against the elements. culture is the only transport for medics to reach those in need. of reindeer and fish are treasures for the. local to the. autonomy area. has put a price tag on the safety of the u.n. observer mission to syria as a person wanted to get down to business with a sea of projects. eighteen hours of fighting in kabul security forces regained control on a massive political songs on the continent western embassies and natives h.q. plus. bellows releases to high profile political prisoners following pressure from washington and the e.u. to ease up on the opposition join me for all the details in just a few minutes. and

online twenty four hours a day this is artane welcome to the program. the syrian government says it cannot guarantee the safety of human observers unless they coordinate every step of the authorities first come from monitors arrived in syria to oversee a shaky cease fire it comes as opposition activists claim they're still under attack by the government warns it or act against what it calls terrorists and some of the is in damascus for r.t. hope waking can be reborn for serious orthodox christians and the meaning of all the more poignant this year as they contemplated the sacrifices of the last few months. with death and suffering across the country many sought refuge in prayer hoping that peace could be resurrected i guess all syrian prays for peace despite

isolated clashes the coffee and brokered cease fire has answered its cave they have made the arrival of the un observers a lasting peace may now have the best chance in months still as these analysts points out the u.n. monitors may need to learn from the experience of their arab league counterparts whose mission in january failed to stop the bloodshed you know woman in the eyes of both the government and the opposition the u.n. mission is more professional credible it will be made up of the observers of particular countries with their own agendas and their perceived neutrality or the lack of it could make a great commission. the rapid deployment of monitors is in the interest of the assad government which has argued is the only way to ensure the compliance of both sides to the ceasefire now that they have servers are on the ground you know officials have made it clear they expect the syrian authorities to take further steps to uphold it but we are worried about the operational deployment of heavy

armor. population centers they don't belong they didn't belong there in the first place they don't belong and we are working with the government. the opposition for a full. of violence in all its forms. with claims and counterclaims of violence by both sides the u.n. monitors feel sure wrestled with the challenges ahead but at least they have syrian steering them on the honor of the shot just ordered another batch of these t. shirts a popular wrestling slogan in syria it is now taking on a whole new meaning with thousands killed because the country rising above he is a tall order and while it may take here is many syrians agreed that having impartial international observers on the ground may be the first step in that direction and a way to artsy damascus syria. but the afghan capital has seen eighteen hours of

fierce fighting after militants launched repairing and well coordinated assault on the city battles now over with the attackers killed or captured the taliban claimed responsibility for the strikes on carbon and three other provinces telling them with the start of spring offensive grenades and machine gun fire targeted foreign embassies to the headquarters of the afghan parliament in the capital with actual say twenty six attackers have been killed several security officers and civilians also lost their lives is the first such incident in kabul since september the province comes as nato gradually winds down its military presence in the country political analyst. says the u.s. mission is failing. eight models after the last impressive commander style attack in kabul targeted a very building of the u.s. embassy there kerry headquarters a big forces in afghanistan the fact that this happens again just shows you that we

will not be exaggerating if we see them here what we're witnessing right now is the collapse and the crumbling of what they don't mandate in afghanistan it was a complete disconnect wiped out in the name of forces of the american forces only one head and evolved national army of the afghan national police have seen how the american and one we're still just getting killed at the hands are very are gun owners solutions and bullets means that the needle will be used to train the afghans are really just tested and i think if the new commanders of the american military commanders continue to be insensitive they would lose with little chance they have of making it grow british they sit in a constant. well we want to know your view on events in the afghan capital called to participate in our latest web poll today we're asking with the recent teletypes what's next for afghanistan almost half of you expect more strikes us to believe

there's going to be a collapse of central. afghanistan will see a negotiated truce with the militants and the minority leader international search . what do you tell us is a waiting game on our website today. paul embraces genetically modified products and a step towards boosting its agriculture and about the possible consequences that once he got home. and us president barack obama now has a ten million pound bounty against him and he's not the only u.s. official who hasn't crossed me more.

has released two high profile political prisoners including a former presidential candidate the move follows extensive international pressure on the new senate stance towards the opposition. has more. few if any had expected such move from the man often described as europe's last dictator alexander lukashenko the leader of the bellows now former presidential candidate under the sun you can thank you so close counterpart meeting among a dozen opposition figures arrested in december two agents and following the presidential election accused of instigating massive street protests that was suddenly a very serious crackdown on the opposition with all those so so many people arrested and being sentenced to prison terms the assignee go and when they were sentenced to five and two years in prison respectively now both of them have been set free want to presidential pardons they have reconvened with their families and came out with statements saying that they could never believe that their plea to be set free would be met by alex on the list of franco you know the political analysts in

belarus are trying to determine the reasons behind this move while the other exams political prisoners still remain in prisons in behind bars in belarus and their fate remains pretty much unclear at the moment this also being a reaction from the european union from the highest representative and international affairs and security catherine ashton who said that releasing these two prisoners is definitely a right move to improve relations between brussels and main scans she demanded that the old other political prisoners must be set free as well definitely the ties between brussels and minsk have been very much strains after the events and in december to a to turn the presidential election and the crackdown on the opposition in fact has a whole diplomatic missions to do belarus or the european union left immediately all twenty seven passengers then the european union imposed sanctions umbrella was namely more than two hundred state officials and businessman still brahimi did from

traveling to the european union countries as well as several companies are blacklisted from trade with the european union there have been talks of more tougher sanctions to come within the next several weeks so the possibility that the two the sign of the possible sanctions and the release of the prisoners all connected cannot be ruled out by many experts. coming up later in the program appeasing the voters. we have a country. big a lot of fear it's about this tragic world with a new kind of a with globalization and the most fear of the french is that that could damage. the so-called soft shoe french model. politicians campaign with radical views which they believe will bring success at the polls responses fear they'll simply lose their national identity. also the scheme of giving aid in exchange for the team made up the good work of the outcome of egypt and presidential election explain one of peanuts. military

exercises are underway between the u.s. and the philippines taking place in the western part of the country where there has been a week long standoff between the libyan and chinese ships in the south china sea well for more on this we're joined live now from beijing. high school of peking university joe should change by you joining us here on our team today demonstrators gathered outside the u.s. embassy in the philippines today as you said to protest against these war games why is there so much resentment do you think. right no they're about seventy protesters outside the u.s. and it's the protesting these war games understand the sort of the sort of anger in a historical framework where the philippines previously was the u.s. colony and there were many filipino students and doctors concerned that these were games represent us playing a big brother role in. politics and there are many people would feel he was more

concerned is that becoming. subordinate to the people national interest to u.s. interests so i think that these protests are a sign of a lot of discomfort. with the traditional filipino over reliance upon u.s. military muscle now these these drills the mention of taking place there parts of the south china sea that both the philippines and china clay what reaction coming expect from beijing. beijing right now is very concerned with u.s. naval interests for other stuff trying to see which beijing claims for for it for itself there's a lot of natural resources in the sea the chinese for its economic development plus china china feels that it has historical. over the soft try turning more income over the south china sea at the same time beijing as it grows in economic and

military power is interested in expanding its power outside to that is to fix the problem is that you extend itself outside to the pacific you need to bypass of taiwan and the philippines and as we know i want in the philippines are very strong u.s. allies and so beijing is always concerned about u.s. military exercises with the philippines and taiwan. a complex situation as you know as you say then there's been a week long deadlock between the philippine and chinese vessels in the south china sea and both sides seem determined to stick it out so what's the endgame here what's going to happen. well we have understand that for the past few years there's been a lot of kenshin in the south twenty china sea in fact a lot of experts feel that the world's next conflict will happen in the south china sea just because there's so much conflict in that region. a very important region

called a strait of malacca is located in sub sub trying to see and that's where a lot of the world trade gold goes go go go through solar stuff try to see it's a very strategic and a very volatile place so it's not a truly actually for china and the philippines and united states and vietnam could also involve himself to sort of create a framework to discuss how to deal with these conflicts and so hopefully this conflict will resolve itself over the next next few days and this will be to us sort of talks a negotiation about how to avoid future conflicts such as this one indeed you mentioned the u.s. there very briefly what are america's interests in the race well i mean we have to understand that historically i mean for the past fifty years the pacific has been a part lake for the united states you know robert how when one of america's top geopolitical writers the word he uses the phrase he uses is that the pacific is

a problem for american interests and indeed american ships how have gone back and forth over the pacific as to what they owned it and as a facility trade now with the rise of china and india and this is no longer true and i think that the american military has had issues coping with this new reality and i think a lot of what we see right now you know u.s. interest in the philippines u.s. interest and i want to join your exercises i think a lot of it is the inertia and the fact that for a long time america has been running as a sceptic and now it's not. used to be. the powers that be for the future. future of america will need. to create a framework to shear it. trying to see ok roughly there in our life and beijing that was don't shoot thank you thank you very much thank you. some other world news

in brief for you now this hour the trial has begun in oslo against norwegian gunman anders breivik who has confessed to killing seventy seven people last summer vacation native port to the massacre pleaded not guilty to terror and murder charges for a bombing in a capital and the shooting rampage at a youth club in the first comments dismissed the orthorexic of a judge because he said she represents the political parties that support multiculturalism these are live pictures right now from the court as we speak he previously been ruled insane but that judgment was overturned last week or found guilty. of maximum twenty one year sentence once again these are live pictures from the trial of the norwegian mass. to continue watching the proceedings. to our web site at r.t. dot com. mali's interim president says he's ready to open

talks with the rebels and isn't ists in the north of the country and insisted on must leave the ship and consider a federation of game body growth of the new state the world leaders have rejected that body has been divided into since rebels declared an independent homeland a small and fairly trick the rising was staged by soldiers who claim the government had not provided enough weapons to fight the insurgency. and the east timorese voting for a new president in a final round of the election is now between two needles for them played key roles in the country's bloody struggle for freedom but twenty years of damage on financial east timor broke away from the carter march ninety nine he was against it by the united nations for three years finally became independent in two thousand and two a presidential vote comes ahead of the withdrawal of un peacekeepers planned for

later this year. the number of what we're egypt's leading a presidential hopefuls have indicated elop planned for next month's poll comes off to be election committee board ten of the twenty three candidates from standing by supporters have threatened to carry out the massive demonstrations and corresponds to the ground among those badar the mubarak era intelligence cheaper more soon and muslim brotherhood leading candidate the may twenty third presidential election will be the first since the country's former president was toppled over the year ago political activists are pregnant he says the spirit moves towards democracy will be hard to egypt to break away from a literal. i mean mates. such as how to charter almost a man who are causing a lot of tensions on the ground so egyptians are receiving this largely as a deep militarized state here for over sixty years the military has been ruling

this country anyone from the ministry heads the governors the mayors they're all retired military generals this up to ten because i have a strong grip over the country so it's not easy to give those tend i remember when we were first. said we're not here this is on revolution we're here as egyptians and once things settle down we'll definitely run for parliament and that we will not get over thirty five percent maximum of the parliament and this is this was more of a promise and then just the statement what we've seen is that they actually began with seventy percent and then said it would be twenty five and then they said it would be thirty five what we've seen is that with the broad coalition of salafist it's reached over seventy percent of parliament. egypt's political future could compromise its relations with the u.s. in a conflict with america's ally israel. egyptian

is changing dramatically washington policies are not for the last thirty years the u.s. has sent an annual aid package to the egyptian military this year it's one point three billion dollars it is absolutely essential that we do we can to preserve a close strategic relationship with egypt because egypt is being major player in the region the egyptian military has been widely accused of cracking down on peaceful protesters and egyptians want to put an end to the overreaching power of their military but that seems to have had no in fact on washington's decision can keep going with business as usual with their gypped business as usual seems to be reality almost a decade ago unfortunately our leadership in the white house and in the state department have not caught up with that reality of the new reality is it is not

business as usual we are not buying loyalty but not even the egyptian military's loyalty may be enough to secure business as usual between washington and cairo the muslim brotherhood is the ruling power in egypt's parliament now and their candidate could well when presidential election in may the rather hood has declared israel america's closest ally in the region enemy number one we will not be able to afford an open g. for example lingers on the borders of egypt has left acceptable by the egyptian people but most recently a delegation from the muslim brotherhood has made a trip to washington and flip flopped on some of their harsh statements this time the brotherhood lawmakers said they were not planning on breaking the peace agreement with israel signed at the end of the nineteen seventies in light of the mixed messages that keep changing daily some wonder whether there is any guarantee that egyptian military power bolstered by u.s.

taxpayer dollars and where. will knock one day be aimed at israel the fact that they have to send the go delegation charm on washington shows you that what they are trying to hide is not very charming for talking about american taxpayer dollars being used to fund what may well be a government in egypt which is vitriolically into america washington seems to be holding on to the old policy of offering egyptian leaders incentives in exchange for favors and loyalty but will that model work with a new democratic egypt which may soon be ruled by those who capitalize on fraley and anti american rhetoric i'm going to check our reporting from washington. poles apart on the political spectrum but two fronts its presidential candidates share common ground when it comes to the rections key issues. race for the country's top

job but their platforms including the fight against globalization sounds surprisingly similar so. they lie in opposite ends of the political sphere. gianluca milosz on the hard left and marie le pen on the far right. who would have thought they'd have this much in common both denouncing what they see as straight jackets for france namely nato and what they see as europe's impositions but problems must call for the world a new under globalization alliance independent of the united states of america whether the european union treaty or participation in nato which we no longer want we've allowed run proclaim that we will call a popular referendum on these two matters of rule part of our founders it is doing the child of this devastating is a ology is the euro designed as a tool to force the advent of the federal and freedom killing europe to say the

subject of immigration is the clearest difference between the two with the far right astonishingly against it but both share a passion of his to the towards globalization blaming it for job losses. both plans to increase the minimum wage and both want to increase the power of the french state to nationalization and greater control over the quote unquote big bad banks. all other political forces today including the socialist party believe blindly in virtue of capitalism this is the dissolution meant that drives about thirty percent of middle show in the pan voters who see a still and impotent middle ground a government that left jobs go and threaten their way of life they're worried this would go on we have a current tree. a lot of fears about this transit world within you could be with

globalization and the most fear of the french is that that could damage the so-called social french model which is something that the french are extremely sensitive to the politicians are feeling to the french people the securities of their radical rhetoric and increasing number of voters are looking for a third set of hearing towards the poor end of the political. and some for good. the left front is the only alternative to liberalism and not even sure if i will vote for left leaning socialist francois in the second round and that is the biggest threat to the men in the middle front runners in the race far beyond the law sean and tough talking lopin. opposite ends but they've got a shrewd knack of stealing voters on the core troubles that are blighted the french people. tesser so you're archie paris. but it's not possible to natasha who's minding our business yesterday what's the latest of what's happening well

it's pretty much a tug of war between the bulls and the bears on the equity markets but we now see that if europe the law says are actually narrow that narrow european equities are still mixed with banks and drug companies still under. sure that follows pretty have two losses on friday when the eyes were on spain and its fiscal policy after the events of spain's central bank essentially said the country's banks more than a doubled their bore away from the european central bank in the month of march is essentially indicating the lack of liquidity and spanish ten year bonds reach this dangerously high levels or actually be healed on spain's reached dangerously high levels without solve easly not good news for traders and here's russia and russia as you can see the losses are also narrowing but let's check out those numbers

there here we go you see that they're still in the red but the losses are narrowing in some of the biggest movers on the my six at the moment are is there a bank and b t v russia is the second long largest bank stopped accepting buyback applications as of friday and gas problem which was in the red over the past several hours has now moved into block as you can see there despite a low were crude prices speaking of crude it's down a but not by as monch and one of the main factors over the past several months when it comes to crude prices been the concerns of iran's nuclear program but iran had a very constructive meeting with the leading six nations over the weekend and the greed to meet again in these concerns are actually easing and that's one of the reasons why crude is a lower this monday and speaking of oil prices well major one snap has agreed to

sell oil to china at a discount the decision ends a long lasting pricing dispute between the two signs russia's oil major will. sell its. oil to its chinese customers at a. account of one and a half dollars per barrel as part of the twenty year export agreement to supply three hundred million tons of crude to china and one more thing for you that the i.m.f. has improved its outlook of russia's economic growth this year it now says the country's economy will grow four percent while the inflation is expected to be below five percent and that's all the latest from the business desk kerry i will be back about fifteen minutes with all the latest but in the meantime you can always find a lot more stories there are sites are teed up this. weekend thanks for that with us. where we cut the top stories just ahead stay with us here on r.t. .

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