that's a lot of money it's a third of the u.s. military budget. it's a third of the u.s. military budget and the u.s. military budget is half of the global military budget which is now about a trillion dollars and if you asked the question could we use the u.s. military budget by a first. and shift those expenditures into poverty eradication population stabilization earth restoration i think it's clear that we would do far more to ensure our future than if we just stay with my half trillion dollars of u.s. taxpayer money going to military purposes. the environment is an integral part of our national security and i don't mean that in a trite and cliched way our resource constraints even if we were to defend ourselves for thinking we need those resources and if we're not going to be able to

preserve them it is strategically tactically and just commonsense wise a big mistake as security concerns are discussed the environment is immediately trumped and people say well we have to move forward because this is a matter of our survival and what we have been suggesting is that the environment itself has a very survivalist take element to it so protecting the environment should be considered at that level. environmental harms should be considered what we call in political theory common overs and if you're at a crossroads you have two cars that have divergent interests one is going in one direction the other in the other direction they're not going in the same direction but they have a common aversion which is getting into an accident. and they're likely to cooperate over that common aversion whether it's through a stop sign or through some kind of traffic regimen. even sides they're not likely

to cooperate on other things and have divergent interests they may still have common aversions. rising temperatures rising seas and intensifying storms eroding coastlines falling water tables vanishing habitats and species the broad threats facing us in the twenty first century are environmental yet the environment is consistently overshadowed by the immediacy of war and preparations for war it is an extremely difficult to get the nation mobilized against something that is a long term as opposed to a short term problem as long as there is no emphasis or insufficient emphasis from the national leadership to protect the environment you probably cannot expect the military to give it high priority what we're looking at now is

a threat to our global civilization and saving. our civilization is not a spectator sport we're going to change the system now and that means become politically active it means supporting political candidates who understand the issues of the just something about it it means letting elected representatives whether members of the city council or members of congress or parliaments around the world let them know about our concerns and what we expect them to do about this is going to decide whether we make or not we have become politically active.

lou. least some. posts.

wealthy british style. time to. market why not. come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy

with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines kaiser reports on. stronger relations for mutual benefit russia and the u.k. agree not to allow their divided opinions on the scandal in the resolution of the syrian crisis to stand in the way of that political and economic partnership. and to find out whether or not prime minister david cameron would have been a good k.g.b. agent joined me and used to now wait for details from the crowd. on the visit was good for business too promising a multimillion dollar deals and we'll have more business in twenty minutes. and generating power plugs its first nuclear plant into the national grid the facility at bushehr was built with the help of russia.

and italy moves closer to the center of the eurozone debt crisis as its crucial austerity package and as the final stages triggering a new wave of protests of tough spending cuts the top stories of this up. international news and coming. live from my headquarters here in central moscow this is r.t. unsolved issues in russia u.k. relations should not stand in the way of healthy and profitable corporation that's what the leaders of the two states concluded after their meeting at the kremlin artes and he said no it has more on the outcome of the first official visit by a british prime minister to russia for six years. president made of called the talks direct and constructive david cameron called them axel would the two leaders

have pretty much agreed to disagree on their sticking points saying that they have to be able to move forward in other spheres especially business a lot of talk that least in the news conference a lot of questions about the lives of engage the case and how that will if it will really continue to in fact ties just to remind you alexander litvinenko was a former russian security officer who was poisoned with polonium and died in london i diplomatic spat broke out between the u.k. and russia after that british authorities wanted to actually buy russian citizen on facebook oh boy but according to the russian constitution in fact article sixty one which president has made it reminded david cameron once again today doesn't allow for the russian federation to extradite its citizens to another country to be tried both sides saying that they don't want to take you to affect any further growth i david cameron went as far to say that the issue is not parts but we will continue

to grow in other spheres let's take it as it remains an issue between britain and russia and we haven't changed our position about that and the russians haven't changed their position but i don't think that means that we freeze the entire relationship it's all talking an issue is just recognizing there is a disagreement that hasn't changed the two countries are changing their arrangements because of it but we should work on our relationship beyond it will get through the years of course work together in many different formats including the g twenty the g eight summit at the un security council in both sides spoke about that in terms of the most pressing international issues they spoke about libya and it turns out they spent most of their time speaking about the situation in syria david cameron mentioned that he believes that that sanctions should go even further and president medvedev. to doubt that he is arguing it doesn't think what's happening in syria is right and something needs to be done but by no means

can this turn in to another libya let's just get russia believes the resolution in syria should be tough but at the same time to address to both parties in the syrian conflict president assad and the opposition only doing concerts or resolutions succeed it should be tough but automatically include sanctions syria is already on the e.u. and us sanctions it doesn't need additional pressure so certainly no major breakthrough in british russian relations but a very positive atmosphere considering that a british official at that level hasn't been in moscow on a visit like this in so long positive atmosphere lots of laughs in fact one of the last questions asked up a news conference by the b.b.c. to david cameron asking him about rumors that he was possibly recruited or attempted to be recruited into the k.g.b. back in the ninety's cameron said he doesn't think he would be a very good k.g.b. agent present day to beg to differ but i'm pretty sure that david would be

a good k.g.b. agent but in this case he would never have become the u.k.'s prime minister the official visit at this level ended on quite a light no lots of laughs there after that joke about the k.g.b. and david cameron also met with prime minister vladimir putin and members of the civil society where the focus there was on human rights and the scenario reporting now a professor of politics at the university of kent adrian pabst says the u.k. and russia are currently facing many similar economic difficulties which together they could overcome. britain and russia suffer from a lack of diversification just as britain depends too much on financial services so russia depends too much on natural resources like oil and gas and birth economies need to diversify but this is not just a national issue for them this is also a global issue we know that a huge imbalance it's there's lots of hot money circulating that money needs to be channeled into productive activities in britain in russia and elsewhere and i think

there is mutual benefit from cooperate in areas like knology where britain can certainly help russia take sprawl from its natural resources we know this from energy and other areas but also you know russian investment in britain is also important at all sorts of areas like radiation even the car industry with some countries couldn't visit some form of technological exchanging need to do high tech manufacturing in this industrial base across europe and it seems to me that britain and russia have a lot to cooperate on precisely in this field that's russia and the u.k. model their differences over approaches to the crisis in syria is steaming ahead with its efforts to mediate peace there russian lawmakers are hosting a delegation from damascus after holding talks with the opposition last week president bashar al assad's advisor says the country would appreciate a fact finding mission by russian officials which moscow has promised to send any day now the government demonstrations in syria flared up in march with the regime responding with brutal crackdowns of these two thousand six hundred people are said

to have been killed since the u.n. to take action that will push the doing side towards dialogue and says assad needs more time to implement democratic reforms could the u.s. and its allies what a more aggressive approach the regime and have already called for to step down. runs bushehr nuclear power plant has officially begun operating and is now providing electricity to the country's national grid it's the first such facility in the entire middle east region and our genes are really going to has been following the launch in bushehr. this is a truly historic day for iran as its first nuclear power plants in here is joining the national energy grid it's going to start operating at thirty five to forty percent of its capacity that is the blight thirty five to forty percent of energy and it's going to reach the hundred percent potential within the next couple of months now this is something that has been in the making for a very long time this is a joint russia iran venture the russians out of story expert has been vigorously

helping the really inside of and construction of this nuclear power plant socially since one thousand nine hundred ninety eight the opening of the plant has been attended by russia's energy ministers and also by the head of story expert both of whom have underlines the importance all space for both countries now russia's energy minister has said that all of syria's here of course conducted by russia and iran should be stinkers thinker nies with international standards together with all you write in conflict or its difficulties and problems building to share power plant and to deal with can be proud to the results that are drawing the attention of the whole world i'm sure our food acculturation in creating the station and developing our nuclear energy projects who distinguished by the atmosphere we created while working together you have to remember that this is the first nuclear power plants in the middle east so we should never underestimate its importance it's absolutely integral to iran you know russia is going to supply the fuel for the power plants and so also going to discard all the fuel this is going to

continue for the next three years so russian engineers and specialists will stay at the plants will stay in iran for the next couple of years but then afterwards they will slowly handed over to the iranian side and then by two thousand and fifteen. the plant will should become fully operated by iran on its own like we said this is a very important venture for both iran and russia and of the there is a lot of hope for this power plant which is which has just become operational in pushchair in iran. well let's talk more on what iran's nuclear power plant will mean with colin nish out he said research at the school of oriental and african studies at the university of london thanks very much indeed for joining us here on our team after so many years of building the bushehr power plant as we know it's finally operating our correspondent said it's an historic day tell us how significant do you think this is for iran then i think it's quite significant first

of all because iran as or also your correspondent mentioned has now the first nuclear power plants which is operational in the whole region not only in iran and secondly it's important because it has been. brought to operation against the background of political interference by many powers are tied powers in the law since the nine hundred ninety s. actually and so today is a happy day because. we are now out of the completion levels in what way will the people of iran benefit from this. i think. as you see also in the western developed countries. you know energy is procured also from nuclear energy so it's also important for the for a source of energy for the iranian economy and also for the society so i think if this would also be profitable if it was handled responsibly especially when it

comes to safety issues and i think it's important that safety issues have to be dealt with responsibly when it comes to nuclear power plant both from russian and iranian authorities what you a little earlier alluded to the diplomatic and political tensions between iran and the international community because all of the uncertainty that iran is not taught is perhaps using enrich uranium for peaceful purposes as it claims and clearly there is that concern that it could be using that uranium for the development of nuclear weapons so why is that question still hanging over everyone why hasn't iran convince the international community that this is not the case. well you know you we have now a decades long standoff between iran and the west. over the iranian nuclear program and if we just listen to the most authoritative source when it comes to analyzing the iranian nuclear program which is the international atomic

energy agency and if we read their reports we see that there is no evidence for any weaponization and also this is confirmed numerously and on numerous occasions spoil the u.s. intelligence services and very recently so as well so actually and so this has been very hyped up the nuclear issue for political reasons in order to be able to garner support to put pressure on iran for achieving other political and so i think the nuclear issue in iran has is still being hyped but it's a lose lose as much credibility against the other dence that we have and this isn't most. of those three simply sorry to interrupt but sanctions have been and still remain on the country. indeed which is actually finally working in effect it has sacrificed itself under go the pressure of these sanctions in order to reach this level of electricity electricity and energy i mean has it been worth

the sacrifice do you think. well i mean i don't see the sanctions issue in a direct relationship to the nuclear program although where some politicians. go for such a discourse i think the sanctions issue is more of a geopolitical into a konami nature of basic rational as i see it and as i had been researching for sanctions issue in the last few years is the russian the rationale for outside powers here most notably the united states that if you cannot control or influence a country you might go for isolation and weakening of the country in the best way to do that is through economic sanctions economic sanctions and this is the rationale of sanctions a lot of there is still some people in the policy circles who say that the sanctions issue is related to the nuclear issue. in that it had been helping to hold or just. to slow down the progress of the iran's nuclear program but i think

you have to mention also bear in mind that there have been targeted assassinations that are against iranian nuclear scientists and also sabotage acts mostly coming from the united states and israel that have been mainly responsible for that so the sanctions issue is not something that has been you know use to primarily hold the program so just very briefly that pressure of course would go beyond sanctions many competent commentators say look we've seen nato campaign in libya syria is perhaps next in line and then the next pressure on iran what would you say to that military pressure foreign intervention in toppling the regime there. well the only danger i see is that if because there is there is a mechanism now in western policy circles and you see it in the case of syria that whenever something has to be done they go for sanctions and in the case of iran of

course the comprehensive sanctions regime is the strongest one imposed on iran and if at the certain point they are even comes up you know well if there are no more sanctions to impose on iran because there are so vast so let's go for a military option i think this is something that we have to seriously deal with but on the other fronts i don't think that the united states for example is in any position to militarily intervene in iran since also there is no justification to do that and. still there are hardliners in israel who contemplate about launching an attack on iran but they need a green light to support some way of support from the united states and i don't see washington giving support at this moment i also note that also within the israeli military and intelligence establishment there is also this realisation that there is no effective military solution to the iranian. case so the world has to

face that iran as other developed countries has a nuclear program which is peaceful according. to all the evidence that we have ok ali we'll leave it there early for the legit research at the school of oriental and african studies at university of london thank you for your time and you're welcome . and shortly to come for you this hour israel in growing isolation in just a few minutes from now here on our t.v. a report on how some of the jewish state's neighbors are brimming with anti israeli sentiment in the wake of the arab spring. still to come for you this hour but first global markets slumped on monday over fears that italy's debt crisis is worsening as the country's fifty four billion euro sturdy package goes before the lower house of parliament for a final debate the government plans to make changes to the way its rural communities are run but some people are beginning to lose faith in their government's ability to make the right decisions bennett went to one rebellious

town that wants to break free from the rule of rome. welcome to filipino a small town in the middle of italy but also claims to be an independent principality and to prove it even started printing its own money the man on the new note says town mayor lucas a lhari now self-proclaimed prince i guess everyone dreams of being a prince when they're a little boy and so did i now i get to live that dream filipinos going solo in protest over government plans to slash council funding it wants all towns to merge having the number of local authorities with a population of just six hundred filipino and its mayor of for the chop. it's a terrible idea because it makes no economic sense we have everything here to be autonomous and besides the neighboring towns are at least thirty kilometers away so

it's not practically possible it wouldn't even save that much money regional administrations do nothing to get rid of them instead italy's in deep debt one hundred twenty percent of g.d.p. the second highest in europe and unions a furious with the cuts accusing the government of punishing those already at their chorused even some of silvio berlusconi's own allies now oppose them with amendments piling up but filipinos fed up the term and to be the next san marino a constitutional republic within italy that has no national debt a rare thing in europe methinks the town can live off its natural resources of wood and water but currently profits go to private companies there are constitutional hurdles but since autonomy is not illegal it could just be a matter of time at the moment these notes aren't legal tender they just souvenirs but the plan is for two theory to be worth one euro and for this to be the only

currency they could be spent in the shops and restaurants here the. this is always been slow in this sleepy town but shopkeepers hope the new money will bring new cash. i'm sure that once we start using the new currency the economic situation here will significantly improve it will have a positive effect on tourism of course attracting more people to the town. far from being a p.r. stunt filipino means business and berlusconi knows it he's visiting the town later this month to stave off the rebellion and he'll have a fight on his hands filipinos the source of rome's water supply and that may is threatening to cut it off if he doesn't get what he wants either bennett r.t. fillets ino italy. as financial woes echoed deeper inside the euro zone fears are growing that greece could be heading away from the euro unable to contain its debt crisis your hand van overtveldt is the editor in chief of belgium's leading

business magazine the trends things that greece should jump ship. but the greek economy is in an outright depression now g.d.p. is shrinking at the moment at seven eight percent on an annual basis unemployment is officially at sixteen percent but in reality it's more close to twenty five percent what we hear from people from the i.m.f. informally is that the budget situation is out of control so there's no way that greek and greece is going to step on this situation unless there's a somewhat orderly exit from the eurozone followed by a huge devaluation of the new greek currency i think we have passed the point now where we can argue that we can safely at least within the eurozone greece will ask alexey it can be organized in an orderly way but the risk is of course that there will be contagion in the direction of countries like for example portugal maybe

ireland and of course i'm not even mentioning here that would be an enormous problem countries right spain anchor is warning israel it faces growing regional isolation as the turkish prime minister arrives on a visit to egypt. everyone is expected to cement closer ties with caro with both countries experiencing recently strained relations with television on friday night a raging mob in the egyptian capital stalled and sacked the israeli embassy forcing its staff to flee event was precipitated by televised refusal to apologize for killing several egyptian soldiers by mistake last month on correct expelled israeli diplomats last week over some of his refusal to say sorry for gunning down nine during last year's raid on a garden aid flotilla turkish preem says attack was a cause for war but his country chose to refrain from aggression clubbish political analyst but he bites and feels that israel shouldn't be surprised that egypt and turks have turned against it.