this is g.w. news live from berlin they start warning from the russian president to the united states and promises a resolute reaction if washington deploys any new missiles in europe and the state of the nation address which is aimed at boosting a one time president's plummeting approval rating also coming up tonight. as three m.p.'s from britain's ruling conservative party defect siding to recent days disastrous handling of threats in the british prime minister travels to brussels

for more talks on how to leave the european union plus the lost in childhood of afghanistan's youth and we meet some of the children who are forced into labor instead of going to school and kept drugged on opium so that their parents can go to war. it's good to have you with us we begin tonight with russian money and muscle in his annual state of the nation address president vladimir putin has promised to improve the living standards for all russians within a year he also made a thinly veiled threats in his speech directed at the united states morning washington against deploying any new missiles here in europe nato quickly reacted to that speech by denouncing what it said were an. acceptable threats. it's one of

the most important domestic political events for the russian president in his fifteenth state of the nation address but a mere putin promised a raft of measures to improve economic and social conditions for his people above all families should benefit putin promised them tax breaks as well as better child care. but are there. thanks to the many years of joint efforts and the successes we have achieved as a result we can now heavily invest in our country. people should already notice how things are getting better. the russians are certainly hoping things will improve incomes have fallen since two thousand and thirteen putin's popularity has cratered there have been protests against pension reforms that raise the retirement age then there's foreign policy putin sees the us withdrawal from the i.n.f. treaty as russia's most crucial issue. in the russia does not want to be the

first to place these missiles in europe. and. reduced and stationed in europe continue and the us has not denied doing this. then that would intensify the international security situation if you go through the process. once again cast himself as the country's patriarch appealing for the solidarity of the russian people in difficult political times. and for more on today's speech i'm joined here at the big table by kluger he is a russian expert with the german institute for security and international at security affairs i should say known as the s w p is going to have you on the show so let's talk about this speech president putin use the address to warn you know that there would be serious consequences if the u.s. puts in any missiles here in europe hell serious is this threat. well i think that you know any threat like this is obviously serious but we also have to consider

that everything that he said today was you know it was not neils it was everything off all of that we heard before in different speeches so it's important to consider that this speech was primarily targeted at the domestic audience so in this case putting used did you know the opportunity of the united states exiting the i.n.f. treaty to portray russia as a great power in this speech it was only a small part of the speech only the end but he used this opportunity you know last weekend at the munich security conference there was a lot of talk about the i.n.f. treaty dying and a new arms race taking place do you see that happening and can russia afford a new arms race oh i don't think that russia can afford a new arms race it cannot afford it economically because you know it's trapped in the economic stagnation of long term stagnation and it cannot afford it politically because anonymous ace is not what the population wants at the moment what the

population wants is that the leadership turns to the domestic issues and social issues and clearly wouldn't create additional or you know wouldn't. create a lot of additional support for the crime that this moment the kremlin particularly president putin sees himself as a major global player again or that or he has respect a good on the international stage how does that go down with the average russians so it's a bit a national pride to something important obviously but if you look at the issues that you know interesting to russian citizens at this moment it is not the first issue that comes up so yes you know this this status is something which is important and which you know helped to boost support for the kremlin for some time but at the moment it's really not the number one issue and the number one issue is the money exactly right. stagnation declining incomes rising prices and of course

a pension reform that was started last year and he made promises in this speech today that within a year things would improve get to keep his word. that's going to be difficult the sort of spending that he announced today it's actually not very much if you look at the figures is probably an increase of one percent of social spending so it's nothing that the russians are going to feel in their pockets and yeah i would say again like in the fourteen times that we had the speech before it's you know it's the it's the attempt to create you know the impression of something's going on something's going to change this time it's really going to change but you know if at the same time look at the policy economic policy and fiscal policy you see that the situation for the russian population is probably going to worsen this year not improve using so you think it's going to get worse rather than get better well yeah i mean the value added tax was just raised in the first of january and this leads to shrinking incomes again so we have seen incomes going down for five years in

a row now it's probably going to be a six year in the row and twenty one thousand you know with the german institute for international in security affairs john's going to have you on the show we appreciate your insights tonight. well here are some of the other stories now that are making headlines around the world saudi arabia's crown prince has held talks in delhi with indian leaders following his visit to pakistan saudi officials say mohammed bin selman hopes to play a diplomatic role in deescalating the situation between pakistan and india tensions have flared after last week's attack in indian administered kashmir in morocco police have clashed with teachers protesting for higher wages and promotion opportunities police beat teachers with the tons when they tried to walk towards the boy palace in the capital robot multiple injuries have been reported bernie sanders campaign team says the u.s. senator has raised more than four million dollars in small donations since announcing his presidential bid now that far exceeds other democratic candidates

sanders has pledged to build a grassroots movement to take on the special interests which he says dominate u.s. politics a giant tortoise believed to have been extinct for more than one hundred years has been found in the go up because iowa is an adult female specimen of the species known as the fern and email island tortoise was discovered during a recent expedition conservationists are preparing to search for more of the species in the. british prime minister to resume a and european commission president john quote younger have stressed that the backstop for vision in britain's withdrawal deal with the european union will be only temporary following talks in brussels the two leaders issued a joint statement. saying that they discussed guarantees to ensure the bad stop which aims to avoid a hard border on the island of our lives will not be permanent may has faced

stiff opposition from within her party from members who believe the back stop it-i britain's in the e.u. indefinitely. earlier on wednesday may severed a setback after three lawmakers quit her conservative party in protest of what they called the government's disastrous handling of bricks they are joining the newly formed independent group in london to recent days conservative party is breaking apart three prominent parliamentarians have had enough of may's tough breaks that course and have announced they're quitting the party they accuse may of succumbing to the anti europe right wing and changing the tories forever. the right wing the hardline anti e.u. could squad that if destroyed every leader for the last forty is now running the conservative party from top to tell you they are the conservative party the three

den positioned themselves on the side of the opposition directly beside the former labor m.p.'s who had themselves quit their party on monday. their reason was also the growing ideological radicalization and the looming possibility of a hard break that the evidence of labour's betrayal on europe is now visible for all to see offering to actually enable this government bricks it comes to only holding back from allowing the public a final say to defectors from both sides are now considering forming a new party together. we're now into a story of lost childhood in afghanistan in a country where half the population is under eighteen it's estimated that more than one million children work instead of going to school now some initiatives are trying to break this vicious cycle of child labor and poverty but you have to remember decades of violence as well as drought and food insecurity well they've

taken a terrible toll on the country's chill. and i knew my name is ahmed says this child i'm six years old and i work here in the poppy fields all know. the law and order to her and i work from sunrise and till about ten says this boy sometimes i manage to go to school for a few hours in the afternoon to seche that's why. this seed pods are ready to burst it's harvest time the capsules are slashed by hand and the raw opium is collected the work is done by children there are no adults anywhere in sight across the fields. the youngsters earn around one hundred afghanis for an entire day of work the equivalent of just over one year zero. a few hundred metres away is this workshop this young boy can barely hold the heavy hammer in his hand his face is covered in sweat it's hot and sticky in the dark blacksmith's shop. a village in

the province of mango har but it could be any other province in afghanistan almost half the country's population is under eighteen and they have to help support their families otherwise they can survive work instead of school and childhood threaten yours and many children have to work because the parents need the money to support the rest of the family it's easy to condemn child labor but without their earnings many families would slide into even greater misery. yours your. weaving carpets this work is done by girls it's estimated that more than one million children in afghanistan have to go out and earn money but this due to sticks often don't take girls into account because they work at home. for that formal i sit here and work i don't know anything else. if i actually manage to make it to school some day i probably won't have any time to do homework. for

impoverished families children who are forced to work and can't go to school one initiative aimed at breaking this vicious cycle involves giving the children lessons in the afternoons along with a warm meal but many villages are very remote and parents often lack the necessary motivation the careens have three children the eldest is helping with their work the two younger ones are sleeping the mother periodically gets up and gives the younger children the small black pellets raw opium is to keep them asleep so the others can continue their work undisturbed the mother knows exactly what she's doing and it took a while until she was willing to be filmed as she administered the opium to her youngest child. i give it to them a few times a day in the morning i wave carpets that i work as a washer woman then i go to the market and buy vegetables and opium for the children i have to keep them sedate and who got the wires i can't get at all dynam

they can hardly stand it's either drugs or work instead of school and right he mccurry me isn't the only mother that gives her children drugs. here's a reminder of the top story that we're following for you russian president vladimir putin has used his annual state of the nation address to make a thinly veiled threats directed at the united states he warns that washington against any point any new missiles in europe saying that moscow would consider it a serious threat. you're watching news coming up next in the w. business another leap in smartphone technology as samsung is launching a four the phone the galaxy full is both a phone and a mini tablet but this high tech multi-tool does not come cheap imagine that. peru is turning to its military to stop illegal gold mining in the country benefits from producing vast amounts of the precious metal but illegal mining as calls huge

damage to the regime. you're watching e.w. news and steve will be on with the business news right after this stick around. what's coming up going to sleep you have plenty to talk about here on. the monitors lisa every weekend here on alt.