russia's motives in syria, and what can turn the situation around? that's what we want to talk about today on "quadriga," with three people following events very closely. we welcome a freelance journalist and expert on syrian affairs, who reports regularly on syria. as lies the left doesn't do something about the reasons for flight in syria, including the bombing attacks, it will continue to pay for the humanitarian tragedy putin that -- that within and aside are creating. we welcome alan pozen are back to the show. he says putin wants to destroy the opposition. turkey and the opposition and isolate pigeons friends in europe. finally, a warm welcome to el, an expert on russia and military experts. he's as much as not winning, but if aleppo falls, the west is out. ofis aleppo on the verge falling, and with the indy determine the outcome of this long-running war? kristin: it would at least be a turning point in the war.aleppo is important , it is the second-largest city. is used to be the economic hub of syria, and it has been divided since 2012. eastern part is controlled by moderate rebels

? the united states, rid russia and others involved in syria's war have agreed to implement a, quote, cessation of hostilities, end quote. that after diplomats met in munich to restart peace talks. sending a hopeful note, staffan de mistura said, quote, sustained delivery of assistance is expected to begin this week to besieged areas where civilians are in desperate need of assistance, end quote. in the meantime the fighting continues and some of the most desperate areas out there are rebel controlled pockets, that are under government seeng. siege. with russian help and air support, tightened a noose around rebel controlled parts of aleppo. the army is close to cutting off the last rebel supply line into syria's largest city. confusingly, the army is also guesting help from syria's kurdish militias which just seized the military base from the russians, which according to secretary of state john kerry will not be part of this cessation of hostilities. confusing or not the momentum in syria's war has now swung decisively in bashar al-assad's favor. and the syrian president has vladimi

hundreds in russia and ukraine and even now we pick the best scholars and the most brilliant staff to work on the most important issues and we learned that from you. you always scholarship at the heart of the work. no one who knows you would be surprised. some may already know this but jim and his daughter sitting right here were the first father daughter pair to win the rhodes scholarships. you can applaud for that. ". you have shown exceptional service that we all share knowledge in the public service. it is an honor to celebrate that today with so many extraordinary individuals including your own family right in the front row for your amazing marjorie, tom, susan and others who were not able to join us here and i hope that you are as proud as we are off with the wilson center has been able to build on a foundation that you laid down for years of your friendship with me and my late husband sidney with so many in the room and congratulations on the example you set for us all. please welcome home rojansky. >> at the director of the kennan institute it's set up to 25% of the time travel. it

sanctions are going to be maintained, robust sanctions are going to be maintained against russia. again, syria seems to be the all consuming topic that has up so much of the time of the delegates as they attend this conference. our correspondent is standing by and will keep us updated on the developments coming out of munich as this conference comes to a close at al jazeera. so remember, don't go away. stay with us here at al jazeera. and psychopaths who try to hijack it. isil is as much islamic as the kkk is christian. stoorgt tonight, th"on target" r of two evils, assad or i.s.i.l? the united states, rid russia and others involved in syria's war have agreed to implement a, quote, cessation of hostilities, end quote. that after diplomats met in munich to restart peace talks. sending a hopeful note, staffan de mistura said, quote, sustained delivery of assistance is expected to begin this week to besieged areas where civilians are in desperate need of assistance, end quote. in the meantime the fighting continues and some of the most desperate areas out there are rebel controlled pockets

of the group of strategic vision, russia, islamic world, which was set up in cooperation with the organization of islamic cooperation. we can say that specific crisis and conflict is in the region, but we did the on the basis of the joint principles which situate the recognition of the people still to find their destiny, the destiny of the countries and they need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all the states in the region. under this vision we consider the efforts of the international community in which also russia takes part and the countries of arab world to help regulate the crisis in syria, yemen and libya, to normalize the position in iraq, somalia and other countries of the region. all the three participants of the conference are the members of the nation group to support syria and we today confirm the adherence to the disagreements which were reached within the framework of the so-called vienna group within the framework of the security council of u.n. and we confirm the support of the russian american initiative on the cessation of standihostilitie

are still shooting at each other now and lobbing loaded accusation. russia says the u.s. is trying to put a halt. russia u.s. is firing back that russia is already doing it. it's ready, aim and fire at inside story >>> welcome to inside story. in syria you can't keep track of the players even with a score card. there are so many of them shifting alliances cricketry war aims - contradikt ry war aims. many countries, i.s.i.l., at this late date even with much of syria in ruins and hundreds of thousands dead, it is hard to imagine an outcome that would allow the warring parties to disengage rather than wait for a resolution, masses of syrians fleeing for their life have now headed north an west, further internationalising the refugee crisis which has long burdened syria's neighbours. through weeks of bloody fighting and a human surge tide out of syria, does the promise to ceasefire carry hopes of at least a pause. a breather. al jazeera's omar alsalah reports from southern turkey. >> reporter: on the offensive and making gains, i.s.i.l. fighters say they can control i.s.i.l. in the al

>> you are watching "france 24." these are the headlines. the u.s. and russia meet in endch for a new approach to the fighting in syria. beenas 50,000 people have moved by the government offensive in aleppo. three warships in the aegean sea are trying to and bang the deadly smog -- end the deadly smuggling of migrants. in the u.s. is trying to force missouri to change its court system and police system after it was found to be biased against minorities. also, european shares are in a tailspin once again. we will be telling you why in our business update. the world is abuzz after a hotly anticipated announcement about gravitational waves. more on what they are and why you should care. but first, our top story. >> the number of refugees who have run from syria's biggest city of aleppo is up to about 50,000. many are still waiting in limbo on the border with turkey, desperate to get in. the government offensive has been at the fight by a series of airstrikes from russia. that is what has pushed these thousands from their homes and put an end to new peace talks. kerryary of state john

with russia. but, with the radioactive poisoning of a british spy in london, the downing of passenger jets over europe, and the aggressive advances of russian forces from ukraine to syria, president putin has rebuked mr. obama. this week president obama announced a $2.9 billion, spent into nato member states, including estonia, lithuania and laftia. >> john, the question is who started cold war 2, and i think we did. soviets, they gave up all of eastern europe, the whole thing came apart. wanted to be friends of the united states. we moved nato into the baltic republics, three of which they were part of the soviet union. putin is reacting to that. he's got a tremendous, or significant military buildup and now we're reacting to that. my view is, i am not against frankly our next president trying to a real reset, and we get away from this faceoff, and any kind of war between the united states and russia, would be the end of estonia and a disaster every great president of the cold war avoided. of nato happened under bill clinton and was approved of by his successors, including

russia in a war of words as fighting escalates inside syria. plus... >> i'm in sweden where aid workers and officials are struggling what to do to help migrants who arrived alone last year. >> the center is protested in australia. >>> and in mexico where the pope is heading south to one of the poorest parts of the country. ♪ >> hello a series of airstrikes across syria has left more than 21 people dead. dozens more are injured. three hospitals and a school are among the buildings' bombed. turkey is blaming russia for one of the attacks. we're following events on turk turkey's border in syria. here are the reports. >> reporter: there is no red line in syria's war. that seems to be the attack where a school, a hospital, and other buildings were hit. among the casualties were recently displaced syrians who escaped the fighting across aleppo province. turkey has called azaz a red line and vowed to not allow the town to fall not only because it is being held by the opposition but it is being threatened by the ypg, an opposition group that is called terrorists. >> the ypg has stepped back f

, russia blamed. >>> uganda, presidential candidate is arrested just a few days. the election. pope francis celebrates mass in the country's poorest estate. berlin film festival, iranian moirs showing how life is like amovies showing how life is lik. >> and michel platini shows injustice. >> hello there, a warm welcome to this hour of news. we begin of course in syria. where the civil war appears to be entering a potentially more dangerous phase. a wave of air strikes on schools and hospitals has left at least 50 civilians dead. the strikes hit four hospitals, two in azaz, on the turkish border an of and two in the idlib problem province, blamed russia. doctors without borders says a hogs it supports was, quote, deliberately hit by air strikes in idlib province. these strikes come despite an agreement last week by russia and other world powers to a pause in hostilities. that deal has been further weakened in comments made by president assad in the last hour. he said a truce doesn't mean each side had to stop using weapons. more on that statement in just a moment but first this repor

and dozens injured. >>> turkey and russia in a war of words, as fighting escalates inside syria. >>> you're watching al jazeera live from doha. also coming up, a ugandan opposition leader running for penalty is arrested while campaigning in the capitol. >>> i'm in stoke home, sweden where aid workers and officials are struggle to figure out how to best help child refugees and migrants who have arrived here alone in the past year. >>> hello, we begin with a series of airstrikes across syria with the majority taking operation close to its northern border with turkey. in the town of azaz, 14 were killed when missiles hit a children's hospital, a school and other locations. turkey is blaming russia for the attack. doctors without borders says a clinic has been destroyed in idlib province, killing seven. the medical group said either syrian government or russian forces are responsible. in aleppo, this video apparently shows the aftermath of an air strike on the district, an entire building collapsed. crossing over to our correspondent zeina hodor joining us from the turkey, syria bor

not part of the truce. >> translation: this truce won't last and is benefitting russia and the regime >> reporter: in the capital, damascus, there is hope that this deal could bring about peace >> translation: we are optimistic in the ceasefire and this is the first step towards a political solution that satisfies everyone. >> reporter: the war is not over and its scars remain fresh. >> reporter: syrian government forces have clashed with and bombed al-nusra in areas not covered by the truce. while u.s. fighter jets have bomb i.s.i.l. targets near the border with turkey, but the overall level of violence has dropped significantly. question now is how long this truce will last >>> the united states and russia have welcomed the pause in the fighting, but there have been some isolated reports of violence. syria state news agency says a car bomb exploded near a government-held town killing two and wounding several others. russia's military says it stopped air strikes but the u.s. continuing to target i.s.i.l. with reports of air strikes elsewhere. thousands of protesters have clash

comply with the ceasefire? russia? they have a game plan in syria is to prop up the bashar al-assad regime. they're now also aiding and abetting the bashar al-assad regime in the military campaign. they're responsible for the killing that has happened in the country. u.n., the u.n. said that they cannot enforce a ceasefire. staffan de mistura said as much in closed door meetings. he was asking around who can enforce it. the u.n. cannot enforce it. the u.s. is the natural party who can enforce the ceasefire by putting consequences on the table if case the party does not. unfortunately, the u.s. doesn't seem to be interested in doing that. we are deeply sceptical. there are no guarantees >>> is that true that russia has no interest in making sure its partners stop shooting? >> russia primarily at this point wants to support the bashar al-assad regime. it wants to be sure the bashar al-assad regime captures aleppo. russia would like to be a major factor in whatever international political solution is developed for syria, wants to be a major player, but in terms of the cessation of host

. after almost five years of mounting horror, could the agreement by the u.s. and russia to scale down the killing really make a difference? great distrust is so president obama is hardly radiating confidence. president obama: if implemented, this cessation could reduce the violence and get more food and whoto syrians suffering desperately need it. it could save lives. reporter: a look at a map of syria shows the gulf between the american and russian views of where the cease-fire applies. the areas in black are probably where the u.s. led coalition says extremist jihadists are in control and can still be bond. that should leave most of syria protected by the cease-fire according to the western and arab coalition. but look at russia's definition of the cease-fire area. these tiny zones in orange. when i spoke to western diplomats today, they hoped in practice the russians would show far greater restraint. but it is only a hope. >> we very well understand the cease-fire will be a difficult, possibly controversial, process. but there is no other way than a -- other than a peaceful solutio

russia. we're speaking to our energy minister. we are understanding he is also there get we are understanding that venezuela was there. these talks ended quite successfully. we are getting headlines. they are agreeing to free the oil production. this is extremely interesting. let's have a look at the price of oil. i am sure it has had an impact. the picture for oil, certainly $29 .99 -- $29.99. we will dig a little deeper and bring you the very latest. stay with "the pulse." january acceleration expected to pick up. a rebalancing of the basket. reading --nths first 2016 possible first reading. to slash costs. why the never-ending nightmare for such a banks is far from over. that is what is coming up. less, this breaking news on oil. more -- we will have more. ♪ francine: welcome back. we are getting some breaking news out of qatar and saudi oil minister saying they have agreed to free production could -- free production. you can see brent lowered a little bit. it is still gaining. wti is falling over the news. we have to figure out why that is. maybe a little more of a cut and

in syria, russia and arab league leaders say how crucial it is for them to succeed. u.s. and china agree on a draft security resolution to toughen sanctions on north korea. >>> a momentous day for fifa as they talk about the corruption scandal. ♪ iran's president rouhani voted in the country's first election since international sanctions were lifted and a strong turn out by voters and earlier iran leader likewise cast his ballot and people are voting in two polls today, one for parliament and another for the assembly of expects and the body gets to choose the country's next leader and the iranian parliament is dominated by conservatives but that could change because of president rouhani's success with a nuclear deal and hopefuls ban from running and 12000 people wanted to stand for the 290 seat parliament and only 5,000 candidates were given the go ahead now and andrew simmons is live from tehran and the room behind you andrew looks as busy as it did an hour ago and people are heeding the call for a strong turnout. >> it would appear so sammy, this is really quite a chaotic situa

activities will only increase, russia annexed crimea and continues to destabilize ukraine, with troubling implications for security in europe, and putin's intervention in syria has undermined negotiations to end the conflict by convincing assad and his allies they can win. in asia, north korea continues to develop its nuclear arsenal and ever more capable ballistic missiles, one of which in violation of multiple u.n. security council resolutions. china continues its rapid military modernization while taking coercive actions to assert expansive territorial claims. at the time of this hearing last year, china had reclaimed a total of 400 acres in the spratly islands. today, that figure is a staggering 3,200 acres with extensive infrastructure construction under way or already complete. i look forward to our witnesses' assessment of the nature and scope of these challenges and how the intelligence community prioritizes and approaches the diverse and complex threats we face. as policy makers, we look to the intelligence community to provide timely and accurate information about the nature of

conference in munich, germany, on saturday, including warnings and stern responses between russia and the west. >>> plus, the pope wants mexican bishops to step up their fight against the drug trade. details ahead. >>> pressure is mounting on russia to be more knoefel who it targets in syria. on sudden, u.s. -- on saturday, u.s. secretary of state john kerry told a munich security conference session that many of russia's attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups and not isis. russia has denied bombing any civilians. the tension, however, is very clear. russia's prime minister even said saturday that russia's current relationship with the west is similar to the cold war. >> translator: nature's policy with regard to russia remain friendly and opaque. one could say we've slid back to a new cold war. almost an every day basis we're called one of the most threats to nato as a whole or to europe or to the united states. >> cnn international diplomatic editor nic robertson joins us live from munich. good to have you this hour. what has been the response from nato given the

with russia. but with the radioactive poisoning of a british spy in london, the downing of passenger jets over europe, and the aggressive advances of russian forces from ukraine to syria, president putin of russia has rebuked mr. obama. so, this week, commander in chief obama announced a quadrupling of u.s. military spending in europe -- $2.9 billion. this new money will be spent deploying u.s. military forces into nato member states including estonia, latvia, and lithuania. is this a prudent or a provocative move by president obama? pat buchanan? pat: john, the question is who started cold war ii? i think we kid. the soviets wanted to be friends and allies of the united states so we moved nato right into the baltic republics. three of which were part of the soviet union. putin is reacting to that. he's got a significant military build-up and now we're reacting to that. my view is -- i'm not against, frankly, a next president trying a real reset that respects russian national interests, they respect ours and we get away with this face-off. for heaven's sakes, any kind of war over est

, just talk? or is russia a real wild card in the crisis. >> reporter: as oil prices continue to go south, russia has been at the forefront of trying to figure out whether some action, like a production cut, should be implemented to stabilize oil prices. an opec official stated it's all in the hands of the russians now. could russia be holding a powerful card here? >> we think russia is a wild card. if you look at 2015, they surprised many analysts by being are they going ed to be up or down. if they are up, everyone will have to take their oil forecast down. what i think is interesting is the we are getting some russian producers coming out and saying maybe we should consider cutting production. >> reporter: some say it's much easier said than done. >> i don't really see russia being the one that's more willing to cut production on its side. you have a lot of disagreements amongst russian energy officials as well. >> reporter: several analysts say russia's role in an oil production cut is a side show, and russia is trying to talk up the oil market even if it does want to cut produc

group must be part of any deal if russia and the syrian government are serious. a ceasefire has been agreed by the u.s. and russia for syria to come into effect on saturday but the fighting is ongoing in several areas especially around the city of aleppo. this is pictures of rebels fighting kurdish forces. james bays has more. >> reporter: for almost five years the death toll has mounted. every day there has been bloodshed and atrocities. now the latest attempt to end all that. this document released jointly by the u.s. and russia. the two countries have been working on plans on a lull in the violence since a meeting in munich earlier this month. russian foreign minister had wanted a ceasefire from march 1. u.s. secretary of state john kerry argued that will allow russia more time for bombing to change the situation on the ground, but ever since that meeting there has been delay and so in the end russia has got its way. >> russia will work with damascus. the legitimate government the syria. we expect the u.s. will do the same with its allies and groups supported by them. >> reporter:

economic challenges, russia continues its aggressive military modernization program. it continues to have the largest and most capable foreign nuclear armed ballistic missile force. it has developed a cruise missile that violates the intermediate range nuclear forces or inf treaty. china for its part continues to modernize its nuclear missile force and is striving for a secure second strike capability. although it continues to profess a no-first-use doctrine. the joint comprehensive plan action or jcpoa provides much greater transparency in to iran's fissile nuclear production. it increases the time they would need to produce enough highly enriched of nuclear uranium from a few months to about a year. iran probably views the jcpoa as a means to remove sanctions while preserving nuclear capabilities. iran's perception of how the jcpoa helps it achieve its overall strategic goals will dictate its level of adherence to the agreement over time. chemical weapons continue to pose a threat in syria and iraq. damascus has used chemicals against the opposition to multiple occasions since syri

>> good evening i'm antonio mora. this is al jazeera america. russia's bombing campaign in syria has restarted as world leaders plot out a platt for the middle eastern country's future. >> also. >> there's nothing conservative about donald trump. >> on air and online. >> fixing a gas leak in l.a. spewing toxic fumes for months. how the damage to the surrounding area could last for decades. >>> historic meeting between leaders of two religions. pope francis and the leader of the russian orthodox church. >>> russian air viekrussian aire resumed in syria. speaking today in an interview with the agents trance press, syrian president bashar al-assad spoke. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations and in political action since the beginning of the crisis. however if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fight are terrorism. the two tracks are inevitable in syria first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism. and the two tracks are separate from each other. >> and tonight there are many unanswered questions about the new deal that is supposed to put

. [gunfire] count down to a cessation of hostilities in syria, russia and the arab league reiterate its crucial for the truce to succeed. getting tough on north korea the u.s. and china agree on a draft security council resolution to expand sanctions against kim jong-un and decision on the world body as they prepare to pick fifa's new president. ♪ voting has begun in iran's first election since the elections from the nuclear deal and turn out is high so far and voters taking part in two polls one for parliament and the other for the assembly of experts and that is the body that gets to choose the country's next supreme leader and andrew simmons reports from tehran. >> iran is used to elections but this is billed as a pole to take islamic revolution into a new era, one that could be more moderate and he believes change is coming. she became the first woman vice president between 1997-2005. >> the hostages are in our hands. >> reporter: back in 1979 she was the voice of resistance, age 19 spokeswoman for iranian students who held 52 americans hostage for 444 days in the u.s. embassy

next hour. here is what we are watching. the oil markets delivered this verdict. russia and saudi arabia not doing anything to drop up rises. mark: inflation u.k. rises to the highest level in a year. brendan: anglo american is selling off its units. we want to hear from the company's ceo. we are a half-hour away from the close of trade. tell us about it. mark: we saw the stoxx 600 soar by 6% over two trading sessions. we have run out of steam, run out of gas after the news from russia and saudi arabia. excuse the pun. maybe investors expected more. 6%. these are the big movers. the comeback kid. earlier in the session, the miners sank as much as a percent. 1% speeding up plans to put out materials with better demands such as diamond, copper, and it's raising woodcut to junk yesterday. it is the first london major minor to suffer that distinction. it wants to cut the debt to 10 billion just over 12 billion. it will be a hard time to do that given the ongoing slide in its raw materials. since have jumped by 70% january the 20th. do not ignore the fact they are down by 17% in the la

on a tour of the creme lip. kremlin. priceless. jim, your command of russia, its history and its culture shows up everyone here. you've forgotten more than any of us knows. lucky for us, you wrote it all down and published it with the wilson center press. [laughter] pleasure every dear friend in the room today can back me up on just how impressive you are, and there are many dear friends here. let me just recognize a few in particular, some of whom are participating in the conversation to follow. former u.s. ambassador to russia, jim collins. vartan get gore january, the one and only vartan gregorian, president of -- for sure, forever -- president of the carnegie association. ismail serageldin, and they're joining us to celebrate your service. we're also lucky to be joined by latvian ambassador to the united states, the latvian ambassador, acting librarian of congress, david mao, and jane mcauliffe, the library's director of outreach and a delegate to our board. grace mckennan -- i haven't seen grace. there she is. hi, grace. grace's family has done so much to shape this institut

, iran, ron, russia, venezuela, they have used heil high oil prices. we've seen a dramatic development and we've seen oil prices go to dramatic lows and they're not going to stay there forever. many are predicting that they are going to stay significantly lower than historic lows. it's good for american consumers and businesses. it poses challenges for some of our principal adversaries, russia for example, it puts it puts a cap on to some degree what iran would get from being back in a global economy and selling their oil. it poses some risks as well. i've heard european counterparts say that they're worried about an aggressive russia but they're more worried about an economic basket case russia. from the intel side, when you look at intel and threats, talk a little bit about the prospects of low oil prices and any negatives associated with that, please. >> i think you have painted the picture pretty well. it's working, one could say to our advantage and russia. the current price of crude is $28 per barrel. russia's planning for their national economies $50 barrel. they have been unabl

strength of russia. look at this, innocent people being killed. >> there is ascents of defiance. rebels say they don't plan to withdraw in the face of airstrikes and will confront government troops who are a few kilometers away. >> the united states say they are trying to secure a cease-fire in syria. it still believes diplomatic process is possible. but they believe there is little hope for a breakthrough and they're growing increasingly frustrated with u.s. policy. they believe the u.s. is giving russia enough time for the government to win on the battlefield. >> the opposition is still fighting back, but the government offensive has weakened them not just on the ground but on the negotiating table. they say they won't negotiate while under fire. at the same time they believe the government and it's allies are more interested in the military solution than a political settlement. al jazeera, southern turkey. >> so that's the latest on the grounded. but as you heard before turkey's president has launched an angry attack on u.s. policy on syria. saying its support of syrian kurdish rebels ha

. russia denies war crime allegations after bombing raids hit hospitals. now turkey wants its allies to send in ground troops. and grammy glamour. taylor swift becomes the first female artist to win album of the year for her second time. we will bring you details later in the show. i'm brent goff, good to have you with us. finding common ground. german chancellor angela merkel met her israeli counterpart. such as the war in syria and security in the middle east. the two leaders try to focus on what their countries if not their policies have in common. >> the german israeli intergovernmental consultations tend to be delicate and not just due to security precautions. an israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu is considered to be meager at best. after that meeting, she and netanyahu had agreed to disagree. much has changed in the last year. islamic terror and the refugee crisis has moved to the foreground. >> in the midst of this terrific storm, in the midst of global turbulence, there is a country in the middle east that maintains not only an advanced society, and innovative society, bu

who are also on the move . russia's super-rich are leaving the country in droves. but they are not fleeing war or hardships. russia's wealthiest citizens are leaving because of high taxes, slowing economic growth and a feeling that the regime is becoming more authoritarian. >> the road to rublyovka, the residential area where russia's rich and powerful live. every day, cars with tinted windows glide through moscow's exclusive suburb. flashing blue lights are not uncommon. russia's oligarchs, politicians and businessmen live behind high walls. journalists are not welcome. we managed to get by the guards with the help of alexei, a real estate agent. he's often here on business. once upon a time, the house prices here were going through the roof. but they've now plunged considerably. the rouble is weak, the russian economy is suffering. >> fewer people are investing in luxury real estate. people are considering other parts of europe as an alternative to russia, to lead some kind of more civilized life. >> he says that many business people have told him they are worried about the autho

see production come off the market. francine: let's see if opec and russia can agree. both stay with us, we will be talking about russia and opec next. we take a bigger look at the emerging markets, most at risk, coming up next. ♪ francine: welcome back to "the pulse," live from bloomberg's london headquarters. let's get to the business flash. hsbc will impose a hiring and pay freeze as part of its drive to cut as much as $5 billion in cost by the end of 2017. they outlined a three-year plan prepared by a sprawling global aswork by eliminating jobs he pushes to improve earnings amid surging compliance costs. has announced a buyback as a double its earnings in the third quarter share. >> after this buyback program, we have given almost 4.1 billion back. to the extent that we continue to be profitable and have a significant cash and the business, we will look to do more buybacks. bt has topped earnings estimates for the last quarter, u.k.a rose after the biggest drawback provider one more customers for its internet product. ubs has hired former reverend howard ceo for its team. he is

think their confidence level is at an all-time low. aboutk they are concerned what russia is doing to destabilize the area using refugees as a weapon of war. again, i think i am seen it hit that level before. they're looking for u.s. leadership, no question. in syria, we had a frank and all the record discussion following an agreement. i know there were concerns about time relative to what russia would actually do. many people thought they would do what they have done and that is to further solidify gangs and kill more people. i know that you have negotiated. i realize that you have a your disposal. many of us have been asking what happens if the cease-fire doesn't hold? out of thing russia believes that anything is going to happen. i think that is why they continue to make the games and be willing for a cessation. also going to announce that they will sell to iran su 30s, which is in strict violation. my understanding, they can in fact come to the un security council and as for permission. i love to understand if you expect that to happen. militarizeginning to the gains they made

more of a threat rather than a complaint? >>. >> reporter: viewed as russia's interpretation how it sees the situation and perhaps more of an indication about what russia does nap was certainly the opinion when i talked to the supreme allied commander of nato forces. u.s. four-star general philip breedlove. it is russia trying to not even rewrite the rules but create new rules, crossing international borders into ukraine, annexing crimea, developing increasing clusters of missile systems that are designed to target air, road and sea, potential sea attack, all the way from leningrad in the north close to nato, st. petersburg, crimea and now in northern syria. these are sophisticated missile stitches and nato sees russia developing and intensifying these clusters. it's a concern. so when i said to him, what about, medvedev says, you, nato, unfriendly, opaque and heading towards a cold war, he said no. that is not the case. that's not how nato sees it. this is what he said. >> isn't this by definition the cold war? arms buildup? >> well, they are entitled to their understanding of this

the u.s. plan on beefing up military forces against russia. >> ifill: and miles o'brien on the ground in brazil, the center of the zika virus outbreak. >> trying to solve the medical problem won't be enough. you have to change the quality of people's life. otherwise, you will not solve this problem. >> woodruff: all that and more on tonight's pbs newshour. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and the william and flora hewlett foundation, helping people build immeasurably better lives. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions: >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: it is primary eve in what is, for now, the center of the political universe: new hampshire. political director lisa desjardins is in new hampshire. she kicks off our coverage of the candidates' high-stakes sprint to the finish. >> good to see you guys! >> reporter: they were in manc

not been implemented on the ground and the backer russia and believe the objective has been to change the balance of power on the ground and put pressure on the rebels in order for them to surrender and laying siege to areas is to bring about a surrender so for them the government is more concerned an imposing its solution to the conflict and not compromising. now air strikes are continuing on the ground in northern homs countryside has been a battleground for months but now the government has managed to sever the supply routes into the area and u.n. is warning that up to 120,000 people face the risk of starvation, face the risk of disease because aid cannot enter. so there is cautious optimism but undoubtedly this is not a formal ceasefire and we still did not hear from the armed groups on the ground on their position on whether or not they will abide by this because at the end of the day a pause of fighting means a freeze on the front lines and a freeze really that the government and its backers are holding on to the strategic gains they have made over the past few weeks. >>>

. >>> russia's prime minister offered some advice. dimitri medvedev warned about sending forces into syria, doing so i.t. could spark another world war. for now it's mainly syria's war backed up by grim numbers, more than 11% of the pre-war population has either been killed or wounded in the past five years. assad says the fighting could continue for a long time. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations, and in political action, since the beginning of this crisis. however, if we negotiate, it does not mean that we stop fighting terrorism. the two traction are inevitable in syria. first through negotiations and second through fighting terrorism. >> assad added that a solution in syria will come at a heavy price. >>> the united states was quick to offer an official response to assad, state department spokesman mark toner was blunt in his assessment. >> look, i mean he's deluded if he thinks that there's a military solution to the conflict in syria. we've seen this wax and wane over now five years. but all we're looking at, if the syrian regime continues the fighting, is more blo

... has something to do with war. war? hm. what i really want to warn you about is russia. what about russia? well, the russian campaign's a mistake. what russian campaign? you're going to attack it. attack russia? are you mad? now, you mustn't go through with it, sir. if you attack russia, you're gonna suffer one of the worst defeats in history. napoleon, defeated? yes. i'm coming to that. you're coming to what? oh, uh-- uh, waterloo. don't fight wellington there. if you do, you'll-- you'll end up being sent to elba. never mind elba. so you think it will be a mistake for me to turn europe into an empire? i must think about this. well, you'll never regret talking to me, sir. we will talk again later. join the others. there's plenty of food and drink. yes, yes. oh, i've, uh, been meaning to ask you about, uh-- these wool uniforms. tell general pichegru i want him immediately. attack russia. it would be an insanity. the man is mad. mad or a spy. but who would've sent him? russia, of course. i've been thinking of russia. the hungry iceberg waiting to destroy an unwary army. and suddenly

russia is doing to destabilize the area using refugees as a weapon of war. again, i do not think i have seen it at that level before. they are looking for u.s. leadership, no question. in syria we had a frank and off the record discussion regarding, you had just entered into an agreement relative to citation in syria and their concerns about what russia would actually do. i think many people thought they would do with a have done which is to further solidify gangs, kill more people, move into aleppo as they have. i know you have negotiated another one, i realize i realize that what you have at your disposal is negotiation. i think that many of us have been asking what happens if in fact the cease-fire does not hold. i do not think russia believes that anything is going to happen and i think that is why they continue to make gains at some point they will make all the gains they need and be ready for cessation. they also are right now selling or announced that they're going to sell to iran, su 30s which is in strict violation of the un security council agreement, and it puts the jc p

force in syria. so far in most places there is quiet. the united states and russia has welcomed the pause in fighting. but there have been isolated reports of artillery and gun fight. aal-nusra and isil are not included. the u.n. regards them as terrorist groups so they weren't part of the deal. the russian airstrikes have stopped but the u.s. still strikes isil. and the syrian government is continue to go shell the damascus suburb of daraya, which was also excluded from the truce, elsewhere it's hoped that the fighting can be used to get aid in to besieged towns and city. managing to cross the board never syria, where he has been speaking to people displaced by the fighting. he sent this exclusive report. >> reporter: the this camp is home to 10s of thousands of syrians who have been recently displaced as a direct result of russian air strikes this. piece of land used to be empty. now thousands of tents are crammed together. separated by winding foot paths and narrow streets. they are lined by boys and girls who have had their childhood robbed from them by war. while others their a

stepped up its offensive there, backed by russia air strikes. with the border camps already full some are having to sleep in the open with just the clothes on their backs. syria's government is trying to surround aleppo, hoping to cut off lebl -- rebel supply lines to and from turkey. zana hoda sent this report. >> reporter: it's their jobs to watch the skies. civil defense engineers are on alert whenever they hear the sound of jets. as first responders to the scenes of attacks, these volunteers have been busier than usual. russian air strikes have intensified since the offensive began in aleppo over a week ago. volunteers say they are the only hope for those who may be trapped. >> translator: there are some people who are leaving the city because they are afraid of the siege. god willing it won't happen, but regardless volunteers and our families decided to stay because we need to help the people and fighters who chose to stay. >> reporter: civilians are increasingly helpless. doctors and nurses are overwhelmed. they work out of makeshift clinics because hospitals have been reduced t

and bigger consequences if russia doesn't end operations in northern syria. two offices and two schools sheltering fighters were attacked. a hospital, supported by doctors without borders was hit in idlib. the group says the building was deliberately targeted. zeina khodr on the turkey syrian border. >> reporter: there's no red line on the syrian war. a school, a hospital and other locations were hit by what the opposition says were russian air strikes and ground to ground missiles. turkey called az as a red line, promising not to allow the town to fall. not just because it's a stronghold. it is threatened over the y.p.g. a kurdish armed group that ankara called terrorists. >> the y.p.g. stepped back from az as and its area. if they come closer, they'll see the most severe reaction. the whole world should know this. >> reporter: turkey has acted. it has targeted positions to advance protests by the yfg and its allies. they found many close to the border, taking advantage of a russian backed offensive against the rebels. >> the y.p.g. and its allies rejected turkey's ultimatum. t

. www.aljazeera.com. >> the breaking news this hour. u.s. officials say russia has agreed to a truce in syria. >> when a random individual decides to be evil, i don't know how you stop that. >> the uber driver accused of going on a killing spree in kalamazoo goes before a judge. campaign crunch republicans prepare for tomorrow's nevada caucus. >> this is al jazeera america i'm richelle carey. earlier today the u.s. and russia said that they reached a provisional agreement on a cease-fire. the plan would begin as early as this saturday. today the u.n. officials reiterated the condition. >> one is the cessation of hostilities. the thirds one is the longer term process. these elements are not conditional. they should not be conditional and they should take place in terms of release of women, children and aged. >> 129 people were killed during several suicide attacks in damascus and homs. jamie mcintyre joins us now from the pentagon. what does this actually mean? >> the pentagon said that russia in that time has significantly stepped up its bombing of syria's and a lot of civilians are

president broke his silence over the u.s. russia deal to temporarily end fighting in syria. bashar al-assad says he will not stop combat operations until he controls the whole country. >> translator: we have fully believed in negotiations and political action since the beginning of the crisis. however, if we negotiate, it does not mean we stop fighting. >> russia also said this morning, it will continue, quote, fighting terrorism during the pause in fighting, and there are already reports today of more russian air strikes. jamie mcintyre is live from the pentagon. it's clear nobody is on the same page right now. syria and russia saying they will continue fighting, when there is supposed to be this full pause. so is this deal really not a deal? >> reporter: there's going to be this period, where they are going to have to work out what the terms of this cessation of hostilities is. a ceasefire has a more technical definition and denotes something more permanent. russia has said it is willing to work toward a goal of instituting that pause in the fighting by the end of the week, by a wee