the fighting in libya as colonel gadhafi urgently searches for a way out. casualties rise in the battle for misra said the last rebel stronghold in the west of the country was not the psychic able to break the deadlock on foot to stay in the capital such as something joining a seemingly small plane you mold. meanwhile the opposition is counting on any foreign help as their own lack of experience discipline and manpower means they have little chance of winning on the. ground in

other news a russian the pilot brought to the u.s. to face trial on drug trafficking charges claims that he was simply kidnapped by washington. around the anniversary of space launch the crew is set so fly up to the international space station fifty years after man a first reached out beyond the earth's atmosphere. worldwide news around the clock this is r.t. welcome to the program well while it kind of these are desperately seeking ways out of the libyan crisis italy has become the latest state to recognize the country's opposition government meanwhile a turkish military and ship has taken hundreds of injured libyans from the fighting in the west to the rebel stronghold part of syria has more. the fighting here on the ground seems to be educated in chief primary cities in the east of the country

it's around the city of brega that frontline keeps shifting and at the moment it's actually not clear who is in control in the last six weeks that city has changed control six times in the west of the country most of the fighting is happening in and around the town of misrata and there we are hearing that the government has stepped up efforts eliminate and he could have his supporters now we do know that a turkish humanitarian ship has taken two hundred and fifty patients civilian casualties to the city of benghazi some doctors on board that ship are saying that the injuries are incredibly severe and that the civilian death count is likely to climb we certainly have witnessed an increase in diplomatic activity on behalf of the gadhafi regime to try and seek a way out of this crisis what we are hearing is that gadhafi my feet open to some kind of system and felt that that plan would see someone from his inner circle taking over power we're also hearing move forces from the international stage though that if their plan is to be reached it has to include khadafi stepping down

they have been talks between key opposition members and members of the bush administration their main question at the moment is the whole question of whether or not to supply the rebels with weapons and also the british shipping trying to find out information about exactly who these opposition fighters are we continuously hear these reports that there are suspicions that there are al qaida and hizbollah members among their ranks there is also alarming concerns about the fact that the rebel fighters themselves are disorganized as my colleague it's falls further in this package a war on the. forces or just a few miles ahead for the rebels this is the time to. regroup. on the other side. with these men. have any. every day in the rebel stronghold of benghazi more pictures of those killed or

missing or put up on walls and for the first time at least a dozen rebels are reported to have been killed in a call in strike still many locals say they realize they have no choice but to accept the losses. but the. militia. more than two weeks have passed since the no fly zone was put into a fact over libya and nato planes have been trying to rein in going after these heavy artillery clearing the way for the rebel fighters on the ground and there is even speculation egypt and the u.s. navy seal training them but the front line is still shifting back and forth but the rebels achieving only brief advances west this. anyway. the opposition says the are ready to take

weapons from any willing steed in order to get their feet but it's. more weapons will help improve discipline. teenagers training or combat experience but. it seems that they are think they are not you know very much representative of what's going on on the ground we are seeing very articulate people talking to various governments in europe but also to the americans whereas on the ground we are seeing rebels armed rebels completely disorganized who do not have not sure they do not seem to have any political points to make aside from of course getting rid of gadhafi according to some estimates only twenty percent of the good he's military might have been destroyed despite the call it seems efforts instead his forces are reported to have changed tactic come

of watching themselves as rebels to confuse nato pilots above so let's face it with the current pool level of organization in training the rebels alone are no match for gadhafi his superior forces and it's only would help of the alliance that something could be achieved but the question is health or is needle itself planning to go you've got this going off towards the eastern libya. and in syria meantime a new cabinet is being formed after president bashar al assad appointed a new prime minister the president promised a series of reforms in response to a wave of deadly antigovernment protests the authorities have blamed outside influences for instigating the uprising and some believe foreign and military intervention is looking all too real a possibility in syria. the president is being set right now with the libyan case and if they are able to get away with it the forces of western imperialism are able to get away with this in libya then it's really just

a question of implementing the same scheme in syria and we've seen how it can be done for minting in funding training and arming and supply the rebel forces in your country and in the sickly covert attempt to implement regime change and i think that's exactly what an intervention in syria would be a belt ultimately it would be to isolate iran obviously syria being an absolutely vital strategic partner and a long term partner of the brand and providing that land link to hezbollah fit in and so it's absolutely a geo strategic location and it's very strategic for rand so i would see it if the if syria is the next country to fall into its imperialist intervention i think that would definitely be the long term goal would be to isolate iran to hopefully eventually in the imperialist eyes to your peripheral r.q. dina judd's regime. independent journalist james called what he was talking to us just a little bit still ahead for you this hour here on r.t.

burning books and british. military contributor assesses the impact the u.s. faces in afghanistan after an american christian pastor torched the koran. plus countdown to blast off on standby for the launch of three cosmonauts prepare for an historic space jam. swedish fighter jets are preparing to take to the air to support nato forces in the operation above libya stationed at italian bases up or used to enforce the no fly zone although sweden isn't even a member of the alliance itself but that's not stop the government from also committing troops to afghanistan during public anger for what's seen as the authorities dancing to the tune of washington he's a nice enough guy has more. sweden widely known as a voice of neutrality and peace the swedish people believe still believe that we are

nonaligned and they are trying. why then does we didn't need antiwar groups like all fuck sweden is very integrated in the world in those activities. in their administration and also with over five hundred soldiers in afghanistan right now that are under their command whatever the swedish government or thing but the fact the government says this about swedish combat troops in afghanistan we see our participation in international crisis management missions in a popular mandate as an expression of solidarity and responsibility of sweden in the world. the question is whose popular mandate when you talk about native city concept it's worse it's getting closer to do it or they don't have any. most we aren't aware of how line sweden is with nato really you have ignored it you

have a military and some politicians cooperate in france agree with the united states and with nato and the large mass of the population who probably unaware. the public is told its peacekeeping under the program partnership for peace for heaven's sake partnership for peace is just ended chambre for late bill nato is also. doing military exercises treating is home to meet or the north european airspace test range twenty four thousand kilometers of restricted air space plus ground room a testing playground for nato and the u. mass and has actually this arguing that this is where war starts right here at home . neutrality or nato some say it's about time sweden makes the droid's critics claim there's so much hands on support for the alliance that the nordic nation might as well join the club officially give mark on

a line status and he's now i r t sweden. get all the latest developments in libya online just a couple regular updates from correspondents in the country you can do so via our twitter and our facebook pages either forget to watch or the videos which are constantly being operated rather to you tube channel. without a life from moscow now

a russian pilot accused by the us of international drug trafficking is facing trial in court. was arrested last year in liberia brought to the states illegally that's according to his lawyers. reports some see a tendency in america over snatching people. a legit tons of cocaine a pilot snatched up and wired to a foreign prison and a wrong fax number this is a case of constantine your shann pro russian pilot in his forty's scooped up by u.s. officials in liberia last year brought to a manhattan jail and along with four other suspects charged with international drug trafficking. for a long time he did not even know where he was when he was brought to the u.s. he was put in solitary confinement and he didn't even know he was in the united states constantine's wife victoria just arrived to new york she says her husband was kidnapped by american agents well america says your show was smuggling drugs to

south america africa and europe mostly from that is what you are and liberia the pilot has complained he was beaten and tortured following his arrest. they tried to be fights with him provoking him constantly close to try to stay away from all that he asked them why you treating me like this i didn't do anything to you and i had not been found guilty or tory believes the case against her husband was fabricated by the us. why do you that is involved in this is unclear he has never been to the u.s. in his entire life he never had a u.s. visa and wasn't third country upon his arrest. when constantine your schenkel was arrested russian officials were not duly notified and moscow cited a breach of international law we have. apologized to russia and the state department's excuse we pressed the wrong button on the facts and. to be really for

notifying romania instead of russia to observers this seemed a joke and a series of questionable details in this case the idea that there's a bank of buttons that they push and i guess if they push the next one they would have gone to rwanda which is next on the alphabetical list so that sounds like a bird. strange story and i don't think anyone would buy that for your show because case is often compared to that of victor boot similarly snatched up by the u.s. in thailand and currently on trial in america for arms trafficking some see a tendency here and they can use interpol they can use. picking up the phone to russia trying to talk about this just going out and kidnapping people i think this is part of the carry over from the bush cheney administration the defense team has long labeled the case a provocation and unsuccessfully called for its dismissal the prosecution meanwhile

has been fighting to limit the scope of issues that can be addressed during the hearings they want to exclude questions regarding the legality of trying your show in a u.s. court allegedly lesions in the investigations leading up to his arrest and official conduct during and after the pilot's arrest essentially all the mean arguments of the defense after almost ten months constantine your shown cause trial is finally here a jury is deciding his destiny if found guilty he will spend from ten years to a life sentence behind bars and. new york. with r.t. live from moscow is now a quarter past the hour in afghanistan protests over the burning of a koran by a pastor in the u.s. last month has already left over twenty people dead including u.n. staff obama has condemned the killings and the desecration of the holy book of his one party's going to try contributor says the actions of pastor terry jones threaten to completely sever all ties between the u.s.

and the muslim world. he of the united states have yet had any resemblance modicum of the good will in the muslim world it was terribly junes seem dull handedly and irrevocably destroyed whatever the good will be united states of america have enjoyed in the muslim world then especially where it has poll virk for overt military and intelligence input as if general petraeus didn't have enough trouble smarting from the shooters for support from the stryker brigade in southern afghanistan and after in numerable collateral damage from the us air force now comes this as a stab in the back kerry jones reckless action demonstrate to what extent the united states elects to cultural sensitivity regarding the muslim war of especially

with its heavy military footprint in afghanistan pakistan and levy here i believe the united states should all for pakistani government to prosecute terry jones and other perpetrators who consecrated qur'an and burn beholding in florida in st accordance thank you stanley and wes for me the world death will be plenty of the best way to stave off a big role in american and anti christian sentiments in afghanistan take a stand and other muslim countries. although you can find a blog on our website of course that's artie dot com and here are some of the other items we have lined up for you on line right now and the four rock obama is out for another four years in america's top job as he announces he will run for the presidency in two thousand and twelve. and it's

a risky doing business with georgia find out how it did an invitation with the country's prime minister than did an israeli businesswoman behind bars all that much more artsy dot com. but russian security forces say four would be suicide bombers were among those killed in a recent anti terror raid in the southern republic of indonesia to get the republican leader told the president if you have that those people were all set so you carry out attacks the campaign destroyed during the operation is said to be where the suicide bomber who targeted moscow's busiest airport in january was training the attack claimed it dozens of lives the russian president said he is prepared to talk to any militants willing to lay down arms could evolve to describe those he said were able concealable in total seventeen militants were killed during a raid into shot here which was one of the biggest security operations so. right

now as such i got some of the other world news headlines this hour at least twelve people are reported to have been killed over thirty wounded and the government protests in the yemeni city of tire his security forces are said to have used tear gas and patterns and bullets on the demonstrators protestors and thousands have been calling for the resignation of president ali abdullah saleh since february the leader is refusing to step down without what he calls a quote negotiated settlement. japan is dumping more than ten thousand tons of radioactive water from the fukushima plant into the pacific officials say this is. necessary step to free up storage space for more highly contaminated water the government says it will not harm human health or the environment meanwhile workers at the facility are continuing their battle to seal off the leaking cracks in the damaged reactor. i started.

as a one of the country's presidential election preliminary results show he took over ninety five percent of the vote he's been in power for two decades and has the constitutional right to be reelected definitely international observers say there were serious irregularities during a fight. they were not given enough time to prepare. well a mission ordering the fiftieth anniversary of mankind's first journey to the stars part of the international space station russian crew will blast off from the baikonur cosmodrome in kazakhstan. and. it's a big celebration it's a significant date at least in this space history the crew that will be going to space consists of two russian cosmonauts. day about a single and nasa astronaut ron garan preparations of course are still continuing

just the last a few hours you know they fall off a lot of traditions here because astronauts themselves a bit will be leaving their signatures in their rooms at the confinement facility it's very interesting because their feet assessors have done the same and therefore they're going to do the same as well and also a russian orthodox priest will be giving his blessing to the crews of the preparations continue but not just for the crew i'm joined now by dimitri he's actually eight time time world record holder in swimming and he's here for his own reasons in relation to space let's find out what he's doing here exactly so what is a sportsman doing here or what do you have to do with space you know. no i mean i mean chief. the group for the division for the young because when i was doing the last press conference yesterday. our children asked to the kitchen of the. what do you do you have the instruction which you will do if you. will meet ellen with

some. unknown flying objects in the space they didn't ask they did. it for the zebras here. they don't have the instruction but. have this instruction ok well thank you very much for that insight as well again the preparations that are happening it's not just for the crew and i've managed to speak to the families a very important part of the be a celebration to the families of come to say their farewells to the three men going on the mission take a look at this story. before every blast off comes the fanfare so you see i'm a twenty one crew member stand in the spotlight their families close by it's only a matter of hours before they shoot into orbit in a spacecraft bearing the image of you to god in the first man in space to celebrate the achievements fiftieth anniversary what's more the crew's captain was once called the guardian when i was in kindergarten they gave us

a player that i spent all my time and saw it and i would let all the kids get in there since then they started calling me god and preparations have been intense both for the crew and their so use rocket any astronaut can attest to the arduous process. working in training was so hard sometimes we fall asleep behind don't we have to take many exams and sometimes we have to repeat those exams after a long and meticulous process of assembling the spacecraft are so used to rates what you want is finally in position waiting to take its crew to the international space station well that's a key consisting of two rushes will make their first a flight to space and an american who will be flying to so use for the first time but far from the frenzy of the glare of camera lights the better halves of the astronauts have been going through preparations of their own albeit more personal ones it's really hard to explain the weight of emotions on being feeling watery anxiety and pride. he on the other hand held his own he showed no emotions i was

more worried and excited he took off her to grass with him those that show us and our daughter not stamp ever since the official confirmation that their husbands are going to space every little thing becomes a memento i'm wearing her husband's jumper it's ruining me thousand people close knit and unity with my husband here all the wise when their husbands clothes among the women a close bond is formed carmel garrett wife of nasa astronaut ron garan gave oksana and sawyer a bracelet as a symbol of unity symbol we're going to be as united as our husbands have become. because for six months these women and their husbands are literally going to be worlds apart closer cilia r.t. baikonur in kazakhstan. when i was a bit earlier we caught up with the head of russia's space center saying the quote

orbital tourism very soon be available for people to interview is coming your way just a few minutes but for now though it is a collective professionals with different. back story here as russian partisan alfre axis renova are back in court on london on monday a once in arbitration five you know to throw out the post sixteen billion dollars here for you the russian state and what it claims the deal breaches its shareholder agreement with b.p. which says to yank a b.p. should be its primary vehicle for all exploration in russia and in ukraine last month they are succeeded in getting the stockholm arbitration tribunal to rule against b.p. as our biggest corporations deal with one stone. and there will be prime minister and a good situation as one of the principal architects that p.p.d. you could soon be forced out of his position as chairman of the was brought that started me to medvedev signed

a new order that prohibits ministers and other senior officials from being on the boards of major state owned corporations a total of seventeen russian companies are on be restricted list they will have to remove state's top state officials by the first of july this move is seen as part of the president's bid to improve corporate governance and booth for investment and at least for some of visiting businessmen it appears to be a step in the right direction. the trends and the direction that to the president is giving to the russian population in the region i would say leading cheaper companies and managers is the good way to open really the country to. open his mind to participate to the globalization and true please rush in to this movement. saying look at the markets now european stock markets are high on monday extending the previous session strong rise to deal with news of helping in

the stocks who came over on network operates a go to firm group grows more than one half percent up to agreeing to sell its stake in french operating as a car to vivendi chazan solve a also rallied more than three percent as the company said the deal will provide a live audience from the first year so now to russia and the markets here also high the one weaker than the previous sell energy majors of boosting indices on higher oil prices take a look at those stocks they don't care as monopoly gazprom is up more than two percent ross net is advancing almost a percent this out weaker than the market is nucor it's up just a point one percent in the mice x. while prices indeed have reached another thirteen one year high with brant crude currently trading at around one hundred nineteen dollars per barrel light sweet hundred eight dollars prices are being supported by positive job states up from top

four will consume in the united states and supply worries over turmoil in the middle east and a european energy company as his house aide who plans to liberalize the gas pipeline network on the continent's reign as c.e.o. from winter's how believes forcing gas producers to give pipeline access to first party companies will stifle investment in new infrastructure. the e.u. liberation package brings unbundling towards the european year member states and unbundling of integrated service it's really not. very effective as we speak about the cost basis so it will increase costs and both have. an effect neutralizing transport capacities and what we have to say is further investment this on a question mark say without saying for the headlines with.

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