as the number of u.s. troops in iraq becomes the lowest since the start of the war those who've already returned home left behind by the very country they fought. for just fell just some. that i don't think will at the pain itself will never ever need women's rights advocates in the u.k. sound the alarm over the authorities failure to stop the growing practice of female circumcision. according to the agreements between kiev and moscow the russian black sea fleet ships will stay in ukraine's crimea until twenty forty two but some in this black sea resort area are now willing to sink them. we take a look at how old russian warships could save the unique underwater world of the black sea.

six am in moscow thanks very much for joining us here on r t our top story the top u.s. general in iraq says there are now fewer than fifty thousand troops in the country it's the lowest number since the start of the war but once those troops are out of the conflict zone and back on u.s. soil many are finding themselves in the midst of a new struggle were among the lindo filed this report. f. by the government but still more treason you know and that's me i don't think they they they show enough respect for the local bad things brian little is a u.s. navy veteran who has been suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome since his discharge he was unable to find work after leaving the military and hasn't been able to get the proper treatment for his condition little has been suicidal at times his pleas for help have been ignored it's a common theme at stand down an annual nonprofit event that helps homeless vets get off the streets volunteers are helping these veterans become better adjusted to

civilian life something the military isn't doing enough of a lot of people really don't know exactly what to expect or where to go to get the help that they need pamela brisson served in afghanistan and has been homeless for two years the largest growing population of homeless women in san diego is veterans returning from current combat according to catholic charities which operate shelters around the city while on the street britain has been taking care of her nine year old son chris he's been able to maintain straight a's even while they bounced around from shelter to shelter or slept on a sidewalk. i'm not i was right. many veterans want help but prison admits it's easy to get discouraged when the government doesn't want to help it only takes one or two people to say i don't know or know we can't help you for them to walk away and think that there's no hope for them. you know done drugs or alcohol. and they just they're not aware to take

advantage of the programs that are made available to the last couple years i think the number of persian gulf veterans has increased greatly outnumbering the vietnam veterans dr john that just in is very familiar with san diego's homeless population he started stand down twenty three years ago because he saw a huge number of homeless veterans that. no i was talking about the problem will likely get worse for current service members who are dealing with extended and frequent defines. still in this crowd patriotism is very much alive you know what i actually i really would go back despite her troubles pamela brisson says she would still go back and buy for the country that has led her down a sentiment echoed by many of these veterans who still have an undying loyalty to the military and country when america was great as a whole who started it you know it was

a bunch of politically correct people living you know wherever you know high society you know it was bunch of people who say want to pay tax anymore. and that's going to happen again in san diego the lindo are t. . an alleged russian arms dealer dubbed by the west as the merchant of death may be extradited to the u.s. within hours their lawyer says a special plane has arrived in bangkok where he's currently being held this comes after washington asked thailand to discard fresh charges brought against the boot his extradition to the u.s. for alleged arms dealing was approved last week about before the decision was announced the u.s. brought a new charges of money laundering and fraud against him the law now requires him to stay in thailand until the fresh proceedings are over but was arrested in bangkok two and a half years ago in a sting operation by u.s. law enforcement he's been in prison ever since daniel estell an author investigative journalist says the whole process has been orchestrated to disguise

u.s. involvement. and spend quite a bit of time in thailand researching the entire troubled story and interviewing big trouble extensively over sixty times for hundreds of hours in the president i also had access to. intelligence and time teligent officers a very high level told me that in fact the whole thing was already done before it started in the sense that you know the corrida for instance was going to rule in favor so it looked actually the book was going to win the case and the appeals court was going to rule in boots against the trouble so that nobody could say that it was askew decision that nobody could say to the americans paid the top everybody could say it was one for blood one would for the americans except that the appeals court decision was the final decision because unfortunately in thailand there was no appeals to the supreme court as far as the fourth was a concert but war against food is basically a war against russia if you can destroy blood and you can prove that he's a merchant of death and obviously he has to get his arms from somewhere and not someone has to be russia so you destroy russia's credibility in the international

community i think his chance of winning the case in the states is zero point zero united states states have spent fifteen years trying illegibly trying to catch an alleged gun runner but that it was it true they spent two and half years trying to win the extradition case and it would actually said to the united states. you think that he can win in the united states against america on their home turf when everything is against them so that in the end if you walks and goes home america will will become a laughing stock of the entire world not to mention that whatever little credibility they have as a nation will definitely be ruined if we've got plenty more ahead this hour stay with us here on our t. find out just what the russian president and one of the world's biggest rock stars in common. plus. we're logis disbelieve rush into rehab centers using divine guidance to beat drug addiction are accused of posing a bigger threat than the drugs themselves. but first in the united kingdom medical

officials say the number of women being subjected to general genital mutilation is on the rise although the practice is illegal in the country no one's ever been convicted of the crime and thousands are considered at risk each year just a warning you may find some of the images of laura and its report disturbing. school holidays for some golden afternoons in the park but for others a horrific ordeal aged fifteen u.k. born jay kumar is mother took her home to sierra leone for an initiation ceremony j had fake ideas of evenings around the fire cooking and gossiping with female relatives she had no idea that during the celebration of her womanhood her genitalia would be cut i was laid down the floor lots of hands got souls like celebration resolve like chairs etc and then my mouth was covered so thing to muffle and then my legs were spread and then i just felt just some pain that i don't think all of the pain itself will never ever leave me because i had to fight

it's like i mean i can understand how people feel when they lose an arm or a leg but they have that phantom kind of pain all the time and that's the kind of pain which i personally have to live on a day to day basis i heard that some people is this really quick but i felt like it was being sought and women's rights organization forward estimates that six and a half thousand girls in the u.k. are at risk of female genital mutilation every year the most common age for girls to have the procedure is between six and eight the summer holidays are a prime time because there's an opportunity for a long visit back to the family's country of origin and although it's illegal in the u.k. there's evidence that it is being done in this country female genital mutilation is performed for cultural reasons and justified as a religious requirement all rights of passage to womanhood much like male circumcision it's supposed to ensure cleanliness and better marriage prospects

however it often has serious and long lasting physical complications and sometimes his hospital in london is one of the senses that deals with those repercussions some girls die they bleed to death or develop techniques infections when dirty instruments are used. midwife comfort momo sees the lasting effects of f g m which includes cysts on the vagina and sterility the removed everything deja referring to give or leave in the name for the past the. law. and so on and they expect the will remain to have sexual intercourse from this small opening of g.m. is thought to be so prevalent in the u.k. local authorities have set up task forces to identify when children are at risk but this is a practice that's gone on for centuries in some african and arabic countries and it's entrenched in families we knowledge in some communities that this has been

some protests. and we knowledge that some females that have had this procedure done to them you will consider it's appropriate procedure is done to their own daughters and this is a war it's an important matter of education as well. that it's an illegal and despite being an illegal act there's never been a single conviction against someone who's arranged all performed female genital mutilation in the u.k. victim kumara says that's got a lot to do with the terminology used for me personally i hate even the term mutilation because i don't i'm not mutilated i've been caught. and i think can go mutilation time is very very negative and i think it just causes a lot of survivors to go underground because no one wants walk down the street with a term over their head with legislation proving ineffective it's a culture that the british authorities have so far failed to eradicate leaving

thousands of its citizens at risk every year nor am it r.t. london. remember you can always find more on our website r.t. dot com you can also log on to check out galleries political cartoons or follow us on twitter here are some stories online that might catch your eye right now. the miracle of life infertile couples flock to siberia seeking the wisdom of a goddess who was a patron for many mothers read about how many of the women then became pregnant. and the hans over in britain for a happy heating pensioner who threw a kitten into a garbage bin but while the four year old t.v. is now save it's the woman who's at risk after getting death threats all this and more at artesia.

president dmitri medvedev is renowned for his love of rock music so it's no surprise that he found some time to meet the front man of the irish band u two to talk about music you know i come here to great to buy between me. and you for the five. zero zero. but i'm going to let. medvedev ahead of a concert in moscow on wednesday this will be youtube first ever performance in russia there are three sixty degrees tours the world's most expensive show to date and expected to attract more than eighty thousand screaming fans. ukraine wants to sink russia's black sea fleet but all in the name of conservation a request been made for decommissioning ships to be scuttled to create an artificial reef in the crimea like sarah chefs he has the details. professional diver alexei has been exploring the depths of the black sea in ukraine's crimea for

more than three decades he says the underwater world here is absolutely unique from a scientific point of view but he is concerned about the danger that every year is getting worse to peak to a season brings launch pollution too young to bay on the water fails to clean itself every year we see fewer fish caught in this part of the black sea i believe you will to blaze ecosystem is in grave danger alexei has considered many different solutions to the problem but his friend a deputy in the yalta city council came up with a simple yet hopefully highly effective idea. we will ask the russian black sea fleet stationed here to give us their old ships we will sink them and create an artificial reef which will greatly improve the base ecosystem this is nothing new many countries do the same. zoran says the idea came to him after what was seen as a major policy shift in kiev the presidents of russia and ukraine signed an

agreement to prolong the stay of the russian black sea fleet in the crimea until twenty forty two where the previous administration and key of these ships of the russian black sea fleet were unwanted guests in ukraine's crimea and were to leave the area by the year twenty seventeen but after the height of agreement was signed local authorities here are saying they're trying to do everything they can so that these ships remain here for years to come straight after the writs if occasion of the pact of russian leaders need to remediate have said the fleet needed serious modernization and now the crimea is ready to help more school with that the head of several stoppers administration says the russian naval presence here brings massive investment for the city's infrastructure and calls for a fitting of the ships may create jobs for the locals. we have an excellent shipyard in the crimea which has been abandoned for all. two decades if moscow decides to repair its fleet here we're ready to offer our facilities and

specialists this would be much cheaper for the russians and we revive our factory which was one of the best in the country just several decades ago april's hark of agreement sparked mass opposition protests in kiev they described it as a sellout of the country in crimea the mood is very much the opposite the russian black sea fleet command is yet to respond to the divers and officials proposals for an artificial reef but they will be glad to see few here can imagine life without these ships anchored on the surface in several stoppers docks alexy russia's ski on sea reporting from ukraine's crimea. turning now to some other stories making headlines across the globe forty three people have been killed when an airliner crash landed in northeast china ninety one passengers five crew members were said to be aboard the airlines flight the plane overshot the runway during a night landing and burst into flames where than fifty people have been taken to the hospital the majority in stable condition. three people have been killed in

a gun battle in the lebanese capital beirut machine guns of a rocket propelled grenades were used to shoot were used in the shootout that happened close to a busy tourist area the violence erupted following an argument outside a mosque between hezbollah supporters and a rival sunni faction a joint statement issued later said that is down to personal rather than political rivalries. wildfires and strong winds combined to cause a rare fire tornado in the brazilian state of south paolo but many fire storm spiraled several meters high and passed across burning fields before dissolving authorities are struggling to contain brush fires across the region that have banned farmers from burning waste from the sugarcane harvest. egyptians are taking to the streets of cairo protesting power outages in the water shortages at the height of summer because of left many without air conditioning during the month of ramadan the muslims fast during daylight hours and the temperatures can reach more than thirty eight degrees centigrade the government is routinely come under fire

for failing to provide basics of services as well as for its handling of the economy. russia's anti-drug agency is planning to increase the number of state controlled rehab centers it says currently most drug addicts get help from non-governmental facilities and while some centers do help battle addiction critics say that others only lend their patients in deeper trouble artie's stacy bivins investigates. how do you through the my spirit of drug and alcohol addiction took me nearly a decade these twenty nine year olds on a collision course with crime and with death diagnosed with hepatitis b. and c. making out says god saved and changed his life. when i came here last year for the first time i'm eighty years i realize their grass was green birds were singing and everything was beautiful i used to take drugs and pills and alcohol at the same time i was literally a vegetable understanding of what was going on around. here is

a rehab center run by cornerstone church days include group chores me to teach responsibility and bible and prayer sessions. prayer is a fellowship and we are more likely to become like those we communicate with if someone talks to fishermen he is likely to become one too when someone talks to god and that's what a prayer is he becomes a believer and his life changes not on the schedule here is time with a trained professional the belief is that the spirit is what needs mending and that this only comes through god drug use is on the rise in russia the official numbers indicate that there are six hundred thousand addicts but the federal agency charged with combat in this problem puts it at millions more but there is also an increase in the number of religious rehab centers like this one that are offering nontraditional treatments but some are referring to them as little more than recruiting centers for religious sex the pentecostal community in russia is small

but run several of the nation's growing number of religious rehabs critics and says those who seek treatment through these are simply trading one crutch for another. we're losing people now not because of drugs but because of destructive cults chemical addiction to drugs or alcohol is substituted by group psychological addiction instead this kind of addiction is stronger and much more so. some experts claim recovering addicts become able to function outside of the church and sequester themselves later electing to spread the message to others in new centers answer me now he doesn't believe he's part of a cult. contrary i realize it had been brainwashed all my previous life people around me had a consumer attitude but here we were feelings and a new vision and a desire to run a clinic of his own someday. artie. coming up the u.s.

president and federal government violate the constitution on a regular basis according to a former arizona sheriff richard mack now he's advocating state sovereignty is the only way to keep constitution abiding u.s. . america intact our interview with him is coming up next on our t.v. stay with us. the. party's sitting down with richard hired from arizona who made national headlines in one thousand nine hundred four

when he filed a lawsuit against the federal government since then he's been encouraging state law enforcement officials to rise up against federal agents thank you very much for sitting down to speak with me today sheriff mack thanks for having me it's great to be in new york you're in law enforcement for twenty years and you were a sheriff in arizona for eight years and you argue that the sheriff is the most powerful law enforcement official in the united states more powerful than the president yes explain that well first of all it might be apples and oranges because the sheriff has a different assignment than the president but the bottom line is the president of the united states cannot tell your sheriff what to do the president is not the boss of your elected sheriff and the reason the sheriff has such a powerful position is because he is the only law enforcement officer in the united

states or in the county that's elected by foreign of the people and all power in america comes from the source we the people. because other tyrants have stolen power and it's not how the run but it's supposed to be how they're run. james madison said we can safely rely on the disposition of state legislatures to erect barriers against the encroachments of the federal government so the last line of defense in making sure that happens is your county sheriff you sit on the board of a group called oath keepers that is a group of law enforcement officials and military servicemen and women that you say are now committed to upholding the oath that they have taken to defend the constitution that a novel idea we actually keep our word with out there isn't that amazing but why why why do you believe that that the constitution is being violated well

because it is every day i mean if you read the constitution when i was a rookie cop i made a huge mistake i actually read the constitution and specifically the bill of rights and i saw. one hand what the constitution says i saw on the other hand what the government is actually doing i mean you actually said it yourself when you say the things aren't run this way anymore and that isn't how things are done in government because we don't follow the constitution yet we have everybody stand up there the president on january twentieth will take an oath when he first takes office that he will uphold indies and preserve the united states constitution and the very next day he commits perjury because he doesn't do it and he's not alone i mean nancy pelosi doesn't keep her rose she doesn't care about the constitution harry reid doesn't care about the constitution why is this all of this uprising being seen

when president barack obama and the white house where were americans and your fellow tea parties and the sheriff's way george w. bush was sitting in the white house for eight years i've been saying this about bush and clinton i've been saying this. twenty years how about the rest of the americans that are turning out or all these tea parties ok but the it is a valid question and it's a good question and it's a real. phenomenon that exists and the uprising did start big time with brock obama there's no question that this uprising though was happening during the clinton and bush but not on the level that it was not at the level we see you know no question about it no question about it i did speaking tours before this but not at the pace i'm doing it now i mean i'm speaking two or three times a week all across america and that's never going to be that we have a black president you know i am not arsene that i have never seen now i've i've

been there and i'm sure there are some races racism here in america i have never seen it at any of the fifty or sixty events i've been to the reason and i want you and everybody listening in america to know and understand it's because of the rock obama's policies he took the abuse of the bush administration he took the abuse of the clinton administration to the tenth power i'm going to tell you right now for the record i will never take nationalize socialistic brock obamacare ever and if he wants to come and arrest me tell him to come on i'll give you my address because i'm not taken i don't want to be speaking to him any time soon but it is watching our scene he should get your eyes to his this is one of the best news agencies around this rising tension that is taking place right now between local law enforcement officials and federal officials do you think it's going to

get worse no i think it's actually going to get better i think the states just as arizona is doing now with the immigration issue going to put the federal government in its place the federal government has overplayed their hand they have made it very clear they're not going to do their jobs to protect our borders. don't you find it in the a pit of me of hypocrisy that the federal government claims that we need to risk lives in afghanistan and iraq because we have a war on terror but they refuse to secure our borders the only solution that we have left is state sovereignty local control the sheriff of this country getting together with county commissioners county attorneys and standing fighting and he wrecked in the barriers against the encroachments of the national government the federal government that they to anarchical a mass uprising no no it will lead to lawful consideration and lawful adherence to the constitution if we follow the constitution we're going to be fine

we're not in trouble marina because we're following the constitution too closely far from it we're destroying the constitution and our own federal government is the greatest threat to our god given constitutional american republic if we make sure they stay within their parameters and their limitations then we're going to survive this if if the federal government doesn't stay within their proscribed limitations in the constitution then this is going to be then this is only the beginning of a chance thank you very much for sitting on a stick with me maria thanks for having me. disarming saddam hussein. past majority of iraqi citizens. this event brings further assurance that the torture chambers and the secret police are gone forever.

flies again over our embassy in kabul. to watch occupied afghanistan. now occupy sales at guantanamo bay. it is appropriate today. with the geneva. of a swap stomach slap if you can should. shocks especially for kids. but you don't actually break any bones could interrogation techniques that we use it. should. be nothing to. we believe in transparency. for the full story we've got it first hand the biggest issues get

a human voice face to face with the news makers. in. the watergate hotel and. the imperial. hotel the cruise hotel. beach hotel children. busy.