stand up. join us in the death. or remain in the shallowest. the president also.

enabled the. worldwide news headlines a very warm welcome to you this is. russia's president has given his annual state of the nation address setting out his vision for the country. there was also an international focus. to stop trying to provoke russia and war.

response. some countries have adopted the highly indecent habit of blaming russia with any excuse and usually without any reason it's turned into a kind of sporting competition a new sport who speaks louder than we react to that with the highest restraint and you could say without any irony with modesty often we don't even respond to unfriendly actions or even to open rudeness we want to keep good relations with all participants in the international community which we see what's happening in real life as i already said they're picking on russia all over the place without reason and of course immediately around them all sorts of little jackals run around like with shear just like in the kipling story howling to gain favor with the ruler kipling is a great writer but we really don't want to burn bridges but if someone mistakes our good intentions for indifference or weakness and is determined to completely burn

or even blow up these bridges that person must know the brushes and so will be as symmetrical fast and hard most of his speech was a devoted to international affairs it was about domestic affairs it was about the pandemic it's its ravages and how it has made life that much harder for so many people he also came out and said that russia simply wasn't ready but a pandemic that gathered its institutions and the the medical field wasn't ready for a crisis of such proportions but it was thanks to frontline medics and doctors who he thanked as well as. to the applause of all the attendant he said it was thanks to them that russia emerged out of this crisis stronger than many other countries with many fewer deaths many fewer infections and with 3 vaccines something really is an issue it's just the vaccination is of immense importance right now i'm asking the government and regional heads to terkel this everywhere people should have the

chance to get vaccinated which will allow us to have heard. unity by the autumn i once again call on all us citizens get vaccinated we've made a breakthrough things to all scientists and now we have 3 reliable vaccines but. the president also spoke at length about health care about the need to overhaul russia's health care system with a revolution happening in medicine with all sorts of new systems diagnostic equipment and procedures scientific breakthroughs making the current healthcare system almost obsolete despite all of its excesses during during the pandemic he also spoke about the environment saying that it is paramount that companies which exploit the environment for profit such as all companies and coal attraction mineral extraction that they then clean up after themselves he said that within the next 30 years the emissions of the russian federation will be less than those of

the us the european union was a spoke about supporting single parents about encouraging birth rates in russia it's no secret that it has undergone a major demographic process and that many government plans and initiatives to help both parents both schools in the social sphere 3 as well as as well as businesses recover from the ravages again of the pandemic. reporting there and he certainly was not alone oksana boyko the host of artes world apart was also closely following him a putin speech she thinks there are different ways to interpret what the russian president had to say. actually very interesting on how interpretation of a speech depends on who is listening because my take on it is totally different from a bout of rather i didn't think that the russian president was stern in fact i thought that that was. an address about reflection about trying to

motivate and inspire people about learning lessons from the pandemic and finally about outreach and making sure that people understand your intentions well if you and i it's true that for the most wired focused on the pandemic but what i took from it was not just the ravages or the pain of the pandemic actually sad cobbett 900 provided a very useful. straps task to the russian government which in the past has also often been criticized for being a few slow to grab. beleaguered by red tape and he sat there during a very. real learning how to provide services fast and efficiently and this is something that we are going to take into the future making sure that his next time people have to interact with the government services they don't have to wait in line to all are to wave pool star going to the international side of the speech i

thought that that was indeed putin's response to joe biden and if you listen carefully to that speech it really showed you how russia differs from the united states because he talked about the russian values he's proud that russia has been able to establish and maintain good relations with most nations around the world based on the principles of mutual respect track where differences is that we approach those things not abstractly but in a very practical manner we look at what we can do and how we can. and how our citizens. it's an others rather than going to fix anything about what's good what's bad in the world we didn't need to hear it clear and that he sees russia as an absolute leader in terms of strategic armaments around the world he actually sad that russia has the qualitative advantage over the united states and

russia has a new generation of weapons which the united states cannot counter at this point and there's a leader of these kind of armaments in the world he proposed to hold a summit that's not just the russian americans but all p 5 permanent members of the security council one of the things that putin always like to talk about is tipping is how to our professional partners around the world showing and exercising a mutual respect with professional partners around the world as well or so on to do you think that putin's federal assembly address today was any different than any other outstanding ways to previous years we had a very challenging and very unusual year and in this sense it couldn't have been the same i think many russians believe that the way any given nation. managed to. do with this major challenge actually demonstrates the strengths of its their respective government governing system as well as its efficiency it

was particularly touching actually when sector of society actually. you know because. of this extraordinary. boy and for what have you know of people working in the cultural sector thinking everybody for what they have done for the country almost reminded me of john of canada address you not ask what the government can do for you but what you can do for their for your country he said that we absolutely sure of our professionalism we base our policies on common sense and that applies to domestic affairs as well as international affairs. russia has announced it's expelling 10 american diplomats in a tit for tat move they've been given a month to leave the country now this comes a week off the biden administration unveiled new sanctions against moscow for allegedly interfering in last year's presidential election and hacking federal

agencies of the u.s. also booted out 10 russian diplomats moscow has said further measures will follow well let's join dr michael record of all the professor of liberal studies joining us now live from pittsburgh good to see you today so russia says it's going to follow up on these explosions with further measures we don't know exactly what those might be but how far could this escalate do you think i'm not sure how hard he would go but i think it depends largely on the biden response 1st of all it's very ironic that biden would accused russia of election interference when the democratic party undertook election interference to the nth degree so it's a point in ironic it's a rich irony that this accusation has been leveled well this is one point i want to ask you the by the administration says russia tried to interfere in the 2020 alexion we've heard this time and time and time again are they just flogging a dead horse at this point is specially considering biden won the election well what they're trying to do is deflect attention away from what they undertook during

the election so they're trying to blame russia for their own activities this is very typical of the democratic party here where there were widespread reports over that toral fraud a jury in the us election that sadly that's another story we don't have time for today but i wanted to ask you the czech republic has now also expelled 18 russian diplomats accusing moscow of orchestrating a deadly blast in 24 teen russia responded in kind there's also now been a spot with poland why do you think we're suddenly all of a sudden now seeing these expulsions happening at the same time. well it has to do with the biden administration in the us which is putting pressure on these countries to put pressure on russia this is there's no question about it the only thing that's changed here is the new administration and this administration has as a has a kind of obsession over russia which is unwarranted in my opinion and which is

completely off the charts in terms of what they think russia is doing and then they have put pressure on poland and czechoslovakia to jet. you know bastards and and diplomatic. personnel just from from it's from the country well putin has said in recent years that in all the time he's been at the helm here at moscow he's seen american presidents come and go but he says that the president's change the policy stays the same and i think you're referring to a thought of the containment of russia policy am i correct. yes yes the containment of russia policy but it's more prevalent on the democratic side than i was under trump i don't believe trump really tried tried to maintain that policy i think there was a difference and we're seeing the effect of a different policy now with this kind of pressure being put on russia with reference to diplomatic ties and all kinds of other sanctions being imposed on

thanks to this new administration the united states in this they're putting pressure on the international community to to act in town and well as you as you probably saw today at the russian president had his annual federal judge federal assembly address and he he likened the tactics of america around the world like jackals from the road god kipling the jungle book jackals running around trying to curry favor putin also said today during his address he mentioned russia's red line warning opposing powers not to cross it what do you see as the real red lines when it comes to confrontation with tween washington and moscow. well i mean you see that the u.s. strategic forces tweeted on monday night something about the use of nuclear arms so you're seeing signaling from the u.s. that they're willing to engage in nuclear warfare that is certainly a red line these kinds of statements these kinds of problems haitians that would

certainly be a red line if not well over the red line so anything that harbored any kind of sense of aggression is certainly a red line and i think you're seeing these signs of aggression now for some reason by i don't want to start a war. by that may want to start a war at a time when a putin has said even during his address today that in a qualitative sense russia has the superior weapons to the united states these days and that's a conversation will have to have another time dr michael rectenna will professor of liberal studies at new york university thank you very much for joining us we appreciate your time today there are many thank you. for. sex assaults and destruction of life on an appalling scaling clued in of children. testimony exposed in a new report finding france enabled the genocide of hundreds of thousands of rwandans in 1994 the document commissioned by the african states government says quote did nothing to stop the slaughter of ethnic tutsi the latest witness accounts

paint a terrifying portrait. even today that sadness does not end the thought that someone came raped you destroyed you and killed your child it is an extreme strain on my heart that will never end i only half survived. one woman died after hutus hacked off her arms and forced them into her mouth her 2 small children aged $1.54 then slaughtered. they came in a great crowd shouting like crazy people the whole place was littered with bodies.

the report alleges that france kept giving military support to its allies even after the atrocities were well known more than a 1000000 people lost their lives the scale and brutality of the killings were there all around the world but france still insists it doesn't bear responsibility for failing to intervene as artie's reports. morning close to 600 pages and based on interviews with hundreds of witnesses this damning report due to the recent findings by a french commission that said paris was and quote blind to the. genocidal agenda. to not a doctor to prevent the genocide that was a fact but another fact is that the government of france that time accompanied the rwandan government that was committing massacres preparing a genocide the french government at the time was close to that rwandan government

and supported them in various ways draining the diplomatic and political support that's what we call the responsibility of france in 1904 france led operation turquoise a military humanitarian starting to back. it went on monday but is moving it seems to being a front for collaboration with the extremist. that allegation is too close to the to resume was also leveled in the report into the genocide commissioned by from really just. the sort of. it's the french authorities who in this case bear a grave responsibility because every 3 years instead of supporting democracy in peace in rwanda they supported the rwandan government's policy of radical action to vision under the leadership of a dictator who was very close to the hutu extremists however senior officials from

the french government. at the time of massacre still refuse to accept the blame i disagree because i did my utmost to ensure that france would not be blamed for being passive and indifferent my concern was not to commit our army in a civil war where it would necessarily have appeared as supporting the hutu government that was being criticized for the genocide france need not apologize although you know. the report says that they found any evidence that french officials all personnel directly participated in. this latest investigation said horrifying lights. in rwanda where lacings. has been straight. and it's uncertain with these new reports that this term can finally. sell it to be artsy paris.

major cities across russia have seen an authorised rallies throughout the day in support of jailed opposition activists. turnout has been relatively low but police we understand have made dozens of arrests that's across life now in the center of moscow the rallies are still ongoing. joining us live from the heart of the capital ego to good to see you what's the mood among demonstrators and how the police responding. well during indeed the rally is ongoing in fact it's been some 15 minutes past the beginning of the official beginning of the protests here in moscow we are at one of the gatherings sports at one of the major gathering spots that has been announced by the organizers is to push it's a traditional venue for the opposition action here in russia here if my cameraman just pans to the left of me there were a few dozen people who have just begun moving underground and probably they will be

moving down the street down for sky and to the kremlin because that's where most of the protesters have managed to gather this if you 100 people judging well it used to eve i was to give a visual estimate of the numbers i'd say a few 100 people have managed to gather down there down that street we are hoping that either we will meet them here as they move around the city or we will just go there follow them follow them. because essentially you can see behind me all the coup wooden's and all the all this is and there's plenty of areas in moscow that have been cordoned off just like this square by the by the security forces because the law of the these rallies the haven't been authorized by the government so that from the government standpoint they are illegal so just moving around on foot is a challenge in the russian capital right now you know so basically it has been very hectic as people have to literally make decisions only to go as to where they will

go next which turn they will they will take next so it's a bit of a it's like a game of cat and mouse right now between the police and the protest as we have seen some people who have been detained by the police again from the government's standpoint from the standpoint of the authorities of the law they're saying that these protests haven't been officially authorized so they are detaining some people . those for example who are trying to block the streets and and do stuff like that now most coups far from the only city in russia that has seen opposition protests that have been called by the supporters of election of some 3 days ago all across russia from blood of a stalk to st petersburg people in different towns have been taking to the streets some cities in some towns and the protest completely flopped where just the literally dozens of people only people

a couple of dozen managed to managed to show up and decided to show up in other towns we saw a larger showing but it's definitely right now again here in moscow the that it's still the beginning right now it's way below the numbers that the opposition had to hold for so we will follow try to catch the protesters and follow them and see how this rally unfolds all right i'll take it on off live in central moscow thank you. germany now where police have resorted to brute force to disperse crowds of anti lock down demonstrators in the capital and more than 100 arrests have been made pepper spray deployed with reports of injuries on both sides.

now according to berlin police as many as $8000.00 activists turned out for a protest in the german capital they were demonstrating against a so-called infection protection act which has now been passed by the bundestag and gives the central government the right to impose a nationwide lockdown of rules overall ruling the regional authorities and earlier i spoke with martin a member of the humbug parliament from the left party he thinks both the police and demonstrators need to show more restraint. don't like police brutality as well but i don't like the brutality of general straightest and parts and so i think if you do demonstration it should be peaceful and it should be in respect of each other and in time so if you can have security measures. you know all the people all around nice and assembly there right we got a nice like we want to make. some kind of aggression as well as

just long to general street so i think of course in some cases the police. overreacted as well in other cases of the demonstrators violence what i don't like and appreciate at all that so we have to have a balance and between off the right of assembly but those who assembly should take a respectful message to each other and keep a distance. as we mentioned the stock has passed a controversial bill which removes the right of germany's regions to decide their own lockdown policies those decisions will not be taken by then $342.00 lawmakers voted in favor 250 opposed the bill martin told again the things some of the measures the government is planning make very little sense but we have to see the ambulance and in the one we want to have to just look at the parliament at least

decides on. a law now before it was just a group all. presidents of the federal states and the chances are now it's a parliament that is about the measures that it says they are contradictionary and in itself you have on the one hand reasonable things that for example you have to. measure since you have recently built things like if there is a high incidence security measures have to be so you can but on the other hand it's no scientific condiment for doing a curfew from 10 o'clock in the evening that is. abusing the basic right of freedom of movement and of course causes just. because it's a smell that people are frustrated. after allegations of sexual misconduct and mismanaging the pandemic the governor of new

york has yet another scandal on his hands. is now being investigated for using state funds to write his new book it's called american crisis leadership lessons from the covert pandemic and much of the work in compiling the memoir was done by a cuomo stuff as well receiving state salaries a quote most team denies any wrongdoing. they do there was criminality involved here spate unclip served on its face and is just the furthering of a political pile on any state official who volunteered to assist on this project did so on his or her own time and without the use of state resources earlier this year cuomo was accused of downplaying the true death toll in new york state care homes he has accepted some blame but denied any deliberate cover up trustee of you know the assistant director of voices for seniors which represents the rights of care home patients think the book was poorly timed and he doesn't or cuomo

we're in the middle of a pandemic people are giant and you had time to write a book that was my 1st thought it was adding insult to injury of felt like i got interested in the guy all of the families felt the same way he he dares to write a book when we're suffering and people are dying ages it's unconscionable it's amazing that they did last over 15000 innocent senior citizens wasn't the nail in the coffin so to speak for governor cuomo. a governorship is there that's the most egregious kremlin to sext out that the book deal that's bad chill but there's nothing worse agree just in the mass deaths of over 15000 innocent senior citizens if that didn't get him out of office what will get him out of it's . all out nuclear annihilation isn't something most people like to contemplate

unless you or the u.s. strategic command that is they have casually tweeted that it could well happen the spectrum of conflict today is neither way they're not predictable we must account for the possibility of catholic leading to conditions which could very rapidly drive an adversary to consider nuclear use as their waste bed option. well the u.s. strategic command is responsible for safeguarding america's nuclear arsenal and that tweet came ahead of the agency's annual posture statement informing congress of its work and its plans now this time they warned that the u.s. is facing quote 2 nuclear capable strategic pair adverse series at the same time in russia and china. but the notion that atomic armageddon is just another option on the table has not gone down well on social media. what does this mean did this need to between. the least bad option to just be less and then i'm

a take you chicken nuggets and no it's not going to world only insane people would consider a nuclear conflict a clear indication that those who have the power positions in this country are not mentally fit to have this responsibility. but we can go across live with michael maloof a former pentagon security analyst joining us here on r.t. good to see you today what do you what do you make of this tweet from u.s. strategic command and of course nuclear war is always possible but what why would you tweet that. well there was an unfortunate statement it was meant to beef it for their annual report to justify their existence. but the way they put it was very very. unsettling obviously from the reaction in social media look it's it's it's clear that countries have nuclear weapons it's got it's it's meant to be a deterrence and and except for world war 2 when they were used twice. hasn't

been used once because of what people saw was the utter destruction. of humanity in japan but it it's it's an unfortunate thing that to treat it so blithely leica. as a as a means of trying to scare off adversaries but it's scaring people and it's not meant to be a it's not a pleasant subject. there are countries that. don't have the proper safeguards for adequate safeguards i mean you have other countries now that that have nuclear weapons including. india pakistan north korea and possibly iran if it decides to go that route which it has not done and it and it's and i think there it's a scare tactic on the part of strategic command to to put something like this and i think that it's just just better to. be.