Marches foe also coming up liberia prepares for his first democratic transition of power in more than seven decades the president ial runoff pits a former soccer star against the countrys current Vice President. Im sara harman welcome to the show russian president Vladimir Putin is honoring another six year term in office and now hes been formally endorsed to participate in next years vote for his forced charm putin has decided to run as an independent to make the most of his personal popularity amongst russians or than six hundred supporters including prominent lawmakers and actors have gathered in moscow for the endorsement or support allows putin to take part in the march election as an independent candidate. These Young Russians came to see the kremlin new years tree but were treated to a surprise appearance by Vladimir Putin. One of the children had the courage to ask the president how he feels about the opposition. I got that as you never did before as positively. That i will have to hide. The opposition has little chance of victory after the countrys Election Commission barred alexina volley from taking part in the vote. The Opposition Leader is considered the biggest potential threat to putin and he has called for a boycott of the election. But theres still plenty of support for putin and more than six hundred prominent russians including lawmakers actors and athletes gathered in moscow to officially endorse him as their candidate. But he would see this. Our country has changed from a devastated one without future prospects just because into a powerful country soon that this will be. Glad to hear putin is the only leader who said our health care isnt good and under him maternally clinics and cardiological and other medical centers were built they go do it because you live it is good you see how the army has grown and grown stronger and now has powerful new weapons at its disposal and the person now are doing well but its. Now putin can submit his documents to the Election Commission after his bid is approved you also need to gather three hundred thousand signatures to take part in the race. With polls showing more than an eighty percent Approval Rating putin is expected to cruise to victory in the march eighteenth vote. For more sure when joins us now from moscow emily why is putin running as an independent candidate and not for his own party well put in the fishley announced the decision to run as an independent at his yearly press conference in december and he actually gave no official reason there could be several reasons the first one could be the polls. More people trust putin then they trust the government for example more people in the polls trust putin than they trust me did who heads that government so he may be trying to distance himself from the United Russia Party and from the government and this could also be a way of keeping up Public Interest after all this is his hes running to have a fourth term in office and its important for the kremlin to have a high turnout to show that these votes these elections are legitimate and so perhaps experts here are talking about the fact that maybe putin is trying to present himself in a new light as a new putin an independent candidate for the most outspoken and critical lexing of only not be permitted to run against him what he have been a threat to putin. Well yes and no recent polls show that putin wouldve probably won anyway according to those recent polls. Independent and government polls put him at around sixty to eighty percent of public support so hes not really a threat in that sense but he has been campaigning all over the country and there have been big crowds coming out for him to support his bid for the president president ial election ahead of this decision and and hes also had hes also called for big protests and organized big protests this year and it seems that that is what the government is really afraid of a repeat of the mass protests that happened after duma elections in two thousand and eleven and this call for a boycott seems to have maybe spooked the kremlin theyre now calling to check whether that call to boycott the elections that came from them by any is legitimate and according to the law or case an evolving is out briefly emily is there any other credible contender who can challenge putin. Well credible is the key word here there is saying yes up shock has positioned herself as a vehement critic of putin she has also now said that he could join her campaign which seems unlikely because now viney has been rather scathing about her but people are have also been saying that she might be herself an instrument of the kremlin her family her father was very close to putin and this may be an attempt people say by the kremlin to legitimize these votes by putting forward a real authorization candide it as she seems to be so far opposition candidates are polling in the low Single Digits however so there isnt really. A candidate that could really threatened putin all right no competition in sight thats emily sure win in moscow thank you. Heres a look now at some of the other stories making news around the world Russian Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized the u. S. For its aggressive rhetoric towards north korea regarding its Nuclear Missile program following in telephone call of this u. S. Counterpart Rex Tillerson la from said it was unacceptable for washington to exacerbate tensions on the korean peninsula. China has sent a prominent rights activist to eight years in jail for subversion on is a blogger better known by his online pseudonym super bowl gore butcher hes drawn attention for mocking chinas government his lawyer says he will appeal the sentence. But. Morals are being held across thailand to mark the anniversary of the two thousand and four indian ocean tsunami which left well over two hundred thousand people dead indonesia was the country hit hardest by the National Disaster considered one of the worst in modern history. Liberians have been at the polls today to elect their next president the whole School System short while ago in the west african nation and the result could see the first democratic transition in the country in over seventy years of voters are choosing between senator george we are a former world footballer of the year and the incumbent Vice President joseph. We are tops the first round of voting with both coming in second neither managed to secure the fifty percent of the vote that needed to win outright and so feel lection headed to a runoff now the winner will succeed president Ellen Johnson sirleaf who won the nobel prize as africas first elected female leader after she helped secure peace after liberias back to back civil wars. The day after christmas voting got off to a slow start but the election appears to have been largely peaceful an impressive achievement in itself for a country thats known decades of war its a runoff vote between former International Footballer george waya and Vice President joseph. Both of whom voters and casting their ballots just as an experienced long time politician having served in government for the past twelve years hes found it harder to convince voters that he will bring change good beer because of the curse of democracy we want there would be a work and i would reduce it. We have created a process theres a process. Were willing to live with. The small country of just over four Million People posts twenty six Political Parties state institutions remain weak and corruption is deeply entrenched. Born in a slum in the capital of monrovia george way has won the hearts of mostly young liberians through star performances for europes biggest football teams in the ninetys this is the second attempt at becoming president. To do this. They said i am going to win. It all he was. Outgoing president Ellen Johnson sirleaf ruled cemented peace in the west african country after civil war ended in two thousand and three but the majority of liberians still live in dire poverty and she did little to improve that. Whoever wins this election will be faced with that difficult heritage and will have to prove that he can govern in a way that will benefit the country and its citizens. From im joined now by maria i mean ashleighs the chief observer for the European UnionElection Mission in liberia she joins us from the capital monrovia thanks for being with us its liberias first democratic transition since one thousand forty four just how important is this election for the countrys future its really important because its so they will try to transition our its importance for lengthier in people and so on and have to have a credible election credible election process too short not only for maybe a it or saw what all the regions you know you know are there election the next in a few months and other times in the region so its really important to assure that democratic transition with an election process credible election process is doubt able to manage it youre there to ensure fair play in the country so how free and fair has the process been so far. We are here for the European Observation Mission we have here till till september and were still here till january so its a very long term observation mission. We observed the first round and i its the second round for diesel actually we can see it at all due process even if we have had so i inserted into a different complaint that had between the first and second run we can say that all the institution but also all the Political Parties and the citizen delivery and citizen day they have to do it to responsibly to have this predator process so we have to wait now till the end of the process because we have had his election date now but we also have the end of this process by certain days and saw at the end of this we can see if these elections are credible but more we have to make some recommendations on top of the. Ok i suspect too soon to say if the election has been framed fair but we know you and your team will be on the ground observing the election thank you very much maria rana shes the chief of separate for the European UnionElection Mission in life area. Well turning now to some sports news the former president of perus Football Federation manuel berger was found not guilty on charges of racketeering by a u. S. Jury in new york berger was charged with taking bribes from marketing firms that were vying for lucrative commercial rights to major soccer tournaments controlled by fifo he was tried along with one un high in the pool the former president of the south american governing body con mabel and Jose Maria Martin the former president of brazils Soccer Federation a poor and moran were both convicted on several counts last friday following a five week trial. The english tradition of playing soccer on boxing day has allowed tottenham striker harry cane to break a record in his teams last game of twenty seventeen kainat of his thirty seven thirty eight and thirty Nine Premier League goals the calendar year and a five to win against southampton england striker therefore breaks alan shearer his record of thirty six goals set back in one thousand nine hundred five hes also the highest scoring striker for club and country in europe this year fifty six goals to his name. And its been a dramatic opening to the sydney hobart yacht race one of sailings most grueling competitions blackjack is leading the pack but early on it was near collision between two of the favorites stole the headlines comanche wasnt too pleased with some erratic maneuvering by wild oats eleven two yards almost bumped into each other just after leaving sydney harbor comanches secretly launched an official protest favorable winds could mean the race record of one day in thirteen hours will fall this year. To. Evelyn pad de sica bay in the liberian capital monrovia thats your world news update for now well see you at the top of the hour for more take care. Where i come from we had to fight for a free press and was born and raised in a military dictatorship with just one t. V. Shadow and if you newspapers with officially from