if we look at just some of these countries yemen is an important american ally but rain is an important american ally i mean if we look at a place like the rain there the united states houses the headquarters of the u.s. navy's fifth fleet the big question mark for washington of course is iran because it does not have a strong american influence there in these clashes that happened today wednesday a lot of protesters were holding up and t. even with signs they were they were chanting anti american slogans and the feeling is growing within iran as it has been for some time against the american administration if we look back at what inspired a lot of these events the toppling if one can call it that of president mubarak in egypt the united states was given conflicting messages at the beginning of the demonstrations it seemed to support mubarak the u.s. had supported for thirty years and then slowly changed its support to the demonstrators and by the time a barak was overthrown it clearly put itself of the demonstrators the people you're

asking the question of this doesn't really change the u.s. influence particularly in egypt because now the army is in place and for years the u.s. has been financing with billions of dollars the egyptian army so to some extent the army is really just the other side of mubarak's power so the u.s. watching these developments with increasing concern and needing to balance itself people here criticizing any american involvement and b. their involvement as being of double standards and then of course israel comes to the party as well watching events israel increasingly concerned that it could see islamic republics erupting on its borders so as the tsunami continues to sweep across the middle east the u.s. and israel as well increasingly alarmed. russian president dmitri medvedev who is in a state visit expressed his hope that the governments of countries with uprisings will respect the rights of their people. it's a very difficult process we hope that all conflicts that are taking place in the

middle east will be sampled on a legal basis through observing the constitution and fundamental rights and freedoms of people living in canada. and also with spike i led to think coming out an expert on the middle east currently living in bahrain he says the u.s. has a habit of propping up corrupt governments in the region but switching sides as soon as the dictator is that taking out of. the us foreign policy is replete with contradictions and they heal the virtues of democracy free markets free speech and these kind of things but in reality on the growing they've shown trust and present to be full square behind regimes that are the antithesis of these values regimes that are brutally repressive regimes that are corrupt elites regimes to destabilize the region and three that are in their misconduct i'm or a few so of their own populations under neighboring pub populations it's very

tellingly in the very mercurial position of the you yes regarding the demonstrations in egypt and elsewhere they do have to give so sort of lip service understandable support to the movements for democracy it was very noticeable that these disciplines quite lukewarm and it's quite in my girlie in it's not it's not a food some supports were the demonstrators in my. uterus to do this quite evident to walking a very fine line because of their protests areas contradictions. experts say rising food prices are also behind the wave on to government demonstrations sweeping north africa and the middle east the u.n. has warned of a looming catastrophe and of impending social upheaval in countries across the world as hunger appears also to be whitney wetting whether or not to tie it for political change in several states the shows also spreading to the u.s. food stamp programs are being slashed his kind for reports. in egypt the revolution

took to the streets. but it may have started at the table when food prices began skyrocketing for the more than forty percent of egyptians living on less than two dollars per day. and it isn't just egypt around the world where there are billion people who are already hungry they spend more than half of their money on so these these kinds of huge world crop price increases can translate into twenty or thirty percent or more increases in their cost of. food prices rapidly rising beyond the levels of the two thousand and eight food prices are forcing americans to make tough decisions at the cash register to. go and then we have to learn how the if a bad thing. because they don't know we don't get a raise. and everything means basic staples like milk.

coffee and syria which rose five percent in the last few months alone. every summer going to fifty dollars and i get a lot of i mean if i want to eat. but decisions about who pays and how much aren't made at the register says journalist frederick coffey imaginary wheat being bought and sold by financial giants is controlling the price of real wheat they're made on wall street by big investment firms who distrust dollars and year and instead hedge their bets on commodity who's winning you've got it goldman sachs j.p. morgan chase the largest holders a lot largest financial dealers in this they're doing very well as the u.s. pushes producers to convert corn crops to ethanol the crisis deepens around the world demand for biofuels has tripled over the past six years and will again by two thousand and twenty growing demand for biofuels. challenge increasing the amount of

food produced for people and. farmers are having a tough time keeping up but americans aren't as eager to push frustrations from the grocery store to the street for americans to take the whole. you know we have got sick and tired of being sick and tired people and we get that we are doing thirteen point nine billion dollars in cuts to stamp programs over the next three years means that the average american family will receive fifty nine dollars less per month bringing less food to their table but it's unclear whether it will also bring them out in the streets in florida are in washington d.c. . and staying with dollars in the u.s. for explain to you later this hour how a new budget proposal is making some americans fear even more that he. find out why they claim trillions in federal spending while fall into the wrong hands and will only benefit those in power. to other news now an opposition party meeting

with ways facing a trial for denying soviet aggression and the gun battle and the news to decades ago that the short count is that fourteen people were shot dead by soviet troops in one nine hundred ninety one but now the opposition politician could face up to two years in jail for simply disagreeing with the government's version of events peter all of it takes a look at births accounts of that day. january one thousand nine hundred ninety one fourteen protesters dying after clashes with saudi troops the incident sparked international support for the demonstrators cause an independent state of lithuania however one local politician now faces a possible jail sentence but disagree the official version of events on the gladdest polansky this is a member of the bill the city council and says soviet soldiers were responsible basing my opinion on the witnesses and on the book which was published by the.

on the head of parliamentary national security committee chair so he wrote in his book and nobody denied that but from this tower representatives of libyan enough for a case where shooting down into the crowd. and other businesses white all who lived in that area and still live pointed to bell's houses here on the roofs of the shelters better people for the shooting and they saw that. fresh opinions on historical events are nothing unusual some are based on newly discovered evidence others merely conspiracy theories what's different is that mr pullets gives his argument that it was lithuanian government that were responsible current london in jail i'm facing a charge of. up to two years in prison i mean i i may receive a fine for up to two years in prison i think this is absolute from term in terms of

human rights and freedom of opinion absurd or not it's the law the way knew that was possible because both of our party lithuanian penal code provides for criminal responsibility for the public will have genocide crimes against humanity or work around it was people who believe so these crimes are more victims should be held responsible was in one thousand nine hundred gratian against its citizens falls under the definition of a war crime if you can get those as an elected official mr plaits case is a mune from prosecution however he has waived this right and he's prepared to stand trial local historians question plaits case his sources and back the official version of events from my start i mean we knew. on the one hand there were civilians who wanted self-determination on the other hand it was a military man in my assessment of events who genuinely nine hundred ninety one were an attempt to salvage the use of force claimed innocent lives. but should

questioning history bring with it a criminal investigation. i don't think that this is a reason for a person to be prosecuted it's his personal opinion your thirty's are reacted but it's up to the law is to decide it's a provocation but it's based on certain logic lithuanian or thirty's did make attempts to provoke the suv you authorities will compel them to start solving the lithuanian issue. should he be found guilty by the courts it is needed let us know and gladys polanski says he will appeal to the european court of human rights an appeal he's convinced will be carried out from a jail cell history may not agree with the opinion of mr comes to the events of january one thousand nine hundred wall however those same historians are unsure whether it's the role of the legal system to determine who can say what about the circumstances of the deaths of fourteen people here and build this picture all over . still ahead for you this hour

a runaway wrestler and you know and see the prize fighter who broke out of a mental institution in russia and its state and escape to norway's refused political asylum and will stand trial by charges all the details on that story coming up and. that's now have a look at some other international news stories in brief an iraqi defector who claimed saddam hussein had weapons of mass destruction knitted he made it out graphic algy now that he was a key source for the bush administration he used his claims to justify invading the country in two thousand and three said he made the false allegations in the hope of toppling that saddam's regime and bringing democracy to the country observers say the u.s. led campaign in iraq has resulted in over one hundred thousand civilian deaths today. a tropical low pressure system in australia has turned into account agree one side. flooding to the country within the north has been hit

based on and with of a fool to centimeters of rain falling in the city's suburbs over a month's rain in a day a mattress is set as crews say they've received more than two thousand calls for help since the storm began and for costs expected to worsen by friday this cycle of the smallest severe flooding in queensland two weeks in the east with schools missing and. south sudan has been announced as the name of the world's newest country the south will split from the north in july after last month's referendum results showed ninety nine percent support for secession other names such as kurdish on the nod republic had also been suggested a separation of south from the north as hope to end decades of violent conflict in the country. animal rights activists in china are condemning a magic trick with synchronised say cruelty was required to make the fish move

really selling the act was made famous after being broadcast on state television during lunar new year celebrations last month in the most. of the magician responsible says there's no abuse but refuses to give away the secret of the trick . u.s. president barack obama has unveiled his twenty twelve federal budget proposal in which he highlights the country's financial priorities the plan includes budget cuts and tax increases or a reductive reducing the deficit over the next decade and while washington is calling for over three trillion dollars in federal spending experts say regular americans will not benefit from this. i think we have a political system that is sclerotic and what i mean by that is all the beneficiaries of government spending the companies that get subsidies the military producers who sell goods to the government the working people who get some benefits even if they're small all of them have mobilized to hold on to what they get to

make it politically costly for any congress man or woman to go against them those people whose programs will be cut they will be hurt those people whose taxes will be raised they will be heard but these are very small potatoes the basic picture which republicans and democrats alike support is a budget that's going to be basically one and a half trillion dollars short the government is going to spend that money the republicans and democrats agree on all of that they're just squabbling over little amounts but the larger picture nobody addresses nobody debates and that's an economy that requires a huge amount of government support to keep hobbling along and debts into the future that we will suffer a farm much more than anything being debated by republicans and democrats in washington. professor richard wolffe. well he had

a fearsome reputation and out of the ringling city new knowledge being caged in a mental institution in russia before breaking out with his bare hands and escaping to norway but if you just love that segues bed for political asylum has been delivered a knockout blow by a quarter nose which has ordered his return home to face trial and charges after his release from jail that on gun charges. the has a story. request was sent by the russian prosecutor general's office to norway asking that this man be returned to russia to stand trial he is of course wanted here in this country for a number of robberies he is also of course known for many strange and bizarre acts. as a self-proclaimed in relative to some sort of gods that he believes to be of russian descent he has called himself the lord of the more room school forest which

of course is a region in russia has denied christianity as this country's religion has proved himself to be a hardcore neo nazi and even the fighter is the result of course not the m.m.a. fighters the mixed martial arts bunch of perhaps other a few well known figures in the fighting community have all said that as a fighter and even as a human being that just loved us it is not one of them and he of course continues to shock the public with his escapades the latest of course ring that he broke out of a psychiatric hospital touched her at least allegedly tearing at the fencing with his bare hands and then rode in a boat to norway from st petersburg that is how he arrived in that country and asked for political asylum not was refused to him and he's currently serving a prison sentence there for illegal possession of and on the registered firearm of

that prison sentence will continue up until may receive eight months behind bars as soon as may which may be extradited back to russia he of course and his lawyers say that they will fight this decision by the nose of course islam does it is already considering asking for political asylum in both law to be and lithuania. two russian cosmonauts on board the i says have taken this year's second space all flight engineers dmitry kondratiev and. have now returned back to the station after spending about five hours an open space because we're not in that state of the art space suits what have interactive displays telling them what must be tracks and all to do in an emergency the war wants to take six hours a day cosmonauts are able to complete the waxing. well in heart of all drugs produced in afghanistan they consumed in russia and the over thirty thousand people

die every year from drug addiction in russia alone or she spoke to former u.n. chief. about a new five year plan aimed at eradicating drug production in afghanistan that's up next.

thank you very much for being with us today. well here you are now it worked or to afghanistan. do you agree with american ambassador eikenberry who says that president karzai is brother is a major afghan opium trade or. missions. it was all review no. major trafficker so it's true of course it is true but this is just one. out of any problems what about you work so closely with afghanistan that's why i'm asking revelations for example in diplomatic cables to u.s. diplomatic cables it dry disastrous picture afghanistan for example is it true that afghan minister to buy with fifteen million dollars in cash are like other cabinet members have privately last in palm trees already in dubai it's a trip that is absolutely true. but this is just one the piece of the truth

you might report you will find many figures and one important figure is this that out of forty billion dollars that lived in afghanistan for the civilian aid only eight of these forty went through the afghan government so the corruption of the african go a month is big so where does the rest go to the government officials know that there is international corruption so they're all intertwined yes which is never addressed international newspapers particularly western his people never speak about this big piece of the cake they speak all the time about corruption which is there of course but this is more slice these are the biggest corruption. that i've discovered or the steal of from african people eighty percent there with

international aid operation on a bigger scale for instance and nato's anti-drug. policy in afghanistan has had any impact since its invasion in two thousand and one up to now while many thought doesn't do that cause it's. the sort of asian. contribution of a military occupation but you need to. offer very stanleys different. their contribution to put up should not be used by a military logistics. base contract just friends to private companies. these companies subsequent to. the military will just use a business of a couple billion dollars to africa companies who are comprised by world roads sometimes even by the taleban. they go to the security of. voile trucks goes from kabul to way anywhere in afghanistan in exchange of huge

amount of money and that the money that is taken from the military nato military logistics is more i calculated than the money the taliban takes from drug trafficking well now you as an executive director at the office for drug control and crime prevention i know that your policies almost brought about a collapse in afghan puppet trains did you directly negotiate with the taliban to kill the poppy crop or i spoke with the taliban leaders in one thousand nine hundred seven when they just conquered. the country about daily munition opium poppy cultivation in exchange for international aid for the occupation. they did not abide by the agreement we've got. and i change the strategy. i ask of the security

council sanctions they got substance also i submitted them politically from the countries that surround the focused on the states fifty percent of. before arriving to russia or before arriving to europe. after going to stay in the region both to pakistan. to the six countries borders and i created an alliance of these countries to put pressure on the taliban and stopping the cultivation. of this fact or blige at certain point the taliban to be the production for the year two thousand and one there was almost zero production for this time this is important because. i showed that it is possible to eliminate the drug cultivation of i'm not going to stop it is not something that is beyond our possibilities for example in a recent interview with russia today his recent interview with he said that you

know and promise is that we are in control of there is no proper protection where we're not in control we you know we can't be responsible true it is true that if they cooperate with the international community in the plan to provide africa base and ultimately a livelihood. drug production can be eliminated i'm sure that to the point that with the even of. we in the with the between russia and the e.u. we are going to launch a plan to meet production in five years thank you very much. thank you.

are. going. to rally will sell lots of beer will. they will wear uniforms that will damage is the black man but very little damming the white. and they are the key to our problems are all right. the official. touch from the. video. feeds in the palm of your.

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it'll. be more news today. if these are the images those world has been seeing from the streets of canada. today please please. in indonesia oh geez available in the ground sure it's immediate hutto the rich culture of a little creature who told me the millennium hotel in chile you can see a sensor told mccomb. grown to be closer to old macand it would be sure marco risotto to do so. would result much beverly pulls are told what current riviera. sutro told me.

and i gather this is. the headlines. protests continue to sweep across the arab world spawned by the revolutions in tunisia and egypt on how the latest bend on the west could mean a long. hunger for. a rising food prices good drive recent unrest with the warning of a looming catastrophe. a politician and when you have made face jail for disagreeing with his government it claims local sources and not some of the troops are behind a fatal uprising in the baltic states twenty years ago. for those of stalin the dismantling the feared leaders cult of personality and going on to spearhead

the development of the soviet space program up next a look at the secrets behind their rule of. a politician full of contradictions and paradoxes for nearly two decades his name received no mention in the soviet press many continue to remember him or his resignation should i think he was the best emperor of the soviet era yes he was. publicly that the soviet union would catch up with america and do it he promised to fully established communism in his country by nine hundred eighty. possible and compelled to share that belief. nothing came out of it anyway communism was a fuck arrive from reality. when he was in power. descended into.