a million voices for independence scotland seeks to go it alone with a campaign that could see a referendum over breaking free from the u.k. . canadian students take quebec authorities to court to battle new emergency laws adopted after months of protest against a hike into asian fees. and a year after riot police have brutally break up opposition demonstrations in the georgian capital critics accuse the country's state media of silencing voices of discontent. two pm in moscow i met reza good to have you with us here on r t our top story it's

a million strong task supporters of scottish independence launched their bid for a declaration that could see the nation break free from the union with the u.k. the scottish national party thinks if a million people put pen to paper it'll secure a victory in a referendum they want held in two thousand and fourteen or he's laura smith explains what's involved as the campaign kicks off. it is to collect a million signatures from scottish people by two thousand and fourteen in support of a yes vote and then following on from that a referendum will be held which will be asking people whether they want independence from the u.k. whether they want scotland to be an independent sovereign nation in its own right to have full control over its own fiscal. political affairs and if it succeeds scotland with break away from the union by two thousand and sixteen we hear and this is a union that's been in place for the last three hundred years it's been endorsed by a range of scottish celebrities including the actor sean connery who sent a message to the campaign and the first minister alex salmond this is this is his

baby really he's staked his entire political career on it the leader of the scottish national party he says we want to scotland that's fairer and more prosperous and for that we need an independent scotland even the most optimistic poll shows that only forty percent of people would vote for scottish independence now so that means that sixty percent of them what are the vote no or the undecideds of course that's what the campaign wants to address because there's a compelling emotional argument really for scottish independence they've always had this distinct national identity from england and the yes campaign wants a yes vote so that it will get control of its own revenues from north sea oil and gas of course that it could represent itself on the international stage all by itself it's always felt that it does and westminster isn't really representing it you don't want independence as i've said they don't see a reason to separate really and they are questions about it for example currency at the moment of course they have the pound would they be able to keep the pound or would they have to join the euro which of course is not

a particularly attractive prospect particularly at the moment and of course south of the border there's a major adversary and david cameron who doesn't want to be the man who presides over the breakup of this three hundred year old union the fear is if scotland goes who would be next would wales go would it result in the entire breakup of the united kingdom. and the european parliament the scottish national party is calling for the nation to be recognized as a sovereign state within europe its m.e.p. alan smith says scotland is quite capable of surviving and even prospering on its own there's a lot of polls over the but sure great deal of support and a great deal of democratic legitimacy for the s.n.p. government in edinburgh serving the people of scotland well with competent government doing what's the good stuff representing scotland's interests within the european union and the wider world there is no question absolutely no question under any anybody's interpretation of the figure scotland more than pays its way we have a considerably rich symptoms of natural resources human resources now we've got water

we've got the ability to feed ourselves we've got all sorts of good things going on it's up to the people of scotland to decide what sort of country we want to be and you talk about separating and dustbuster snow how do we see things we see this as joining the mainstream of the world joining the european union joining the united nations joining all sorts of other organizations look at all the global challenges that cross borders and we need to work together but we need to be represented by a government that actually does represent it presently the london government simply just does not do that and it's very very clear to the people of scotland we can do better. canadian students and trade unionists have filed a legal motion against new emergency laws restricting protests for legislation was brought into force after months of demonstrations in quebec over a planned rise in student tuition but the new laws of all public anger with thousands on strike since february since that street protests have ended it regularly in clashes with police with more than twenty five hundred people arrested

corey pool news editor of concordia university is the link newspaper thinks the movement is taking on a growing significance. one thing to the government is trying to make it a lot it don't try to keep it as a student issue that it's a student issue led by simply students and that. it can be it can be quelled with maybe some simple negotiations but i don't really think that that is exactly the case and i feel that it's an ideological issue it's a movement that has grown beyond the simple fact of which was an increase and now encompasses many many problems. that are being brought up in the current government . mismanagement of funds corruption within the government itself this magic mismanagement of the university system and generally people are really upset and i don't think this issue will simply go away stay with us here on r.t. still to come this hour under surveillance for news muslims claim there is no

freedom of worship in the us state because of the country's overzealous intelligence service plus local disharmony you free nationalistic pride the country's entry into the euro vision song contest because they say the performer is if you brainy and. stay with us. you know sometimes you see a story and it seems so you think you understand it and then you glimpse something

else you hear sees some other part of it and realized everything you thought you knew you don't know i'm tom harkin welcome to the big picture. early results of egypt's presidential election suggest the country's next leader will be either an islamist or a top official from the mubarak era the run off though between the muslim brotherhood mohamed morsi and former prime minister ahmed shafik will take place next month but cairo based activists in delhi is iata says many egyptians are already disillusioned with the ballot. there is a general sense of disappointment in the whole country people did not expect that especially knows that eve if you unities did not expect that egyptians will vote for no to evolution the two candidates that have been chosen for the runoff means

that all of them belongs to is that evolution so there is a general sense of disappointment of course among the young people which imprisons a majority of the population but now everyone is asking to vote for much if he was involved in beating people in tahrir square the audience that evolution and he was a prime minister is that mubarak used to beautify is image in his last days before he leaves the fed that people are choosing him now probably they want to give him a new chance or probably zif. selected him as a negative vote to morsi who would resent is the muslim brotherhood we the muslim brotherhood have been doing that can three since the parliamentary elections last november and since then people have seen brother without a completely flawed from was they expected them to be they became more you know speaking about things that don't reveal even to the people so i think they voted

against them by selecting and i think this what will happen is that i'm off as well it's been a year since george and riot police broke up five days of opposition protests demanding the resignation of president saakashvili two people were killed in clashes with water cannons and rubber bullets used to disperse the rallies dozens were severely injured and hundreds arrested as police tried to clear the way for the state's independence day celebrations but twelve months on critics of those voices who took to the streets of tbilisi are being silenced by the country's state controlled media artie's maria notion of reports. results to study two one of georgia's main television channels that slogan proclaims news is made here is the ads from the country's journalists charter complains that sometimes it's literally so and works equally for all georgian major broadcasters. they do not cover news they make it there in their offices behind closed doors in georgia where there are only three national channels broadcasting news channel one

a state ran while the owners of the two others are starting to and in mehdi had close ties with georgian president mikheil saakashvili and his administration they are the main sources of information for the country's almost four point five million population ziad says the news reports of these three air often repeat each other which raises concerns over there it is tauriel independence especially as the country enters election season five months before parliament voting is there quite black and white circus really is good opposition is bad but they really touch georgian politics at all when i watch it i have the feeling that there are no problems in georgia and their main mission is to entertain people not to inform them. other channels content is more diversified from the corruption in the country's elite and political prisoners to a controversial purchase by the president's mother of a historic bilton in central but to me for just one larry which is less than one us

dollar but these are turning to the media sources can hardly get an audience outside the capital tbilisi. local authorities prevent us from broadcasting in the provinces although we do have a license the people running the biggest company the former minister of defense and the head of the government communications committee who are also co owners of the three biggest channels all of them are friends with the president apart from financial markets says the authorities practice other kinds of pressure to include in what he says is a feature of any offer tarion regime. our journalists have been beaten up their equipment stolen and there's been no investigation do we really have freedom of press if our correspondents every time they go to an opposition rally have to wonder if they're going to be beaten or not irakli and use paper reporter says he has been twice in the last month by the president and interior minister as security

for attempting to cover the events with the two top officials where only government approved media were invited. me here very hot and also yelled how did i come here at all would be blacklisted and would never find decent and i think as elections approach such pressure will only get tougher for most of the population he told to get the news from the state own the safe and for media the press is among the most tightly money talks and there are not to these presidential and parliamentary elections the look of independent information means voters will make it a season that is likely far from being informed and according to many far from being free. race nationality to really see georgia well stay with us here on r.t. still to come this hour what's in store for so yes residents of new york what they think the future holds for popular that word coming your way in a few. but first muslims in the u.s.

state of california say they're living in fear of prosecution by the government they claim their rights are being abused by the f.b.i. which trip which treats them with unnecessary suspicion and while the government says is just trying to prevent terror attacks the muslim community isn't convinced sarkies medina cochon over reports. yes a fraud prepares for his daily prayers fear creeps into the back of his mind as to whether the person next to him is a spy are you you know felt that there was a sense of mistrust but i wasn't sure about the people that were coming up the mosque if there was somebody i knew at the mosque that i had never seen and i would always feel in the back of my mind that you know who is this person what are they here for a fight is one of many american muslims who came under the surveillance of the f.b.i. in south in california what he thought was a fellow warship or at a mosque turned out to be an informant the subject of monitoring muslims doesn't exactly come as a surprise to many in the u.s.

this is been happening all across the country simply because so many more seem to cross the country are getting visited on a regular basis by a p.r. agency for doing joint terrorism task force officers so many are having problems now the consul of american islamic relations to california is suing the agency for what it says is an attempt to incriminate people based simply on their religion that the muslims are what the outcome americans were the fifty's sixty's seventy's i think it's a war a religious war i think it's part of. the sims based on their religion. but really this is a war on islam. and islam craig monte was an aft be an informant sent to infiltrate the muslim community in south in california he says that while the f.b.i. insist it's acting to defend the u.s. from potential terrorist attacks and slapping suspicion on an entire religious

group people here say americans have their minds sent to mistrust arabs and muslims and it's not simply because of the identification of the nine eleven hijackers but more from a decade of muslims being. vilified by hollywood as jihadists islamic extremists and terrorists. but people here believe the problem is far greater and concerns many minority communities targeted because of their free and fair if nicety. that's not just about the muslim community because what happens is that our constitutional freedoms start getting weak and for everybody and we're starting to see that more and more because we have allowed this so hot that it means for a fod and many others in minority communities nationwide they will be forced to live life looking over their shoulders even in their own country i have to

constantly watch myself it's almost like this you know mental chatter that i have to constantly put myself through whenever i visit or go to the mosque or go to events with the community because you never know somebody that might be listening might be enough be i informed my in the question archie reporting from los angeles california or stories available at r.t. dot com here's what's online right now as the f.b.i. awaits government approval to get access to snoop on websites and e-mails some think the agency is already policing cyberspace. the first commercial space mission of the historic dragon vessel successfully docks with the international space station you can watch what happened to our you tube channel. is he going to do.

you believe. the official ante up location to your pod touch from the. lights on the. video. r.s.s. feeds now in the palm of your. on the dot com prime minister to be true medvedev has been elected the head of russia's ruling united russia party made better who supported innovation during his term as president is already proposed to hold primaries on all levels to increase democratic competition parties or in english go explains what we can expect with

medvedev as the party's chairman. first and foremost he did say that the party is in need of some of some overhauling of it to be more modernized he did call on the party members to be war active only internet she said that taxing more young voters and younger members of the party is crucial to the party's development still supposed primaries in order to create a greater competition within the party ranks she did say that the ruling posted in the party should be harder to wirehead basically she did outline some of the major areas where the party should be working in order to progress not stand still she did say that there is a competition that the united russia is facing at the moment and they should be able to handle the competition to not be pretty creative criticism because after all it is in the in the disputes and in conversations where the truth is being born basically he did outline and not particularly in any detail of his plan for the party but it does look like he is set on moving it forward he's also the first

prime minister to actually belong to a party by him it was and wasn't a member of the united russia and estimated one hundred million people worldwide will tune into the euro vision song contest this saturday night but one country's been divided over the competition or rather its own entry many in ukraine say they're unhappy with a singer representing the nation that is only half ukrainian exposing what others fear is the spread of racism artie's alexei reports from kiev. the song be my guest sounds like an invitation. who is representing ukraine at the eurovision song contest says its message is positive that her country opens its arms to any guest but the reaction of ukraine's nationalists that is being performed by a woman with african roots suggests quite the opposite. the jury which decided by turner should go was very biased they didn't let real ukrainian singers go to

europe vision like how she sings but now people might get an impression that ukraine is a country somewhere in africa. the daughter of a ukrainian mother and the congolese father may have been hurt by this attitude but still try to play down with a smile i don't like it i hate to a season i hate when people. have so much negatively in this. i hate it when people try to choose you like a friend because you why do you blab. this is no isolated racism among ukraine's nationalists over the years they've been making the ideology known in other ways deemed offensive by many from attacking war veterans on victory day last year or cooking eggs and bacon on kiev's eternal flame which commemorates fallen red army soldiers all the previous actions of ukraine's right wing radicals have been mostly acts of hooliganism they have rarely made headlines especially in

the global media but with the euro twenty eight well football championship coming to ukraine some pundits in the west believe this is about to change reporter brian flynn from britain sun newspaper disguised himself as a right wing sympathizer to go undercover into a nationalist field cam in western ukraine has put a shows them firing weapons and using explosives this military wing of nationalists has what it takes to wreck some real haversack flynn believes their destructive skills could be employed. quite soon with football hooligans being among those trained at the camp with the very clear about a number of of things that their ideology sort of points in the direction of one of them is is a belief that there should be no black players playing for european clubs as one of the generals told me it wouldn't it's not fair it should be england against ukraine not ukraine against england and africa as well as make clear that any black fans going to ukraine should should be very careful is clear to me that these are people

very serious about what they do they train physically to back it up with violence and watch what they fired live weapons. the danger of major violence at the football event may still be averted if authorities take action but another great risk looms for ukraine the ruling party is losing ground and september's vote may bring some of those radicals into parliament. nowadays no one would be surprised to see the nazi salute at folk festivals in western ukraine or nationalist some regional powers in other parts peace can still take action against neo nazis and much of the very same people will have parliamentary immunity and an unlimited past form in parliament to spread their ideas to young people ukraine's right wing nationalist align themselves in glorifying everything ukrainian at the same time they are strongly supportive of their country's european integration but with increasingly vocal zina for big and racist statements it's hard to imagine brussels

listening to their opinions on ukraine becoming an e.u. member state should they make it to power. reporting from kiev in ukraine. turning now to some other stories making headlines across the globe u.n. monitors have the set of the syrian town of houla where activists claim at least ninety people were killed they say scores were wounded as while in the violence as government forces shelled the town the bloodshed comes after a recent u.n. report accusing both sides. as of deadly attacks the document says fighting is becoming increasingly militarized amid a shaky six week cease fire. a second person has died after a shooting rampage in southern finland seven others were wounded after the assailant opened fire at crowds from a low rooftop before fleeing the scene a man suspected in the killings has been arrested the attack happened some fifty kilometers north of the capitol hill sinky. pakistan huge rallies have been held against people against the possible reopening of nato supply routes to afghanistan

protesters chanted slogans condemning u.s. interference in the country the border was closed to nato in november after u.s. drone strikes killed twenty four pakistani soldiers is a lot of that continues demanding washington apologize for the incident and halt its drone strikes. spain's fourth largest bank bankia has asked for nineteen billion euros of government cash to save it from collapse if granted it would be the biggest of its kind in the country's history the help was requested after ratings giant standard and poor's declared the banks giant the banking giants credit score junk spanish banks are giving the eurozone a severe headache because of the huge number of toxic property assets they currently have on their books. finally in the news block the last decade seen the meteoric rise of social media networks and despite being an integral part of modern day communication there are those who think the times already past our own resident in new york laurie harvest asked people on the streets what they think about the future of social media.

social media websites have been making headlines for years is the craze coming to an end any time soon this week let's talk about that do you use social media i used to actually just lead in my face but why is this getting tired of it tired of trying to keep up with everyone do you think the world is getting a little bit over social media yeah a little bit yeah you know when mom start using social media time to go my grandma is actually using it do you use no why not because i don't like being tried to like the like of putting too much of my personal information on this kind of social network photo you assume i like the one provisional ones like clinton but the public ones like of in the to be very specific to be very useful that's why you know some people put a little too much information on their thing but yeah why do we care about what people eat and what they're doing every second every and every meal they ate you

know but it's a good way to keep in touch with people too so what about the phone what about you know going over to your neighbor's house and saying hi exactly i think people are getting away from that and it's too easy to just do it online nowadays i think there's a lot of good uses for there are some uses we found in the school system not so good like what some of the bullying that goes on and i think is too many young people are kind of think what's the big deal if i give somebody a threat over there where i've seen police officers get involved with kids or do those kinds of things because it's it's a threat whether it's on facebook person they actually do social media strategy for a job yes your life depends on social media a little bit i do other things as well but it's one of them yes he use it every day in your personal life i do one reason i think that i'm decent at social media strategy is because i am a little bit sick of it so do you think the social media craze is coming to an end why don't you tweet about it and see if anyone cares.

headlines in a few moments stay with us your art. well from the fukushima zation is the name of the game when you're saving lives when

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