u.s. secretary of state's a visit to cairo opens a floodgate of criticism from opposition leaders who say the u.s. is too heavily involved in egypt's internal issues. a boost for the syrian opposition rebels are preparing to receive millions of dollars in aid plus direct support for on the groups fighting the assad regime after rounds of bickering through. private bradley manning plead guilty to handling military data and sending it to wiki leaks show the public the true cost of war but u.s. authorities will pursue the more serious charges of aiding the enemy possibly landing him behind bars for life. also the world becomes leaderless with standing down for the first time in six hundred years leaving the churches reputation spiraling child abuse and corruption. and the sequester kicks in taking a chainsaw to america's economy eighty five billion dollars and potentially

hundreds of thousands of jobs to be cut thanks to republican and democrat bickering . broadcasting live from our studios in moscow with our round up of the week's top stories this is r.t. with a weekly good to have you with us now america's top diplomat john kerry has faced a wall of criticism and public protests to during his visit to egypt some of the country's opposition leaders accuse washington of interfering in the country's domestic politics that sentiment is being echoed by their supporters on the streets as artie's cairo correspondent true reports. there was. from the people here in egypt what we saw was protests outside the foreign ministry of people actually burning pictures of john kerry saying that he was supporting the muslim brotherhood and u.s. interests in egypt on

a formal political level opposition leader creating a hamdeen sabbahi i'm really so on mohamed el baradei to attend the meeting on saturday yesterday six of the eleven opposition think it is used to attend to by himself who of course is part of the national salvation front the leading opposition coalition here he said that he wouldn't open dialogue with john kerry the u.s. continues to pursue their interests here and to interfere at a domestic level. for his part apparently did to meet with john kerry were not sure what was actually discussed. they talked to him on the phone clearly a feeling of anger towards the u.s. secretary of state who was calling for political consensus which many people interpret as a bucking the muslim brotherhood policies he has historically been a lot of anger towards the u.s. since the revolution people saw supporting muslim back to form and to take this

switching their leases to the muslim brotherhood and of course pushing forward this very unpopular four point eight billion dollar i.m.f. loan which will see subsidy cuts and tax hikes affecting the poorest of society and we will have john kerry meeting with mohamed morsi the president here today we expect the protests yet to be seen or to spell true reporting for us there now egypt is the latest stop on kerry's first foreign tour as u.s. secretary of state earlier this week he met with turkey's prime minister erdogan on urging the country to overcome its differences with israel middle east expert professor feisal mohammad believes there's a consistency in america's approach to the troubled region and maintaining israel's security. we have not seen a major rewrite situation of american policy in light in years bring in light of the transition in egypt in particular it's really still the same whole season has

been the bar it now the saudi within egypt it's used to protect american interests is really the army rather than the presidential palace it's the army that continues to get a great deal of american funds and it's through the clothes. that i think americans hope tuning in many of the same policies that need to change under mubarak so the way that seem to be stage manage suggests a continuation of the same american policy where israel comes first and israel's arab neighbors are really a tool. use only to try to preserve israel's security. syria's apparently never ending civil standoff became the key issue of u.s. diplomacy this week after bargaining and mixed messages syria's a key opposition group managed to get more concessions from washington and its pro-rebel allies the u.s. has agreed to provide direct non lethal support to opposition fighters battling the

assad army on the ground it has also promised an additional sixty million dollars to help them secure the territories they've already seized but washington's been reluctant to send arms to the rebels citing fears it could fall into islamist hands dr yunus a middle east scholar at columbia university says the conflict will not end as long as rebels have the support needed to fight on. this is just so called free of politic we know this from centuries ago international politics is the way. things happen it's not about the people so and if he really wanted to help the syrian people they should have. sought a political settlement from the beginning now we're actually always that third year of the conflict through and they continue to fuel this conflict by bringing weapons and money to was certainly part of the opposition if really really interested in finding a solution and stopping the bloodshed the first thing to do is just stop funding

and stop bringing weapons to the un groups that way that would be obliged to sit at the table if this is not this isn't made by the international players i don't see how this can stop. israel could soon get the unique benefit of being america's official major strategic ally manager is discussed at an annual pros really gathering in washington but the leaders of both countries are absent we've got analysis in just a few minutes. and what do a comedian a communist attorney democrat in a sex scandal survivor have in common it's not a joke but just some of the leaders tasked with attempting to form a coalition with a post-election italy split on austerity corruption and government one that shortly . this week u.s. private bradley manning pleaded guilty to handing over secret military data to the whistle blowing web site wiki leaks prosecutors say they will push forward with

more serious charges of aiding the enemy and call over one hundred forty witnesses to prove their point a guilty verdict could mean a life sentence. watched the latest developments. guilty but not sorry more than one thousand days after his arrest u.s. army private bradley manning admitted to being the source behind the largest leak of classified information in u.s. history private first class bradley manning has pleaded guilty to ten of the twenty charges against him private bradley manning minutes he gave thousands of secret document to the wiki leaks website manning gave his first detailed explanation of why he did it manning said he uploaded troops of u.s. secrets to the weeks and weeks website because quote americans have a right to know the true cost of war he is the purest form with he had be a very sophisticated analysis of why he had to do it as a duty to spread americans to expose what their government with doing in the name which within the home and around the world so all credit to him he's

a. former intelligence analyst said he attempted to contact traditional media outlets like the washington post the new york times and politico but failed to get through to them later deciding to pass the documents on to wiki leaks manning said he engaged in a prolonged internet conversation with the wiki leaks member called cox who he assumes was julian a songe i think it's very clear that the risks of street government secrecy are much graver and have already done much more serious damage to the united states and god knows other countries then the risk brought by whistleblowers and leaks like this one manning pleaded not guilty to aiding the enemy the most serious charge which washington is determined to proof the u.s. government is reportedly planning to call a key witness to testify that osama bin laden actively sought to access material manning passed along to wiki leaks some reports suggest the unknown individual could reportedly be one of the navy seals involved in the about about raid that

killed bin laden the fear here i think is that you would be sensationalizing the proceedings and it would it would make it nearly impossible for me. to have a fair trial in a just because we now be talking about terrorism terrorism and terrorism will get away from the fact that he is charged with the offense of releasing the information and they don't have to show that terrorists received it this will continue the obama administration has ushered in this era of pursuing whistleblowers and making certain that they are prosecuted and they go out because i'm zealously in a manner that they do not go after other individuals that's been the thing i think is the most particularly striking is you can have private contractors who are in danger weapons smuggling like like the blackwater executives or you can have bankers that engage in financial fraud and they are pursued as jealously as whistleblowers following his arrest in may two thousand and ten manning was kept in

solitary confinement at a military jail in kuwait then at a marine person in quantico virginia for the first ten months of his detention a former army analyst spent twenty three hours a day in a six by eight foot windowless cell and was forced to sleep naked without bed sheets treatment that hundreds of legal scholars including president barack obama's former harvard professor claims was cruel and inhumane punishment that may have undermined manning's psychological stability i think he was treated very horrendously and they were very they were very much trying to break him and subject him to horrors and to make it clear to intimidate people around the world who would do the kind of heroic things that bradley manning did to try and it through them from doing that manning himself said he believed to do move it would only embarrass but not damage the u.s. and eventually kick start a public debate the results the u.s.

was shamed in front page headlines around the world a nervous superpower launched a witch hunt against whistleblowers and wiki leaks became a household name for cost or young private may spend between twenty years and a lifetime behind bars for an important i.r.t. new york. and bradley manning's biographer denver nix believes that manning's experience within the mainstream media highlights the need for new ways to inform the public isn't it ironic that if you went to the new york times the north of them and they gave this information which you leaks and it ultimately ended up at the new york times this is this this may be a good example of the need for going to zation it's like wiki leaks if not we do leaks it so that they need to realisations like it not necessarily for some kind of sophisticated leaking technology but just because they'll pay attention to it a young army private who who had access to important information and who had something he wanted to say. he was probably ignored because he was relatively

powerless he's not part of the great power structure of american politics not a not a power player in washington he was just an army private at a forward operating base in baghdad. and we can sense elections italy and its senate to remain in limbo with parties across the political spectrum so far refusing any talks on coalitions and one party led by an enigmatic comedian and now finds itself in the role of king maker the good reloads anti austerity anti corruption rhetoric well even millions of a talent securing him one quarter of the vote but he was still behind the democrats and a coalition led by disgraced former prime minister silvio berlusconi the president is now calling on all sides to work together to try and form a stable government or else face new elections but at a phony a stretch t.j. and political analyst says the people are as wary of broken promises as they are

austerity. people need to be updated of state the measures which have not produced the structural reforms of the society you know that do have a trustable future call for those who are already working and for those who have planted to the work force people a diet of promises which have not been fulfilled the center left it is. getting what it was already seen in the polls elections but certainly many people are wondering why they didn't make the reforms in the previous their stations where they had the majority so the situation is very cultic at the moment it is not certain that the government can be forced if not the coalition government involving the major political forces that are present in the bottoms. and the u.s. is looking to squeeze tehran with yet more sanctions but as the screws tighten and

there's a boom in other quarters and she runs the agricultural sector picks up the pace that's coming up later this hour. depression and rage just a few of the side effects of an anti pregnancy drug reportedly given to ethiopian women in israel without their consent stay with us later in the program for more on these shocking allegations. there are twelve cities in the united states in which half of the people with hiv aids lives with. this is a problem that frankly is substantially preventable it was like the big elephant in the room and nobody wanted to talk about they were really good public health campaigns people really focused on this problem you certainly should be able to. see a lot less human suffering. than

to live from moscow this is r t glad to have you back with us now the catholic church witnessed history this week benedict the sixteenth. resigned something a pope has not done for six hundred years and as the church remains leaderless

internal divisions and a marred reputation mean many are losing faith eroding the church's foundation artie's even a political reports. it's not just about selecting a new bishop of rome some say but the very future of the catholic church the catholic church is undergoing a very important tries this it is a crisis at two levels it is a government tries this and it is it tries this of the believers there was a lack of leadership which culminated in the great scandals of about the leaks far from the splendor of the sistine chapel a closer look at the recent events in the vatican to highlight disillusionment and frustration with the church once all about the i distanced myself from the church when i became an adult when i started talking about what had been talking with specially after all the scandals broke out in the catholic church i realize that it doesn't represent my spirituality benedict the sixteenth may have been the first

pope with a twitter account but many argue this measure alone was not strong enough in appealing to the masses know this is the age of transparency the age of the people the churches should be properly screened they'd be. considered sacred. the great assets everybody now you see that it would be to be the problem of the media they're really working on the system he went to change belief in simple church for people the gabrielli of this inability to face up to and much less to punish those who may be responsible for tainting the image of the church is the deciding factor in abandoning catholicism. there's another scandal with a girl who disappeared in the vatican twenty years ago and they say the man found her remains the italian police are leading the investigation here but instead of helping them about it in his obstructing the investigation it's likely they knew about this. and on top of all those cases of pedophilia this is just disgusting

the list of controversial events involving catholic priests or vatican officials reads like a tabloid reports of sex abuse put it feely accusations alleged large scale corruption and possible ties with the mafia while the media especially in italy has been having a field day with the scandals the vatican either stayed silent or rebuffed all accusations but those things may be looking rather grim for the seat of st peter's at a first glance there is still a chance the catholic church can make a comeback. with the church would be with. but there. could be strong we become to reform but in spite of that the recent revelations have left me wondering if the holy see has been blind the world is rapidly changing and that the catholic church has failed to keep pace sure it has seen a fair number of ups and downs as well as in two thousand year long history but there

is opinion that perhaps taking on pleasant development sweeping it under the carpet and filling it with people going for secrecy is a tradition better left in the past in rome. r.t. . ration cards have kicked in in the united states with the government now slashing eighty five billion dollars from its budget following political deadlock but even as the first snips are made the blame game is raging with democrats and republicans desperate to offload responsibility professor of political economy jack rasmussen believes the new concert will bring worldwide uncertainty as the psychological effects of america. in order will have an impact on us as we talked about but i think it will cause more on certain certain key economic. all across the globe and i think you know once again the whole issue of

does austerity solve the problem will be a big issue and as a result i think it will turn more globally towards monetary tools quantitative easing but that has big problems in dissipating currency wars so we'll see what what happens with on the monetary side and that will be an outcome of all this i think. and israel could become the first ever nation to enjoy the official status of america's major strategic ally this among other things could mean of the us would be obliged to support any potential israeli offensive against iran the proposed legislation is to be discussed at the annual american israeli public affairs committee gathering about to kick off in washington despite the significance of such a move neither of the leaders of the two countries are attending geo political analyst patrick kennington says that this could be a sign the israeli lobby is losing influence. we know the us and some noises

coming out of washington there is quite a little contingent within the united states that is looking to perhaps get into the batek because she should run and not be talking abrasively as they have in previous years and israel has entered the fray the israeli lobby is really putting pressure on those politicians in america to take a more israeli line which is a more hardcore lied us to do with perhaps a flame war with out of around the big change here that we're looking at is a shift there is a shift away from this kind of like allegiance to israel that is on capitol hill in washington d.c. there are splits appearing because americans are realizing that it's not in their best interest it's not in american interest to follow israel's agenda so therefore aipac is it's not beneficial for aipac to be running the government or want to any more as for the past thirty years. where can this friendship

leave. the apac congress this sunday on. nuclear talks held this week between iran and six world powers including the us ended without a breakthrough and as america introduces a new bill to tighten the economic screws on the country tehran insists it has the right to ensure its energy independence whistleblower going to todd tells r.t. the risk of a nuclear iran is being blown out of proportion the iranian civilization has been around and for five thousand years certainly longer than most questions on sanctions or any western civilizations and they're not suicidal. they know that it's more than eighty eight nuclear weapons they would be obliterated washington this thing pops and being pushed by israel for a long time to effect regime change in iran. and the nuclear program as

an excuse to put pressure on iran to try to cause regime change but i'm not saying that a nuclear armed iran would be a good thing but they aren't any countries on a good thing but the trash now behind pressure on iran and my opinion comes directly from israel else desire for regime change in iran and why the united states government to make that happen the us basketball legend has called the north korean leader all some kid despite the country's recent nuclear test that's when he when he took a trip to the isolated country to film a documentary and find out the details of what else he got up to on our website. and filthy rich moscow has more billionaires than any other city according to a new survey get a glimpse of what they spend their dollars at r.t. dot com. it's not unusual in israel for

immigrants to have to meet certain criteria to be allowed to settle in the country but shocking allegations have emerged that ethiopian women have been made to take potentially damaging contraceptive drugs just to be allowed to enter or to use policy or has the story budget horror when i first arrived at the grand transit camp i got pregnant and i gave birth he told me if you don't take the shots we won't give you a ticket so i had six ishant but i didn't know that it would prevent pregnancies i didn't know. but more and more israeli women were becoming suspicious like one who runs a youth center in an ethiopian neighborhood in four years only one child was born here and the alarming statistic in a community where family wealth is counted by the number of children of all i believe a few of the organizations who were responsible for bringing if they open immigrants to israel decided to administer a contraceptive to them we don't know who gave the instruction but we do know from

what we were told that this treatment began and i failed them and it continued in israel where every three months immigrant ethiopian woman received. depôt provera contraceptive drug but now that the said we wouldn't take the shot they said then you come to me great you won't get assistance or medical care although legal the american food and drug administration has warned that the side effects of this drug could be irreversible we're talking about contraception that has significant medical and mental effects irregular cycles vaginal bleeding osteoporosis alongside mental side effects like depression mood swings wage and more two thirds of ethiopian women have been taking it without being informed that they don't have to and now for the first time an israeli official has admitted all three teeth have been administering a to them in january this year the director general of the health ministry ordered all gynecologists working for or with the health maintenance organizations not to

a new any deeper prevail or prescriptions for women originating from ethiopia or for any other woman for whom there is a concern that they do not fully understand the implications of the treatment critics say it stinks of racism i think the proceedings role is wrong for the point poor of blocked. but the legal backlash is beginning and while nervous about coming forward human rights groups are encouraging ethiopian women to sue for damages so far no one's taken responsibility organizations involved in immigration of ethiopians to israel are all blaming each other their defense is that they offered several different types of contraceptives to ethiopian women and that all of them participated voluntarily in family planning policy r.t. tel aviv. well up next a second half of our special report as we look at why half of all h.i.b. infections in the united states affect only thirteen percent of the population.

i got a lot of messages from our t.v. viewers who are very concerned about drones living under skynet is not the american way and many are concerned about their safety and privacy congressman ted poe has introduced a bill that may address some people's concerns about drones this bill is the preserving american privacy act what's clear if i see how the government can use these drugs so basically the act adds bureaucracy to drone usage in order to restrict it in theory protecting people's privacy the thing is that one side is arguing for drone usage and the other side for bureaucratic restricted drone usage but what about not using drones to spy on americans ever no drone.