload he carries, even describing him as a no-show, working from home. more troubling are descriptions of russian corruption and growing authoritarianism. one state department cable quotes a senior spanish prosecutor investigating organized crime saying "russia has become a virtual mafia state, with the kremlin using mafia bosses to carry out its wishes, doing dirty work such as gun running and arms trafficking." one cable from february of this year quotes defense secretary robert gates was quoted as saying russian democracy has disappeared, calling the government an oligarchy run by the security services. what does putin think about all this? in an interview with cnn's larry king, putin called gates deeply misled and advises a

vladimir putin is the prime minister of russia. he previously served as president of the russian federation. it's a great pleasure to welcome him back to "larry king live." mr. prime minister, we thank you for joining us. we know -- let's start right off, we know that you're eligible to run again for the presidency in 2012. are you thinking about doing that? >> translator: we've been working with president medvedev in very close contact and we decided long time ago, that we'll adopt a concerted decision as regards to year 2012 in the interest of the russian people. >> larry: so that is a maybe? >> translator: we'll see. there is still quite time before the elections take place. that should be in april, year 2012. once again, we will be in consultations and we'll adopt that decision based on the economic, social and political situation in the country. >> larry: okay. let's get to current things. what do you make of the release of the united states diplomatic and military documents by the wikileaks group? >> translator: some experts

putin. in fact, vladamir putin seemed to direct the judge's decision. telling his talk show two weeks ago, "a thief should stay in jail." while he built his oil empire with brutal tactics typical of russian tycoons, experts say his chief crime was challenging putin politically. >> he took on putin, he contradicted him to his face, which revealed he was a clever businessman but not a very clever politician. and he learned to his cost that you can't take putin on head on. >> reporter: prime minister putin, no longer president, but widely believed preparing to run again in 2012, has been building a cult of personality, taking on siberian tigers, judo partners and this week, the government run airline after thousands of angry passengers were stranded because of icy runways. president obama raised this case in his most recent meeting with russia's current president medvedev. but today's sentence leaves little doubt who is in charge and the u.s. has little influence on russia's human rights policy. >> the louder the international calls against this particular

putin has said stalin did many bad things. but we have to remember he was the leader when we won the war. >> rose: it is your position from other things you have written that russia views its two major relationships as china and germany. >> yes. how did you know that you have i said that, yeah, it is true, berlin and beijing, that's-- . >> rose: so where did the argument come from? what is-- make the case. >> it's very simple. for almost 20 years they tried to establish a strategic partnership with the united states and for one reason or another, the russians believe it was our fault, they were unable to do so. so instead they've established strategic partnerships with china and with germany, each of which has his own reasons to be a strategic partner of russia, a large part of which is-- and that's the way things are unfolding. >> but my impression is that obama, the president has reset the relationship and he and medvedev are best friends, they get along. they have a dialogue, they communicate. >> this is a whole separate co

obtaining putin's power. having said that, once he was arrested, he proved to be a man of courage, determination, el consequence, the government was not able to break him. and when he was arrested first time in 2003 i really liked khodorkovsky personally and i was sorry for him. but politically i had mixed feelings because he was threatening the government in a very ruthless way, using the money he got to mount a political challenge. what they are doing to him now is totally beyond the peal. it is not just selective justice, it's really no justice at all. >> brown: so anna vassilieva, what does this tell you this case tell you about vladimir putin, about where power sits and rests in russia today? >> well, what does it tell me tells all of us is that the power belongs to someone who exercises strength, not justice, not pardon as we were hoping until the most recent-- phrase that putin announced. what we see is history repeatinging itself. russian rulers are afraid to make compromises and obviously allowing kh

putin. [applause] >> and i'll be here, at the call centre throughout the program. these operators have already been working round the clock for over three days. you can continue to call in with your questions for the duration of broadcast. >> good afternoon, mr. putin. you can send your questions by internet. you can do that at this address. you can type in the internet address. >> good afternoon everybody. >> this is the third time we've been forced to start this conversation with the word "crisis." yes we're starting to see some evidence of recovery. on the one hand, our industry, including the automotive sector, is on the rise. crude oil now costs almost $90 a barrel. the ruble is strong and stable. at the same time, the budget deficit remains, prices are rising, medicine and food are becoming more expensive, and utilities bills are increasing. when will the fact that the ordinary people, not just the economy? >> so the suggestion is that we outgoing year? >> yes, that too. >> and we shou

prime minister vladimir putin puts his singing skills to the test in front of a star studded audience all in the name of charity. live from moscow this is r t how can you say no way with breaking news this hour russian special police forces have detained dozens of football fans who turned a commemoration march into a riot in the very heart of moscow thousands have gathered in the capital and st petersburg. the death of a fan of a football team spartak moscow where both gatherings got violent let's cross live now to our t.v. you can. and sean thomas who are following these latest developments sean let's go to you first fans are now moving towards a court building what is that like where you are what's happening. well right now it seems that everything is quiet so far but there is a significant police presence that has gathered here in anticipation of a possible group moving here from the square that's what we have been told right now in fact we are in front of the courthouse where chair is being the proceedings against him are being held he is the person who is suspected of killing you

>> vladimir putin, no doubt about it. mikhail khodorkovsky was the author of his own misfortune when he publicly challenged vladimir putin, nine or 10 years ago. vladimir putin decided he had to set an example and produce the original charges which has led to believe prison for eight years. it is not just bad news for russia's reputation, but it's going to make a more difficult than it has become recently to encourage western investment in russia because you do not have the rule of law. what western companies might be contemplating investing in russia have to realize, as they do now that you did not have any independent courts of law if any problems arise and the government decides you are in the way. they will use the courts in a politicized fashion. it's not as bad as the old soviet union, but it is a deep move in the wrong direction. just when the rest of europe is going into the right direction. >> blizzards have swept the northeast of the u.s., causing the cancellation of thousands of lights. the new york area was in

after the meeting prime minister putin and the football fans that went to the grave for. this part found twenty eight year old. to lay flowers to pay their respects to the deceased young man many people have likened the killing of. this young man to a similar case when anatomy groschen was killed earlier this year and all of the suspects were released and went into hiding. right a catarina so how was the investigation into. on monday the investigative committee opened a criminal case against several officials who released three of the suspects linked to the killing or for the reader of the officials whose names ranks and numbers have not been identified are investigated for criminal negligence investigators check whether they had personal interests in freeing the suspects and whether they did it under pressure. all the suspects relieved after a brief detention drew prime minister i are during his televised call in show last week and shortly after that on friday a preliminary check was opened and. it was up to prime minister said that it was unacceptable that those suspect

a lot of excitement surrounding the event of course well we've heard that prime minister vladimir putin won't be coming because he doesn't want to put pressure on the fact well we'll talk more about that later on but first let's have a little bit of a background and a look at russia's bid. twenty eighteen we believe this banner at russia's latest international friendly describe how fans felt about russia getting the world cup but does the country with a rich football tradition stand a chance of becoming the hosts. the dutch coach of the national team certainly hope so even though his home country is among the big. we need the world to. put the infrastructure. because the majority of the. many experts agree with that notion believing that russia lags behind its rivals in terms of food infrastructure but that is about to change according to those behind moscow's bid this is the denominator stadium moscow's oldest this is where history's greatest football goalkeeper russian spent his glittering career the game's legend did not live to see his home ground being transformed it is now under c

television russian premier vladimir putin has been quizzed by t.v. host larry king it's a second time the pair of crossed swords and this time proved no less informative than the first for more we go live to our correspondent guy in a chicken standing by in our washington studio. so take us through some of the highlights of the interview. well mad lyric a started off with a question that is a big a big one not only in the west but also in washington well why didn't report their run for office in two thousand and twelve when they're basically fair said they'll figure something out with me on the dollar is sort of indicating that they are first of all partners with the current president and don't see each other as rivals to pair up larry king brought up the comical comparison with batman and robin a comparison about a us that one might gave to a russian leadership to the lot russian leadership at a classified table posted by weetabix here's what prime minister what is that to that. why don't you do you know that mr medvedev and i would cycling the issu

"thieves belong in prison," putin said. khodorkovsky became a symbol of hope for the opposition, and hope that was-again today. bbc news, -- a hope that was dashed again today. bbc news, moscow. >> have people in britain are piling on the pounds. here in the u.k., the parents of a 25-year-old landscaper lead architect -- a landscape architect laid flowers today. >> it is a visit the parents want to make. her father and mother came with her brother and boyfriend to the country lane where she was bound. they took time to lay flowers and see the site for themselves. the 25-year-old had been missing since december 17. police were alerted to two days later, when her boyfriend returned from a family visit to find their flat empty. then, on christmas morning, her body was discovered 3 miles away, closed but covered in snow. it was spotted by the roadside -- clothes but covered in snow. they are trying to gather evidence, mindful that last night's snow may have had an effect. there is the suspension bridge, with 32 cctv cameras hel

vladimir putin's successor, dimitry medvedev, says rule is paramount in russia. but others argue if that were the case, this trial would have never taken place. one thing seems clear -- the russian authorities continue to see khodorkovsky as a danger. >> the latest guilty version certainly backs that view. although he will remain behind bars, he will also remain the symbolic figure for the russian opposition and civil-rights movement. khodorkovsky became one of russia's most powerful business and by buying state assets cheaply and trading commodities after the soviet union fell in 1991. but the average russian is simply unaware of his plight. state media is controlled and seldom reports on the case. few media outlets take the chance to criticize the kremlin. a show of public support for him and his co-defendants is a rare event. >> a miniature of khodorkovsky made of papier-mache. it picks everyone involved in the trial, as well as those who may be behind it. the exhibition by a young moscow artist a is to show the support for khodorkovsky. >> i admire the accuse

putin does not do that. >> and one more surprise. goodman, the one-fingered pianist., -- putinm, the one- fingered pianist. >> do not forget, you and find a story and more online at our website -- bbc.com/news. you can also see what we're working on on our facebook page. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global expertise to work for a wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> there is one stage that is the met and carnegie hall. >> o, that this too, too solid flesh -- >> it is the kennedy center. >> check, one, two. >> and a club in austin. >> it is closer than any seat in the house, no matter where you call home. >> the top of the world, and i'm there, i'm home. >> pbs

is there no end to the talents of russian prime minister vladimir putin?, it has been a day of speechmaking and persuasion by the italian prime minister silvio berlusconi as he intends to win over two key parliamentary votes of confidence. he says it would be on -- it would be madness to unseat him now. critics say his policies have been failures. this report from our europe editor it does contain flash photography. >> silvio berlusconi arrived at parliament today. he smiled and waved. but he is fighting for his political life. he knows if he loses at the no- confidence vote tomorrow, he will have to resign. yet his supporters applauded, but he is accused of having bought his own party. he predicted he would survive. threatened, he would go to the people if he lost >> if it does not prevail, in certain the italian people that gave this government a mandate will have the proper response. >> the prime minister has been weakened by defections from his coalition. the latest scandal -- a girl called ruby, also known as the heartbreaker. she was an 17-year-old d

is there no end to the talents of russian prime minister vladimir putin?, it has been a day of speechmaking and persuasion by the italian prime minister silvio berlusconi as he intends to win over two key parliamentary votes of confidence. he says it would be on -- it would be madness to unseat him now. critics say his policies have been failures. this report from our europe editor it does contain flash photography. >> silvio berlusconi arrived at parliament today. he smiled and waved. but he is fighting for his political life. he knows if he loses trouble wih the law, mr. berlusconi called the police himself, claiming he -- indirectly she was a relative of the egyptian president. at one time, his allies deserted him, saying he was damaging the reputation of italy. >> because of his way of life, in italy and even abroad, it is not a good image of our institutions. >> inside and outside of parliament, silvio berlusconi is making the case that italy needs him. >> he should remain in power because he is good for this country. emily is showing the world the be

i don't even think i want to address that putin. putin slams the west for julian assange's arrest.n accent is god awful. >> i should practice more. >> yeah, it was embarassing. >> that was a criticizing. >> you answered the personal realm of my life. >> off limits. >> i will shoot the puck back at you. >> i would like to share the story of putin's response was completely true. >> somebody did his research. and didn't shave. >> i don't know which you are talking about. >> you said russians are not journalists, they are shot in an alley. you have russian government officials saying assange should receive the peace prize so when he dies mysteriously, they can say, it is not us. we think he should have won the peace prize. >> that's a greatal by. -- great alibi. >> that was great of "blueberry hill" it is the great of putin on the hits. that got a good laugh. >> i refused to use it because it was too easy. >> i shot the puck back at you. >> you stole the puck. >> i refuse to puck. get the puck out of here. >> john boehner cries in the "60 minutes" interview. sc, nice job pretending you

prime minister putin described the killing of this part of a football fan as a tragedy and he said that it was a mere attack against the entire football community in russia we should treat this as an attack against all of you he said as he was meeting with the representatives of different football clubs school bull fan clubs in moscow. that it should be regarded as an attack against all of you regardless of your it me city nationality or what will book club you support all the meeting comes shortly after massive rise took place in moscow and inside it is broke over the weekend and those who are it's followed a killing all for both fun and i think russia and he was allegedly killed by representatives of one of the not coke asian republics oh prime minister putin today said that emotions sometimes run high as representatives of different football clubs try to settle scores after football matches and these can be understood if this is done in compliance with the law and common sense but not when it is a crime he also was furious that those suspects were released so shortly after the detent

claiming he did master fortune in foreign banks during his time as president putin's press secretary has dismissed this information is utter rubbish saying it's a bunch of groundless rumors the far as the latest in a growing list of leaks originating from american officials and authorities miniport found that washington has been exposed on a. truly global scale. a global partner in peace or paranoid superpower hungry for secrets our diplomats are doing what diplomats do around the world every day which is build relationships negotiate advance our interests and work to find common solutions to complex problems that's what they do but according to documents released by wiki leaks in two thousand and nine u.s. diplomats around the world were in fact directed to gather side five type details including facial images fingerprints iris scans and even d.n.a. from u.n. officials among the target and basters from russia china france and britain even secretary-general ban ki moon many people didn't understand what that meant or that mean the diplomats do spying on the side of the order of opera

also in the program russia will never provoke an arms race unless it's pushed to extremes probably mr putin sets the record straight on missile defense under the relationship with the president during games of you with veteran talk show host larry king that's coming up this out. plus washington lands itself in a hold water after a new leak exposes its true color of opinions of a so-called corrupt russia raised questions over u.s. politicians and their stereotypical view. hello i'm kevin owen welcome to r.t. it's eight pm this thursday night on a huge good news story for russia dominating our coverage this evening as you would expect russia has got its hands on the golden statue of the world cup after winning the bid to host the event in twenty eighteen the announcement was made by fee for the football governing body in switzerland just a little bit earlier on one of the world's top sporting events therefore is expected to bring billions of dollars of investment and a massive influx of tourists to russia it gets a lot of comment on this post one of the people of his in moscow for the latest

[unintelligible] >> dmitry medvedev is vladimir putin's prodigy and pr. they like to show they are part of the same team but there are rumors of a rivalry and signs that president ned said it is trying to shape a more independent image. >> wanting a second term as president and getting it are two different things. all the indications are that the stay at the kremlin -- medvedev needs to persuade vladimir putin it is a good idea. >> police have issued new guidelines to try to safeguard women in india who work at night. they have ordered guards to be hired to accompany women home. >> over the last decade delhi has gained a reputation for being the most dangerous city for women. there have been any number of high-profile rape cases. the most recent happened only two weeks ago when a 30-year-old working for a call center was attacked having been dropped off near her home by a taxi. as she was making the final few steps she was abducted by a group of men who put her into their truck and decided to rape heard throughout the rest of the night. this is an outcry

putin kind of discussed him. and then with vladimir putin, he kindly invited us over. he was a gracious host. he said would you like to meet my dog. out bounced coney, a huge dog. and with a twinkle in his eye he said bigger, faster, and stronger than barney. yeah, he had changed. >> he changed. you had a day that changed your presidency too. you were in florida, the morning of september 11, 2001, it took you a while to get back to washington. can you tell us something about what it was like to be president of the united states that day? >> my role became clarified. the priority of my administration changed from no child left behind or tax cuts or economic woes or dealing with the dot-com bust to protecting american. when andy said the second plane hit the second tower, i was staring at young children. and my first reaction was anger. then my role became clear. to contrast between the evil of the attackers and the innocence of our citizens, starting with the youngest children. i made it clear my job was to protect you as best as i could. i put in there, everything afte

live media conference hopefully within the next hour or so as we take you to see rick promise the putins are going to be addressing the committee and thanking them for their voter support in russia and first let's go to europe no not for that long but before it let's talk to andrew farmer a correspondent who's been covering this mazing story for us all day today either andrew i guess five hours since that announcement that they're finally settling just a little bit in switzerland but the work is only just about to begin for russia what's been the reaction. well the action was amazing just a few hours ago when the announcement was made it will definitely be a party in the saving because the the russian bid same has also found out it was a landslide victory they needed a clear majority of twelve votes in the fee for executive committee is now transpired they got thirteen vice and only the second round a lot of us thought he would actually go to a third round of voting but it was no need for that and we all say fan of england who are considered to be one of their close rivals went out in th

prime minister putin described the killing of football fan to the present tragedy targeting the entire community of russia's food bowl funds he set we should treat these as an attack against all of you regardless where you leave your fate and you are a nationality he said during his meeting with the representatives of different football clubs in most cases he said he understood it well that emotions sometimes iran high as people supporting different football clubs try to settle scores up to matches but what happened in moscow last week was unacceptable he said and to the great peace he immunity against in a phobia and extremism which had existed in russia was saying true as is beginning to we cannot he also reminded that this is manifesting itself during football matches it's a multi national sport and russia's strength you say isn't that it's a country consisting of people of different nationalities and that once young people forget about this the country will start simply falling apart it will shut down and will start degenerating he promised that those responsible for the killing of

president putin said -- putin said, if the treaty isn't ratified, russia will build its nuclear mission technology. does that sound like a threat? >> nuclear weapons are one of the few things the russians have tied to their great power status. these armed control talks are a way of echoing that. i think they'll be upset if the senate doesn't ratify the treaty. we should be upset if the senate doesn't ratify this treaty because on balance it's in our interest on nuclear grounds, on u.s./russia grounds and also on the grounds we as a major power ought to be reliable. >> you wrote an article in foreign affairs that looks what the is perhaps the lingering day-by-day crisis of debt. that is destroying our capacity to run the sort of foreign policy we want. does the debt commission, the bowles/simpson commission, address your concerns in a satisfactory way? >> the short answer's no despite my respect for what they've done. i think they did themselves a disservice. they haven't yet sold america on the need to do something about the deficit and the debt. if i had been in their shoe, i would hav

also made against prime minister vladimir putin claiming that he did last a fortune in foreign banks during his time as president bush's press secretary is dismissed study information is quote utter rubbish saying it's a bunch of groundless rumors the file is the latest in a growing list of leaks originating from american officials well let's get more now on the latest wiki leak we're joined live from washington the subway scott bates he's vice president of the center for national policy mr bates leaving to you so as just mentioned according to these cables u.s. diplomats spend a great deal of time delay probing russia's internal affairs something that mr putin's warned washington against how do american officials justify their actions and is u.s. taxpayers money be well spent on their salaries you have to ask well you know this is what diplomats to representing any country in the world including the russian diplomatic service their job is to represent their nation's interests and also gain information about the nation that they're in to try and present a full picture of the nation t

officials said watch what they say will reveal details of my dear putin's interview with american t.v. veteran larry king. but first another eurozone country another threat of an imminent battle out italy is the third largest economy that uses the euro and there are now fears it may start plunging in the same direction as greece and ireland with the euro failing the amount of money it costs rome to lend to debt ridden countries is rising dramatically spain portugal and belgium are also at risk of being called into the crisis doubt about the future of the single currency and the e.u. itself have been intensified by fresh protests sweeping across europe people angry at facing savage cuts to pay for it all european parliament member night of raj says countries are trapped and find the eurozone and should get out to save their continent. if spain went down remember that the debt they've got is about seven times the size of them so we'd be talking there about three hundred fifty billion euros in italy bigger still so you get to a point where there is no more bailout money where the euro wi

officials should watch what they say will reveal details of the dimia putin's interview with american t.v. veteran larry king. and in the eurozone country another threat of an imminent bailout italy is the third largest economy that uses the euro and there are fears it may start plunging in the same direction as greece and ireland now with the euro falling the amounts of money it costs rome to lend debt ridden countries is rising dramatically spain portugal and belgium are also at risk of being pulled into the crisis doubts about the future of the single currency and the e.u. itself has been intensified by fresh protests sweeping across europe with people angry facing savage cuts to pay for it all this break down some of this we're joined now from berlin by michael market analyst and author good evening to you thanks be on the program with us so what does it mean for the e.u. and the eurozone if one of its biggest economies like italy is now coming out of this sort of pressure. it doesn't mean the end in my opinion because the political will is there to keep the euro with all means an

from us tonight russia will never provoke an arms race unless it's pushed to extremes prime minister putin sets the record straight on missile defense and his relationship with the president during an interview with veteran talk show host larry king. and washington lands itself and hold water up for a new leak exposes its true colors opinions of a so-called corrupt russia raised questions over u.s. politicians and their stereotypical view. hello i'm kevin i welcome it is now nine pm this thursday night and great news for russia tonight one story dominating our coverage of the seating is only one story that russia cares about it's the country's becoming the new host of the world cup in twenty eighteen lots of excitement in moscow of course but it doesn't stop there let's check in with our correspondents now find it was around the country we've got peter all over in the russian capital and sarah ferguson the northern cal but all the calls from papers to cities that will be booming with fancy eight years' time peter to you first it's only three hours of course since that big announcement i gu

well russia's premier of legendary putin has also been discussing the country's security policy and an interview with american t.v. host larry kane he says moscow wants to become an equal partner a new plans for european missile defense otherwise it could lead to a new arms race when asked about the latest wave of wiki leaks putin said it was no catastrophe because it was such a poorly kept secret however he lashed out at the assessment of his relations with president medvedev saying the comparison to batman and robin was arrogant and an ethical putin's interview airs wednesday evening in the u.s. and he's likely to be the last statesman to appear on larry king live as the veteran interviewer soon retires. president obama has used his last opportunity to push for us to legislators to ratify the nuclear arms reduction treaty with russia before the holidays as most republicans continue to stall the process obama wants the senate to put aside political squabbles and focus on security. i reminded the room that this treaty has been vetted for seven months now it's gone through eighteen hear