in december, putin snatched westing russia's international prestige. biggest winner glad. >> biggest loser of 2013. >> president obama and obamacare. >> the president still has a job. i think the biggest loser is the president of egypt, mr. egypt. >> being able to deal with the obamacare setbacks is bigger than president obama. >> i have a tie, the city of detroit and the average american working class individual whose real wages have declined in a time of relative prosperity. >> obama drew the line and smudged them and then eraced them completely it will be a long, long time before president will invoke red line. best politician? >> prime minister of -- the president of iran. >> i give to pope francis. he loves people and that is a key ingredient if you want to be a politician. >> are you stuck in that track. >> he deserved all the applaud that we can all give him. >> hillary clinton who kept herself out of the dispute of obamacare and preserved all that she needs for the next presidential campaign. >> i give to governor chris christie for walking a t

and instead is pushing for ties with russia bordering on ukraines west russia bordering on ukraines westse who've worried... russia bordering on ukraines west suffered in silence... hoped... and lived in a state of fear... welcome to a new state... of health. welcome to covered california. the place to find quality, affordable coverage. financial help for those in need. and nobody can be denied because of a pre-existing condition. enroll now at coveredca.com. time for the kron4 tech report with gabe slate. >>: i have a really cool new gadget that just hit the market. it was developed in silicon valley. this device really could save your life or life of someone you care about. it's perfect for the holiday season. this device plugs into your smart phone ant turns your phone into a real functioning breathalyzer. anyone in the public can have access to a breathalyzer and their pocket. all you need is a smart phone. it's great timing for the holidays because the holidays means there's a lot of drinking parties and events, gatherings. let me show you what this does and how it works pinned how

west. russia's image ahead of the winter olympics in sochi but securely of course in the light of the amnesty for perceived riots and the greenpeace crew some say that even a display of clemency by putin is also a display of power and some of course are saying that it was just time to let head of course go he's ten years in jail he was due to be released next year anyway his mother's sick and he has asked for a pardon something which he had never done before. more analysis now from a legal expert and blogger alexander marker is joining me now live from london alexander makris welcome to r.t. very nice to see you some see putin's decision as being dictated by the amnesty law adopted recently by the russian parliament others say it's kind of a little precise p.r. by president putin what's your take. how did being either of those of the case at all actually i did it got anything to do with nobody was going to stay away from salt because of vista holder god being in prison for the amnesty law it didn't apply to mr holder costy what what has changed the situation and has led to his release is that

discussing a resurgent russia and vladimir putin on the stage and what it means for america's foreign policy. we've seen vladimir putin very much intervening in the east versus west battle inside ukraine, russia very assertive in the negotiations over iran's nuclear program over whether or not syria had chemical weapons, and once it was established how do they get it out of country. how do you understand what is going on now? >> well, i would rather emphasize the fact that russia has awful relations with lots of its neighbors. vermont putin is trying to come back to chemical arms with syria, and now with ukraine, but what this means for ukraine, it is that ukraine, indeed, becomes more dependent on russia financially, economically, and geopolitically. but it also means that neither russia nor ukraine would really benefit. this is a decision against reforms, against any corruption that is pervasive both in russia and ukraine, arguebly it would be worse in ukraine. >> temuri yakobashvili, you heard awful relations with the united states, and awful relations with europe. does it have to be that way? could russia have been a big power on the world stage and still hav

because as i said earlier we are very interested in having a strong and well developing russia an offer that the west has made many many times and and for some reason russia seems to prefer to look. if they when we must necessarily rule ok all right and that's a very very a total of modern way of looking at it but i think it's a kind of pre-modern but the european union knows what's best for russia and ukraine alexander would you like to react to that. all in all that's not what i know that of course i think are you with that i'm for it go ahead alexander the first the first point to make is that of course the people who are protesting. who were protesting on sunday were actually calling for revolution and for the overthrow of the government so when people from outside come along and become involved in all of that well then one does start to become concerned now coming back to the fact about the free trade agreement with ukraine in effect has with russia the fact is it does have a frequent trade relationship with russia is to say that that's a wishy washy thing simply doesn't look at the actual reali

because as i said earlier we are very interested in having a strong and well developing russia an offer that the west has made many many times and and for some reason russia seems to prefer to look. if they when we lost nothing there are the little ok all right and that's a very very a total out of the way of looking at it but i think it's a kind of pre-modern but the european union knows what's best for russia and ukraine alexander would you like to react to that. eleanor that's not what i said of course i think are you with that i'm for it go ahead alexander the first the first point to make is that of course the people who are protesting. who are protesting on sunday were actually calling for revolution and for the overthrow of the government so when people from outside come along and become involved in all of that well then one does start to become concerned now coming back to the fact about the free trade agreement with ukraine in effect has with russia the fact is it does have a frequent trade relationship with russia it to say that that's a wishy washy thing simply doesn't look at the actual r

the very least reduce the talking point criticisms that can be directed against russia it's a sign of weakness as the west will interpret it first you have to understand the reason for the propaganda campaign on the gay rights issue the holocaust. and so forth these are attempts to isolate russia her while at the same time it justifies the so-called new cold war with a missile defense in poland czech republic turkey etc i disagree i think that the release of mr holder will be viewed positively in the west i mean the strains of anti putin nineteen russian propaganda you know the l b l g b t rights issue is one this completely separate from mr holder. ok ok well what i say let me just on russia russia to the way these people become celebrity prisoners i mean a these are well known people in the west and this is a great gesture of surprise from putin but is it is it actually a genuine change in direction for the country or this. p.r. exercise no i don't think this is any genuine change for the country if we're talking about a move away from law and justice we roast russian citizens in both of these cases fee

free mikhail khordorkovsky shows how serious he is about trying to silence his critics in the west over russia'suman rights record, at a time when his country will be under microscopic examination as tv crews and journalists arrive for the start of winter olympics in six weeks time. >> tajikistan has strict rules on how and where people can pray. the government says it's necessary to combat extremism. many feel the laws to control religious activity is an attempt to clamp down on political opposition. >> tajikistan is a secular country, but religion plays a huge part in government policies. which means bringing students back from unrecognized institutions abroad. >> people who two and study in religion institutions they in here and the government decided to control the procedure. >> like 25-year-old ambujah studying in a madrasa. he attends classes at the tajikistan institution. all teaching programs are approved by the ministry of education, which says it is necessary to avoid conflict between followers of different ideologyies. >> if their parents don't comply and bring children back, they are

been a watershed moment for the investment climate the business climate in russia and investor relations of course in the west are saying that it's an attempt to boost russia's image ahead of the winter olympics in sochi but of course in the light of the amnesty for perceived riots and the greenpeace crew some say that even a display of clemency by putin is also a display of power and some of course are saying that it was just time to let her of course go he's ten years in jail he was due to be released next year anyway his mother sick and he he has asked for a pardon something which he had never done before. a line from london laura thank you very much. and let's now look at the economic implications of all this and talk to barry's editor of business news here up thank you very much indeed for your time sir said the russian stock market is already welcoming the new year's day a thing the decision will benefit the business climate in russia on a larger scale. yes absolutely i mean how to cause has been a cause celeb here some eyes and personified a lot of the concerns that investors have particularly portfoli

russia i can't speak to that the terms of his. freedom and so forth but i think the the operation that holder cos he was a part of the his foundation in the west is negotiations with chevron exxon mobil and the carlyle foundation to take over. russian oil and pipelines and so forth before he was arrested. those issues are part of the dismantling of russia as a functioning state and that remains the goal of nato until this point and these gestures are going to be laughed at i can wager you that the guardian b.b.c. c.n.n. and so forth that tomorrow or the next day will find a reason to. paint putin as as weak by doing this go ahead joe you know it we want to respond to that job i don't i don't i know you want to respond to that. well i think that the tide a swinging in london and elsewhere in favor of mr putin. just as an example last night i had i had a taxi driver who and that was turkish here in london and he had me talking russian to. associate and he said oh you're russian i said no no i'm british but i speak a little bit of russian i lived there for a long time and he said oh you're like mr putin i said mr putin is doing good things for ru

this point because putin has made it clear he is interested in only limited cooperation with the west. russia has nuclear weapons and a veto at the un security council. in themits what anyone outside world can do inside russian territory. it aswill keep an eye on we get closer to the gains. up, the best performance of this record-breaking year are next. plus, high-tech on the high seas. the world's largest solar powered boat is coming up. ♪ >> 2013 has been one for the record books in terms of stock performance. julie has been compiling the stats for us all year long. do you have a book where you write every single closing price? >> no, sorry. that seems a very tedious. i have been using my handy dandy bloomberg terminal. in terms of records that we are looking at, it is the biggest outperformance for stocks over -- as fare we started as our data goes back, to 1978. the s&p up 29%, treasuries have returned or lost 2.3%. the market cap for the s&p 500 is up 2.7 trillion this year, the biggest ever. it has been a good year for stocks. >> when people look at their end of your statements and real

danger so they try to continue the equidistance game that there's been trying to play between the west and russia and that. the decision that mr geller covered has been taken and that's where we stand at the moment and what the dynamic on the ground and going to turn out like whether it's going to be a mobilizing kind of effect again of nine years ago or i really don't know at the very volatile situation i wish that the ukrainian government will be playing a slightly smarter with the demonstrators that's for sure ok alexander would you like to weigh in there i mean we heard outside influence i suppose that means russia anything that goes wrong in ukraine is obviously russia's fault i mean that's a default line for ukrainian politics but it certainly is and it's what the europeans have been saying for the ever since this decision was made now i've actually read the association agreement and i have to say i'm not really convinced of that my own view is that it is far too ambitious document it requires the ukraine essentially to convert to all the rules.

west. the eastern part of ukraine is drawn more towards russia and is predominantly russian speaking. the western part speaks ukrainian, which is a distinct language from russian, and it is more european minded, considers itself to be part of europe. in part that is part of the struggle here. the other thing, too, is that this is a deal that was in the works for a number of years, about five or so years. and throughout this yearn coyanukovych, the president, sad repeatedly that he would sign it. why you're seeing this rush to the street is that it's the change of heart seems quite sudden, and it seems as though it's a turn towards russia, as you said at the beginning of this segment. >> what is at stake? why is it so important for the world, and why is russia so keen to have ukraine back in the fold. the e.u. looking at ukraine to look out for itself, and the secretary of state giving a stern lecture to the president. >> there is a lot at stake. ukraine, as in your introduction, it's the largest country by geography in europe. 46 million some people. this is a major player, a major co

look at results to get yeltsin back in ninety six and they have friends in the west remember the huge jump of money from russia which many people in the west many banks in the west and scott recently not terribly concerned anyway were having this money and also of course as i say think tanks universities and so on this huge generous donations what i think we may now be in is a situation that kind of ability of people to plunder the society has been brought to an end that after all is one of the reasons why a lot of it hooting has remained basically popular a lot of people if they have a criticism of the russian government of the prosecution service is not the holocaust and so on the course now to others were to mend their ways and carry on without having to thank any kind of restitution of illegal immigrants who mounted mountains. professor marc ullman live in oxford great to talk to you thanks very much and have your thoughts thank you thank you. well for more on his first public comments after his release and to get opinion and analysis on his case and surprise pardon head to our web page that is on our t.v.

. >> good morning to you and viewers in the west. russia has passed laws against the so called gay propaganda. now president barack obama is making his thoughts to the laws loud and clear. >> this is a strong message sent to the country on gay laws. the president announced two openly gray stars will be part of the u.s. delegation. janet, a former secretary of homeland security has been named the delegation leader. >> it's not as dramatic or a rupture in the way a boycott would be. it's meant to send a clear cut signal of u.s. disapproval. >> for the first time in 14 years the u.s. team won't be represented by the president, vice president, first lady or former president. in a statement, the white house said the president's schedule doesn't allow him to travel to show which. the delegation represents the diversity that is the united states. russia and its president, putin have been under growing pressure from the international community after passing antigay laws barring non traditional sexual relations. president barack obama has resisted c

direction is very clear and i don't see it being particularly change in the direction that the west wants i mean russia has had a very good year in international politics rather made fools of the west on several occasions the most recent one being in ukraine before that there was syria so i don't see inflection in the general direction of russian politics at this point quite the opposite do you see any point for what it cost to say upon to now especially now when his sentence has almost been said i see no purpose. well the man has certainly he believes very deeply and. he seems to have forgotten the murderous seeding activities of the united states and sees himself as a seat he was not he's not going to confess to guilt i don't see him asking for a pardon and you're correct his sentence is almost run out so i would rather it is talk of the. criminal investigation against the. part with notes were stored so it doesn't make a great deal of sense to the quitter and. to eric. thank you very much indeed for sharing your insight with us we appreciate it. and just to remind you how me how her confiscate ended

danger is depicting ukraine as a bystander, passive to its simply being torn apart between russia and the west. when you look at what's happening in the streets, russia hardly gets mentioned at all. there are real grievance against their president. >> global village voices now on the news coverage of the protests in kiev. >> media has presented the ongoing protests in ukraine as one that pits pro-european protestors against pro-government. .united front. dichotomies like this are always going to oversimplify what is a much more complex situation on the ground. >> the activists and independent journalists on the ground, were very involved in covering the protest, facebook followers that have covered the outbreak, independent outlets were doing live streaming online. so actually civic journalists and activists have been very, very instrumental in covering the protest. (vo) al jazeera america we understand that every news story begins and ends with people. >> the efforts are focused on rescuing stranded residents. (vo) we pursue that story beyond the headline, past the spokesperson, to the street

ism is important, and te temuri is right, they talked about conservative values juxtaposing russia to the westin that regard. you can talk about values all you want, but you still have to earn a living. russians got used to earning a better living for eight or so years, and now in the long run hence forth it's difficult to see how that would continue in their economic trouble. >> the 1.4% economic growth rate, for those who want more, does butting heads with the united states and the u.n. security council. >> yes, the falling economic growth, the economic decline, that is the serious problem that i think we should focus on. >> well, i'm wondering what happens--what happens now? should we look for short-term changes, or is the table for the world pretty much set for the near term? >> i think short term president has a very stable situation that is politically controlled. this is more of a system , and a authoritanauthoritarian state. oppression is not much. but you can't organize opposition. >> that brings us to the end of this edition of inside story. "inside story," thanks for being with us.

russia. western governments meanwhile have hailed their release of mr holder. because of pressure from the west sorry you know they actually have the release of mr khodorkovsky do you think this will help to improve russia's image abroad russians piece of what russia's image abroad. well it helped to improve russia's image i get is i got your point. i am not to i'm not you i think what i what i said before you know that the people in the west and would have forgotten so quickly what has happened after the break of the soviet union the fall of the soviet union i mean it was in times of boris yeltsin there were the all the guards which have taken over poland were most influential in russia and to president putin came and you know be a criticizing today the influence of the other guys in the ukraine for example but we welcome somebody a representative of this group who has been imprisoned in russia so i'm not sure if it has something i don't i think it's a message to the that all the guys in russia have no influence on russian politics and to western world has to accept that maybe we should look i

west. the plan angered russia to the east. >>> back in this country the huge storm that caused major power outages in texas has moved eastward. a spokes woman for emergency management in virginia warned of what she called a historic ice event. the storm sent snow to philadelphia. a catholic high school reportedly has fired one of its teachers, an openly gay man, after he applied for a new jersey license to wed his partner. >>> a distant reminder of world war ii. an unexploded one-ton german bomb was uncovered 20 feet under the ground at a construction site in serbia. it was removed from the scene and destroyed. >>> now return to iran where u.n. inspectors visited a site used to produce plutonium that could be used in a nuclear weapon. we are joined in washington by david albright. he is a leading expert. the inspectors are visiting a heavy water production plant. what are they looking for specifically at this plant? >> this is a visit by the inspectors. so they are looking for very simple things. is the plant operational? how much heavy water has it made? they will try to find out what its

future so what kind of international archon are you talking about well i think the west got to change its policy towards russia because i think as a state there's a war being waged against russia on two fronts really there's a kind of soft war a propaganda war which the orchestra. and what i call the faint laughter really in western countries which is to try to demonize russia to smear russia using any reason whether it's pussy riot whether it's a right school i apologize i apologize for jumping in here but i want you to i would like you to specifically address how the both sides can work together in addressing the terror threat yet when i think you have both sides well it west has got to i think what change its relationship with saudi arabia which is a major sponsor of a lot of these radical islamic groups around the world west has got to realize its foreign policy the trouble is if you look at syria for example the west is actually on the same side as a terrorist because it's because of its relationships with in large between saudi arabia and israel who both want that regime in syria to be removed so i think

and the order for german mobilization which means against france in the west and russia in the east, there are a number of times they could have stopped it. >> one small note i want to ask you about, 1906 to 1909 was the president of france, prime minister of france, i'm sorry, and i just wrote this down. he fought a dozen duels. >> this is what was so stroit about this europe. in some ways, it was recognizable. subways, telephones coming in. movies were beginning. some ways there was modern. britain had long since moved away from duelling. in france, they fought duels. he fought a duel because someone was rude about his singer and her voice. it was an honorable thing to do to show you were truly brave. >> who disliked each other the most? >> well, a lot of it was up and public opinion was volatile. the british and the jermens discovered antipathy. then they would be friendly. you have the developments of the nationalism. that produced stereotypes. the germans are always our enemies. generations of german school children being told that russia is always our enemies or the french are

all of this another salvo in russia's increasing aggression toward the west. t of the american foreign policy council and author of the new book, "implosion: the end of russia and what it means for america." well, russia is still there at least in the near time. poland and lithuania are said to be nervous over the discovery of these russian missiles right on their doorstep. should they be? >> oh, they absolutely should be. and i think you framed it exactly right. this is very much part of a larger conversation, in fact, a larger contest that's taking place between the russian federation on the one side and the west on the other side. ukraine is really the bellwether for everything that's happening. the historical background for everything that you're seeing in ukraine is the fact that ukraine was on track until late november to sign an association agreement with the european union which is a very important, symbolic step that would align ukraine's economy with that of the e.u. and not with russia. russia's pushing back, they're trying to bring ukraine back into

west. if we. had done what he had done in russia but say in britain where i live he would have been frightened into jail there would have been see from the british major i'm quite lightly as well rico could of course kate is a criminal but he served his time and in fact swapped a justice system is a pow but it's important to remember about. his company you cos it was built on the back of the pain and suffering of the russian people he is not this innocent in the future with this in the same entity that we are that we are here and this is not a man who should be glorified in the west the only reason he's being glorified in the west is because he's a critic and an opponent of president putin. international the bank with more news interest a minute. technology innovation all the developments from around russia we. covered. it will she all sing to national is great to have you with us let's move on now with twenty four saying just a week away now where sifting through the year's top stories. these local spin counts hour hey braving the elements in order to stand up to us oil giants chevron. this comes

they try to continue the equidistance game that there's them been trying to play between the west and russia and that's the decision that mr ghanem coverage has has been taken and that's where we stand at the moment and what the dynamic on the ground and going to turn out like whether it's going to be a mobilizing kind of effect again as nine years ago i really don't know that's a very volatile situation i wish that the ukrainian government will be playing a slightly smarter with the demonstrators that's for sure ok alexander would you like to weigh in there i mean we heard outside influence i suppose that means russia anything that goes wrong in ukraine is obviously russia's fault i mean that's a default line for ukrainian politics. well it certainly is and it's what the europeans have been saying for the ever since this decision was made now i've actually read the association agreement and i have to say i am not really convinced of that my own view is that it is a far too ambitious document it requires that ukraine is sensually to convert to all the rules of the european single market with

there are also changes in russia's relations with the west and apparently there are signals for more transparent and trustworthy ties on both sides but a board warming talent is still something that must pass to deal with. the media members have a phobia against russia which is really said this leads to some of our european partners still wanting to keep dividing lines within europe and even move these lines eastward the countries that you'd rather be with them or against them you can use the comments for the last november's nato drills near russia's western borders the largest in ten years six thousand troops from all member states as well as finland sweden and ukraine practice defending the baltics from an identified flight from the east while president putin is question of what was the point of still planning to build an anti missile defense system in europe without of threat from iran still hasn't been properly answered by washington there aren't any firm guarantees the system want to be aimed at russia either you've got this kind of moscow. and we invite you to watch the highligh

what that will precede the relation between russia and the west will drop him off to play either an issue between russia and europe as is its conduct a series of overlapping bet on it. ah yes the husband corporation up over time off so time of tension on syria. um yes the house the incorporation of a kind one around but will pursue the same time. it is a a a a a vigorous may increase the vigorous from sonic cents almost hostile to the competition also by the domestic standards. what you might call the shroud. eu russian sphere of interest all the best pieces of calls from the coliseum. and that of a bunch of. this protective come about by the ukrainian government and to not sign the deal with you with the eu and to cave in and the face of massive investment of a russian pressure. the greatest nations episode in a tug of war the tree in moscow in one hand and ruffles and the eu member states on the top of a guzman will prevail in inches high with this talk of europe dave evans has europe played its cards right in this tug of war most recently splurged on a lull between the ukrainian govern

west. basie russia and they don't want to be part of that society. that is why i am optimistic that at the end of the day, we will see a free and democratic ukraine. i think right now, at this particular juncture, it might be good for us to continue our message of support for these people who are seeking a government that is free of corruption and that they think truly represents them. i do not think that is an outrageous stance for the united states of america to take. i see a lot of old friends and enemies here. i want to thank you all for being here today. if there's one thing i want to do, is to alert the american people how oregon a faraway country is to the united states. >> senator mccain, i think you have accomplished just that i going to ukraine at a critical time as these developers are folding. we cannot thank you enough for coming back here. as fred mentioned, we had the honor of hosting the senator several times. i will say, each time, you have added to the conversation. you have delivered a important messages, whether it has in on the f

the west should be prepared to help the ukraine financially and otherwise to overcome the short- term pain that reforms will require and russia may inflict. in short, the west must show ukraine's leaders and people that they will not face short- term economic destruction in pursuit of a better future. this is the challenge we now face with georgia and moldova, which have decided to deepen ties with europe and the west. these countries must know we will help them weather any loss of economic activity or energy supplies, in a sense by helping moldova meet their short-term needs during this transition, we in the west can convince ukraine and others that they can count on us, too. if we are committed to expanding the promise of the euro atlantic community, we will have to stand up more forcefully to russia. this is not the way it should be and certainly not the way we want it to be. eastern european countries should not have to choose between good relations with ae or good relations with russia. that is not a choice we are asking them to make. it is a false choice premised on an outdated zero-sum view of the world. unfortunately,

west. if. he had done what he had done in russia but say in britain where i live he would have been for an instant there would have been no mercy from the british major and quite rightly as well. is a criminal but he served his time and that's what the justice system is about but it's important to remember that while his company you cause was built on the back of the pain and suffering of the russian people he is not this innocent individual this in the same entity that we are that we are hearing that this is not a man who should be qualified in the west the only reason he's being glorified in the west is because he's a critic and an opponents of president putin. that's a quick little bit of wind up fewer tonight online elves against the government amongst the many stories a group strongly believing in the mythical beings apparently have now blocked the construction of a road to the icelandic president. read up more about that if you fancy r.t. dot com will tell you why and how it became possible the l.v. rebels were also there for you the divide between israel and the u.s. is getting wider as pri

the games in sochi are just six weeks away, and putin is under fire from many in the west for russia'sw. >> i think the olympics is too much of a simple answer. he likes to keep everybody on edge and guessing. >> reporter: putin, a former kgb officer is sending multiple messages. for the punk rockers, you may just be girls, but if you protest, you can be punished. for green peace, don't even think about trying to shut down russia's oil rigs. for cohim, you pressured me. >> anybody can anticipate that something could happen to them. it's a real effective way of keeping people in control. >> reporter: he called the last month a living hell for you. and he also said that freeing political prisoners makes those in power at least a little more humane. but he also called their detention torture unworthy of a european country in the 21st century. >> tough words. >>> now the story is beginning to emerge as to why north korean leader kim jong un executed his own uncle. what are you learning? >> reporter: a lot of this information's been coming out in bits and drabs since the middle of december

is keen to show case russia next february when the games start but once again i would be disappointed if i thought that was the reason because i think it's futile we know that the west has cranked up now hostility against russia on other issues which he's certainly not going to abandon on the on the homosexual propaganda law for example. i hope that it's a message not directed outside but instead for internal consumption because ultimately the hostility against russia on these issues is purely because it will and is driven by geopolitical matters it's not driven by concern for the people concerned john what about reaction you're expecting any type of pretty particular reaction from europe or from the united states we had of the german chancellor angela merkel saying she's glad that khodorkovsky is on his way out of prison another gentleman saying well this is what you call progress or any other reac see can forecast well yes there has been a lot of positive foreign reaction. it's impossible for me to forecast whether there will be other reactions of the same kind but i think of course the issue you know will generally be welcomed i think though that the what i certa

and that of gritty dj rejecting what people in the west would say on normal human rights as they might know losing to the fall. russia if you like these and fight saying is that he has his own culture and tradition and so on. he would not go the way is the west and rejects the way they wish to go and waste tide is doing in the west they want to keep that tradition with them. that's been important for us. what about foreign policy he told about leaving russia forget stressed he doesn't want to rule the world what is exactly mean by that would be released and can take the body of mine rushes out pretty strong position recently on the diplomatic thing. he has to be invented by a cathedral and demonic successes such as syria iran and the gulf state to another state in the middle east saying that if the united states leaving the middle east and the government to russia. the full protection zone is very useful for russia as much as the hague him on all russia would like to dictate how and so on nobody who is below the navel of the month at the center of power this one in china this one an american song. and your job is the

ukraine want prime minister viktor yanukovych to step down because he favours associated with russia instead of the west. >> opposition leaders who healed sway in kiev for more than two weeks are face to face with forces from the interior ministry. in the snow storm that struck the capital they appealed for calm. >> these are peaceful people without weapons. this is a peace of demonstration. i'm asking each of you before using force or weapons to think, please. you will be responsible for what happens. >> protesters fear the troops may be on the point of seizing back control of the city center. barricades around buildings have been removed. state security on monday even raided the party. computer equipment was seized when the website was shut down. if president viktor yanukovych thinks that through the law enforcement agencies and riot place that that will work, he is mistaken. >> at independence square, they occupied public buildings. they are preparing for a struggle. these are not snowballs, they are made of plaster. there is hope for a peaceful outcome from the crisis. the e.u.'s foreign policy chie

new reports suggesting that russia is deploying missiles to an area bordering poland and lithuania. as tensions rise between the wests president scrap ad promise to forge closer ties to europe. instead aligning itself with russia. >>> congressional budget deal clearing a major procedural hurdle in the senate, despite a republican filibuster attempt. the bipartisan agreement facing one last vote before it reaches president obama's desk. final approval requires a simple majority of 51 votes in the senate. >>> and, megamillions fever in full swing. folks rushing to buy lottery tickets ahead of tonight's drawing. the jackpot is soaring again today, this time to a near record $636 million. if someone doesn't hit it big tonight, it is very possible that the prize could jump to one billion dollars. those are your headlines. back to tracy. even if you don't believe the lottery, one time you should do it. >> you're right about that. i'm a disbeliever. lauren green, thank you very much. >> sure. tracy: okay. so here's tomorrow's business today for you. with brain injury becoming a increasing concern not just for big business

been a watershed moment for the investment climate the business climate in russia and investor relations of course in the west are saying that it's an attempt to boost russia's image ahead of the winter olympics in sochi but securely of course in the light of the amnesty for perceived riot and the greenpeace crew some say that even a display of clemency by putin is also a display of power and some of course are saying that it was just time to let head of course go he's ten years in jail he was due to be released next year anyway his mother sick and he he has asked for a pardon something which he had never done before and been areas of business news europe says the release of the eckstein cohen will send a positive signal to those willing to invest in russian. part of cost is being a cause celeb here it's a miser and personified a lot of the concerns that investors have basically portfolio investors into doing business and investing into russian shares to let him out is not to say it's going to fix the problems with russia's perception but certainly it's a step in the right direction and i think at the end of

excuse for putin, a pr stunt, this amnesty is a pr stunt ahead of the olympics because the west has criticized russiats human rights record and pussy riot and the arctic 30 have all been held up as examples of how this country tramples on the rights of people, especially people within its prison system. she calls the amnesty just a pr stunt, but also interestingly, michael, a gesture of weakness on the part of president putin, she said. >> diana magnay there in siberia. >>> a second mission to repair the international space station has now been delayed after water leaks into an astronaut's space suit over the weekend. up next, we're going to talk about what kinds of dangers astronauts face in tomorrow's missions. repair the international space station has been delayed until tomorrow. on saturday astronauts rick mastracchio and mike hopkins success dpli removed a broken pump but it needs to be replaced. >> the five-hour mission was actually cut short when that is trackio complained of cold feet after water leaked into the space suit. here to talk more about this is astronaut ron guerin joining us from

west the e.u. and nato because let's remember you and nato membership go hand in hand and russia and why it's a game of chess being played out between the two it's been instigated by the west ever since the collapse of the soviet union ukraine is being viewed by western policymakers in particular in washington and in brussels as an as a very important country to get influence in it has a population of a fourteen million has a large industrial sector a large i could go to a sector and of course it is placed in the under in the soft underbelly of russia and so that's what this whole dispute is a balance it's a game of chess which has been instigated by the west. and it's completely natural it's what we're hearing at the moment for example in the british media that russia is perceived as an alien country to ukraine that's absolutely nonsense the western most regions of ukraine for example delay syria that's where you will find situations russia that's where you'll find and see russian sentiment regions where you work so be austria-hungary one empire and poland but that assigns the ukrainians and the ru

demonstrators want the president to quit because he wants to tilt the nation towards russia, instead of the west. viktor yanukovych is calling for peaceful rallies, and will reach out to the european union for talks that could mean closer ties with the e.u. >> in the city center it feels like a revolution is underway. the city hall has become a headquarters for protesters. all day people came in just to have a look and enjoy the food and hot drinks or to catch a nap. amidst all this. a workman removes the carpet so it will not get damaged. the problem for the opposition is where do they go from here. how do they turn occupation into victory. >> the way to solve the crisis is through early parliamentary elections. we want a no confidence resolution in the government of ukraine. they should resign. >> pictures have emerged from sunday night showing the police were, at times, brutal in their treatment of protesters and journalists. anton is a photographer. one of dozens who were beaten by riot police. he pleaded with them to stop. these are his bruises. this is all that is left of his camera. the p

. >> it's both, because russia now is turning away from europe, turning away from the west, pointing the east. putin would like to put together a eurasian economic union, russia, ukraine, belarus and pakistan. that would be powerful. ukraine would be crucial in the mix. putin, who in his speech on 12th of this month talked about conservative values, traditional values, russian values, and the values of the church and so on, emphasising those, rejecting the values of the west. he's saying to the ukrainians, you should be with us, you are our brother. >> that may be, it may benefit russia and moscow. kiev is stuck in the middle. is kiev better off going with moscow or have they missed the boat. >> if you look at the conditions, the $15 billion loan, almost certainly russia will impose the same conditions as the imf. in ordinary words, balance the budget, restructure the labour market and economy. in order to do that, the ukrainians will have to engage in pain of the changes. if you look at belarus, russia extended a note to belarus and they impose the same conditions as the imf. ukrain