to them, because it is this idea that everybody is deserve. and then just by virtue of your being here, the vote counting is underway in iran. and as the people choose, a new president following last month's death of abraham. right, you see, and a helicopter crash, the new york times editorial board calls on biden to drop out of the presidential race, calling him a shadow of a great public servant after his train rack of a performance and the 1st debates with donald trump independent to us presidential candidate, robert f. kennedy junior argues that the nation deserves a better friend to choose between the lesser of 2 evils. people across the country are echoing this sentiment. these are clear choices is bad. honestly, they both is like a disaster. it was really hard to watch. i think it's

a national embarrassment, and that is our representation of leadership and iran threatens israel with a devastating war. if tel aviv decides to embark on full scale military aggression against 11 ounce hezbollah, as israel says, it's ready to open another from the just around 11 in the morning here in russia, and you're in moscow, russia, and you're watching r t international. i am your host donald corder, welcome to the program. our top story, iranians have cast their ballots to elect a new president for the country in a snap vote following the tragic death of abraham receipt and a helicopter crash last month. the expected results to be announced on saturday, our t brings you all the latest details in our special coverage. the

with over 19000000 votes counted reformist masoud has a sky on is gaining over conservative site jointly in the rainy and presidential election, holding stations closed on friday evening after several extension. so allowing all those ready and willing to cast their boat. if no candidate wins at least 50 percent plus one of the votes from all ballots cast, then the country will hold a run off between the top 2 candidates. but to get more details on the elections right now, we're gonna cross live to archie correspondence body. i busty on joining us from 10 rod, marty. you take us through the latest developments coming out of the writing and capital right now. well, i have to say that vote counting is still under way. and the final resort results are about to be published within

a few hours. probably by noon we will know uh the final, the statistics. but what's for sure, is that based on the reports of a 40 percent turned out by uh, the 61000000 uh, eligible voters. uh, it seems that uh its imminent that we will have a runoff election anyone next friday. now in this regard, we're joined by mr. mama matter and he's a professor up to the whole university and political on that list will come to the show. thank you. this amount on the please tell us it seems that jelly and position beyond the reform is candidates have a close race. now with the fact that there will be a runoff election, what are the expectations? what do you think? i think what we've seen over the last couple of weeks is that number a none of the candidates have enjoy the great deal of support. they're not,

they don't have great christmas. and any ron political parties aren't really that important personalities are important to the previous president. that's of a see he was seen as a a heavy way. someone who was widely respected obviously as we saw through the the funeral set for the 1st sessions. president asked my, the new job was a personality president of all honey, was a major figure president hard time, either all say girls who stood out. so maybe more respected today, some less perspective, but that's another issue in this race so far, no one has really stood out and that's why we're going to the 2nd round. and i think one reason why people were not so enthusiastic was because the debates weren't really and no one stood out in the different to be superior than the others . so we'll have to see what happens next friday. we may have

a higher turnout. it depends on the debate, so probably have debates in the coming few days and then uh, perhaps someone will. i mean, has this gone, has a good chance, but so does um to any needs, because some of those who voted for volleyball may turn to javi need, but then again, others may vote for position because they don't want any media and vice versa. so it's very difficult to calculate what will happen, but so far that it's clear that there hasn't been a great deal of enthusiasm for any of the frontier, any of the can. i see one of the things was that are considering the fact that position the on the backend of the reform is scam and important figures such as mister. so that if the explore administer were in his camp and just accompanied him during his campaign trails. while i've used and he was not successful, does mister jelly, i understand,

but here's the position. why wasn't he successful to garner the majority of the votes and to finish the election in the 1st round? i think the major reason is that the reform is comp isn't very popular itself. i think because this young uh, the votes that he's gain has more to do with his own ideas and thoughts in his presence on television than anyone else. be there for miss kemp. has certain figures that are actually detrimental to mr. positions a chances for the election. for example, president ronnie is not necessarily very popular. figure right now, among many iranians according to falls and doctors eddies by associating, associating himself with dr. role, honey diminishes his own popularity. so i think what happens in the next

week will depend on miss or dr. position on himself. if task their position is able to show himself on television, in the debates, in his public speeches as being a strong capable leader who has a vision. i think his, he will, his, his turn out will go up. if dr. telling me is also able to show that he has a vision that he is a person who will be able to be both principals, but also of practical and someone who understands the complexities of the of global politics today in iranian society today. then i think things can turn in his favor as well. it's, it's completely unpredictable calls right now indicate that doctor physician has a slight a, has a slight advantage over a doctor. chinese by the running elections,

have always been unpredictable. then remember the highest turn out that we've had any running and elections was for a president who was not affiliated with the reform is and who is not affiliated today with the the principal this off my, the new job with i had 85 percent turn out he got the popular vote, but also we had hired turnouts for dr. raul honey, the previous president before that. so a c. and for mr. fox, i mean a lot of the people who voted for as my, the new shock voted for tammy and voted for real honey. so that shows that most people in the run don't associate themselves with a pull at a particular political faction or political party. they choose that personality and something else about the turn out considering the bipolar atmosphere,

the jelly, the camp and the position here in town. one is a reform is who is open to negotiations with the west, who believes that we have to interact with the world, particularly western countries and reach a consensus with them. and on the other hand, we have gd, whose views are totally contradictory, even when you compare it to a position. so why is this bipolar atmosphere you think um let to this level of turn out? well, 1st of all, i think that it's, it's an exaggeration. what people are saying about a doctor for this young and dr. dining the, i think the vision the consensus in iran right now, today's more centrist than it was in the past. so in the past we had more radical ships under mister rani under mister, am i the new job under mister fox? i mean we shifted from one side of the spectrum to the other. i think many

politicians today and many ordinary people today are more centrist looking, and doctor visits, gun is more centrist than most reform is doctor tammy, the, during the debates that we've seen has shown himself to be more centrist than i thought he was maybe 10 years ago, so in my opinion that the country will continue probably to go down the path of expanding ties, regardless of who's present expanding ties of the global south. where they will continue to expand ties with countries within the shanghai cooperation organization and breaks. but at the same time, we think probably dr. position will make more public efforts to revive the j. c. p . o, a, the nuclear deal, and dr. jan it'd be, we'll probably do the same, but not as openly and as publicly. thank you so much. thank you. so much mr lot on

the okay. or we are continue to follow the news to see uh the official announcements of the election headquarters regarding the final results of the election. all right, are to corresponding monday. i see on thanks a lot for bringing us those perspectives from jerome to stay with us at our, to international, on air and on line for the latest developments on a runs highly anticipated the election results. the joe biden is scrambling to manage the damage following his calamitous, showing at the presidential debate with donald trump, where the us president struggled to keep up with his opponent the the

when we get the money or whether or not convinced with the new york times. editorial board now calling for joe biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. the president appeared on thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. he struggled to explain what he would accomplish in the 2nd term. he struggled to respond to mister strums publications. he struggled to hold mr. trump accountable for his life, his feelers and his children plans more than once. he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence. mainstream media outlets are admitting the debate was a disaster for the incoming president with headline screaming for him to bow out of the rates. a complaint you turned from earlier calls defending his mental capacities. and they were having conversations about the president's performance, which they think was dismal,

which they think will hurt other people down the party in the ticket. if you're concerned about the job by the agent, you probably don't know, nobody is actually in good shape. and now they're in a, i won't say a full fledged panic but it's getting there is a. busy so i'm panicked and i pray mentally, he's quite acute benny aid, who engages with him or reporters. we can see this. the gears of his mind are working the right way. media has so fixated on bite and invited purportedly having talked to the the issue is it's not just making an issue of buttons and it's, it's lying. it's saying he's seen oil of things demand as, as the calls for biden to quite grow louder. the main stream media is looking into potential replacements, vice president, kamala harris appears the most obvious replacement, but she, herself, has got competition. that news for the democrats is that whoever may replace the parties, not many will likely still lag behind trump. and several polls back that up. a fox news survey concluded that biden's most popular replacement would be michigan

governor gretchen whitmore. in fact, most democratic voting respondents said that the current president would actually be the least favorable candidate in the batch going forward. meanwhile, independent presidential candidate robert f. kennedy junior sees the trump bite and debate as a moment to boost for his 3rd party campaign. he says that the nation is weary of picking between the lesser of 2 evils and his view. democracy should elevate the cream of the crop, but this debate has unfortunately shown. otherwise. this sentiment seems to resonate with many media commentators and disheartened voters alike. i say, i think a lot of people just are in denial that these are the 2 candidates running for president like i we just including myself, but yeah, we just have not actually internalized and accepted. these are 3 choices. is that um, you know, i would like seen them answer the questions mark because they just were like you're, you're worse and yours is like, we know you're both bad souls,

but you're good. so honestly they both look like in his ass it does seem like 2 toddlers kind of going at it. i think it's a national embarrassment that that is our representation of leadership and especially what they both have done, even more of an embarrassment. but it is a sad day for america, and it was really hard to watch. like i wanted to turn it off almost immediately. my reaction was just a lot of sadness. i think we have not good choices. the pulse of the muslim community has been, especially over the last around 8 months and that we have to not so great options. we spoke with the political scientist, glen decent, who says that the options voters have for president, do the country a disservice? well, i don't think it was much of other bates or to canada, so for 19 minutes exchanged insults and the talking points which have been the

rarest seen a month. so i don't think it was a good look for the united states, and they did leave me with some sense of an empire in the terminal decline. i would say that the election and most between to the political candidates and most people probably ask himself why the us couldn't produce any other candidates, which will be better. and i think the answer is that the merits across it is obviously undermined by the corruption of the political system. and also there are dishonest media. so also, i would say that in the blue polarized, besides, if there is a sense of the need to excuse anything that you own side us. this, the amount for group loyalty means that is for a little room for criticism on one's own candidates. and this tends to result in corruption really frustrating itself in the system and there for not being addressed either. so which side one?

i think all the so far show steps have trump one, which is why there's not a huge advantage in the democratic party. so i also think it was a predictable disaster provided with, obviously in cognitive decline. and it will be very difficult for, by need to recover from this debates separated so unclear of, you know, is the democrats so put them on stage again, or change, seek to replace them. and so, i guess decided, excuse for a debate for sense that it could also result in more people looking towards the 3rd party candidates, such as the candidate. what do we get to total band? a few hours after the showdown and joe biden returns to his re election, campaign trail in north carolina, and then the parent display of damage control the american liter claims that while he's not as snappy as he used to be, he has at least honest, unlike his republican rival, the democrat, also defended the nation's economic record under his presidency of the day. we have

the strongest economy in the world without exception. 15 to job 800000 matter of fact, 2 jobs on employ the 4 percent for record 2 years in a row historic good, his favorite joint employment. but some leading financial analysts beg to differ the international monetary fund who stated that the us government's handling of the economy creates serious problems. not just for washington, but the entire world high deficits. and that creates a growing risk for the us. and the global economy potentially fitting into higher fiscal financing costs. the ongoing expansion of trade restrictions have been sufficient progress and interest and development abilities. both pose important downside risks. yeah, m. f also questions the intensifying of us trade barriers, saying the us economy could bear the brunt of such practices. its recommendations

include income tax increases and reforms of the benefits system, such as welfare and the medicare program. the country's national debt, which measure is what the us oh is its creditors has balloons to a record $34.00 trillion dollars. mark humphrey is an associate professor of finance at the university of new south wales business school . and he says that the us deficit is growing. neither a presidential candidate is likely to change that basically to complaints of those in depth, which is fine going, which is just going to add to the desktop publishing for any depths that need to borrow to balance books does not potty is really going to get this under control booklet, different ideological ways to try to apply that basically wants to increase taxes, which has some downside downside in terms of what companies, desirability to go out and look how to or generate more worth. i either or more

text is going to be generated. there's companies potentially going to have less money left over to go and invest in capital expenditures. and the money would go into government revenue, which might be space efficiently, which is being the torres, the, the case in the united states. by contrast to book president, trump was to reduce taxes and his goal days try to stimulate economic growth and grow the time will generally separate. somebody wants to cut company types has to 20 percent. he's underlined logic. it says company taxes go down, going to generate a bulk right? and when companies generate more good, they are paying more taxes on i put in dollar terms and also the reply and well people in high wages, again paying taxes. so we've got 2 different approaches here. neither is really going to significantly tackle the spending issue is no great use really go anywhere rose, listen, you listed as ballooning will do us then, but a basis of issues in terms of well that's the reliability is

a repeated and also in terms of the interest rate that, that is going to a cru surface of when you list interest rates going up with the interest rate on every, all the us nominated. it also is going to go up, and that's supposed to go into effect firms that enable companies or countries that are needing to borrowing us dollars, which might cost me to wants to bus $5.00, where they have borrowing diversify, some of the currency base. the international monetary fund has approved $2000000000.00 to support ukraine's budget as part of an aide package program established last year. that's as the world's largest asset managers demand key of re pay summit to a $20000000000.00 in debt in government bonds in 2022. when the conflict began a 2 year moratorium, henri payments was granted to ukraine, but the grace period will expire within a month. the previous round of talks on the matter failed with key of reading to repay only 40 percent of securities out of the 80 percent requested. ukraine also

needs to find $37000000000.00 to finance this year's budget. while the i m f. projections on it's g, d, p growth have deteriorated to make things worse for the ukrainian economy. the you now plans to reimpose tariffs on key of ag eggs production and sugar, claiming that you premium goods hamper the prosperity of european farmers. meanwhile, some european states are calling for increased supports to help deal with the burden of ukrainian refugees on their territory starched on thorns, germany, poland. the check for public and a couple of all the countries have well come to most refugees. and that is why i, together with my colleagues, think that it is time to make decisions now, which means that if all the countries don't contribute as much to hosting refugees, those hosting the most should get support from europe for financing the subsistence

job language straining and all of the things that play a role the some german politicians are also calling for their government to abolish or at least reduce unemployment allowances for ukrainians to encourage the refugees to find jobs. currently benefits for ukrainians are equal to those 4 unemployed german citizens and more than the standard amount paid to other refugees. ukrainians also receive free medical care and social housing while learning german or completing integration programs. while in slovakia the country the present and rather has recently limited compensation for those hosting ukrainians after almost having it back in february retired lieutenant colonel and international security consultant. earl rasmussen says that the issue of ukrainian refugees is showing discord within european society. other refugees that have come in from the lease

and all that are getting a are getting less they're getting a lot of them are working even a higher percentage or working it's unfair for the other refugees, which i think is going to create some divisive nest as well, and you've got a very low percentage of the ukrainians that are actually seeking work. i mean, pay, you know, hey, i got this extra $7750.00 and my cash in my pocket. every month. i got housing. i got medical, you know, so there's no incentive for them to work. why do they have to do slug to those countries? because especially from germany, it's got one of the best benefits is to be you gives the money to pull in and check a check in the it's in germany, you're going to have other countries very upset and because they're making cuts to address the issue and handle it so i think uh, i think, i mean create more divisiveness within the european union just as always, you know, in the more roughly do slut in the more challenges they're going to have internally with their own internal politics both with the in the countries as well as a,

as well as amongst other member states also. so it says, this is going to weaken the european union in general. and in france, the national riley party of marie le pen and jordan bar. dell has broken its record in terms of voter support. 37 percent are ready to vote for the national riley with the left coalition in 2nd place, standing at 28 percent. and the current presidential coalition, trailing at just 20 percent, are to contributor rachel marston takes a closer look at microns 7 year track record. the price photos are heading to the poles on sunday, the 2nd time in less than a month for the 1st round of voting and the national election called by president a man reading back home. where do you have to enter him? tossed his party 2nd place results against the anti establishment national riley party in the european parliamentary elections out of the from the risk now is that he did end up with 3 years left on the clock in his presidential mandate. but

without government majority required to ran through his agenda since it's the advertise 1000 parties on both the right and the left that are consistently meeting the pools right now. and who knew that mack home playing along with brussels, rejecting cheap russian energy that's built into basically every single supply chain here in france could lead to redeem changing his own governments. voters also say that they really care about immigration in security, but also practices place in europe and in the rest of the world. so how is that going under mac home? yesterday's frank, a freak is being replaced by military was a freak economic, china freak or diplomatic america freak. and what can we say unfortunately about the regression of the francophone in relation to the english language? it isn't a time to rethink our vision of africa and its connection with france. for our part,

we do not resign ourselves to our gradual disappearance from the entire continent. friends have been, hey, around and this a hell region of africa with counterterrorism and stabilization operations that were so successful that they led to choose right under the noses of the french in places like molly new shad. i'm virginia fast so and their own adventure will allister, which is a real problem for paris when, for instance, france had been mining uranium in the shaft to power. it's nuclear reactors, but my calls defense minister just doesn't see what the big deal is. i cannot let it be said that operation ball county has been a failure around me, has never stopped pushing back terrorist groups in this a hill, saving thousands of lives on the ground and protecting those of french people from the threat of attack. so most oil, well guess if it's not a failure then it's a success, right? nothing says winning. quite like being dropped, kicked back across the mediterranean. firehose seems like african countries maybe just got tired of having that whole swoop and,

and treat officials like hotel staff to the point of even snarking that the president of 14 a fast. so should really just go turn on the air conditioning already going to 1994 and it is not from his fault. i'm sorry to say it in such a prolonged terms. you have not been able to restore the sovereignty. neither military, no security, nor administrative of your country. you're talking to me as if i was still a colonial power, but i don't want to be in charge of electricity and the key to fast those universities. that's his job. that is the job of the president. what's this look he's leaving to stop right there. maybe he's off to repair the air conditioning. the prizes rolling the world so important to french voters is also reflected in the overseas territories. new caledonia, for example, on the other side of the world in the south pacific, near australia, the 3rd largest producer of nickel for things like electric, car batteries and about 10 percent of the world's output. but

a search and global nickel production has led to a 40 percent drop in the value of nickel since 2023. so team that came up with, i guess you say innovative solution to save the hurting new caledonian nickel factories to how highly indebted new caledonia ends pay 66000000 euros to help fellows perez's limping cash cow, which went over about as well as you might expect. once again, caledonian will have to contribute. this is all the more unacceptable as they already contribute, massively to supporting the industry that's a lot. and yet the commitments required of manufacturers are non existent at all based a team that calls efforts to mess with new caledonia and elections by legislating the addition of thousands more voters to the electoral roles to dilute the native counted folk effectively. and all of that, of course, results in protests, the

food is always there to set things in place. because for the moment it was he who started the civil war, new caledonia, by having the people he had caught there deported to the penal colony in france on the domestic front. the black hole isn't really seen as a big winner on security and immigration issues. another top 2 topics for french voters in the selection when a french comp allegedly shot and killed a 17 year old french teenager, of moroccan and algeria descent at point blank range. and a parisian suburb last summer for failing to abide by a traffic stop of some of the beneficiaries of mac hose, open mindedness on the domestic policy front were trigger sparking about 5000 barbecues all over france and the usual scenery, chewing of buildings, cops, shops, and even police themselves.