>> oleg tinkov is one of russia's most passionate cyclist. >> he is number one. >> he is one of the most prolific, patriotic and outspoken businessman. >> if you have to go to war, you go to war. >> he is also happy to weigh in on the extremes of russian business. >> it is normal for us. it is a normal environment for us. an aggressive environment. >> after months chasing him, we to the got oleg tinkov chair. >> i am russian, you are american. we would never get along. as your product -- proactive -- proctor question. >> my conversation with a siberian tycoon. sowe would never get along asked for question. >> you set up in a click to -- a collective as mrs.. genes, then electronics, then ravioli, then beer. where did you get the idea to start a bank? it was a different idea. the first time i got my credit card it was in singapore. i open a foreign account in 1992. i got a go kart. i was shocked to have a piece of plastic. it was sexy. for me, credit cards were more than credit cards. a status symbol. in 1983.y, my visa i was decline for the visa to u.s. card, to have a gold credit c

really happened? >> america stands on the brink of a new cold war with russia. i adjourned to i journeyed to the front lines on deposits of oil and natural gas, i'll give you the firsthand look at how acialght arctic melting has fueled, new economy and an icon who hasn't ever taken his eye off russia. i'm ali velshi and this is "real money." over the next hour i'm going to take you on a journey that illustrates how russia's confrontation with the west is spreading far beyond the ukraine. flash points like donetsk and luhansk have set off a new cold war global tensions from nato to moscow. president obama and british prime minister david cameron have warned about a frozen conflict. steven harper has been even more blunt telling putin, quote, you need to get out of ukraine. but the message has been clear. nato has been taking advantage by butting in on its new sphere of influence and russia will no longer take it. putin has vowed to protect russian people and their interests abroad.but the west's situation with russia, has much to do with energy. as far north as the arctic circle,

america. >> america stands on the brink of a new cold war with russia. america stands on the brink of a new cold war with russia, i journeyed to the front lines in the frozen north where american nato are in a high stake standoffs over huge deposits of oil and natural gas and i'll give you a look at how arctic melting has unlocked a wealth of opportunity and fueled tensions between enemies and talk to an old car war icon who never took his eye off russia i'm ali velshi and this is real money. over the next hour i'm going to take you on a journey that illustrates how russia's confrontation with the west is spreading far beyond ukraine and flash points in donsk have set off a new cold war that sparked tensions ranging from eastern europe to the circle and president obama and david cameron warned of a quote frozen conflict created by russia and eastern ukraine, canada prime minister has been more blunt telling russian president putin get out of ukraine but the message is clear nato has been butting in on the old spear of influence and moscow will no longer take it and will actively prote

countries will find them playing second fiddle to countries like russia, brazil india, and chynna. this is an hour and ten minutes. >> very pleased to introduce our speaker, mar marin katusa. his book is apparently breaking records and cracking all kinds of bestseller lists in numerous categories, international affairs, public policy et cetera. so, you heard it here, my friends. he is an accomplished investment analyst. he has served as chief investment strategist at casey research since 2007. his funds are among the top perform thing the resource sector in the last five years canada. he is a regular contributor to the becomes news network and has been interviewed by cnbc, cbc bloomberg and forbes. marin has traveled to numerous conflicted and challenging areas, including russia, iraq, ukraine, kuwait, mon goala, kosovo and colombia, among other resource-rich destinations. a former mathematics professor and -- hello? okay. how are we doing? >> not good. >> there we are. we're back. okay. so i think that happened because of my own personal history with mathematic we'll just floss over that

he is one of russia most passionate cyclists. he is also one of its most prolific, patriotic, and outspoken businessman. you have to go. >> he is happy to weigh in on the extreme of russian business. in the u.s., he would have died already. even in an aggressive environment. we finally got him in the chair. >> you are american, i am russian. we will never get along anyway. ask your provocative questions. my conversation with a siberian tycoon. >> you are american, i am russian. we would never get along anyway. up on electric -- eclectic set of businesses. now you have a bank. where did you get the idea to start a bank? idea.lways have an the first time i got my credit card, it was in singapore. i got a citibank gold card. i was shocked at the plastic. it was so sexy. a credit card was more than a credit card. >> status symbol. it because of the car. i was originally declined. i said, i have a credit card. the police officer was like, you have a credit card, wow. all of us thought the credit card business was very lucrative and interesting. russia is huge. it is 40% integrated. >>

>> narrator: tonight on frontline, with russia in economic crisis and tensions simmering over ukraine, the world is watching vladimir putin. >> when he's in the corner that's when he's dangerous. >> narrator: tonight, the inside story of the russian president's rise to power. >> he has got so many guilty secrets, so much money has been stolen, that he doesn't really trust anyone to keep him safe if he steps down from power. >> narrator: correspondent gillian findlay investigates the allegations that have haunted putin. >> there have been a number of credible investigations. >> all this propagandistic quasi-investigation... don't become victim of propaganda. >> if you put these people in the united states and check what they've done, they're criminals. >> narrator: tonight on frontline... >> instead of seeing russia as a democracy in the process of failing, we need to see it as an authoritarian system in the process of succeeding. >> narrator: "putin's way." >> frontline is made possible by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. and by the corporati

>> oleg tinkov is one of russia's most passionate cyclists. >> oleg tinkov is the man. he is number one. >> he is also one of its most prolific, patriotic, and outspoken businessmen. >> if you have to go to war, you go to war. like you went to vietnam. it may be the wrong war, but you have to go. >> he is also happy to weigh in on the extremes of russian business. >> it is normal for us. it is a normal environment for us. an aggressive environment. >> after months chasing him, we finally got oleg tinkov in the chair. >> i am russian, you are american. we would never get along. ask your provocative question. >> making money, ukraine, and russia's rift with the west. my conversation with a siberian tycoon. >> i am russian, you are american. we would never get along, so asked your provocative question. >> you started an eclectic group of businesses. you started with the jeans, then electronics, then ravioli, then beer. now, you have a bank. where did you get the idea to start a bank? >> it was a different idea. the first time i got my credit card, it was in singapore. i open a foreign

sign they are going away. on today's program, in serbia, fighting for russia over ukraine. in poland, fighting for a living wage. while in britain, fighting for more re-time -- free time. as tensions grow between europe and russia because of the ukraine conflict, european countries with close relations to moscow are finding their loyalties split, and that is particularly the case with serbia -- traditionally a close ally of russia, but the country is also keen to join the european union. some of those who have fought on russia's side are serbian nationalist. reporters got exclusive access to some to find out why. >> dreaming of a new and more powerful serbia. at 21, he is a bookseller by profession, but like many young serbians, he is out of work. he does many odd jobs to keep his head above water. >> i want a better life and for serbia to be a kingdom, a big country with dignity like before. i want europe to have a different attitude toward us. >> that is why he joined forces with the check nick militia. this fighter has just returned from eastern ukraine. he spent or the day

was russia's most famous prisoner. president clinton pardoned him in december after more than 10 years. he was an oligarch who became wealthy in the era of russia's post-soviet crony capitalism. when masked men arrested him in 2003, he was russia's richest man and the chairman of yukos oil. he and his partner were convicted on charges of tax fraud and embezzlement in two widely criticized trials. amnesty international declared them prisoners of conscience. his story has come to symbolize russia's turn to authoritarianism under putin. in an impassioned closing argument following his second trial, he told the judge "much more than our fates are in your hands. here and now the fate of every citizen in our country is being decided." he has lived in switzerland since his released. last month, he relaunched his foundation that seeks to start a civil movement to challenge putin's grip on power. i'm pleased to have mikhail khodorkovsky at this table for the first time. welcome. i look forward to this conversation. tell me where you are today, in your life, as you see it. >> i have tried, in th

because there is news out of russia and phil will have important breaking news in a moment. euro dollar 113.60. on to the next screen, please. the idea of currency, yen solid stronger the last 20 minutes off the news on russia. euro swiss pulls back. weaker swiss franc and ruble 68 when i walked in and plunging right now. here is the original monitor today which is the one-way bet on euro parity. this is a massive bet of euro weakening which has to do with russia. there is a fancy screen and this is the idea i'm going to buy the euro and sell. >> you can't come out with 3-d charts and not explain. >> this is my checkbook after the kids are done with it. >> looks like a blanket. this is the volatility bet one year on parity euro. we move it to the clear and present news. here is ruble and credit suisse call for 82 ruble. they made that a 68 and now 71. >> what kremlinologists have been trying to do is the level of independence the central bank has. everybody guessed that the rate with remain unchanged and they would attempt to continue to defend at least with the ruble. that is not what

losses in 2016 >>> vladimir putin's russia kicks off the new year engaged in a new cold war with the west. we look at russia's shaky economy, and falling oil prices are a part of the sto ag north korea for the cyber attack on sony. whether it make a difference. i'm patricia sabga in for ali velshi, and this is "real money". >>> divergence - expect to hear that a lot this year as changing fortunes mark out the winners and losers in the global economy. for the first time since the recession, the united states is the engine - not china, not emerging markets. the u.s. economy is expected to grow 3.1%. the labour market is picking up steam. we have seen a small but significant rise to u.s. wages. >>> meanwhile - china's growth story is not such a growth turner with many expecting the economy to grow 7%. it's a lot higher than the u.s. it is a far cry from the double digit growth china has seen in recent years, and the european union - well it's plain stagnating. 1.8% economic growth is forecast for the e.u. in response the european central bank chief said he's ready to spend loads of

behind a growing movement of russians leaving russia? >> when i see this movie, i imagine scared. >> reporter: america"america tonight" on fears of lbgt russians and afraid and coming to america and later the draining away the shocking image that brought the nation attention to the small community and how it everything. >> that is a new sign right here and over here. >> these signs were put in after the sinkhole. >> yes, as a matter of fact a year after the sinkhole. gas. >> reporter: "america tonight" on the last days of buoy corn. >> a crisis on the border... >> thery're vulnarable... these are refugees... >> migrent kids flooding into the u.s. >> we're gonna go and see josue who's just been deported... >> why are so many children fleeing? >> your children will be a part of my group or killed... >> fault lines al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> today they will be arrested... >> ground breaking... they're firing canisters of gas at us... emmy award winning investigative series... fault lines no refuge: children at the border only on al jazeera america russians on the run, e

in davos taking a critical view on his policies. >> russia does not want a cold war. he responds to obama saying his country will not be isolated by the west. they tell cnbc it remains part of the global community. >> we are bringing world investors into russia and russia needs to be connected to the world and the world will be a safer, and better place if it is. >> turkish central bank boys for the first time in months but some say the move doesn't go far enough. cnbc speaks to the turkish finance minister coming up here on worldwide exchange. >>> a warm welcome to worldwide exchange. we are live at the world economic forum here in davos. the theme this year the new global context. for a change it's broad enough to encompass all the issues that inflate the global environment. a lack of trust. geo politics. the relationship with russia. how does that change the rise in the islamic state. problems on the economic front as far as the european union is concerns. one of the critical issues is inflation too. >> and of course now the expectations or the anticipation is rising ahead of the

index in russia is rising. inflation and unemployment, up 39%. if you were miserable in greece and turkey, nevermind. the russians are almost as miserable in terms of sentiment. >> i think manus cranny is suffering from monday blues. that is the market open for you. the footsie just a little bit higher -- ftse just a little bit higher. scheier's bid for -- shire's bid for nps. caroline, a change of focus or more of the same? >> this is what it has sold to its investor base. this is why investors are driving the stock higher. it is all about adding to its rare disease expertise. the chief executive of shire saying not only is it a good strategic fit, it is growth enhancing. he says, we can afford it. we can afford more than $5 billion. he says the deal hits more of the boxes. 5.2 billion dollars. that is 10% up on the closing price on friday but the premium is big if you are looking at december 16, which is when we first saw a boost in the reporting of this potential merger between the two companies. i think this is where shire wants to focus. it is betting big on two potential drug

behind a growing movement of russians leaving russia? >> when i see this movie, i imagine scared. >> reporter: america"america tonight" on fears of lbgt russians and afraid and coming to america and later the draining away the shocking image that brought the nation attention to the small community and how it everything. >> that is a new sign right here and over here. >> these signs were put in after the sinkhole. >> yes, as a matter of fact a year after the sinkhole. gas. >> reporter: "america tonight" on the last days of buoy corn. >> because i was african american i was trying to fit in >> misty copleland's journey wasn't easy >> dancing gave me the opportunity to grow into the person... i don't think i could be without it >> now, this trailblazer is opening the door for others >> i wanna give back to ballet what it's done for me... >> every sunday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america russians on the run, even moscow tally shows a huge spike in number of russians

of the eurogroup since coming to power. >> russia defiant. putin says sanctions araren't having a significant effect on the kremlin. >> things are not working in political terms. they may have been effect on the economic area but not political. >> google sales fall short as competition on mobile intensifies, but a happy holidays helps amazon beat estimates. >> assad a shakeup. the arab states nuking fires his economic officials one week after taking the throne. ♪ >> hello, welcome to countdown. >> also coming up, super bowl sunday. can kim kardashian help advertisers score a touchdown during america's biggest sporting event of the year? the newly elected greek prime minister is promising no surprises as he goes face-to-face with european officials for the first time. >> he assured martin schultz that greece will not make any unexpected moves regarding its finances. >> that sent the stock market in athens for a rebound after lunging to lows not seen since the peak of the debt crisis. >> hans nichols is in berlin with more on the story. ring us up to speed. >> yesterday were nicet

leadership figures coming into place. also want to update you on the story out of russia and ukraine following further violence out of eastern ukraine. e.u. heads of state are asking them to consider further actions including further restrictive ones toward russia. the heads of government say that russia has responsibility for the violence in eastern ukraine and they note evidence of continued growing russia support for ukraine rebels. of course this following further violence in eastern ukraine over the past one week -- over the past weekend i should say. the big concern is the threat of further sanctions on russia and what that impact will be on russia's economy. we have already been seeing the index a trade under perform. the russian rouble strengthening slightly against the u.s. dollar. let's talk more about the impact of russia on equities today. jerry it was interesting, you would think maybe the russia story was a 2014 story. but clearly it's dominating investor discussion in 2015. >> that's true. it's been highlighted as a risk investors see through 2015. naturally there's tw

is behind a growing movement of russians leaving russia? >> when i see this movie i imagine me and it's like i'm so scared. >> reporter: america"america tonight" on fears of lbgt russians and afraid and coming to america and later the draining away the shocking image that brought the nation attention to the small community and how it changed everything. >> that is a new sign right here and over here. >> these signs were put in after the sinkhole. >> yes, as a matter of fact a year after the sinkhole. >> keep out, highly flammable gas. >> reporter: "america tonight" on the last days of buoy corn. russians on the run, even moscow tally shows a huge spike in number of russians moving out and five times as many immigrating than in the early 2000, why is that? tune and political environment and one key issue in the winter olympics after president putin signed a law and sanctions opened discrimination against lbgt people and why so many are leave and where they are going. >> reporter: how many times do you think he hit you in the head with a wooden baseball bait? ball bat? >> two times.

a reason why the weaponization of february may be a tool against russia and iran. it's something that is driving the americans apart from the traditional allies, the europeans, whose banks are increasingly on the wrong end of the american dollar. >> right. . >> how is this working in relation to the sony hack by the north koreans, and imposing sanctions, i find it hard to understand how sanctions having bank accounts or access to the united states is effective. it was relatively effective with the russians after the invasion of ukraine. >> there's no question it will hurt the people around them. a lot of sanctions have been organised. you look at bloomberg, and you see the top 15 billionaires in russia. the net worth is down there 50 billion in the year 2014. the united states boo love to see some folks turning and saying "hey", can you stop wrecking the wealth. it's harder to do with north korea. there's no question of targetting individual bank accounts making it difficult for those close kim jong un. that's been a follow-on from sony, that we have seen north korea's internet b

sanctions against russia. >> hello we begin in mexico, with a gas tanker has exploded outside of a maternity hospital killing at least two people, one woman and a child. authorities fear more babies and adults are trapped in the the rubble. allen fisher has our report. >> the skill of the damage is breathtaking. this is a maternity hospital, much of the building has collapsed which was heard over large distance, a number of people have been killed more than 50 injuries many by flying glass. rescue teams are now looking for patients and staff who may be trapped in the rubble. dogs have been brought in, the biggest concern is the maternity part of the hospital where dozens of newborns were located. sitting in the west, it is believe the tanker carried liquid gas to the hospital exploded. why, is the center of the police investigation. doctors and nurses have done what they can to help. ambulance which is normally bring injured people here have been carrying those caught up in this to other hospitals in the area this is not the first devastating gas explosion. two years ago, 25 people

russia and the west are waging active economic war fair against each other over the crisis in ukraine. the obama administration is said to be weaponizing financing. it dangles access to u.s. capital with one hand and sanctions with the other. meanwhile europe's economies are just stagnating but now contentious internal politics in greece germany, and elsewhere could make all of that worse. all of this breeds global uncertainty, and that is something we know markets hate. we are joined by the president of the eurasia group. the group today released its lists of the world's top geopolitical risks in 2015. ian good to see you. welcome and happy new year. >> happy new year ali. >> weaponization of finance. what do you mean when you talk about this? >> well i'm talking about a united states which is still the world's only superpower by far, but it's not america's nuclear arsenal or boots on the ground that is the primary projection it's surveillance drones and most importantly it's the dallas -- dollar. it's the ability of american financial institutions to meet out american policy and squ

its allies continue with an aggressive russia while reassuring our allies to draw near to our community of nations in europe. with regard to china help to cut the service. and finally with regard to our cyber problem, our society appears to be very vulnerable to cyber attacks. the implications of this moment ability not just from here but many other sources. let sources. let me, again commend the chairman and joining with and finally in underscoring echoing, and reinforcing his very very very timely and critical comments about sequestration and the need to couple sequestration with reform. with that i can think of no more thoughtful just to come forward. >> in other words, if you both would take seats and proceed however you choose to speak 1st. >> well who is oldest? who went to a real college? [laughter] >> mr. chairman, ranking member members of members of the committee, i appreciate the opportunity to present some of my views on issues that the chairman and ranking member have laid out which is difficult for all of us. my opening my opening comment i hope can contribute to

from the anna edwards interview. they will miss their 2016 targets because china and russia are slowing. 2015 was disappointing in the ceo's own words. and i did an interview, this company has two blockbuster drugs in their pipeline. and they say this drugs company is the one with the most drugs that are payee free. cost savings, they will look at their swiss cost base. this is a stock that saw more than 30 billion swiss francs wiped off the value and is only managed to recoup 5% of that. a little bit of red across the equity market today. i believe it there. -- i will leave it there. >> the big story, after the close yesterday, junk. the verdict on the russian credit rating, the first time in a decade that it dips below investment grade. ryan, what has been the reaction in the market. a lot of people saw it coming in the ruble is lower off the back. >> this was widely anticipated by investors and yet not fully priced in. the ruble is the real story, it fell massively yesterday. s&p had downgraded russia to below investment grade. it's interesting this morning as you see the rub

. >> vladimir putin's russia kicks off the new year engaged with a new cold war in the u.s. falling oil prices are only part of the story. plus, the white house takes action against kim jong-un's north korea for the cyber attack on sony. will it much of a sdns. i'm in for ali velshi, and this is "real money". ." >>> changing fortunes make out winners and losers in the global economy. for the first time since the recession, the united states is poised to be the engine of global growth, not china, not emerging markets. the u.s. economy is expected to grow 3.1% this year, the labor market is picking up steam, and we've seen a small but significant uptick in u.s. wages. meanwhile, china's spectacular growth story is not such a page turner anymore with many expecting the economy to grow roughly 7% this year. that's still a lot higher than the u.s., and it's a far cry from the double-digit growth china has seen in recent years. the european union, well, it's just plain stagnating. 1.8% economic growth is forecast for the eu this year. in response the european central bank chief said today he'

headlines from around the world. >> the rouble holds saiddy against the dollar as russia's central bank looks to keep rates at a ten year high. the policy is causing problems for the economy. >> i'm not a supporter of high interest rates. i think the central bank should bring it down. i don't think it will. or it will be bringing it down very slowly. step by step. >> the eu agrees to extend sanctions against moscow despite reported push back from the greek government. russia's finance minister says cnbc his country could consider giving financial aid. you can't ignore some of the countries that raised this issue. >> prices for the euro zone due in the next hour. european markets on the flat line ahead of that data. >> flying west and snapping up a 10% stake of iag as they look to strengthen commercial ties. >>> you're watching worldwide exchange. bringing you business news from around the globe. >>> welcome to the show. breaking news from italy, some long awaited positive news. inflation has fallen. december jobless to 12.9%. that's the lowest since august. november's reading was 13.4%.

militias moved into the country's eastern half. when crimea voted to secede russia annexed it. u.s. targeted top officials as well as key parts of the economy with sanctions. in july the downing of malaysia airlines flight 17 over ukraine by pro-russian militias complicated the crisis. >> russia and vladimir putin has responsibility to compel them to cooperate. that is the least they can do. vladimir putin denied involvement. >> nobody has a right to use the tragedy to achieve their own selfish objectives. >> a rush of military presence remains parked. like russia china is an ally for the syrian regime. according to the international monetary fund, china knocked the u.s. off the top spot to become the world's largest economy. the u.s. will have to dread lightly, which is the biggest holder of debt. while the u.s. responded to airlines tragedy in ukraine on the same day in july they launched a ground invasion and the u.s. stood by as an ally. >> no country would tolerate rockets launched into their cities. >> translation: israel will not negotiate under fire. israel will continue to

>> more pressure on putin. russia's ratings below grades in a decade. taking power in taking on europe. tsipras begins his first full day in office. ministers warned they will only work with him if he drops his demand. >> software lum -- slump. revenue shrinks. >> true grit. new york braces it self for more than two feet of snow as the storm moves across the north either -- in northeastern u.s. and prepare for emergency. >> we have several hundred national guard and will be stationed in new york city and long island area primarily. ♪ >> welcome to "countdown." i am mark barton. >> i am anna edwards. >> i am manus cranny. >> a warm welcome. we will be speaking to the new ceo following the company's first-quarter results breaking right now. we will be speaking to the philips ceo for his first interview of the morning. >> and their earnings are coming fast. just into the bloomberg terminal. first quarter matched analysts' estimates. upset by gains in other divisions. profit from so-called industrial operations fail 4.1% to four point 8 billion euros and that matched the average e

i have only a 5. [laughter] >> russia is under new pressure from world leaders after fighting flares up in ukraine. pro-russian rebels launched a rocket attack in ukraine over the weekend. the violence in ukraine picked up again earlier this month after relative quiet. greece's new government is questioning more sanctions on russia. the new greek government complained that it was not consulted about the possible new sanctions. >> it is decision day for the fed. the fomc releases in new statement today. policymakers are pledging to be patient on the timing of rate increases. i'm going to use a tom word. another stunning quarter for apple. the company posted a 30% jump in revenue to $74.6 billion. here is ceo tim cook on a conference call. >> interest in apple products is at an all-time high, with over half a billion customer visits to our physical and online stirrers -- stores during the quarter. we had sales of over 74 million units driven by the unprecedented popularity of iphone 6 and iphone 6 plus. >> up next for cook and the company, the apple watch. >> tiger woods is back

seesh yeah. russia. france. belgium.a. russia. france. belgium.. russia. france. belgium.e. russia. france. belgium.r. russia. france. belgium.b. russia. france. belgium.i. russia. france. belgium.a. russia. france. belgium. italy. britain. and the united states of america. it took all of us to do it. but we finally knocked that fuhrer out. defeated the german armies. second chapter ended. we marched straight into germany and said, why, these people are okay. it was just that kaiser we had to get rid of. you know, this is really some country. when it comes to culture, they lead the whole world. we bit. we poured in our sympathy. we pulled out our armies. and they flung chapter three in our faces. fuhrer number three, slogan number three. today, germany is ours. tomorrow, the whole world. sxhtd tender repentant, sorry german people carried the torch of their culture to austria.and the tender, repentant, sorry german people carried the torch of their culture to austria. czechoslovakia. poland. france. england. norway. holland. denmark. belgium. luxembourg. russia. yugoslavia. greece.

and we'll take revenge. >>> russia's media wash dog has warned against religious caricatures. such activities are banned under russian security laws. rory challands is live for us in moscow. talk us through this rory. >> reporter: it's not the first time that russia's media watchdog has made a warning like this. it sanctioned news week magazine in 2006 showing the danish cartoon saga. so what it has come out to do is just remind any media organizations working in russia that essentially, if they publish the charlie hebdo cartoons they may well find themselves falling afoul of russian law, which is particularly tight when it comes to perceived fanning of extremism, and that's where this would fall if any publication did so. russia, at the moment is trying to balance itself on a bit of a tight rope. russia is still a deeply conservative country and likes to think of itself along traditional lines, and so it doesn't want to do anything that would inflame the muslim community here in russia. it has many parts of russia with muslim majorities particularly down in the northern caucuses.

. >> the battle continues to the west. >> russia is hosting talks between groups. the main group is no there, saying that moscow is not an honest broker as it's a back are of president bashar al-assad. a middle east policy advisor joins us in the studio. there's a lot of different stories and lots to talk about. let's talk about russia brokering talk between the dispirit opposition groups. is russia an honest broker? >> no it's not. it is good that russia is talking about a political solution and good that we get asaad and those around him to talk politics. that's one thing they don't want to do. the majority will not change. the initiative that the russians started needs to be vastly improved. i hope they learn the lessons from what will be a pretty failed effort but we have some members of the opposition there, but a lot of those have been chosen by the bashar al-assad regime itself. at the same time russia is giving credence but there is a lot to lose. a disintegrating state is not of interest. of course syria again has - or the impact of a syrian war surfaced in a border squirmish

struggle to see the full participation of the agreements, and we pressure russia through our sanctions. to russia we share an approach based on functions in view of moscow's illegal infestation of crimea and east of the ukraine, while keeping the door open for dialogue both on the solution of the conflict in ukraine and on the common global challenges we face. together we actively support ukraine's reform efforts aimed at eradicateing corruption, judicial energy sector reform, and i could go on. in the mediterranean multiple and interconnected crisis from libya to syria and iraq, passing through israel, palestine and iran all call for much transatlantic cooperation. neither the u.s. nor europe can settle this crisis alone, and i think we both understand it very well. transatlantic cooperation is imperative as its engagement with all relevant regional and international powers that have an influence in the region. we know that very well. on issues such as iran while the final outcome remains uncertain, the nuclear talks have already proved its strength, and we are jointly working towards

mean the economy shrinks. >> a series of exclusive interviews. an side russia's troubled economy. largest bank said he wants to see what will happen to the roble, you have to see what will happen with oil prices. >> the forecast for the rub and the oil price. le and the oil price [indiscernible] >> breaking this hour. we are watching the world's largest jewelry maker. the latest trading figures. ♪ >> welcome to "countdown." i am mark barton. >> i am anna edwards. >> i am manus cranny. >> the start of the program and our top story. in an exclusive russia's finance minister says the country is heading that way didn't recession if oil stays at around $45 a barrel. -- the rush is headed into a recession if oil stays at around $45 a barrel in >> the current situation and talking about $45 per barrel and expected activity for all year long -- and expect that to be for all year long. >> is $45 a barrel what you're working on now? >> is one of the possible scenarios. a possible scenario that generally that should be a little bit higher. in case it would be the price the decline would b

russia. it is a sign that it is cementing it's european identity, looking west, firmly rejecting old ties. but it is recently on christmas day that russia denies. the country's 3 million people, there is understandable sorrow for the loss of their leaders, and fears of economic uncertainty. i think it is the best time to have the euro. we are a bit afraid that we will wake up with higher prices. having the euro does not guarantee economic or good times. al jazeera. well it's been an extraordinary year in russia. in march moscow annexed crimea, in the new year address, vladimir putin hailed wayhe said was the report home of crimea, and as this as the russian economy flat lines in part due to the global slump in oil prices. but also due to sanctions against russia over it's alleged involvement in the conflict in eastern ukraine. let's talk about this in more detail, thank you for coming into see us here. before we look ahead to 2015 just a brief second back on to 2014, which saw such a huge polarization between russia and let's say the west. do you think even vladimir putin could have

conflict goes on and on russia begins to more and more achieve it's a goal so the ukrainian president yesterday on unity day said he believes in a strong unified one-state ukraine. and a year ago that wasn't a controversial position at all. and the fact that the ukrainian president has to assert that today tells you how much damage the russian actions have done to the ukrainian state. russia for its part they have no incentive, really to do anything. the sanctions have hurt russia but the declining oil prices have hurt them much more. >> yeah i was going to ask you about that. this game being played between the u.s. and saudi arabia that is really hurting russia skt it? and probably makes them more determined to keep what they have got. >> it is hurting russia and that's not the only reason why oil prices are declining, but it does hurt russia and for russia there are two ways you can go. one is to say okay you are putting the screws to us we have got to get our economy moving again. or appeal to a more nationalist view saying look what the west is trying to do to us. and putin has cl

president poroshenko gets on the world stage with his latest accusations against russia. >> for me this is a symbol. a symbol of the terroristic attack against my country. >> top u.s. officials are in havana to normalize relations, but some cubans insist nothing will change until the castros leave. >>> in yemen, the government and rebel forces have reached a tentative agreement to keep the peace. this would end days of fighting and what some are calling a coup. >> nick paton walsh explains what this agreement entails. >> reporter: it seems both sides are behind it. it has pretty simple terms. the houthis, for their part have to withdraw from the key government buildings they've taken over and release the president's chief of staff. pretty simple things. on the other side the president's administration has to allow for an editing of the new draft constitution. the houthi also have more say how ministries are run. and frankly, many are seeing this as a sort of under the table power grab by the houthis and questioning quite how much the president will be president in title rather than in his

for vladimir putin's russia. with world of the world turning its back on moscow, the kremlin now desperate to keep the country from collapsing. >>> and finally, would you buy a house that folds into a cube? let's get to it. >>> first from the fox news deck what happens if you deal with the terrorists? the terrorists who call themselves a state, the islamic state. sounds like jordan is about to do some negotiating and maybe a prisoner swap that would set a notorious al qaeda killer free. right now there's no comment from any u.s. official. today, the major dane january government signalled they are willing to free the terrorist from death row in order to save this hostage, the one over here in a white shirt. he's is pilot. united states policy bans any negotiating with terrorists. but the state department spokeswoman will not say whether jordan should follow that same standard. she said there is a range of reports out of jordan as if the country's intentions aren't perfectly clear. >> that is our policy. i don't think there's any secret about that to other countries around the wor