that is what has been going on in russia in the past several months. >> what does russia want from syria? what is the endgame? >> at this point, it is much more what russia wants to prevent. i don't think anyone can know what the outcome looks like, russia does not want nato intervention. this is preventing the u.s. and western europe from running the table and the world waiting with bated breath for barack obama and hillary clinton to declare a regime to be legitimate or illegitimate. >> thank you very much for coming in. while the fighting continues in syria, in libya, 8 months of conflict left tens of thousands of people injured. the new government made it a priority to send the wounded abroad if they could not get the treatment they needed at home. the system has been massively abuse with thousands of people who never saw battle receiving foreign medical care. the bill stands at $800 million. be over, butr may not the ordeal of its wounded. this man tells his story. his cow was sprayed with bullets -- his car was sprayed with bullets, shatterinshatteris leg. day after day, they come

we're locked into a tug of war or war of words with russia and china. we have to get beyond that. >> how could the coup happened? is it wishful thinking? is there a plan to make it come about? >> i would not know. it seems more wishful thinking. i think the secretary of state is trying to hold out the hope to the community in syria that there is a future after assad if they will distance themselves from him. >> it is there is a change of regime at the top will be because the gulf states and saudis decided to intervene and arm the rebels were forcefully? >> i think there will be more alarming with long and protracted fighting. i do not see an imminent challenge to the military now. assad still holds the loyalty of strong elements in the army. it was designed that way. his father came to power in a coup. he knows what they can do. he has insulated himself from it. >> thank you so much for coming in. a month after the costa concordia ran aground killing 25 people, the owners of the ship are dealing with a second accident. another vessel is adrift in the in

. >> look out syrian state television is drawing strength from russia's position. >> the russian prime minister says that nobody should be allowed to repeat the scenario in syria. >> it is no surprise that the president won the referendum comfortably. the opposition boycotted and many governments called it a sham and a farce. so far, the regime has proved the spot -- impossible to dislodge. >> as you just reported, the international community is clearly divided on what to do about syria, that tension is spilling over. she joins us in the studio, thank you for coming in. you were with the secretary of state before the libya operation. what is the difference in her thinking? >> these countries are very different, but if we look at the diplomatic aspects, and the lead up to the un resolution, the secretary of state to hillary clinton traveled to paris to meet with her british counterparts. she tried to assess their intentions and what they were willing to contribute. she met with arab counterparts to see if they were willing to put their money where their mouth is. or were they going to c

even in that framework, russia is opposed to it. is there any weight to it? >> there is not legal weight. there could be political and moral weight if you get a majority. this is really a plan b. what everyone would like to do is to try to get it to the security council because that is where you have the legal authority. given the russian opposition, and they repeated their opposition today, it seems less and less likely. the divide seems to be growing. on the one hand, you have the western nations -- arabs, the syrian opposition, turkey, joining together in a coalition of the willing. they will be talking about getting more support to the opposition. they will be talking about support for the arab league transition plan which calls for bashar al-assad to step down. on the other hand, you have the syrians calling for their own reform. the russians think this is a step in the right direction. it seems as though the divisions are growing rather than the reverse. >> thank you very much for joining us. to libya, where one year after the revolution there started,

russia does not want intervention. western europe -- they want to prevent western europe from running the table on western affairs. they do not want barack obama or hillary clinton to declare a regime to be legitimate or illegitimate. the russians a surge that is not their job, that is the security council -- the russians a searcassert that is not their j. >> in libya, tens of thousands of people were injured. the government made it the party to set people abroad if they could not get help in libya. the system has been massively abused with thousands of people who never saw battle receiving medical care. the bill stands at $800 million. >> libya's war may be over, but not the ordeal of its wounded. this man tells his story. his car was sprayed with bullets last august, he said, shattering his leg. he has been waiting three months to get it fixed abroad. day after day, they come here to the committee who decides who gets sent overseas. today, only a doctor has shown up and he is besieged by angry patience. they protest

. >> there's public anger in russia. vladimir putin is expected to get the top job at his party has been nicknamed the party of crooks and thieves. >> this woman caring for her father in the last few days of his life. he fought for his country in the second world war but even he became the victim of russia's rampant corruption. when vladimir putin promised all veterans a new home of their choice, corrupt officials stole half of the money he had been given. are around 50,000 pounds. he ended up in a tiny flat with his dying wife and daughter call all living and sleeping in just this one room. he had no choice and no dignity in death. >> no one asks him what he wanted. they just gave him this and everything keeps falling apart. >> his dream had been to spend his last days in one of the traditional wooden houses in his siberian village but that dream was taken from him. after we visited, local officials threatened his family for talking to journalists. he died a few days later. >> the corruption in russia is like fascism. w

this is a time of protest and discontent in russia, something that his art seems to capture. i asked if he saw his work as political. >> my work often addresses politics but for me society is more important. politics is a burning issue. i don't like a lot of things in russian politics, in the politics of putin. >> one of his latest works addresses directly last december's election which many felt were blatantly stitched up. he often works with what he finds, filming himself as he goes. in this case, using abandoned concrete slabs to create diversions of water rush of's favorite chocolate bars. -- to create versions of russia's favorite chocolate bars. this is a unique atmosphere. he told me that he is aware of the british artist work he finds it odd that he is compared to a british a celebrity artists living on the other end of europe. >> who ever it is, the art is fabulous. there is a last piece of video that we had to show you. first lady michelle obama is known for promoting childhood fitness. lately, she has been leading by example. here she is challenging comedian and at

resolution but it was vetoed by russia and china. they are bitter, without a doubt. >> he was only about two years old. is this what the u.n. is waiting for? is this what the u.n. is quitting for, for more children to be dead? -- is this what the u.n. is waiting for. >> homs is terrified after many days of this. hundreds of mortar shells have been fired tear -- fired here. the one thing you hear from people is that they feel abandoned by the outside world. they have not been out to play since the uprising began. their mother is in despair. the outside world will not help us, she says. god's vengeance will come down on the syrian president. the kalashnikovs can do little against tanks. they hope that the regime forces will crumble from the inside. the syrian army's morale has collapsed says an officer who defected a week ago. they know they are killing civilians and they want this bloodbath to stop. as the bodies pile up, the prevailing mood here is one of despair. people feel trapped and they believe that no one is coming to help. >>

he died a few days later. >> the corruption in russia, when they are stealing from war veterans, this is fascism. sometimes fascists treat people like -- sometimes fascists treat others like people. >> people to not blame local officials, many blame moscow and the men at the very top -- vladimir putin. there is so much disillusionment with the russian government that back in december, vladimir putin united russia party was beaten into second place by the communists in every part of the city. this contagion can affect anyone rich or poor. this is a wealthy executives and his son was arrested for dealing drugs which seem to have been planted. he has been sitting in prison for a year and a half and his father has been asked to pay a bribe of 300,000 pounds to set him free. >> i get the impression that no one cares about people. they only think about themselves. it never occurred to him -- it never occurred to me that someone would do this to my son. >> the campaigners are fighting against an office block being built on their children's playgrounds. they even wrote to vladimir putin, but

after 10 months, the violence in syria, can western leaders convince russia to sign on to an arab league peace plan? >> as more citizens take up arms to resist the regime's brutality, violence is increasingly likely to spiral out of control. >> fighting it out in florida. mitt romney and newt gingrich pullout all the stops in hopes of winning the biggest republican prize yet. and their goal was to grow into the record books. instead, this crew fell 500 miles short of their trans- atlantic journey. we will have their harrowing tale. welcome to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. western allies have brought in some of their heaviest hitters to the united nations to demand that action be taken against syria. after 10 months of the deadly crackdown, more than 5400 people have been killed, and now, the assad regime is coming under increasing pressure, but will the security council be able to overcome raises resistance to sign on to the draft? >> syria's anguish has come to the streets of new york and to the united nations. syrian exiles, including victims of the assad regime,

but with our russia and china on board, will it have any impact on the ground? >> the vote has been completed. >> with a decisive margin -- 137 in favor, 12 against, the world sent a strong message to president assad -- put an end to the violence and step aside. the syrians repeated their claims of self-defense. >> no country can accept the presence of armed terrorist groups on its territory. it cannot allow these groups to implement attacks against its institutions and private and public property. >> pictures like these seem to show syrian government forces attacking residential districts. they leave many with little doubt that president's forces are attacking civilians. the international community is scrambling to act, with the un secretary general delivering his cop -- his strongest condemnation yes. >> we see almost certain crimes against humanity. the level of agreement in the security council does not give the government license to continue this assault on its own people. the longer we debate, the more people die. >> this was the response to weeks ago in b

in russia, tens of thousands are expected to march through the capitol to demand an honest poll. away from moscow, there are political protest. our correspondent has been to the industrial heartland where they filed this report. >> every day looks like armageddon. this is a town that never stops burning. the snow here is black with pollution. people's lives depend on the factory's. it is instability that they fear most. this man has worked at a local plant for 50 years. he set up a workers' committee to back vladimir putin took to the protest in moscow did not reflect the mood of moscow -- do not reflected the mood of russia. we don't want a revolution, we want stability. that is why we support putin. at the tank factory, they pledged their loyalty to mr. putin live on tv. this man offered to come to moscow with his friends to take on the anti government protesters. today, they are taking the train to the regional capital. there, they join thousands of other workers from across the region at a pro-putin rally. the symbol here is the workers glove. this is a direct response to the

they may blame china and russia, but the truth is, being sucked into a conflict in syria has unforeseen consequences. >> well, as world leaders debate what to do about the violence in syria, government forces there continue to bombard opposition forces. as attacks increase, so too do the government resolve. our report from inside syria. >> soldiers, farmers, mechanics, even green grocers, citizens bearing -- baring arms. these are the citizens of the liberation army, a brand new armed group. britain and the west want the opposition to unite. but in elingt truth, each village, each family is forming its own separate militias here. more of a self-defense force than a rebel army. but just ask them what they want from the diplomats, and then they agree. >> they are now watching what's happening inside syria. every day more of the killing from children, from women. and it is very important to get the victory. we need this. >> people gathered for growth. strength in numbers, perhaps, but some still dare not show their face. >> people want freedom and dignity. our people are being killed every

most of the dead are homeless that froze to death. >> southern russia is looking more like the north pole. heavy snowfall blocked the main highways. dozens of cars and lorries are stranded. this ambulance driver says that heat urgently needs to get his patient to intensive care but they are stuck in snow with no idea when they will reach a hospital. there are travel problems and the russian far east where temperatures in places have fallen to -50. the big freeze has placed the problems for anyone needing a ferry. -- the big freeze has caused big problems. the pacific has frozen over here. the ice, more than a meter thick. you need to sit and wait for the icebreakers or find another way across, if you are brave enough. the cold is more than just an inconvenience, this is claiming lives. officials here say that last month, 64 russians died from the cold weather. much as the teams will not be patrolling the streets to make sure that the homeless are not in danger. the situation seems even more desperate across eastern europe. in ukraine, more than 100 people have died in the past week a

it shows how the music scene has changed in russia. after all, it was not long ago that vladimir putin was top of the pops. there was a time when girl fans sang his praises. "we want a strong man." they once crude this. another -- "my love is vladimir ." >> the more people that criticize the power, the more it affects the society in general. that makes them understand they are vulnerable. >> there is still one girl and though, which is backing putin for president. they have become an internet sensation with a song about how clever and athletic mr. putin is. they warn against electing anyone else. vladimir putin hopes that other russians will soon be singing the same tune. bbc news, moscow. >> and that brings today's show to a close. remember you can get constant updates on our website. for all of us here, thank you for watching and please tune in tomorrow. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and

we have air pressure on the northwestern russia, bringing air down from the arctic. last night we had temperatures down to 36 celsius in northern parts of russia, and the atmospheric pressure is about as high as we have seen, just short of the record. is for the forecast temperature to fall even further. in traditionally-freezing moscow, it is even colder than usual. last night it was minus 22 degrees centigrade. in some villages in serbia, people have frozen to death in their homes. with the weather on expected to get worse, there will be a battle in days ahead to keep the eastern european infrastructure going and to keep people alive. bbc news, moscow. >> last night, mitt romney had a resounding lead in the florida primary. when all the votes were counted, he trounced his nearest rival, newt gingrich, with 20 percentage points. but this did not come without a price. which has drawn criticism. mark martell has this report. >> mitt romney spent enough to make sure of crushing his opponent. >> thank you, guys. >> he did it with the political equivalent of the horror f

russia and china refused to come. without any allies of the president of syria here, there is no way to get them to agree to a cease-fire. outside, a small, noisy protests did briefly disrupted proceedings. a reminder that not everyone is against the syrian president. abbesses russia and china blocked a u.n. resolution criticizing syria, the outside world has been split. until that changes, getting u.n. legal authority to do anything in syria will be virtually impossible. >> it is quite distressing to see two permanent members of the security council using their be tell -- their veto when people are being murdered. houses are being destroyed. it is just despicable. i asked, who is side are they on? they are not on the side of the syrian -- whose side are they on? behalf to ask questions about what that means to them. -- they have to ask questions about what that means to them. >> all we the humanitarian corridors is also tricky. they need -- halloween the humanitarian corridors is also tricky. the humanitarian corrido

russia, which backs a sought's reform process, welcome to the changes. - russia, which backs assad's reform process. >> we believe that introducing the pluralistic bases for the new political system in syria is a welcome idea. >> the syrian opposition and its supporters are unlikely to be convinced. they regard the reform process as cosmetic and theoretical. they still want to seek a security council resolution that calls on bashar al-assad to go. with humanitarian conditions worsening all the time, the french are trying to get agreement at the u.n. but no outside countries are ready to step in to protect such corridors against the regime's will. >> event tearing corridor to thew the ngo's to reach places where the scandalous massacres have taken place needs to be done by the security council. >> the western powers and other opposition supporters will be holding a friends of syria meeting in tunisia just before the referendum takes place in syria. it is hard to see how such a big operation could be organized and carried out credibly on the ground in such conditions. >> in other news,

russia is accusing the west of being accomplices in the bloodshed for encouraging the opposition. the west is blaming russia and china for not pressing president assad to halt the carnage and step down. there is no clear way out. >> for more on the violence unfolding inside of syria and where the arab spring stands one year after hosni mubarak was driven from power, i'm joined by a professor of arab politics at georgetown university. thank you very much. >> you are welcome. >> the violence is escalating on a daily basis and we are hearing a lot of talk but not much action. what can be done at this stage, if anything, to stop the violence? >> i don't think that the violence will stop. the pressure on the syrian regime has not been effective, either by the arab league or the international community. we have seen also the result at the security council. also people are talking about actively army and the opposition and coordinating of the opposition said that they can mount an effective front or force against the regime and hopefully that will some -- that will produce some incentive

. >> there may be eight months to go into the presidential election, in russia they will make their choice this weekend. prime minister vladimir putin is expected to win. as we report, putin's critics have up on the most unusual way to voice their opposition. >> they have asked us not to reveal where they are, or who they are. it is all very hush hush. not for long. ♪ this punk band is rehearsing their latest song about vladimir putin. you do not need to understand a russian to realize how big deal. here, they pray mr. putin will soon be chased from power. why? >> this singer, who goes by a code name, said she believes mr. putin cheated in the last parliamentary election. that is why she wants him out. when pussy riot performs, they select high-profile venues like this roof opposite a jail where anti-government government protesters have been locked up. earlier this month, they conquered red square and saying, "putin has let himself -- wet himself." punk protest songs on the doorstep of the kremlin showing how much the political scene, and the music scene has changed in russia. it was no

temperatures have gone to -36 celsius in russia. the pressure is 20 millibars short of the overtime pressure record. poland has seen 20 deaths in the last five days. the forecast is for temperatures to fall even further. even here in traditionally- freezing moscow, it is colder than usual. last night, it fell to -23 degrees centigrade. the warmest it is expected to be today is -19. in serbia, people have frozen to death in their homes. the weather is only expected to get worse. there will be a battle in the days ahead to keep eastern europe's infrastructure going, and to keep people alive. bbc news, moscow. >> returning now to our top story, the violence which has erupted at a football match in egypt and left more than 70 people dead. i am joined with the latest from london but a columnist with "the evening standard." you have followed sports for a long time. we know soccer fans in egypt can turn violent. this is on a totally different scale. >> it is not just soccer fans in egypt. let us face it. there is violence around the world

days's effort of about -- after diplomatic efforts with russia and china. for more on the efforts to stop the violence, i spoke a short time ago with the u.s. ambassador to syria. you were there three separate times, has obama ruled out military intervention? what are the options for the u.s.? >> there is a range of diplomatic and economic options. the good news is that we have 13 countries in the security council, the arab league is with us. the secretary of state has talked about the friends of syria group that we might form. it would allow for a lot of coordination between key countries. and the sanctions on syria will cause their economy to collapse. the syrian town has already lost 40% of its value. the regime is under a lot of diplomatic and economic pressure. >> what you think the calculation is going through the president assad's mind? >> he is desperate to crush this nascent pre-syrian army. the more and more conscripts are defecting and joining these groups, this is a very uncoordinated kind of uprising. but he knows that if he doesn't put it down