claims of russian meddling are back in the headlines and democratic senators are calling on president trying to slap still more sanctions on russia alleging moscow is interfering in the upcoming 20 twentieth's. and historic legal hearing begins in london to determine whether julia songs will be extradited to the us where the wiki leaks founder is wanted on the hacking and espionage charges his supporters claim the case is against him is extremely weak but we have good morning for all the same the same thing we've been hearing for years but it's 20. 4. per cent of single evidence. and in

a stunning woman requests asylum in russia after her ex-husband is acquitted of sexually abusing their daughters she stresses her story with our team. direct from our studios most of this is r t international i'm sean thomas certainly glad to have you with us. us democratic senators are urging the trumpet ministration to impose additional sanctions on russia following reports alleging the country is meddling in the 2020 presidential election. a letter from congressional democrats was presented a sensually calling for more sanctions to be imposed on russia in response to allegations of russia trying to interfere in the 2020 presidential election which will take place in november here's some of what was included in the letter. we urge

you to immediately draw upon the reported conclusions of the intelligence community to identify and target for sanctions all those determined to be responsible for ongoing elections interference including president putin the government of the russian federation any russian actors determined to be directly responsible and those acting on their behalf or providing material or financial support for their efforts now as you heard the letter even called for directly sanctioning the russian head of state russian president vladimir putin now we know that these new allegations about the upcoming election are can be traced back to shelby pearson now shelby pearson is a an intelligence community figure in the united states who is basically at this point the top election security official and she testified before the u.s. house of representatives intelligence committee about allegations that russia is somehow planning to meddle in the 2020 vote for the purpose of making sure that

donald trump is reelected now donald trump in response to her testimony said he did not buy that this was trump's response to allegations that russia is trying to help him win the white house for another term did you see that i see these ponies these that do nothing democrats they said today that cotton wants to be sure that trump gets elected here we go these people are crazy now much of shelby's claim has been disputed and debunked by other figures in the u.s. intelligence community furthermore in the aftermath of this claim from shelby pearson that russia is meddling for the purpose of reelecting trump we now have allegations that russia is meddling for the purpose of electing a u.s. senator bernie sanders from vermont so russia is at this point being accused of taking 2 different sides in the upcoming vote however russia has been very adamant that this is simply not true the russian. government officials have been very

adamant that they are not trying to interfere in the u.s. voting process take a listen to what has been said in response to these allegations in u.s. media and from u.s. officials which these are just the usual paranoid cleanups which unfortunately we will be hearing more about as the us elections approach. of course we have nothing to do with the truth. now in 2016 there were widespread allegations of a russian meddling russian collusion in the us election process those allegations continued after the election there was a long investigation and much of what had initially been said was debunked the facts simply didn't add up that wasn't true but regardless of everything the united states has been through and all the allegations that have been hurled 'd and debunked in the last 4 years it seems like now as the 2020 vote approaches and in november once again the united states will be going to the polls to determine who will be president it seems that allegations about russia will once again be

surfacing and that this will be once again part of the election process in determining who will be the president of the united states for the following 4 years political analyst alessandro bruno thinks that blaming russia is convenient both for republicans and democrats. blaming russia is convenient for both parties because that way they can avoid speaking about real problems and real issues and policy none of the parties are speaking about policy in fact. put any. blame for whatever outcome in the election russia that's the only logical reason that i could come up for these stories to be. resurfacing again after they failed so so badly you know over the past 3 years of this story. we've had.

monday marks the start of an historic extradition hearing in london which will decide whether the founder of wiki leaks julian assange is handed over to the united states it was a blower who is currently in belmarsh prison is wanted in the u.s. on espionage and packing charges and could face a sentence of up to 175 years or tutor comments. the u.k. system starts to decide whether june in march will indeed be extradited to the u.s. on their request when i came here this morning there were journalists and protesters here apparently this court has never seen so many people before so they are finding it a little bit hard to handle now didn't assault his father has spoken out he's spoken of his torture and says that it will happen to all journalists if this extradition is a successful torture of julian the witness for the new mills of you know nations read. all of those records. that he's going.

to journalists publish and publication if this extradition this political extradition julian the son his successor we've heard from the british point of view the those who are having to speak up and think about allowing this extradition they spoken a lot about the official secrets the 911 and 989 official secrets which isn't generally only used on spies it bans the disclosure of classified information passed to target foreign spies and traitors and it's also used against journalists there have been reports that the government wants to revamp that legislation you can hear from the wiki leaks editor in chief kristinn hrafnsson and he's been speaking to the media during the breaks of this process what we heard this morning like the war of the same the same thing we've been hearing for 10 years we 1st

heard it in july 2010 reporting lives at risk and now 10 years later there is no evidence of torture and on the contrary to the contrary under one official was forced to admit. the modern trial of 2030. that nobody had to be intrinsically hard because you do serve revelations in 20102011 now 2020 they are in court not able to produce sent a single evidence of that hard still they go off day one of this hearing is going to go on for another week and i'm sure we'll be here to tell you exactly what goes on it has certainly been a long and taxing legal saga for julian assange so i ask you taylor looks in now at how the wiki leaks founder has found himself closer than ever to extradition. hero

or enemy number one you decide either way judy in the song has become a name and a face recognized all over the wild and not for the death penalty so if i'm not for the death penalty want to do it illegally shoot the son of a. bitch. terrorism he should be treated as an enemy combatant was her 6 own was wiki leaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service by defending surely i'm not sure. we define a dome or sacred rights the 48 year old australian put a target on his back when he leaked 8 of classified u.s. documents nang bad views of power at the very highest levels with the us justice department hot on his heels as some sort of saddam in london's ecuadorian embassy the 7 known years before suddenly and unceremoniously being dragged out by british

police. or fire a stab in the back and perhaps coincidence that aquittal is bank account had just been credited with a $4200000000.00 learn from the i.m.f. what the us has huge sway so from the full rules of the embassy to the 4 walls of a jail cell as someone who was taken to london's belmarsh prison and handed an exceptional sentence in britain by of violations seldom need to prison sentences they're generally subject only to finds a sunshade by contrast was sentenced in summary proceedings to 50 weeks in a maximum security prison clearly a disproportionate penalty that had only a single purpose holding a son should long enough for the us to prepare the espionage case against him he and his lawyer had just 15 minutes to. path of the trial which itself also just

lost it 15 minutes betrayed by feeling let down by the legal system a songe now claimed his fundamental human rights were under attack he was put in solitary confinement for up to 23 hours a day the u.n. and rights groups were in disbelief and some feared for more than just his freedom we have real concerns on the evidence currently available that mr a staunch could die in prison the medical situation is there or by urgent there is no time to lose against this backdrop is it surprising those suspicions swotting around the extradition trial especially given the u.s. u.k. treaty clearly states no citizen can be extradited the political purposes which many tame at the says and while washington says this case is strictly about national security it seems queen elizabeth the 2nd didn't get the memo. i must tell you however that is a constitutional sovereign majesty acts on the advice of him ministers and remain

strictly nonpolitical at all times this is therefore not a message in which the queen would intervene if the u.k. kowtows to its allies request might be dealt not just a life sentence without parole but even the death penalty if washington to side step out on the charges in the future that's if it finds a willing jury which apparently will be a problem. his sons will receive a trial by jury in alexandria virginia the new turris espionage court where the u.s. tries all national security cases the choice of location is not by coincidence the cases are always tried in front of the same judge behind closed doors and on the strength of classified evidence nobody has ever been acquitted in a case like. that is a prearranged affair a show trial to make an example of julian a son the point is to intimidate other journalists global outcry human rights the

law or the right to a fat trial turns out there all week adversaries in the face of the government who will fight tooth and nail to keep a lid on its secrets meanwhile the family of harry done a british 1000 year old who was killed in a road accident last august are calling for us on his extradition to be blocked they say the u.s. 1st needs to hand over and so cool us of the woman suspected of taking her son's life she is the wife of an american diplomat and has admitted that she was driving on the wrong side of the road she left the u.k. shortly after the tragic incident claiming diplomatic immunity and despite requests from the british government washington says it will not agree to her extradition the lawyer for the dunn family has accused of us of rank hypocrisy. whilst america is. protecting her harbor the person who's accused of killing her and jun they have no business calling pretty extradition anybody from the united kingdom it

is it is it is what i can find where it's just discussed in congress there you go cases are completely different but the over arching principle of the rest of prosody girl runs all extradition cases if the united states is going to rip up the extradition treaty between the u.s. new case as it's done here then you know the united kingdom needs to stand up to it up and both countries need to abide by the extradition treaty so you know we are very clear working you know doing our best work with the u.k. government. to make sure that the decision that the united states has made it's not actually good this is not accepted but we are in the middle of a diplomatic standoff it's one of the darkest moments. in the u.s. u.k. the relationship. in a stony and woman says she's had to flee to russia to protect her daughters she is

claiming asylum after her husband was acquitted of sexually abusing their children here is her story. but. it's a bit of my older daughter started scratching her face i would ask her how do you scratching yourself you shouldn't hurt yourself and she would reply oh mom i feel guilty about what dad did to us then we went to psychologist after several sessions she told me the girls are telling the truth about what they want to it's a classic reaction an offense or assume has taken her 2 daughters to russia to keep them away from the norwegian father she accuses him of molesting the girls something he strongly denies according to her it started back in 2012 in norway when the girls were raised one and 2 but if the us was when our younger daughter was born he offered to be their older daughter i need something from the bathroom so iraq turn without knocking i opened the door they were not washing they were not even in the bath they were just standing there naked and i went on to describe the horrific details of that incident who is from a star india obtained

a story in passports for the girls and took them to her homeland but the husband hired a lawyer filed for custody and won the right to see the children for a week every 2 months and it was legally unable to prevent him from taking the children to norway there were by years after the 1st trips the children would come back and tell me would be naked with dad or where we slept naked with dad in the same bed sometimes the older one would wake up screaming for a long time i couldn't it to myself what was happening and made 2016 he once again brought the children back from a weeklong stay there i saw a very strange scene when we were saying good bye i asked my daughter whether they played like that when they are in norway and my youngest one said yes. after that on a went to the store and police and the criminal case was opened she says a gynecologist examined the girls and found evidence suggestive of abuse the father was then arrested and charged on a visit to the psychologist who gave some advice on how to get the truth from her own daughter although that was a survey of all the psychologist said i needed to talk to her in the home

environment and when she started talking it was a nightmare. she told me that her dad tickled there that it was painful but later at the trial they cues me of teaching my children what to tell the investigators and social workers despite the girl's testimony the court said there was insufficient evidence to convict your stain fencer us and so he was acquitted he then sued his wife and in 2018 managed to win custody of the children mr finster us and denies the allegations against him my father was accused of doing something to a 1314 year old started using it as leverage that my father was like that and i have to be like that i'm a launched a legal appeal and turned to human rights groups for help but she was unable to overturn the ruling in january this year you austin fencer austin was due to take the girls to norway. so on a decides to flee to russia taking the girls with them now being looked after a while and it's asylum claim is being processed. as

a coronavirus cases spike outside china moscow has emphatically rejected accusations that it has been waging an online dissent from ation campaign that story much more after a break this is our international. the world is driven by a dream shaped by. the day or thinks. we dare to ask.

the chrono virus now has proven this point because even though all supply long supply lines are choked and deliveries of critical parts are not happening stocks are still stable or going higher because it's. cheap money right it's all cheap money that cheap money is is created out of nothing to create the simulation going . on while the back this is our 2 international people police in the central german town of vulcan marson say that around 30 people including children have been injured after a car plowed into a carnival procession the driver has been detained on the authorities are

investigating the incident he's put all over reports. well the chief of police in frying 1st is confirmed that 30 people were injured 7 of those seriously including children after a car plowed into a carnival goes attending the rose and muntari excel abrasions in central germany the frank 1st attorney general's office have taken over the investigation they are describing it as looking deliberate at the moment but of but as far as they're concerned it doesn't appear to be either a political or extremist act a 29 year old man understood to be from the folks martin area was arrested at the scene all carnival events in the region have been canceled because of this eyewitnesses describe the car having accelerated into the crowd and traveled some 30 meters that's why so many people it would seem have been injured police had to

protect the suspect as he was being taken into custody from angry members of that crowd who were trying to get to him to find out exactly what was behind this incident that as they say according to the chief of police of frankfurt has left 30 people injured 7 of those seriously after a car crashed into carnival goes in the central german city of. the german chancellor's christian democrats have suffered a devastating blow in state elections in hamburg with support for the party plunging to a meager 11.2 percent the c.d.u. finished in a distant 3rd place behind the social democrats and the greens leaving its leaders in disarray. i will get straight to the point and not beat around the bush it is a day for the german c.d.u. it's a historically bad election results for the c.d.u. in hamburg. with popular support for the c.d.u. slipping german media has mockingly dubbed the party of the chaotic and demoralized

union arguing that it is suffering its deepest crisis in 2 decades unions woes have been compounded further by this month's announcement that its leader gret current power will resign once a replacement has been found once a seen as angle merkel's hand-picked successor for the chancellorship the move has raised doubts about the political course being charted by both the party and country we asked political commentary stephen minor just how dire the situation is for germany's christian democrats. it's looking pitch black for the c.d.u. . is basically seems to have missed out on their exit time and the whole game is starting to fall apart right before very eyes she's in the process of destroying the c.d.u. here it's i would place this whole disaster basically firmly on her shoulders she's not left enough time for a successor to really move in and fill her boots and take over the place themselves

again some experience a place themselves in a position to be able to fight and win an election in 2021 so she's just not left enough room for people and she's missed her exit point basically she's really missed it. the number of coronavirus patients located far from the deadly epicenter in china has suddenly spiked italy put emergency measures in place over the weekend with 150 reported cases and 4 deaths it is europe's 1st major outbreak while iran has the highest number of deaths outside china with officials there raising the number to 12 earlier on monday the authorities in italy canceled a carnival in venice major sporting events were postponed as well as entire towns and communities were put on lockdown in asia cases of infected patients surged in south korea on monday with another $161.00 people confirmed sick and taking the total there to almost $800.00 now the government has also temporarily shut down

religious movements and a cold whose members make up a sizable number of the known infections meanwhile the u.s. is accusing russia of spreading alarm and coronavirus linked conspiracy theories by spreading disinformation about coronavirus. once again choosing to threaten public safety by destruction from the global response. well the u.s. state department alleges that thousands of fake social media accounts are pushing what it calls russian talking points and some of the posts apparently claim for instance that the virus is an american biological weapon and is being used to inflict a political and economic damage on china the misinformation is said to be undermining the global response to the epidemic artie's one quarter reports. foreign meddling support for donald trump and sowing discord the saga continues you'd think by now the u.s. state department would have burned through its reasons to blame russia for everything

under the sun but with the coronavirus epidemic in full swing it looks like they're just getting started russia's intent is to sow discord and undermine u.s. institutions and alliance is from within including through us in coercive malign influence campaigns moscow says washington is just stirring up trouble and that could be the case but we're not even allowed to investigate the accusations officials are clinging to the details of the classified report kept secret by the state department's global engagement center and apparently accuses russia of using fake social media accounts to spread conspiracy theories about america's involvement in spreading the coronavirus but if we compare the secret reports charges against russia to what moscow is actually doing we see 2 very different pictures.

if it's conspiracy theories american officials are looking for they might find them closer to home they are the ones publicly casting doubt on the official information coming out of china while some of them were later retracted allegations that the virus came from a chinese by. weapons lab were quick to emerge stateside just a few miles away from the food market is china's only biosafety level 4 super laboratory that research as human infectious diseases they have lied consistently about this virus you give me a senior administration official told me that the united states does not have quote high confidence in the information coming out of china at this point the world health organization has called for all sides to think twice before making accusations and the chinese envoy to the u.s. has warned of the damage inaccurate information can cause the 29000 and outbreak in

response is being accompanied by a massive info demick an overabundance of information some accurate and some notes that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance when they need it so very harmful it's very dangerous to stop suspicion rumors and spread them among the people for one thing and this will create panic friend up. racial discrimination as you know phobia there might be a lot of confusion and mudslinging but at least u.s. officials are trying to look on the bright side of this worldwide epidemic the fact is the does give businesses there yet another thing to consider when they go through their review of their supply chain so i think it will help to accelerate the return of jobs to north america this is a wake up call for an issue that has been latent for many years but is critical to

u.s. economic and national security we cannot necessarily depend on other counties even close elyse to supply us with needed items from facemasks to vaccines and while washington continues to accuse russia of undermining the country's institutions they seem to be doing a good job of that already russia serves a very important purpose in and american politics these days rather than add a lot of the its own problems and trying to figure out how the you know how they arose and how to fix them americans find it much easier to blame someone else and that target is usually russia the us just the us intelligence agencies feel that they they can only benefit if they attack russian accused russia of various malign activities but i believe i don't believe russia has any any desire or any interest in spreading this information about the coronavirus because. if you

spread this information that causes that that allows the the disease to spread all the more rapidly and russia is vulnerable as well so why would russia want to burn down its own house. and as for me this hour i will be back with more news and about once a 31 minute stay with us will. join

me every thursday on the alex salmond show and i'll be speaking to guest of the world of politics sport that's less i'm show business i'll see you than. a man that margaret found it impossible to talk to the man she witnessed shooting her husband at point blank range was robin jackson. jackson was supported by loyalist who became one of the conflicts most prolific killers. he was also an r.u.c. agent nicknamed.