Local industries, paper mills and tourism pose a serious threat to Lake Baikal’s fragile ecology, according to Roman Vazhinkov from Greenpeace in Russia.

Vladimir Kozin, the head of the Regional Centre of the OSCE mission in Kosovo during 2001, joined RT to comment on Radovan Karadzic’s extradition to the Hague.

Radovan Karadzic is a kind of national symbol or 'a good guy from the past' for a huge part of Serbia's population, Georgy Engelgardt from Moscow's Institute of Slavic Studies told RT.

The world’s deepest lake – Baikal - is a fracture of the ground and some interesting geological facts could be gathered by the Russian submersibles, said Konstantin Gurovsky, the head of WWF Russia Marina Programme.

John McCain has repeated he wants Russia to be excluded from the G8. Charles A. Kupchan, Professor of International Relations at Georgetown University in Washington DC, spoke to RT about this latest outburst.

Radovan Karadzic’s nephew, Dragan Karadzic, in an exclusive interview with RT, admitted he'd been in contact with his uncle for six years, and helped him financially. But, he says, the rest of the family did not know about it.

John McCain wants Russia out of the G8. North American expert at the Institute of World Economy And International Relations in Moscow, Professor Mark Shkundin, who knows the presidential hopeful personally, explains why.

Radovan Karadzic’s brother Luka, in an exclusive interview to RT, has said the only reason he can see why the leadership of Serbia “betrayed” his brother is “a pitiful $US 5 million”.

The arrest of Bosnia-Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic has stirred up passions in the Balkans. Aleksandr Pikayev from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations discusses the political implications of the move.

War crimes suspect Radovan Karadžić will be found guilty of genocide, because the verdict is already written, believes Dr. Srdja Trifkovic, expert witness in a separate trial in The Hague. “I don’t think he will come out of jail alive,” he said.

Bosnian war crimes suspect Radovan Karadžić was captured in Belgrade on Monday. Political analyst Georgy Engelgardt from the Slavic Institute says the arrest will influence how Serbs view their government.

After 13 years on the run, Radovan Karadzic has been arrested. RT correspondent Aleksandr Luchaninov, who has produced a special report on the Bosnian war, says Karadzic still has many supporters in Serbia.

One of the world's most wanted men, Radovan Karadzic, has been arrested in a Belgrade suburb after a hunt which lasted almost 13 years. Political analyst Vladimir Kozin says most Russians and Serbs do not welcome the news.

Russia is taking part in six-party talks up with Ministers of the ASEAN countries. Political analyst at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations Victor Sumsky says Russia has good economic opportunities in Asia.

Construction costs for the multi-billion dollar East Siberia - Pacific Ocean pipeline are to rise again, according to the president of Transneft. Nikolay Tokarev blamed the rising costs of materials for the increase.

The U.S. has sent a senior official for talks with Iran for the first time since the rupture of diplomatic relations in 1979. RT military analyst Evgeny Khrushchev says it is too early to call it a breakthrough.

The German plan to ease tensions between Georgia and Abkhazia didn’t satisfy any of the sides involved. Aslan Abashidze, Professor of International Law at the Peoples' Friendship University, joined RT to discuss the prospects of a peace settlement in the region.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says the organisation is neutral on the status of Kosovo. The statement was contained in his report on the UN's Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, released on Thursday. Political analyst Vladimir Kozin joined RT to expand more on the issue.

In an exclusive interview with RT, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic expressed concern over the EU’s attempts to alter the format of international forces in Kosovo.

The U.S. is sending a high-ranking official to Europe for talks with Iran's chief nuclear envoy. RT's military analyst Evgeny Khrushchev spoke about the prospects for U.S.-Iran relations.

With the Olympics just around the corner, Russia's tennis players are gearing up for what is unofficially ‘the fifth grand slam’ of the season. Coach of both the men's and women's national team Shamil Tarpischev told RT he's hopeful of a good showing, particularly by Russia’s women.

The ‘Sea Breeze’ navy exercise ongoing in Ukraine will be treated as a sign of the country’s willingness to join NATO, Dmitry Suslov from the Council for Foreign and Defense Policy told RT.

Regime change in Tehran and the use of military force as a last resort are the two options to stop Iran’s nuclear plans, said John Bolton, the former U.S. ambassador to the UN in an interview with RT.

The oil prices have reached the price of $US 135 – 145 per barrel. Ron Smith, head of research at Alfa Bank, told RT about the proportion of fundamentals versus speculation in this price.

DNA tests indicate that remains found near Ekaterinburg a year ago belong to Prince Aleksey and Grand Duchess Maria Nikolayevna. Tamara Ventura-Laduska from the Russian Monarchy Centre in Australia told RT what it means.

NATO is leading the international military exercise Sea Breeze in Ukraine, without Russia. Dmitry Babich from Russia Profile magazine says that by missing exercises Russia is warning Ukraine against NATO membership.

Thirty Russian ravers, who attended an open-air dance festival in the Vladimir region, say their eyes have been left permanently damaged. Yury Abramov – a specialist on laser shows – joined RT to give his comments on the tragic issue.

Protests continue against joint NATO-Ukraine military exercises in Ukraine. Andrey Zagorsky from the Moscow State University of International Relations says every Ukrainian government should be mindful that many are against joining NATO, otherwise it might not be re-elected.

Ukrainian Anti-NATO protesters are refusing to surrender after the violent attack on their camp. Leonid Gusev, an expert on post-Soviet countries, told RT about what the demonstrators can achieve by their actions.

Russia should not react in a tit-for-tat manner in response to the withdrawal of the Georgian ambassador from Moscow, believes political analyst Artyom Malgin. He says escalation of conflict is of no use to either side.

Condoleezza Rice has shown strong support for the Georgian leadership during a visit to the country. Viktor Sergeev, political analyst and Director of the Centre for Global Problems says the US stance is related to the strategic importance of Georgia.

Most of the Group of Eight counties still regard Russia as a troubleshooter in military and political issues, and are not ready to welcome Russia into a more global economic perspective, political analyst Ivan Safranchuk said to RT.

Participation, discussion and informal talks are the things that are important about G8 summits, Vladimir Orlov, a political analyst and President of the Centre for Policy Studies in Moscow told RT.

“It's time for NATO to ‘go on a diet’,” according to Russia’s Envoy to NATO Dmitry Rogozin. In an exclusive interview with RT, he talks about the U.S. missile shield and the prospect of Ukraine and Georgia joining NATO.

Political analyst at the U.S. Heritage Foundation, Dr. Ariel Cohen, says the proposed U.S. missile shield in Eastern Europe does not threaten Russia. He says Moscow’s reaction to the project has been excessive.

Czech activists are planning to continue protests against the deployment of a U.S. radar in their country. Jan Tamash from the country’s 'No to Base' movement says many Czech MPs are ready to sign a new declaration against the radar.

The G8 summit in Tokyo was a substantial success on its defining issue of climate change, believes G8 Research Group director John Kirton. He joined RT to discuss the summit's results.

Condaleeza Rice has signed a treaty with her Czech counterpart on anti-missile defence. Alexander Nagorny, Deputy Editor of Zavtra weekly newspaper, spoke to RT about the Russian President’s reaction to the agreement.

The G8 summit has wrapped up in Japan and the Director of the Eurasian Political Studies Network, Vitaly Merkushev, told RT the summit was a success for the Russian delegation and the Russian President.

Political analyst Jerzy Nowakowski has told RT the installation of the U.S. anti-ballistic missile system in former Soviet territories is more likely a political rather than a military problem for Russia.

Well-known musician and anti-poverty campaigner Bob Geldof has said G8 leaders are no longer entitled to have an exclusive say on the world’s fate.

The G8 leaders have again pledged to increase aid to $US 50 billion by the end of the decade to fight poverty. Kumi Naidoo from Global Call to Action against Poverty explained the real help G8 is providing.

Russian-U.S. relations have been thrust back in the spotlight in the wake of the U.S.-Czech AMD treaty. U.S. foreign policy expert Mark Brzezinski says further dialog between the two sides is still possible.

The Czech Republic has agreed to the proposal to place part of the U.S. anti-missile shield on its territory. Aleksandr Nikitin, from Moscow State University of International Relations, joined RT to talk about Russia’s reaction to the agreement.

Leaders of the G8 need to find balance between long-term and short-to-mid-term goals, believes Nina Korobova from Global-Carbon.

Leaders of the world's major industrialised nations have agreed on plans to tackle global warming. Climate programme coordinator at the WWF in Moscow, Aleksey Kokorin, says the richest countries have the largest historical responsibility.

Jesse Garcia from Transparency International joined RT to comment on the effect corruption has on the food crisis and climate change.

As global warming ruptures climate patterns and melts ice-caps, international leaders have to tackle world hunger. Andrian Lovett, Director of Campaigns at the charity, Save the Children, says the leaders must deliver what they promised.

G8 leaders should commit themselves to cutting greenhouse emissions by at least 30% by 2020, says Daniel Mittler from Greenpeace.

The relations between the U.S. and Russia could be called ‘cold peace’. A mutually beneficial strategy can emerge from consultation between the two sides, said Mark Brzezinski, U.S. foreign policy expert.  

President Medvedev had a busy day at the G8 summit in Japan, discussing a series of issues during one-to-one talks with Western leaders. Political analyst Andrey Zagorsky joined RT to analyse the first working day of the Hokkaido summit.

Dmitry Medvedev’s presence at the G8 summit in Hokkaido is different in style from that of his predecessor Vladimir Putin, but it’s the same in substance, believes Mikhail Troitsky, political analyst from the Moscow State University of International Relations.

Director of International World Wildlife Fund’s global climate initiative, Kim Carstensen, spoke on the highlights of the first day at the G8 Summit.

A change of presidency in the U.S. won't necessarily mean a change of policy, believes White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe. He joined RT to discuss the latest developments at the G8 summit in Japan.

Vladimir Sotnikov from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations gave his comments on the trends of this years G8 summit.

At the G8 summit, Japan will come up with a number of initiatives pertaining to tackling the world food crisis and major environmental challenges, according to Kazuo Kodama from the country’s Foreign Ministry.

Defence expert and publisher of the Raport magazine in Poland, Wojciech Luczak, joined RT to discuss what was behind Poland's decision to reject the initial U.S. conditions of AMD shield deployment.

The AMD system in Europe issue is perhaps the only positive achievement of the Bush administration. So Washington will do everything it can to conclude talks with Poland believes Dmitry Suslov from Moscow's Council for Foreign and Defence Policy.

Poland has rejected current U.S. terms for hosting elements of its missile defense shield looking for better terms. Political analyst from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations Irina Kobrinskaya says Poland is gainful like never before.

Gas talks are high on the agenda as the Russian president travels through Central Asia. Vice president of equity strategy at RenCap, Tom Mundy, says Europe hopes to diversify gas supplies with an alternative to the Nabucco pipeline.

Poland has refused to station 10 interceptor missiles as part of a U.S. plan to deploy an ABM shield in Eastern Europe. The Head of Russia's State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee, Konstantin Kosachev, says this is not the final stage.

South Ossetia says it will move heavy weapons into the conflict zone with Georgia, if attacks on the republic from Georgian side do not stop. Sergey Arutyonov, Head of the Caucasian Studies Centre, hopes Russia will withdraw from military ops.

The first round of Russia - EU talks on a new strategic pact, covering energy and trade, starts today in Brussels. Researcher Nikolay Kaveshnikov, from the Institute of Europe at the Russian Academy of Sciences, discusses what to expect.

Tensions are rising in Georgia and South Ossetia after residential areas of the breakaway republic’s capital came under fire. Viktor Mizin of the Institute for Strategic Assessments told RT that Georgia must be more open.

President Dmitry Medvedev has accepted the resignation of the Chukotka Governor Roman Abramovich. President of the National Reserve Bank in Moscow Aleksandr Lebedev tells us how effective rich men are as governors.

The Kremlin says Roman Abramovich's resignation as governor of Chukotka has been accepted by President Medvedev. Editor-in-chief of the Russia Profile magazine Andrey Zolotov says the tycoon has always been Putin’s team player.

Roman Abramovich has quit his position as governor of Russia's northern Chukotka region. Fred Weir of the Christian Science Monitor spoke to RT about the motives behind the Chelsea owner’s decision to resign.

Dmitry Medvedev has called for new anti-corruption legislation and outlined reforms designed to combat bribes. The Head of Transparency International Russia Elena Panfilova said there was no systematic approach to the problem before.

There are no forces within Abkhazia interested in the escalation of the crisis, believes Evgeny Kozhokin, the Director of Russia's Institute for Strategic Studies. He blames exterior forces for blasts on Sunday and Monday blasts.