from haiti, the curse of corruption. questions surround a food aid program, while elsewhere a little girl's fate hangs in the balance. from greece, unhappy workers take to the streets as the government considers a new austerity plan. in iran, reports of a crackdown after tomorrow's anniversary marking the iranian revolution. scores have already been arrested. from britain, there are those who like to travel the world in style and then there is this man. join him on his quest to circle the globe on pennies a day. from the different perspectives of reporters and analysts from around the globe. 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 fa future. and additional funding is provided by the following supporters. welcome to "worldfocus," i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. four weeks has now passed since the devastating earthquake in haiti. although the story may be fading from the headlines, we believe the crisis in haiti does and will continue to merit our attention. it's an unfortunate reality that in any disaster there are those who will seek to profit from the situation, a fact reconfirmed by allegations that some haitian officials are rigging the system by which food aid is distributed. that's left thousands of families without food. this as the number of dead grows

to more than 200,000. tonight we have two reports from haiti beginning with our lead focus from rob reynolds of al jazeera english. >> reporter: distribution of vital food supplies to hungry people in this secretary of port-au-prince were abrupted halted monday after u.n. officials found people trying to use counterfeit ration coupons to take rice they were not entitled . >> these are fake coupons that started turning up. this morning, as i understand it, yellow in color. the distributions we gave out, the coupons for this particular polite yesterday are green. it was immediate apparent there was some fraud involved here. >> reporter: as a 10,000 families are going without. there have been a number of attempts to take improper advantage of the humanitarian aid process since the earthquake january 12th. and while most aid is funneled

directly through u.n. agencies and nongovernmental organizations, there are allegations that haiti's long record of government corruption involving officials high and low has not been broken. shouting, "she stole the rice" in creole, protestors marched on the offices of a port-au-prince suburb. they accuse the mayor of manipulating aid distribution. >> i've been here every day trying to get a coupon. they don't give us anything. they give them to their own people. >> reporter: mayor parent told al jazeera she vehemently rejects the allegations. they have consistently ranked haiti near the bottom of the index of the most corrupt state. now with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of international aid flowing into the country, there are fears of new corruption, on a massive scale. it's little wonder many haitians doubt thenesty of their own

government. >> translator: haitians are all thieves. they won't help us. we prefer americans to be our leaders. >> reporter: we put the question of corruption to the first deputy mayor of port-au-prince. what do you say to people who believe that the government is too corrupt to handle the humanitarian aid and rebuilding? >> translator: all this is the moment. we don't have proof of that. when you say there is corruption, you have to prove that. >> reporter: it will be up to the u.n. and international aid agencies to impose and keep the controls needed to ensure the world's aid reaches the haitians who need it. >> that was rob reynolds for al jazeera english. earthquake victims unable to get life-saving food isn't the only problem plaguing haiti. sometimes free food alone isn't enough to help the survivors. take the case of young landina. like scores of other haitian children she needs an operation

that can only be performed overseas. getting her the cash she needs is like moving a mountain. >> reporter: baby landina's condition remains critical. she needs an urgent and complicated operation on her skull, one that cannot be done at this tent hospital in port-au-prince. doctors in britain are ready to perform it, but she needs the haitian government to allow her out, and so far they haven't agreed because doctors cannot prove she is an orphan. to move an injured child out of haiti, they need to show the child is either an orphan traveling with a family member or someone acting as a guardian. in this destroyed country, few have any papers. in land spifrn na's case her parents are missing, presumed dead, and doctors cannot find any other relatives.

a government neuro surgeon was due at this hospital to assess her condition, but for the past few days he never showed up. i went down to the ministry of health to find out why. and finally located the health minister, who agreed to talk. the minister, alexlarson, told me he had heard about landina's case, but wasn't aware of the urgency to get her out of the country. i stressed to him just how urgent it was and explained doctors' concerns that this needed to be expedited quickly. mr. larson started working the phones, or as best he could in a country where communications are barely functioning. after a couple of attempts, he managed to reach the social affairs minister. >> translator: listen, i have a serious case. it's a little girl of 3 months

who has head injuries. everything is really for her to leave the country, but we need to get authorization. she is getting worse by the minute. >> reporter: he wrote out details for a letter for his secretary to type, saying he was happy to provide the letter if it would help save the child. >> translator: so i'll give this document to the social affair minister and then the minister has to sign a form guaranteeing this child will be returned to haiti. it should take this form to the social affair minister and then she will give the authorization. >> reporter: with a flourish he signed the letter and asked me to pass this on so they could fast track the process. he admitted the story about the american missionaries and accusations of involvement in child trafficking had cast a cloud over efforts to assist real orphans in urgent need of

medical attention. >> translator: especially now, we have a big issue, even with the best intention they are taking ill people without authorization. >> reporter: so this is a rather unusual situation. we just met haiti's minister of health and he signed this authorization letter, and asked me to pass it on now. for several days they've been trying to get approval for the child to get this urgent operation. this letter now has to go back to them, and then it's supposed to go to the ministry of social affairs and they will then give the final authorization for the child to leave. this signature could save landina, coming just in time to get her out of here and to a fully-equipped hospital. however, her case is not the only one here. it's a wider problem, and several injured children are facing potentially lethal bureaucratic delays. there used to be several medical

flights a day, but since the american missionaries were arrested, there's been just a handful. >> the two evacuations that fell through last week fell through because the pilots missed their slots, which are precious commodities at the airport here, very difficult to get. and they just simply wouldn't take off without the proper documentation in hand. >> reporter: arrangements are now being made to ensure that landa can be transported safely, given the urgency now surrounding her case and concerns about her deteriorating condition. they are working on finalizing visas for a medical team traveling with her. it should be in the next couple of days. they're keen to ensure she is moved before her conditions becomes any more urgent. amid the uncertain fate of haiti's children and allegations of corruption in the u.n. food

program aren't enough, there is yet another controversy brewing in haiti. this one involves donated medicine that was meant to be dispersed for free. now there are allegations some hospitals are selling those medicines to earthquake survivors. in an effort to end the improper sales, the united nations is now considering cutting off shipments of medicine to some haitian hospitals. and that brings us to tonight's "how yo see it." and the reports about corruption and how food and medicine are being distributed in haiti. our question, do reports of these alleged abuses make it less likely that you will donate to the haitian relief effort? you can tell us what you think by visiting the "how you see it" section of our website and that's worldfocus.org.

over the past week, we have been reporting on how a debt crisis in greece could jeopardize the world's economy. hoping to avert a crisis, greek officials recently proposed a new austerity plan. workers took it protest out to the streets beginninging the country to a standstill. >> reporter: greek civil servants joined wednesday's 24-hour strike to protest against cuts. they don't think they should have to pay off the state's debts. one newspaper claims the government's planned pay cuts will be as high as 15%. the government says they will only be 5%, but workers say any cut is too much. >> translator: everyone has got to take to the streets. because it's the only way.

justice is not simply handed to you on a plate. >> reporter: athens airport has been largely deserted since midnight. air traffic controllers also walked off the job. the same goes for schools and universities. hospitals are working with reduced staff, providing only emergency services. greece is on the brink of bankruptcy, and is under eu pressure to drastically cut spending. there is concern that its huge deficit could undermine the entire eurozone economy. the crisis has already taken its toll on the european currency. the euro has been falling steadily against the u.s. dollar since december. european leaders need to hold a special summit in brussels on thursday where the greek crisis is likely to top the agenda. >> that report from deutsche welle. from iraq, there is news about the company onc as

blackwater. today iraqi officials ordered about 250 current and former employees of the country out of the country. the order comes after the recent dismissal by a u.s. judge of charges against five blackwater employees in the september 2007 shooting deaths of 17 iraqis. that dismissal unleashed widespread anger in iraq, and the obama administration has promised to appeal the judge's decision. turning to the latest from iran, today's "new york times" reports that the iranian government has engaged in an epidemic of arrests in advance of the 31st anniversary of the iranian revolution which takes place tomorrow. those arrests are designed to head off opposition street protests. according to the article, the ranks of those imprisoned include artists, photographers, children's rights advocates,

women's rights activists and scores of journalists. human rights groups say some of those arrested were roused from their beds during midnight raids, disappearing without an official word to family and friends. for more on the situation inside iran, we are joined once again by an iranian american who is a distinguished professor of history at the city university of new york. professor, nice to see you again. thank you for being here. human rights organization in iran is reporting that 1,000 iranians have been arrested, and this has happened in the last two months. is this an indication of the government's weakness or an indication of the government's strength that they are able to do this? >> well, i think it's an indication they want to prevent any sort of mass demonstrations on thursday, which is the anniversary of the revolution. so what they are trying to do is disrupt as much as possible opposition groups there are now

17 opposition groups who joined in calling for demonstrations, so they're calling, basically trying to arrest the leadership of those groups. the problem for the government is that you can arrest the top leaders, but there are others there who will replace them, so it's a much more of a mass movement, which is hard to basically eradicate. >> and it's been reported that many of those who have been arrested are from women's rights organizations, journalists also have been rounded up in much larger numbers. is there a reason why these particular groups are perhaps being singled out in this way? >> very much snow. especially the women's movement is very important part of the whole reform movement. during election, in the summer, the women's campaigners were playing a very important part in mobilizing support for the reformers. so the government actually

the women's organizations as a threat. >> what do you think is going to happen tomorrow during the protests to mark the 31st anniversary of the islamic revolution? do you think there will be violence? >> i think there will be some violence, but whether there is or not, i think we'll end up basically where we are before the demonstrations. they reached an impasse, really. >> let's turn to the issue of iran's nuclear program. the united states today imposed new sanctions. where do you see this going next? >> i don't see it really going anywhere because the sanctions, again, are not really going to put that much pressure on iran. unfortunately, the sanctions play into the hands of the government. he can go to the iranian republic and undercut the reformers by saying, look here, united states is trying to prevent us from having what we

deserve, which is nuclear technology. >> professor, thank you very much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. as you just heard, women are deeply involved in the reform movement in iran, but that doesn't begin to capture the complexities of life for iranian women. in tonight's signature story, we look at what has been called the persian paradox, women moving forward in their own way in a society dominated by men. our report comes from an iranian american who grew up in iran and reported extensively from there. >> reporter: they view iranian women as being silently oppressed. oppressed they may be, silent they are not. how women look and act is an a

unavoidable national issue. to see how that works, look at the scene we found in tehran recently. two young women being told they contter a park because their clothes were too form fitting, not modest enough. >> how is what i'm wearing different from you? >> you know the rules. you can't come in here dressed that way. >> reporter: such scenes happen every day. the law says every female over the age of 8 must conceal her shape and cover everything but her face and hands when she is in public. many find the restrictions irritating, and in hot weather, down right uncomfortable. and so on the streets of every iranian city women push the limits of the law.

to an outsider the rules seem haphazard. the women must sit in the back of the buses. there are separate subway cars for women, but on the subway they can ride with men if they want to. women can go to class with men. they can drive and go to the movies. but they can't go to the soccer game. and no physical contact is permitted at all, not even shaking hands. a lot of women we met felt in iranian society, the dress code, at least was a protection. >> if i go to the streets with a colorful uniform they look at me in a very bad way and i just feel better. it's not really good, you know? they look at my body and i hate it. i feel like i'm exploding. >> reporter: other women like these law students don't mind the social segregation. >> they won't allow us to sit in the front. >> reporter: not even waiting

for the next bus when the women's section is full. >> i don't mind. there's another one. >> reporter: but the laws requiring a job and social segregation are also indicators of the very different legal and social patterns for women in iran. to the critics who control iran's law, god made the rules and strictly define the rights and obligation of men and women with one thing in mind. >> because there are some differences between man and woman, there should be some differences between the rights. it doesn't mean that it is always against women. it is sometimes against men because they have more responsibilities more than the women. >> reporter: with that responsibility comes authority. marriage, child custody, inheritance, travel, in every instance women are legally supervised by their husbands or male relatives. so beneath iranian women's

scarves and chudors, the movement has been gaining strength and the government learned it is easier to control what people wear than what they think. those in hopower say the advocas of change are overlooking the progress women made in 30 years after the revolution. >> before the revolution only 1/3 of iranian girls could read or write. now 60% are women. in the medical and pharmacy schools, 78% are women. >> reporter: this is the wife of the president of iran's census bureau. >> translator: in the past, women were only given opportunities if they were attractive, not because they were smart or had skills. today iranian women are in every arena from the olympics to industry to science and engineering. they are making a huge impact on the world. >> reporter: compared to places

nearby like afghanistan and saudi arabia, the interpretation of law looks open-minded. the idea they could drive cars looks shocking. >> i love driving and speed. my husband was in this business, so it was natural for me to become one. >> reporter: in iran, women at the wheel are okay. the main reason? there is nothing revealing about a racing suit. so women can burn up the track, but iran's olympic teams have no female runners, swimmers or gymnasts. for outside is to focus on that stuff isn't really fair, say people like the former vice president. >> status of women have improved immensely after the revolution. >> reporter: 30 years ago she was the spokeswoman for the student whose took american diplomats hostage.

at that time, just being literate made her a minority. the problem for iran's conservative, political and religious leaders is that places like tehran university have now produced a generation of educated women who are focused on how things are now, not how bad they used to be. those women are a demographic time bomb. they are educated enough to be aware of the rights women have elsewhere. they can read the koran for themselves and find in it a vision of an islamic society that truly treats them as equals. world focus in tehran. finally tonight, just when you thought there were no records left unbroken in this

world, no deeds of daring do left to achieve, we bring you the story of graham hughes, the 30-year-old brit is attempting to be the first person in the world to set foot in all 194 countries without getting on an airplane, and to really make it a real challenge, he is trying to do it on pennies a day. annabelle roberts has his story. >> i'm in cuba. >> reporter: cuba was country number 34. his current total is 142, so he is 3/4 of the way through his list to break the world's record. his target is 200. >> all i know is i'm really tired. >> reporter: he has to travel by public transport, never by plane. eat street food and avoid hotels. so far he's been thrown into jail twice. >> in congo they took my t-shirt off me, my shoes and socks and

took my glasses. i couldn't see. threw me in a room with mosquitos for a week. i had to pray to god i didn't get malaria. it wasn't pleasant. they thought i was a spy. >> reporter: another low points with way he was turned away at the border for not having a visa. >> i had to go back, get the visa, go all the way back. took me a week round trip, i'm crossing the border with a french guy. he said do you have a visa? i said i tried to get one last week. oh, they change the rules all the time. they gave him a visa. >> reporter: hitching rides on yachts and cargo ships across the sea he is keeping costs down. he learned people are generous the world over. >> you can go into any country in the world, any city and stand there with your bags and a map out saying help and someone will help you. >> reporter: this solitary traveler rarely feels he is on

his own. and that is "worldfocus" for now. there is a lot more news and analysis online at worldfocus.org. be sure to drop us a line about the program. i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. thank you for joining us. good-bye. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com major support for "worldfocus" has been provided by ross lined p. walter, and the peter g. peterson foundation, promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. additional funding is provided by the following supporters.