possible step towards resolving the conflict in eastern ukraine there was a hero's welcome in the capital kiev for 76 men and women released by russian backed separatists in the east of the country in return ukrainian government releasing all of its prisoners we'll go live to kiev for the very latest also coming up. a gunman opens fire at a church in the u.s. state of texas killing 2 parishioners but churchgoers return fire and shoot him dead. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us. well back with family and friends ukrainian and russian backed separatists prisoners were reunited with their loved ones after a major exchange between the 2 sides among those released captives who had been in the tension since hostilities broke out in 2014 now the swap follows an agreement between russia and ukraine brokered by germany and france. home for the new year dozens of joy for unions played out on the kiev airports tama many of the captives hadn't same friends or family for years on hand i visibly moved president flawed to me is the lenski he great to the exchange during talks with russia's vladimir

possible step towards resolving the conflict in eastern ukraine there was a hero's welcome in the capital kiev where 76 men and women released by russian backed separatists in the country's east now in return ukrainian government releases all of its presenters will go to kiev for the latest also on the show. a gunman opens fire at a church in the u.s. state of texas killing 2 parishioners but churchgoers a mediately return fire and shoot him dead. also in this program the year 2019 in sports from triumphant football stars to a comeback on the green we take a look back at some of the year's top sporting moments. i'm brian thomas great to have you with us back with family and friends ukrainian and russian back separatists prisoners were reunited with their loved ones after a major exchange between the 2 sides now among those released captives who had been in detention since fighting broke out in 2014 the swap follows an agreement between russia and ukraine that was brokered by berlin and paris. home for the new year dozens of joyful reunions played out on the key of f. . ports tama many of the c

possible step towards resolving the conflict in eastern ukraine there was a hero's welcome in the capital kiev for 76 men and women released by russian backed separatists in the country's east now in return your recurring union government released all of its prisoners will go to kiev for the latest also coming up. a gunman opens fire at a church in the u.s. state of texas killing 2 parishioners but church goers quickly returned fire and shoot him dead. bad remembering the victims of the holocaust one stumbling stone at a time we take a look at a german artist who morial project down is still not dedicated to keeping alive the memory of the individuals killed by the nazis. our brian thomas great to have you with us a back with family and friends ukrainian and russian backed separatists prisoners were reunited with their loved ones after an exchange between the 2 sides now among those released captives who have been in prison since hostilities broke out in 2014 the swap follows an agreement between russia and ukraine brokered by germany and france. home for the new year. dozens of joyful reunion

put them out of in kiev of course one way that kiev has reacted is to get closer to the e.u. in various forms and on various agreements militarily it does want to get close it's even eyeing up potential membership of nato that worries russia potential membership of the e.u. that worries russia which direction do you think kiev is going to go in then with regard to if they can't find a solution with russia they'll find a better partnership with europe and other allies but i think that serves the route or situation the crimea or likely to be across all. roles all occupational like it was a show of the baltics it so. we are soviet union. for what like 40 or more years. the west. worked with the so you have relations with the soviet. comic ties with the soviet union but when the soviet union and began to collapse 'd. they. were introduced to the europe. and i think with the crimea more or less. the same to patients we have low budget. it's russian territory but everybody would return to get about and for a while the 2nd which is way more important at the moment we're in eastern u

home for the new year dozens of joyful reunions played out on the kiev at ports tama many of the captives hadn't same friends or family fee years on hand a visibly moved president flawed to me is a lengthy he greeted the exchange during talks with russia's vladimir putin earlier this month. as we deliver on our promises to each so these people will celebrate new year with their loved ones with their parents and children at home with each other. and this is the moment prisoners were frayed earlier on sunday russian backed separatists late ukrainian prisoners. at a checkpoint in the country's aist the men were lined up to be collected by the red cross for some it was a chance to voice their anger over their treatment here you know i spent 5 years in a basement how can this happen in the 21st century in a european country here for example there are. heading home to dozens of separatists many of them have also faced hosh conditions in captivity. in this conflict volunteer militias have often ignored the rules of war conditions in captivity and the tourists n.g.o.s say the ukrainian government

separatists and the ukrainian government have exchanged all the prisoners they have been holding will go to kiev where people are waiting to welcome back their free nationals also coming up a man with a knife turns a hanukkah celebration near new york city into a bloody crime scene new york's governor says it was an act of domestic terror. and australia's bushfires have hit firefighters hard including the many volunteers who had to take leave from their jobs now the government has agreed to compensate them for their efforts. welcome to the program the ukrainian government and russian backed separatists have completed a prisoner exchange the swap took place at a checkpoint near the rebel held city of horlivka in the donetsk region of eastern ukraine the exchange covers all remaining prisoners being held by both sides since hostilities broke out in 2014 it stems from an agreement that russia and ukraine reached earlier this month. carefully coordinated ron davis in ukraine's rebel controlled region. the free prisoners include ukrainian riot police accused of firing on protesters 2014 the controver

kieve kiev of course wants better terms for itself and moscow is going to hold firm and so foreign policy analysts that are speaking in moscow are following on twitter today a lot of them are saying well you know this prisoners swap is all well and good but what i can expect in 2020 is a frozen conflict not an actual end to the war so this is hopeful for the new year but we'll have to see in the new year what i think what actually happens with the war even. thank you. well straight day is bracing for another week off bushfires as temperatures are expected to soul emergency services have been trying to contain the blaze a since september 8th people have died 2 of them firefighters many of those on the front lines all volunteers and now the australian government says it will pay them for their efforts. it's one of australia's worst bushfire season is over. with so many blazes to battle it's often volunteers who answer the call for help. giving their time and paying the costs just like. 1516 hour shifts in a row you're exhausted at the end of that you might have one day break and then they w

you what technically the bloody conflict between the breakaway republics of donetsk and lugansk and kiev has been solved but there's one important remark it's been solved on paper now this step by step plan that several years ago was hammered out by the leaders of ukraine russia france and germany it's called the minsk agreements and i can tell you that for all these years from east to west from all kinds of politicians we've been hearing that this plan is the only way to go to support the implementation of the minsk agreement because the reason the alternative no plan b. exists. in my opinion this is the only way they can create a climate in ukrainian society where they were able to make painful compromises regarding the states don't buy us your stubbornness and i agree with the chancellor i've also said there is no other alternative to the implementation of the green with help of the n.i.c.u. . however if we look at what's really been happening on the ground in reality pretty much none of the steps were actually taken and now there is a new chance there's a new government in kiev and t

emotional scenes in kiev ukraine and pro russian separatists swarm all their prisoners in a move to end the 5 year old. hello i'm barbara starr you're watching our live from london also coming up as a missile hits a military parade in southern yemen who the rebels say that they have a list of 9 targets they plan to strike in saudi arabia and the u.a.e. plus this is volatile and. spurred by hate york's governor says a stabbing attack at a rabbi's house was an act of domestic terrorism and residents and holiday makers in australia's victoria state are told to evacuate amid warnings that monday would be a day of extreme danger. welcome to the program the u.s. military has carried out what it's calling defensive air strikes in iraq and syria against a militia group they come 2 days after an american civilian contractor was killed in a rocket attack on an iraqi military base 3 locations were hit in iraq reported to include al qaeda which is on the border with syria sources say that at least 10 fighters were killed and $35.00 people injured at the target was a shia group called the law which

well let's bring in our guests joining us on skype from kiev is our lexi her professor of comparative politics at kiev more here our cademy in moscow victor only of each lead analyst at the moscow based think tank center for actual politics and also on skype from young going to myanmar anna mcvey of or a member of the eurasia and russia research group at king's college london and welcome to you all let me start in kiev with a ski hire and these talks that will be taking place in paris see see them as a positive step forward and what would you say ukraine is wanting from these talks . well i think it's positive because previously for more than 2 years mr putin didn't want to have any thoughts with former president so this time was there were some steps that owns a ground so basically i sings there could be a progress of progress could be the guiding disengagement of troops in certain areas and exchange of prisoners if it happens it will be but it's a question is what concessions will mr putin demand from ukrainian side because we need to understand very clearly is that for putin what i

in ukraine are showing signs of progress with both moscow and kiev finding common ground on a number of issues the leaders of russia ukraine france and germany held 6 hours of talks in paris aimed at resolving the conflict and spoke out back in 2014 with eastern regions seeking independence from kiev president vladimir putin and his ukrainian counterpart vladimir the lenski both describe the meeting as positive. yes the. is there a thaw in our relations i think yes of course we have discussed a broad range of issues and made progress on many of them all of that gives grounds to believe that the process is moving in the right direction. which shook us. with regards to our peace efforts we have met and i think it's a great step towards peace the meeting was long and difficult but the mood of the meeting was positive. and a written statement both leaders agreed to implement a complete ceasefire by the end of this year and a complete all for all prisoner swap as well they also committed to withdrawing troops from certain conflict zones before april next year and to ensuring that these ar

there was a hero's welcome in the capital kiev for the 76 men and women released by separatists in the country's east and return the ukrainian government released all the prisoners that it had been holding also coming up. a gunman opens fire in a church in the united states in the state of texas killing 2 parishioners churchgoers return fire and kill. spicer welcome to the program the ukrainian government and russian backed separatists have completed a major prisoner exchange among those released are captives held by both sides since hostilities broke out in 2014 the swap follows an agreement russia and ukraine reached earlier this month in talks brokered by germany and france. home for the new year dozens of joyful reunion splayed out on the quay of airports tama many of the captives hadn't same friends or family for years on hand a visibly moved president flawed to me is the lenski he great to the exchange during talks with russia's vladimir putin earlier this month. as we deliver on our promises to each so these people will celebrate new year with their loved ones with their parents

separatists and the ukrainian government have exchanged all the prisoners they were holding we go live to kiev which is gearing up to welcome back its freed people also coming after. a man with a knife turns a hand in a brand new york city into a nightmare new york's governor saying is it was an act of terror. and will straightness bushfires have placed a strain on firefighters including many volunteers who have taken leave from their jobs now the government has to pay them and on it there is. hello i'm christine one goal welcome to the program the ukrainian government forces and russian backed separatists have completed a prisoner exchange the swap took place at a checkpoint near the rebel held city office or live in the don't yet region of eastern ukraine it's part of an agreement that russia and ukraine this month more. carefully coordinated rendezvous in ukraine's rebel controlled region. the freed prisoners include ukrainian riot police accused of firing on protesters in 2014 the controversial swap has angered some activists there but others see it as a crucial step to improving ties with

it seems hasn't been keen to do seem at all however for of the government in kiev the element that is absolutely essential is the one that is supposed to lead to the full handover of the control of the border between russia and the breakaway republics of lugansk and that he had skipped a lot of our approaches and did remind everyone that when it comes to the minsk accord the control over the border does come after the political section by. the music's of listening read the minsk accords they say ukraine will begin to establish control over the russia don't bust border the day after elections are held in the region that is what the documents see why undermine the agreements and rewrite their content see if we alter one article then the others are likely to be altered as well and will ultimately lose everything i do have to say that there have been concerns that the government of the legs won't be able to fulfill their part of the agreement to at all in the near future because of the pressure that's been mounting on him domestic only the anti russian pro-war lobby is still very strong a

let's get more on this from our correspondent david stern who's in kiev and who's following today's events for us so david how exactly is this prisoner exchange between russia and ukraine likely to play out i mean do we know for example just how many prisoners are supposed to be swapped. we'll only know the details when it actually takes place or shortly before both the timing and the numbers those are still in the air it's an it's uncertain we're getting different reports of how many people are actually going to be exchanged possibly more than 50 from the separatist side 80 from the ukrainian side or maybe even more maybe 80 from the breakaway republics and 100 and more than 100 from the ukrainians but as i say this will become clearer later as well as when and where it takes place one expects however that it will take place on some neutral area that the 2 sides will it's exchange them directly and then the those that have been released from the unrecognized lugansk and peoples republics will be flown here to kiev and arrive at the main airport and bodies full well just how significant is

on protesters they have nothing to do with the war and they have actually sparked some protests in kiev last night activists stood outside of the prison where they were held hoping to block their passage they weren't we expect them to be sent over to donetsk later today they are waiting at the checkpoint. and how significant is this prisoner exchange looking at if it's to ease tensions between russia and ukraine. it's quite significant in the fact that these prisoner exchanges have gotten the leaders back to the table the 1st prisoner exchanges this year in september. was it was the 1st time the peace process had gotten going since 2016 so it had been stalled for 3 years and the 2nd one to end of the year is the 2nd largest prisoner swap over these 6 years it was a key part of the normandy summit agreement earlier this month and we expect that peace talks will be able to continue now at some point in 2020 early reports suggested early april for the actual important parts as was mentioned at ceasefire has not actually been implemented but the prisoner swap is what is going to get us to t

heart spondon david stern is monitoring today's events for us and he joins us now from kiev so david is it known and just how many prisoners are being swapped today and who they are. no actually we don't know those details yet we hope to know them hope to find out fairly soon as we've said the exchange has begun that we can confirm this is taking place at one of the crossing points on the frontline between the 2 forces we are seeing pictures of prisoners exit in buses but what exactly how many people who they are what will happen next that all remains to be seen when we do anticipate however is once it's finished those that have been released by the by the separatists of moscow basque separatists who have returned to ukraine or ukrainian controlled territory they will be brought here to kiev where i am right now and there will be great they will be met at the airport the main airport bodies pulled later in the day david just how significant is today's prisoner swap is it going to help improve relations between ukraine and russia. well i guess you could say any little bit helps how si

soldiers civilians and members of a special police force who were accused of killing protesters in kiev in 2014 exchange force talks between you work your way in and russia's leaders a few weeks ago in paris well in my hayward has the story. for many this was a long time coming ukrainian prisoners finally free to leave the territory they fought to keep but still controlled by pro russian separatists security was tight as a prisoner exchange began in eastern ukraine some had arrived at the checkpoint in heavily fortified bare coals the identities checked and checked again but the men disbelief them relief that it was happening and they will be able to return home their. fathers though found to fight on this moment ukrainian prisoner said they would fight for their country to president. while this pro russian separatists said he had been beaten and tortured by the cranium security services. sunday's exchange was the result of direct talks between president for lenski and putin in france earlier this month they agreed to implement a pull cease fire in a bid to end the war in the region of

well as bring in david stern now he's standing by in kiev for us david east this prisoner exchange a step towards a more comprehensive peace between ukraine and russia backed separatists. well that's certainly a sign of possible progress but it also shows the complications and hurdles that remain before we do see a comprehensive peace our team was at the airport last night when the prisoners returned and as you saw there were scenes of great cumulation and emotion tears were shed and many people were very visibly moved. the prisoners who came back there were a little bit more than 70 who arrived mung them were both military people and the civilians a journalist and also stanislav a slip say of who had been there for 2 and a half years in the rebel rebel controlled territory but also as we hear there there were 5 riot police who were returned to the rebel controlled territory these men were accused of being involved in the deaths of demonstrators here in kiev 5 years ago and they were part of a trial and ongoing trial now many people fear that the truth about what actually happened 5

correspondent david stern is at the airport in kiev where the freedom crane prisoners are due to arrive soon david what do we know any details yet on the prisoners who is being exchanged who are they. will were as you say were at the airport with the key of journalists gathered outside a security check waiting to go into the terminal behind me here where the we are expecting that the prisoners the people have been released will be arriving we don't know when possibly within the next hour or couple of hours it's difficult to say now we do know is that over 70 have been returned to government controlled territory over 120 were given to the moscow back separatists there were among them there were who are coming back now there are civilians as well as military personnel and as we heard in the. in the reports there were 5 there coote riot police is the name of the unit they were accused of participating in the in the deaths are being involved in the deaths of protesters 5 years ago during the revolution in kiev so in light of that of the people being exchange what kind of reactions are being

end the war in the region of ukraine relations between russia and ukraine soured when protesters in kiev managed to drive out a kremlin backed government in 2014 russia then seized control of crimea from ukraine and within weeks russian backed separatists took control of the eastern part of ukraine. more than 13000 people including civilians have died during 5 years of complex the have been attempts before to try to end the war and the prisoner swaps ukraine wants to join nato once your union wants to move west. i'm not sure where ukraine and this. difference may. not mean why a prisoner exchange this one has caused controversy in ukraine protesters gathered outside a detention center angry some members of a ukrainian police unit accused of killing demonstrators in kiev and 2014 were released there is little will i want civilians caught up in the fighting for this war to continue this prisoner exchange then a sign that tensions could be easing and he would al-jazeera. journalist alexander gulf in moscow says the prisoner swap has largely been welcomed but there is some criticism that ukr

between berlin paris kiev and moscow will continue. coming up russia's top diplomat is just touched down in washington d.c. where he is expected to hold talks with president trump after the break we'll look at what topics are likely to dominate me to. join me every thursday on the alex i'm unsure when i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sports business i'm sure. i'll see you then. welcome back a writer in germany has penned a feminist version of the classic tale snow white and the adaptation a surprise twist. fairy tales give you the chance to teach kids about important values and i think diversity is simply not addressed nearly enough it is such an important concept and i really want my children to grow valuing. it's not the 1st time a classic tells been given a modern make over and a new version all the latin released this year princess johnson has. to be telephoned to and and the original she just wants to find to soulmates. in the remake of the 989 classic a black actress plays the lead role in the tools of backlash

hour live from london thank you for joining us coming up in the next 60 minutes emotional scenes in kiev after ukraine and pro russian separatists swap all their prisoners in a move to end the 5 year war in the. as a missile hits a military parade in southern yemen the who the rebels say they have a list of 9 targets that they plan to strike in saudi arabia and the u.a.e. plus. violent. spurred by hate york's governor says a stabbing attack at a rabbi's house was an act of domestic terrorism and residents and holiday makers in australia's victoria state are told to evacuate made warnings that monday will be a day of extreme danger. and on peter's terms in doha with sports liverpool win a game in the english premier league but once again the video assistant referee really it's controversial. but 1st the u.s. military has carried out what it's calling defensive air strikes in iraq and syria against a militia group they come 2 days after an american civilian contractor was killed in a rocket attack on an iraqi military base 3 locations where he in iraq reported to include al qaeda which is

david stern in kiev and i asked him whether ukrainians trust the word of the russian president. well i guess you could say they don't really trust him very much but if the deal is signed it obviously will be a positive step forward in the relations between these 2 countries we are now in the 6th year more than 5 years russia and ukraine have been at odds with the russia annexed crimea back in 2014 and then russian supported forces have been fighting ukrainian forces in the east of the country and more than 13000 people have died there the relations between the 2 countries obviously because of that and. further worsened we also have the case that gazprom some $3000000000.00 to ukraine over odets according to the stockholm arbitration court so you could say that trust in the russians isn't great at the moment but obviously if this deal is in is confirmed we're waiting here they say they've reached it in principle then this will be something that can be possibly built on to improve them in the future and i was david stern reporting from kiev let's take a look now at some of the oth

moscow and kiev have signed a 5 year agreement on the transit of russian gas to europe via ukraine after months of difficult talks but just ahead of the new year deadline currently some 18 percent of the news article natural gas consumption comes from russia by train it's expected that gas from will translate at least 65000000000 cubic meters of natural gas by ukraine mixed and at least $40000000000.00 pigs until 2024 and kiev more than $7000000000.00 in transit and a major source of income for the country. well it's certainly been a busy year for business news the u.s. china trade war has kept us on our toes and we've seen the reputation off one of the biggest u.s. companies boeing take a tumble is a look now at the top stories in business news this year. will they or won't they the u.s. and china have been at it throughout the year and in may trump announced that washington would raise previous tariffs where having a little squabble with china because we've been treated very unfairly for many many decades for actually a long china retaliated with its own threat and in the summer a truc

officials from the state department went out to kiev to ensure kiev that the u.s. stands firmly behind them. just before we run out of time. about. this could be one of her final opportunities to mediate to be a peace maker do you get that sense from where you're sitting or would you say that the president may be standing in her way. well i think both mccrone and merkel are critical to these negotiations but there are different timelines we know that politically of the chancellor's timeline and her capacity is shorter and it certainly mr mccrone over the last several weeks has made considerable headlines in terms of his positions views of nato and president trump i think the most important thing right now is that those 2 leaders are focused on the business at hand understanding who's across the table from them which is mr putin and supporting ukraine and i expect that that will continue there are no signals that both paris or berlin are breaking from ukraine same here in washington . johnson tatts with the u.s. german marshall fund thank you mr knight from washingt

moscow and kiev have signed a 5 year agreement on the transit of russian gas to europe via ukraine after months of difficult talks just ahead of a looming new year deadline the current gas transit deal expires on tuesday and ties between the 2 countries have been shredded since moscow and next crimea in 2014 counties some 80 percent of the u.s. annual natural gas consumption comes from russia via ukraine it's expected that gazprom will transit at least 65000000000 cubic meters of natural gas by ukraine next year and at least $40000000000.00 per year until 2024 and kiev more than $7000000000.00 in transit fees a major source of income for the country. and i'll just some of the other global business stories making news. the outgoing bank of england governor mark carney has said he wants climate action in the world of finance to match that in other fields in an interview to compare the climate crisis to a financial crisis in that it requires a strong and cross party action conny is due to become the united nations special envoy for climate change next year. german strength less being 2019 r

there was a hero's welcome in the capital kiev for 76 men and women released by separatists in the country's east in return ukrainian government released all the prisoners it had been holding will go to kids for the latest also coming up. a man with a knife turns a hanikra celebration near new york city into a bloody crime scene new york's governor says it was an act of domestic terror. i'm nick spicer welcome to the program. ukrainian government and russian backed separatists have completed a prisoner exchange a plane landed at the airport sunday evening a few hours after the swap at a checkpoint in the separatist stronghold of the nets in eastern ukraine exchange included prisoners held by both sides since hostilities broke out in 2014 as follows an agreement russia and ukraine reached earlier this month in talks brokered by germany and france. i carefully coordinated ron davis in ukraine's rebel controlled region $200.00 people in total were released in the exchange some returning to the ukrainian side said the exchange was a good start but everyone needed to be freed. i'm grateful to the

between berlin paris kiev and moscow will continue. and for reaction inside in the updates on this story head to our website r.t. dot com we have some in-depth analysis there from former austrian foreign minister . meanwhile still to come on the program russia's top diplomat has touched down in washington d.c. work is expected to hold talks with. details on that story and more after the break . you know world of big partisan law and conspiracy it's time to wake up to dig deeper to hit the stories that mainstream media refuses to tell more than ever we need to be smart we need to stop slamming the door on the back and shouting past each other it's time for critical thinking it's time to fight for the middle for the troops the time is now we're watching closely watching the hawks. so what we've got to do is identify the threats that we have it's crazy from day shouldn't let it be an arms race is also a spearing dramatic development the only really i'm going to resist i don't see how that strategy will be successful very critical time tim

says the aspect that has to do with the control over the border does after the political section by kiev. now according to the arrangements that ukraine will begin with some of that come through of my it establishing control of the cherry tree if you go and part of the board on the next day following the election that might be why do we need to. use it and then question the rewrites of the men's cool it's a very good translation follows the other if we change one provision. they know lou disrupts the situation disrupt the process i do have to say that there have been concerns that the government of president steve will be fulfill their part of the agreement to add all of the near future because of the pressure that's been mounting on him domestic coley the anti russian pro-war lobby is still very strong and any baby steps that the zelinsky could potentially make towards russia could lead to some serious political damage for him at home. well in some cases after such tough difficult talks the sides can't even agree on a joint statement after a day of negotiations well this time they did p