tonight on "worldfocus" -- iran yan president ahmadinejad is ready to cut a deal. is his office for real? patients say the problems with cancer. where is the money. say hello to a man who helped give birth to the country's electric car industry. from bolivia, look at the impact of global warming. one of the most famous lakes is fighting for their survival. from the different perspectives of reporters and analysts from around the world, this is "worldfocus." major support has been provided by rosalind p. walter and the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's

future. and additional funding is provided by the following supporters -- welcome to "worldfocus." i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. the issue of iran and the nuclear ambitions is taking center stage. the president, ahmadinejad is ready for a deal. it would require to send its uranium abroad where it would be processed for non-military use. several countries involved, including the united states is expressing optimism. they launched, yet another rocket into space, raising concerns that technology could be used to deliver an atomic

weapon. we have the lead focus from tehran. >> reporter: an iranian probe sent into space. inside a hamster and a worm. this, all part of ambitious plans for an independent space program. president ahmadinejad was there to watch, something he likes doing, promoting iran's achievements. revealing a new satellite. iran's nuclear ambitions are at a more advanced stage. in a rare moment, the president said iran was ready to send itself rich uranium abroad to be further enriched. >> translator: there's no problem. we'll conceal a contract. we will seal a contract. some people say it won't happen, they won't return it.

we are producing it anyway. if they don't return it, what would happen? >> reporter: they offered another exchange. three detained americans charged for jail eed ewe rain yans in t united states. they were arrested six months ago after they crossed over the border into iranian. it's been at the table for months. if the president of iran is willing, there are conservatives that stopped the deal before. this all comes at a crucial time for iran, in its third day of revolutionary festivities and will culminate. they have been told, in the strongest of terms not to turn up. a warning they are expected to igno

ignore. iran has said before, it would agree to a nuclear deal, only to later back away from such a commitment. how real is ahmadinejad's latest offer. for more, we are joined by geneive abdo from the website insideiran.org. thank you for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >> iran's offer for sending the uranium. >> the september schism is warranted. it's difficult to know if president ahmadinejad is serious this time t. reason for the skepticism is what's happening now in the context of his offer.

not only is iran fags facing tougher sanctions. we have heard a lot from the united states, tough talk from secretary of state hillary clinton. also, there's going to be big demonstrations in iran next week. it's likely the government feels weak right now. >> what about the united states? is it certain about what to do about iran at this point? >> no, there's really a lot of confusion here in washington. i think that people are pursuing in the administration are advancing this idea of sanctions because there don't seem to be other alternatives. but, i think there's great skepticism within the administration that there will ever be a nuclear deal with iran, at least in the in the forseeable future. >> the increased sanctions on iran, where do you see the nuclear issue playing out? where do you see it going in the future? >> well, i think the

administration is hoping that with these sanctions they will be able to get contracts on the nuclear deal. there have been years of sanctions against iran. it doesn't achieve what the united states hopes for, to weaken the systems to some degree. people are warning that even if sanctions are imposed, they could hurt the iranian people rather than the islamic revolutionary national guard with id spread interest outside ofiran. the people who are questioning the effectiveness of sanctions are asking if this is really the right approach to actually affect the stability of the system. >> briefly, i want to talk about the demonstrations expected next thursday, commemorating the fall of iran.

do you think the opposition movement will use this to continue with their own protest? >> yes, absolutely. they have said they are going to demonstrate on thursday. their leaders, at least the symbolic leaders of the movement, have called for the demonstrators to come out, but to sort of organize peaceful demonstrations. on the other side, on the side of the regime, there have been high-ranking officials and clerics who have warned that if the demonstrators come out, the military will confront them. they will do -- the state will do everything in its power to crush the demonstrators. we are looking at a pretty massive confrontation next week. >> all right. gen eve abdo, thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >> we want to know what you think about the stand off with

iran. do you think iran can be trusted when it comes to its nuclear program? tell us what you think by visiting the what you think section at worldfocus.org. an arms control treaty is nearing completion. this one, between the united states and russia. it would reduce the number of each country's nuclear warheads to around 1500. now, the united states has more than 9,000 nuclear warheads, russia 12,000. they are hoping to sign the deal by the end of march. if they do, it's the first major nuclear arms agreement between the two countries in nearly 20 years. militants set off a roadside bomb today in northwest

pakistan, near the border with afghanistan. the attack took place in a district killing at least seven people. the blast leveled a nearby school that had been built with u.s. aid. getting the most attention is three of those killed were american soldiers. they are the first known u.s. military fatalities to occur in the tribal region. th american soldiers were said to be there as part of a program to train the pakistani army, a program they rarely acknowledge. in nearby iraq, there were two more attacks on shiite pilgrims making their way to the holy city for a religious observanao. today's attacks follow one on monday that killed at least 54 shiite worshippers.

they culminate on friday. they are bracing for more violence. today, the international criminal court in the hague played the way for prosecutors to charge sudan's president with genocide in connection with the conflict in darfor. last year, they had an arrest warrant for alba shir. alba shir continues to travel freely, welcomed by his hosts as vip. >> reporter: the president has been traveling freely despite the warrant for his arrest by the criminal court. only recently, he attended a meeting in ethiopia. icc prosecutors say they are determined to see bashir in court. >> in six months, in six years.

we are a court. we can wait. , for me, we have immunity. >> it's for war crimes. they are seeking to prove he committed genocide. his regime has been accused of orchestrating violence where they were killed. the mounted militia forced them to find shelter in refugee camps. if the court proceeds, bashir will be the first sitting president to be charged with genocide. >> that report from deutsche welle. concern to all parents. the well-known british medical journal retracted a study linking the vaccine for measles, bumps and rubella to autism in

children. it sparked a wave of concern and many parents stopped allowing their children to get the shot. questions have been raised about how the study was conducted. there's other medical news from britain. a research group released a major study on the impact of dementia in the elderly. more than 800,000 people in the united kingdom suffer from dementia. it's twice the number of people with cancer. the amount of money spent on alzheimers research is far less. >> reporter: ellen johnson was diagnosed with dementia, drugs helped him, but he still needs con tant care. he has to lay out his shaving gear. he can only eat with a spoon and needs her help to get out of the house. she says too little money is

being spent on research s i think it's because they look at somebody with dementia and say he or she looks all right to me. but, the fact is, they are not all right. they seem to forget that they are suffering a long term illness, the way as somebody with a cancer. >> reporter: today's report warns that by 2020 there will be over 1 million people with dementia. the amount spent on research is for every hundred pounds spend on caring for cancer patients, 10 pounds goes to research. research gets a measly 50 p. the head of one dementia charity says research has a lot to offer. >> it can last a long time. average eight years. some last longer than that. treatments coming along may

help. understanding more about the disease may mean there are drugs out there we could use. more than that, we need to understand fundamentally more about the cause, that means more research right at the beginning. >> ministers say they have taken that on board. charities and patients haven't yet seen the color of their money. >>the financial ramifications of toyota's problems are becoming clearer. the japanese car maker estimates 20,000 car sales over the last week result of the suspension and producon of the sale of its most popular models. about 40 accelerator pedals. overall, toyota sales were off

16% with monthly sales hitting a ten-year low. while their fortunes may be fading, those of many chinese auto makers are on the rise. we travel to china to meet a modern day thomas edison to help with the electric car company. chinese can't get enough of the ecofriendly autos. we have the report for time.com. >> the chinese are getting into cars. even as car retailers employ glitz to attract big city dwellers, it's here in the small garage that the seeds for a radical shift in the automobile landscape are being planted. here, they decided to conduct an

experiment for fun. >> translator: i wanted to build an electric car for myself to drive. as soon as i finished the car, i was approached by someone who wanted to buy it from me. since then, i have started my own business. we have 20 workers and sold them to 400 people all over china. >> the compact electric car, zero greenhouse gases and $2,000 to $3,000 u.s. >> translator: it's meant for driver in the city. it can't go long distances. it travels 120 kilometers on one charge. it takes about six to eight hours to charge in an ordinary household outlet. most of my customers are workers who use it to commute to work. the government has been

supportive and gave me over $14,000 in sub sidties. they can be seen on the streets in small cities across china. >> translator: the man in the white shirt is the general manager. the company has been researching and producing electric cars in the city where the vehicles have become so common the city now issues electric car licenses. the city may be a step ahead of the rest of china. he says he won't move forward with plans to build a larger assembly line plant to produce more at a faster rate. because he's waiting for a policy announcement from china's policy on the electric vehicles. they occupy a legal gray area.

car owners drive them without licenses. >> translator: government officials are debating proposals on how to issue the vehicle. right now, they are not permitted to drive within large cities. commuting in small cities and counties are okay. police won't stop you in certain prove ebss. >> the debate of where they can travel has bigger implications. many are looking to export their cars beyond chinese borders. according to law, only car companies on a government approved list can export large numbers of cars or legally sell them within chin. the market for these electric cars is so large there's a growing litany of companies that want to get on the government approved list.

many of them were not electric car manufacturers but are looking for a piece of the market. if all goes well for the car makers, china's roads will change from being dominated by large cars to vehicles like this. i'm jimmy wang for time.com. we would like to go beyond the headlines and look at invasion in the auto industry. we have a correspondent for the economist and co-author of zoom, the global race for the car of the future. >> good to be with you. >> is it fair to say, the auto industry is in the midst of a revolution, then? >> one has to be careful forecasting revolutions when it comes to cars and energy. for 100 years, we have had gasoline as the principle

technology. i think we have a period of tremendous invasion. yes, a revolution is in the making. it's going to be slower than with the internet or software. the asset base is long-lived but it's a true revolution. >> the two industries you mentioned in your book, they are about to go to a divorce? >> absolutely. 100 years ago, there were more motor cars powered by electricity in the streets of london and new york than gasoline. many competitors for oil. we found, thanks to ford, rockefeller, the marketplace economics, they consolidated one technology. the nexus that kept us going for 100 years. it's under threat by electricity, in part by biofuels. maybe in future fuel cells and hydrogen fuel. it's a bit further off.

the next century of transport will look different. >> let's talk about who is taking the lead. if you look at detroit. industry there is in decline. if you look at japan, shows the autoindustry there can stumble. what are the other countries experimenting now? >> the classic polls of invasion in autos, detroit being the most famous. they are under assault. this is a geographic shift toward china, which is undoubtedly going to emerge as a great leader in electric cars, battery technology. korea, investing in the green economy and the software that makes them work, that may come from silicon valley. a hot start up company started by california venture capitalists. it's already on the road. it's a $100,000 sports car.

>> what other alternative car fuels are out there apart from electric cars? >> one promising candidate is biofuels. sugar cane ethanol made in brazil. almost every car in brazil is run ining on ethanol. it's environmentally friendly. it's not the terrible stuff americans use made of corn or maze. the green stuff in brazil is a good alternative. hydrogen drawn from renewable resources. this is some time away. >> do you think the future is over gasoline fueled cars are going to be done with in the next 10, 20, 30, 40 years. >> i think the age of oil is drawing to a close. the oil age will end before we

run out of oil. >> thank you very much for joining us. >> my pleasure. finally, tonight, a look at the potential impact of global warming from high in the an deez mountains. bolivia and peru, the boast beautiful lake in the world. for those who live nearby, it's more than a scenic wonder. water is essential to the very existence. those waters are rapidly disappearing. >> reporter: it's the largest lake in south america. it's at risk. located at 3,800 meters above sea level on the border of bolivia and peru. it's sunk to the lowest level in

60 years, e vap waiting two to three centimeters a week. global warming is to blame. the rainy season has been cut in half. >> translator: where we are standing, this time last year, it was covered by water. thousands of birds were feeding from it. now, as you can see, it's completely dry. >> reporter: millions of people depend on the lake and they have already started to feel the consequences of the disappearing waters. he was forced to move his cattle to be nearer the water. the area they once came to drink is dry and abandoned. >> translator: as the climate changes, little by little, we are forced to go with our animals to survive. we have no choice. life is water. >> reporter: the decreasing rainfall suspect the only factor

putting it in peril. the glaciers that feed the lake are disappearing. >> in the pasten years, the lake doesn't return to the normal level. it's lack of precipitation. rivers have a lower inflow of water. it no longer reaches the level hoped for. >> reporter: it accounts for the vast share of the region's economy. some already resorted to water rationing. if water levels drop by 30 centimeters, much of the plant and animal life will disappear. along with it, the people that depend on the lake for their survival. that is it for now. you can find us anytime on our website at worldfocus.org. i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. see you tomorrow.

major support for "worldfocus" has been provided rosalind p. walter and the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. and additional funding is provided by the following supporters --

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