developments in a story with american political cartoonist and columnist ted rall ted thanks very much indeed for joining us here live now with this official recognition the u.s. and a number of other countries showing that they want the rebels now in power but bearing in mind the support we're seeing fica daffy in the country itself is that really what libyan people as a whole want. well nobody knows you know this reflects a huge change in american policy in terms of state department policy in the past it was very very difficult to obtain diplomatic recognition by the united states considering the situation with taiwan which lost its diplomatic recognition in one nine hundred seventy two even though it is de facto an independent nation the united states still will not acknowledge it as a fully independent state at the end of world war two france requested independent recognition for the gaullist movement the free french and yet the roosevelt administration went many many years actually throughout world war two recognizing

the puppet nazi regime of the she france without recognizing the french as the legitimate government until after liberation from nazi germany so the us is this is really a radical shift from an international standpoint the united states usually doesn't extend to diplomatic recognition to regime that is not in the capital that isn't in power and doesn't even seem likely to be able to achieve power anytime soon that you can look at the situation in afghanistan during the one thousand nine hundred six to two thousand and one civil conflict there between the taliban and the northern alliance the northern alliance they were the former regime that had power in kabul and they enjoyed diplomatic relations with the west even though the taleban controlled ninety five percent of the country but the they were kind of grandfathered in in this situation there's no grandfathering there's no. student

it's almost just wishful thinking and frankly if i were a diplomat i would find it disturbing so these are just words that it's going to make any difference to this culture that you don't think that this official recognition which you say has been so hard to get in the pulse of the us is going to make any difference to this conflict. well of course the facts on the ground as the american policymakers like to say is what matters the question is who controls tripoli and who controls the the economy of the nation at this point does still work a donkey whether it's popular or not is sort of beside the point the point is who controls out who controls the country out of this just to interrupt who controls the opposition who are the rebels who are the made up of i mean are they really reliable party for the future. well that's the thing that to me i mean if the united states government if the state department knows who the transitional national council is they're not saying this is extremely low this is the situation after in two thousand and three during the build up to the invasion of iraq when not committed chalabi and his his his group was recognized as the as the defacto

government in exile of iraq prior to see this is being deposed added to bizarre situation if the u.s. knows who these people are they're not seeing and certainly there's no doubt that traditionally there's always been a very high component if you find these around ghazi so unrealistic to assume that that is not still the case when off to this recognition the rebels are actually have to access the thirty billion dollars of frozen assets the question is and as we've been talking about just exactly who is this opposition can we be sure that that money will be going to the right place well i think it's fair to say that that money will partly go into weapons if and when it's freed up and then the rest of it will disappear into the pockets of local warlords and chiefdoms let's not forget the hundreds of millions of dollars the cash that disappeared after being shipped to iraq on skids in two thousand and three that was supposed to be

distributed to the local king to local tribal chiefs and leaders you know the u.s. doesn't amazing how it should be skids full of hundred dollar bills to third world countries and expecting them to end up in the right hands and really going to have ted role of american political political cartoonist columnist and author joining us live on the webcam there in florida thanks very much indeed for your thank you. italy is bracing itself for a tough round of belt tightening after its parliament gave its final approval for harsh austerity measures it's part of a efforts to prevent the further spread of the eurozone debt crisis which italy's finance minister has compared to the sinking of the titanic patrick menfolk who's a professor of applied economics at cardiff university told me earlier in our team that if the budget cuts don't work the e.u. countries are not going to buy it out italy. euro's rich countries like germany and france particularly germany are not really willing to pay the bill

for the bailouts of countries like greece and portugal and then if the risk of the default is seen as rising in the bigger countries like spain and italy even less are they able to pay the costs of the debt servicing that's needed and so there's no bailout really impressed by the easier rich northern countries and therefore the other countries have to think of some way of getting by and that's going to be default there was never any question that one of the reasons why it might be in germany is interest to bail out greece is that it's if it doesn't it's going to have a banking crisis of its own and will have to bail out its own banks but i think the judgment of the taxpayer is they'd rather bail out their own buying if they have to then keep on giving money to greeks who may never get to give it back to them. well on the other side of the atlantic president obama has warned the u.s.

is running out of time to deal with its debt crisis if lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on raising the debt ceiling by the second of august the country will face a default and to discuss the situation now we're joined live from new york by economist analyst dr roger vaughn thank you very much indeed for being with us so what are the chances that republicans and democrats will fail to reach an agreement on this. they're actually higher than they would otherwise have been there's a personality conflict between the majority leader and the president which is quite unique and this has been taken into the public venue of discussion once that happens and trust is lost between the leaders it's far more difficult to secure an agreement behind the scenes is this crisis looks very much like past historical episodes of crisis with the budget where the budget was actually allowed to default for a couple of weeks and the government shutdown doing that with

a national debt structure of course is a far more grave situation so it seems that politics seem to be more important in the financial future of the country. well neither side wants to bite the hard bullet. realizing that there's an inadequate wage base for raising taxes and that costs need to be cut in a manner that's equivalent to the rise in the debt ceiling and that's a very tough pill for american politicians to swallow and to articulate to the constituents of and what about a tough pill for the american people to swallow the spending cuts or tax rises whatever's going to happen surely this debt is unsustainable the american way of life it's got to change hasn't it and if that is the case do you think the american people accept it do you perhaps think that we might see the same sort of discontent amongst americans that we've seen in many european countries. absolutely and a lot of ability by the government and the leadership to articulate to the american

people what's required in the manner for instance that of franklin delano roosevelt was able to accomplish is lacking here in essence if you cut spending you're going to also impede economic growth because the government is one of the largest employers if you bring troops home and stop the wars you also have a problem with employment as servicemen and women come home these are classic economic problems what's required in the u.s. as a. a drastic program of infrastructure development and public jobs to guarantee wages and non interest loans for average americans like franklin delano roosevelt initiated during the great depression that's something that's been overlooked here and it's a critical element it's missing so what then for the future of the american economy i mean if this cannot be sustained and people are losing their jobs and their homes what predictions do you have and what indeed should the u.s. government be doing to get out of this mess. well certainly there should be

a gradated effort to par down the class over ten years and there should be another bretton woods to essentially restructure the world's debt if italy defaults for instance in europe it will be impossible for northern europe to bail out italy that will take the u.s. over if the dollar significantly loses value when the u.s. is unable to help europe that will in turn take the u.s. down the japanese no more do not have sufficient liquidity to help this time around as they did in two thousand and eight it's basically an international consensus that's required and a pooling of the remaining solomon sea and capital that would be essential to pulling everyone out of this but ultimately it comes down to creating jobs creating capital and wealth and decreasing taxes rather than increasing taxes but all this talk of that just yesterday as we're talking to an analyst in the states and he was an american saying he's getting out of the dollar and he was inviting people to go to other currencies in fact even gold of course but what does this do for the

future of the u.s. dollar all this jittery talk at the moment. well the u.s. dollar doesn't have many competitors the euro is intrinsically weak the one is not a competitor for the dollar the ruble stands to be fairly stable given russia standing as a major energy producer a natural resource giant on the world scene so the ruble should. i mean relatively stable the dollar however has nothing to go down against except the frank and if you look at the dollar and the fire and the monetary relationship of the all time low and that portends trouble for the future the best two currencies probably other norwegian krone and the swiss franc at this point gold is over traded and as we saw in two thousand and eight there can be a paradoxical drop in the price of gold during a market market crisis so breaking on gold is a highly risky proposition really interesting here we have to say thank you so much

dr roger. economic and political analyst joining us live from new york thank you. rupert murdoch has reportedly personally apologized to the family of a murdered schoolgirl whose voicemail was hacked by his newspaper the news of the world this comes after rebecca brooks the chief executive of murdoch's british newspaper group finally caved into pressure to resign over the scandal she's due to appear before a panel of m.p.'s next tuesday along with her former boss and his son to face questioning on the allegations of ethical methods what is your every report some how the vultures are circling and on some permanent parallels from a surprising source i put every media outlet in town t.v. read you even the scale greatest when art imitates life the long running simpsons takes a shot at its own no rupert murdoch aka montgomery burns in an episode broadcast apparently coincidentally this week. but it's

not the only piece of timing in the extraordinary phone hacking case that seems to get more scandalous every day the list of something like four thousand names which the police have had since about two thousand and four two thousand and five and yet they promise facie evidence of criminal activity by these individuals and boy by the murdoch empire and yet the. not acted on it so why now just as the murdoch deal to take control of satellite t.v. giant b. sky b. look sure to go ahead his rival the guardian newspaper releases catastrophic allegations of a moral journalists and their shady practices that when the deal collapses the times for example which is money you could have transferred some of the profits from. investing in the times for example.

or the daily telegraph. it's not just rival newspapers who stand to gain from murdoch's empire crumbling the b.b.c. could retake t.v. territory lost to b. sky b. and the labor party which was wounded by years of relentless attacks by murdoch papers can finally take revenge but where will all this lead be. you know. that would suit the government just fine the british press is famous for its sharp teeth and no holds barred doggedness particularly where its own government is concerned prime minister david cameron has all but shut down the press complaints commission and already talks of statutory controls to govern print journalists back in springfield mr burns is to water it as the townspeople open up

their own newspaper and he's almost right we possible can truly the media. rupert murdoch. beautiful murdoch found as did mr burns that you just can't buy all the newspapers those outside his control have been gunning for him for years and this time they may have succeeded just as he looks set to consolidate control over a low. section of the u.k.'s media markets the drugs being pulled out from under him and it's all over the hidden scandal now revealed that the police have known about it for years nor and it. will be that with the summer of our top stories we in just a few minutes from now next though remain to talk of russia's northern capital.

hello and welcome to the program i was at the sheriff from the same pit is back we'll be exploring that celeste the louse the never give up i'm very small the transport also known as the venice of the north the waterways of the focal points of the city enjoying the summer months are a great way to see the full of so. many of simply displaced churches cathedrals

museums are visible from the altar the canal trip to the store to stay in the city may be an ideal way of deciding to enjoy the visit. piece of the great grand vision of the city was to create a window to your. promise one piece scarcely populated reaching the area became a find european capital. saw expensive construction of lavish palaces on the banks of the countless channels cutting through the city such great architects as for straight through and through how to bring the dream to life centuries later and as you can see in this not a modern day st petersburg the waterways and bridges still dominates the capital perched on the banks of the never river you can see how the city is set up in various pollens crisscrossed by can. it really creates a whole atmosphere of like the menace of the north as they call us and i think it's

just amazing you can take a party boat down the river and they can all spend the night time explain a nice and if you want to be a little bit more to do something more special you can actually order both for yourself just for friends and scud there and eat and drink and have a good time it's absolutely a reseller pushing for in their guts watch. a lot of. these. places. and. pick out. the winter canals one of the most poetic coolest old st petersburg it was described to alexander pushkin's famous queen of spades mobile and is a popular meeting place for lovers the area is especially lovely when seen from the water when you sell in the boating koslow on the beach but march the frames that want to come out magnificent like something movie sets.

moving to the next location and out of sight seeing standing on your feet consuming take it's full circus palace preacher temperature spot complete complex is in russia. opens in two thousand and eight it brings a new concept in five star hotels to the very center of st petersburg just a few steps from the river palace square and the hermitage popular with locals and visitors this is a she one therapy it's it's best whether you're here to help or simply to relax the pool with its various hydrotherapy jets is simply to find. some to also post a number of soreness and turkish brush you know finish compiling dry steam away stare a piece there's even a single room to show consensus. it's a maritime color experience she fancy. this spectacular structure.

is located near the complete fortress often taken from the pirate ship instead the wooden ship offers the perfect place to relax. is just impressive. with the top floor restaurants and dance floor downstairs the venue is popular with a large party groups and after all your enjoyment. in the gym. can give you a make over. so what other water theme places can you visit

in st petersburg one of the historical symbols of russia's military fleet has been turned into a museum and stands proudly anchored to the city's central embankment. is one to be associated with the revolution of nine hundred seventeen another warship is besieged by thousands of tourists every year. it seeming with the first to raise the red flag on the ship standing for the bullshit power of the cruise itself as witnessed many battles before. the ships of the baltic fleet. when the weather was hot and sunny there are many places in the city where you can enjoy beach was downtown st petersburg some day during. the territory of the famous pizza fortress is a popular dissonant. craving some somebody each time it's not. in the.

public place to enjoy. in the beautiful historical surroundings. tractions in the city especially during the white night period. there are around twenty bridges across the river which are raised during the night to get ships in cruise line is. spectacular a stretch for thrilling views especially my tool for tourists which is the most is a must see. but to be well you must remember the times when the bridges are otherwise you're stuck on a different side of the city. the white nights period is the perfect time to discipline capital you can stroll along the rivers lakes at night enjoying the twilight in the buildings the flexing in the

compounds and the it's always wonderful there's something much about the city. to discuss the magic of simpsons but let's meet the streets just. beneath you. three is exactly the. difference in the city between the summer and the first except injuries c.v. is like everybody everybody is on their own shores and. it's. everybody's. yes i think one of the main symbols of the. make the city come alive and it's really what makes sense just very special place because it's like. this. that's really popular like on the one hand it's quite a kind of historic post-op on the other hand it's like going to this time i mean what they're now peter the great had tens of thousands of soldiers you know build

all the canals and waterways in the city what you think his what's been his purpose was his purpose they were as a quest to make a business rationale like being a piece of hero and a scientist virgie's i guess that and then watched european place. i mean i think you can walk around some parts of the city and it looks like paris or you know you could be in most cities you know if they're down with something like it but they also join the summer you know a boat trip is a fantastic way to see parts of st petersburg not just in the city but you've got you've got these walls as well and you've got you know actual tour of the fortress behind those gale force and like i guess that this is their kind of story stick speciality centers very when you're trying to see this t.v. from the weather and like almost the whole city from that water yet it's not like maybe and with that they're still in paris somewhere you can see there like the sand there and in other places you will see like every meal ten times what i see everywhere if you do it by my boat by ferry you will see amazing amazing pieces of

architecture and like everywhere and it seems well that there are some sports that take place on the river as well there are the different boats you believe in swimmers was close enough for us and and that like that is the perfect point is that you can do it like in this heat a chest and they seem to you can reach it by metro and that's it you don't have to have a you know it replied to our way somewhere just half an hour ago even in the heart of the sea to me and that's what trees you can do it is great when the face is limited to you enjoy your time here and said it is about being back. to my final stop with the rights of the piece from peatross i want to be a waitress to the city and a private speedboat. we. navigated to the compound to meet two ways on the boat as you see the city from the best angles originally there were no bridges crossed. never give us the story between fighting spike for the main reasons why some kid is . the face off in the. wild this is just.

is justified and you can see. behind us what he found see a problem there are various companies in the city often trips around the never. the size of. the size. of. st petersburg was an incredible city throw in the spectacular architecture museums stunning history no reflecting in the shopping mall says it is like something out of a fairy tale. having survived a tumultuous history and having changed name several times as a coastal city of growth and development. partly to. outstanding individual monuments of architecture history and culture in the rush to the west of the world's most peaceful locations.

while that would have meant. the peaceful waterways i'll say i'll see you again at the same time next week for me and the rest of the crew shout out. for the full we've got. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the new. wealthy british style. margetts weiner scandal. find out what's really happening to the global

economy in the kinds of reports on our t.v. . if you're just joining us very welcome aarti live here in moscow top stories this hour over thirty countries including the u.s. officially recognize the libyan rebel council as the legitimate governing authority reiterating earlier calls for gadhafi and his family to give up power. is economic crisis deepens in europe with italy being the latest country to adopt an austerity budget in the u.s. lawmakers are running out of time to deal with the country's mounting debt. and as the u.k. phone hacking scandal puts the future of the murdoch media around heart risk questions arise as to why it's taken so long for action to be taken this fight police knowing about many of the allegations for years. what next here at r.t.

our special report and those who've seen the dangers of nuclear weapons firsthand taking upon themselves to open the world's eyes that's our special report now on i'll be back with more news and. the nuclear age is there for sixty years. i can describe exactly how an underground test was no there were three two one zero or more you couldn't hear anything there was no noise at all when the ground lifted up. we live under the threat of increasingly sophisticated weapons. in two thousand one hundred. treaty. signed on to a statement providing for an unequivocal undertaking to the total elimination of nuclear weapons it has been set back by principally the united states but not alone russia france china the u.k.

all have their share of responsibility. disarmament agreements are not being honored. what is happening now it is that their role is entire countries are able to write a draft international law because there isn't sufficient body of protest from within that country ordering them to these basic principles. things polynesian pressed into the midst of a nuclear attack. and when we accompanied them to ground zero with guns pointed ready to fire who were we going to fire at i wonder the issue clearly crab's. you up with anyway there was a russian or american invasion no i don't know with the end of the cold war and the going away of the soviet union many people thought that nuclear weapons disappeared so a lot of the people who were activists under saddam and issues moved their activism to the environment or fighting globalize.