A system of morality veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols, Freemasonry is considered by some to be a sinister organisation bent on world domination. Listen to what Freemasons themselves have to say about Freemasonry, learn the meaning of some of the most popular masonic symbols, and watch a real masonic initiation ceremony! You will see that Freemasonry is not an evil organisation but a benign brotherhood intent on personal and societal development.

Presenter – Robert Preston

On March 4, 2012, Vladimir Putin was elected to serve as Russia’s president for another six years, and he is set to take up office following his inauguration on May 7.

To his supporters, such as those we encountered celebrating at an election night government rally in Moscow, Putin is a hero, the strong man who brought order to Russia after the chaos of the Yeltsin years. They love his carefully cultivated image: the horse-riding, judo black-belted, stand-for-no-nonsense action man who has taken the country back to its rightful place on the world’s stage.

But elsewhere in Moscow that night, under the watchful eye of state security and police, Putin’s political opponents gathered to express their disapproval. Disappointed by the result after enjoying a surprising late surge in the anti-Putin camp in the weeks before the poll, many of them said that his years at the top of Russian politics had seen the country’s reputation become synonymous with cronyism and corruption, and that with Putin at the helm inner cliques have been allowed to run Russia for their own benefit and personal gain.

Their language was far from diplomatic. “Putin, thief!” they chanted and promised to return to the streets in the weeks and months ahead.

Such abuse may not bother Russia’s president-elect very much – after all he has just been returned to power - but it does reflect wider rumours about Vladimir Putin’s personal finances, business dealings and his relationship with some of the richest and most powerful businessmen in the land; the oligarchs who run its major companies and have accumulated fabulous wealth as a result.

Stories about the extent to which Putin may have personally benefited from these friendships and his years in office have been the currency of international and diplomatic gossip for years, fuelled by claims made by exiled political opponents about vast multi-billion dollar fortunes in offshore bank accounts. They even surfaced on WikiLeaks on 2010 when a quarter of a million secret memos from American diplomats were published on the internet. In one of them, Condoleezza Rice, the former US secretary of state, quotes a Russian opposition figure as saying that “Vladimir Putin is nervously trying to secure his future immunity from potential law enforcement investigations into his alleged illicit proceeds”.

So is there any substance to these stories? Is Putin the modest ‘man of the people’ as his supporters declare - a leader who eschews wealth and privilege, as honest as the day is long? Or is he the owner of a vast but secret fortune and at the centre of a web of intrigue and financial wheeler-dealing as his critics allege?

For this edition of People & Power, reporter Sarah Spiller and a team from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism set off to find out. In a journey that takes them from central Moscow to a judo club in St Petersburg, from country ‘dachas’ to a mysterious palace on the shores of the Black Sea, they assemble an intriguing story of an enigmatic leader who enjoys a lavish lifestyle somewhat at odds with his official public persona.

Rupert Murdoch now admits he failed in his handling of the phone-hacking scandal at one of his newspapers. He told a British inquiry into press standards that there was a cover-up at the News of the World paper, but one that kept him in the dark too.

And when asked about his influence on British politics, the head of News Corp denied exerting pressure on politicians to further his business interests.

So what has been the impact of the scandal on Murdoch’s business? And just how much influence has Murdoch had?

Plus, as the far-right grabs headlines in France and the Netherlands, we ask if Europe is witnessing a push back against Angela Merkel’s austerity drive.

And how to make money out of China’s rich and powerful?

Counting the Cost goes to the Beijing Motorshow, where Lamborghini reveals its first SUV for decades and Jaguar-Land Rover pushes deeper into the biggest car market in the world.

Theroux meets the Reverend Al Sharpton, the main point of contact in the black nationalist movement. Theroux also meets Khalid Abdul Muhammad, dubbed by the media ‘the most dangerous man in America’ and visits the Israeli School of Universal Practical Knowledge, who believe that blacks are the true Israelites and that all English monarchs until early modern times were black.

Theroux also joins Al Sharpton on a march on Wall Street to protest at the shooting by New York police of Amadou Diallo, who was shot 41 times.

Amin’s rule was characterized by human rights abuse, political repression, ethnic persecution, extrajudicial killings, nepotism, corruption, and gross economic mismanagement. The number of people killed as a result of his regime is estimated by international observers and human rights groups to range from 100,000[1] to 500,000. During his years in power, Amin was backed by Libya’s Muammar al-Gaddafi as well as the Soviet Union and East Germany.[2][3][4]

In 1975–1976, Amin became the Chairman of the Organisation of African Unity, a pan-Africanist group designed to promote solidarity of the African states.[5] During the 1977–1979 period, Uganda was appointed to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.[6] From 1977 to 1979, Amin titled himself as “His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor[B] Idi Amin Dada, VC,[C] DSO, MC, Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular”.[7]

Dissent within Uganda and Amin’s attempt to annex the Kagera province of Tanzania in 1978 led to the Uganda–Tanzania War and the demise of his regime. Amin later fled to exile in Libya and Saudi Arabia until his death on 16 August 2003.

Born in a tent in the Libyan desert, this Arab nationalist gained notoriety at 27 after toppling King Idris I. He went on to survive revolts, military strikes and embargoes while showing a knack for playing to Western interests, namely geopolitical security and oil reserves. It’s no surprise many of the interviews about hidden dealings are tainted by realpolitik. These personal accounts from key players are a fascinating foray into the diplomatic world of riddles, theatrics and hidden agendas.

Released 8th May, 2011. Director: Antoine Vitkine. Documentary film.