a new warning from the united states that iran is closer than ever to producing a nuclear weapon. what does it portend? with president obama pushing health care reform, we will take you to china to see how the world's largest country cares for its citizens. part two of our signature series on women in the muslim world. tonight a look inside morocco and how single mothers cope with hostility and shame. and from france we ask is the swine flu the kiss of death or the death of the kiss? >>orld's leading

reporters and analysts, here's what's happening from around the world. this is "worldfocus." made possible in part by the following funders. ♪ ♪ major support has also been provided by the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing key economic challenges facing america's future. good evening, i'm daljit dhaliwal. almost since it came to office, the obama administration has been trying to convince iran to abandon its nuclear ambitions. so far, much of the emphasis has been on diplomacy, but very soon that could all change. today washington's chief representative to the international atomic energy eno.

the united states and europe have given tehran until the end of this month to stop enriching uranium or face harsh sanctions and from israel there have been hints of an even stronger response. the looming deadline with iran and what might happen next is our lead focus tonight. >> iran's foreign minister today presented the world's leading powers with a package of proposals. the goal, to offer assurances that iran has only peaceful, nuclear intensions, but as that was taking place in tehran, america's envoy to the atomic energy agency said in vienna that the united states has serious concerns that iran is close to having the capability to produce a nuclear weapon. glyn davis told the international atomic energy agency that the ongoing activity moves iran closer to a dangerous and destabilizing possible breakout capacity. just monday, iran's president

mahmoud ahmadinejad said that iran would push ahead with its nuclear program despite international objections. >> translator: from our point of view, iran's so-called nuclear issue is over. we continue our work within the framework of global regulations and in close interaction with the international atomic energy agency. we will never ney negotiate over obvious rights of the iranian. nation. far zoi gar ad, from the los angeles times said today that the package of ideas from iran has not satisfied the united states and its allies. >> in there, there's no reference to the key issue that the west wants to talk about and that the u.n. security council has brought up repeatedly the continued enrichment of uranium as well as the development of

heavy water reactor technology. >> the united states and its european allies have threatened iran with more punitive sanctions if iran does not suspend uranium enrichment and israel is closely watching developments. defense correspondent from channel 10 news of israel believes that the netanyahu government will give diplomacy time to work, but only until early next year. i think that some time in the beginning of 2010, both at jerusalem and washington we will have to reassess their position about iran and their rethink what needs to be done about the nuclear program. it is no secret that they have a military option against iran. >> for a closer look at how the west might respond to iran, we are joined tonight from washington by fariborz ghadar. from the center of strategic international studies. professor bad ar is an expert on global economics and he was born in iran. thank you for coming on the program. let me start by asking you, if

the west does opt for harsher sanctions what kind of areas will be targeted? >> the most likely option will be to tighten the financial constraint which is has been relatively successful in the past and we keep on talking about trying to restrict the importation of gasoline. that's going to be quite difficult to do and the iranians have taken steps to basically compensate for that by signing an agreement by chavez by having 20,000 barrels per day andt the same time looking at some alternatives in india. >> how would those gasoline sanctions be enforced? >> i think it would be difficult to enforce it. you would have to find out the refineries and go to the refineries and basically say if you do that we will retaliate against you. blocking the strait of hormuz

to the gulf would be counterproductive in the long run. in the past, sanctions have tended generally not to work. is there any reason to believe that this time around they could be effective. >> well, sanctions are effective when everybody is sort of agreeing on what they want to do. so, for example, in the case of the aircraft industry, boeing and airbus, europeans and americans have agreed not to sell aircraft to the iranian regime and so the airline industry there has suffered and planes are falling left and ri%8r85 however, it's questionable g]o1 whether that's an effective way of influencing the regime and the people because they start blaming us for it. the financial sanctions have been -- >> wouldn't most iranians see through that? >> not on an aircraft situation. they would see through it with the gasoline basically saying, okay, you guys did produce enough gasoline, we're in terrible shape, but if the aircrafts are basic low falling

from the sky because of lack of components or maintenance, that's a different issue. how does the political confusion in iran following the disputed presidential election complicate matters for western negotiators who want iran to stop enriching uranium and come clean about its nuclear ambitions? >> it complicates it quite significantly. in the past the iranian position is we don't want a bomb and it's against the religion to develop the bomb. we didn't believe them, but an argument would be let's sit down and basically prove that that's the case. right now we don't have anybody to sit down and basically prove that's the case because even if the supreme leader which may not be supreme anymore because he's lost some of his prestige says that, one is always concerned that maybe, maybe someone is not quite listening to him or the revolutionary guards are doing things as opposed to what he's saying. so it complicates it enormously because we don't know who to

negotiate with and we don't know who to believe. >> fariborz ghadar, thank you very much. >> it's a pleasure. there is a mystery tonight surrounding the whereabouts of the israeli prime minister. just where was benjamin netanyahu on monday? netanyahu's office said he was visiting a government facility inside israel, but israel's biggest newspaper is now reporting netanyahu was on a secret mission to moscow to convince the russians to stop selling arms to iran. the russians are suspected of selling anti-aircraft missiles to the iranians and those missiles could be used against israeli jets in the event of an attack on iran's nuclear facilities. we would like to know how you think the obama administration should respond to iran's nuclear program. should it try tough sanctions or something even stronger? you can tell us what you think by going to the "how you see it" section of our website and you can find that at worldfocus.org.

from neighboring afghanistan there was news today of a dramatic rescue. stephen fowler, a reporter from "the new york times" was freed by british commandos after a raid on a taliban hideout. fowler seen here in a file photo was kidnapped along with his afghan translator after the two had traveled to northern afghanistan to investigate an air strike last week that killed some 70 people including a number of civilians. fowler's afghan's translator was killed in today's raid. british officials say they can't rule out the possibility that he was killed by british gun fire. one of the soldiers who took part in the assault also died. another hostage situation came to an end in mexico city late this afternoon. an aeromexico flight originating in cancun and carrying 104 passengers were hijacked by several bolivian citizens according by reports of the mexican news media.

the plane landed at an international airport in mexico city where the hijackers demanded to speak with mexican president felipe calderon. according to mexican officials, all of the passengers and crew have been safely freed and several people have been arrested. a few weather stories caught our eye today. in south america, violent thunderstorms resulting in a tornado and mudslide swept across northern argentina and southern brazil, killing at least 15 people. at least one city in brazil remains unreachable as a result of the devastation. in turkey, flash floods have inundated sections of istanbul. a city of some 12 million people. flooding in turkey has claimed at least 28 lives since monday with some of the dead drowning inside their cars. and from northern india, bad weather coupled with traditional waves has led to cruel consequences. as a result of the drought there some farmers have been selling their wives to make ends meet.

it's been reported that wives can be bought for around $240. many of the women are thought to end up working for prostitution rings. with president obama's big healthcare speech the political debate here in america hasshift. so all this week we'll be looking at how health care works at other countries around the world.]gz tonight we go to china where the government recently did away with universal healthcare in favor of a system that relies largely on public payments. as melissa chan reports from beijing, that has left a lot of people hoping that they don't fall ill. >> reporter: every morning these

residents in their 70s and 80s practice tai chi in the park. the exercise helps maintain health and longevity. for their age, they are in excellent health, but their age group also sees the most hospital visits, something they can ill afford. if you don't have money, you don't have any choice.$ñ(q if you don't have money, you don't go see the doctor. i haven't, we haven't had to spend tens of thousands of dollars. >> but that's just what you need in china tens of thousands of dollars when things go wrong. china once had universal health care, but the changes that create a market economy also saw the introduction of a multi-tiered and highly confusing health system. a decentralized, partly privatized, sometimes government subsidized frankenstein. it's very difficult to keep

track of over a billion people's situations, but what information we have suggests the majority of chinese have no choice, but to pay entirely out of pocket for doctors and hospitals. >> here's just one example of the problems with medical care in china. access. nightmarish long lines into the night. ? people waiting as many as ten days just to see a specialist. i think the major challenge is making sure people have access to high quality services and so that access actually translates to better health and higher risk protection. >> international class medical care is, available, but only for the richest patient the. patient it is. everyone else can't get sick. the health care system is one of the main reasons why the country

has such high savings rates. the government recognizes the need for reform. so it's pledged to reintroduce universal health care, but that will take years and there's no certainty it will be successful. the challenge will be reaching hundreds of millions of people who live in the countryside. even now in areas where officials have launched rural health care subsidies, residents say the amount is too small to treat serious illnesses. and while everyone waits for the 700,000 new clinics promised by the government and newly trained doctors and nurses, they can only do the best thing to keep the doctor away. that's exercise. melissa chan, al jazeera, beijing.

now to our signature report, part two of our look this week at women in the muslim world. tonight we want to explore some of the pressures that young muslim women face, particularly those who become pregnant out of wedlock. recently egyptian-born correspondent hoda osman traveled to morocco where she met one such woman and another older woman who rescued her and other young, single mothers who are often shunned, shamed and scorned.yç1 fl >> meryem's daughter fat ima is almost a year old. like most young mothers, maria delights in fatima. fatima has never met her brand fat fatima has never met her grandparents although they live close by, that's because of something she doesn't have, a husband. >> translator: having a child

without a father is not an easy thing. >> when merriam was just 19 years old and still a student, she got pregnant. her boyfriend refused to marry her and in moroccan society, bearing a child without being married is a source of deep shame. meryem said she considered suicide. instead, she ran away without telling her parents about her condition. >> translator: i felt confused. i didn't know what to do. i mean, should i go home or go back? where should i go? i was in a big dilemma. >> when it was time to have the baby she was too frightened to go to a hospital. although it's rarely prosecuted, there is a law in the books forbidding sex outside of marriage. >> translator: this isn't europe, this is morocco. the hospital means police and a scandal. >> eventually, she ended up here at solidarite feminine, it's a

casa blanca-based non-profit organization that supports single mothers. meryem is learning a skill, sewing, while fatima is looked after in the center's day care. the center is the life's work of 58-year-old aisha ech channa. 25 years ago, she was a young mother herself. she was working as a social worker when she encountered a single mother giving up her baby. >> translator: when i saw her, she was in the middle of feeding her baby and the baby was taken from her breast and started to cry. i left hiding my tears and 1é thinking about that mother that was forced to give up her baby by social pressure, legal pressure and economic pressure and that night i swore to do something so that this stops. in casablanca, morocco's

largest city, with a population of 3 million, about 1,000 women per year give birth without being married according to one ngo study. solidarity trains about 50 women at a time and has hundreds more with legal and social services. the organization lends women money to operate small businesses. it also runs its own restaurants, and beauty salon. those businesses help raise funds. the organization is also supported by international ngos and the state. perhaps the most important thing that she offers is acceptance and love. >> we feel she's like our children's grandmother. she helps us and she's someone who is standing by our side. someone who says to everyone, no, a single mother is not a bad person. she's not a whore. some in moroccan society which

is 99% muslim also disapprove of those who help single mothers. nine years ago she was the subject of a death threat and religious extremists who said the work was immoral, but she refused to give up. it's a decision her family supported. >> translator: when i was condemned by the religious extremists here in morocco, my husband said to me, you must keep your head high. you have to resist. you don't have the right to give up. there aren't a lot of husbands who would say that to their wives especially in our society. >> over the years, she has attracted some powerful allies. among them, morocco's king, widely seen as a supporter of women's rights. in 2004 the king proposed a change to the laws regarding family life. morocco today has some of the most liberal laws in the arab world regarding divorce, marriage and the family.

the government sets aside about 10% of the seats in parliament for women and about one-third of the university professors and doctors are female. but societal attitude about pregnancy outside of marriage remain largely unchanged if this single mother who didn't want to show her face from experience. >> i want to say that the society should change, of course, and i am not against islam, of course, because i'm a muslim woman. i am not against islam, but i'm against the ideas of the society. although the law provides protection, cultural norms and tradition still works against them. [ speaking foreign language ] >> a woman who has a child

without being married can live a normal life in society. that exists. on a legal level she can live, but it is true that the societal perception of her is not positive. and the societal attitude that she most hopes to change. i think that by changing the mentality of people, you can't transform society. so that the babies who come through her centers can hope for a future that is not haunted by events of the past. hoda osman for "rldfocus" in casa blanca morocco. >> if you just heard in hoda osman's report women in foreign countries often face obstacles, daisy khan is the executive director and the founder of the american society for muslim advancement and helps muslim women overcome the challenges they face. thank you for joining us. >> thank you very much for having me.

>> let's talk about what are some of the other big social taboos that women face in the countries and how does it affect their lives. >> there is no major overarching issue or a taboo that cuts across the entire muslim world. however, there are some major concerns that we have. number one, how do we apply even-handed justice to muslim women and the issue that you just mentioned, for instance, i can state a couple of rape is considered to be a major taboo. if you're raped not only are you a victim, you're a double victim because people -- you know, you cannot -- you have to remain in silence. because you dishonored not only yourself or your family, but your entire tribe. it is exactly the same, is it brushed under the carpet and you don't talk about it because you disgraced your family. some of the ways in which the conversation was beginning to happen and we're hearing more bout women trying to challenge these things. the good news is that there are many muslim women who are extremely articulate and educated, and they are taking a

stand. just recently you heard in sudan a woman who nçs wearing trouser: and instead of just, you know, anything under, she invited all of her friends to come to her trial. so this is an example of how women are leading the change in their societies and we don't want these kinds of abuses against women. we want to see women in a dignified role -- we believe gender equality is an intrinsic part of islam. >> are these taboos really rooted in religion or is religion being used to control women's lives? it comes down to this debate over and over again and it's a question of interpretation. what are your thoughts on that? >> it is a question of distorted interpretation and it is a question of culture trum religion, so much so that the custom of that particular society, a tribal custom is upheld more than religious or islamic law per se.

so in a society like afghanistan, the way that women are treated there will be very different to how the culture is in morocco and how these issues are discussed and debated and how women are treated. >> exactly. the culture informs of how people think of their religion and in tribal societies, women are silenced and women are kept separated in afghanistan. you know women are largely silent, but there are women in afghanistan that have stepped in the front and are taking the leadership role and these are the things that i'm hopeful about. >> what about legislation? is there some legislation that you've seen which you were very hopeful for? say, for example, on the issues of honor killings which are a problem in countries across muslim countries in south asia and also non-muslim countries as well. what's being done to tackle those sorts of issues? >> you need major stakeholders. with the government on your side, it is very critical. for instance in pakistan there

is legislation being passed against domestic violence and this is critical, but i also know women's groups are galvanizing together to create social change. even though you pass legislation you need groups on the ground and you need cultural champions and women's groups to create a social change in society. >> all right. daisy khan, thank you very much for joining us on "worldfocus," thank you very much for having me. finally tonight, a sign of the times. they call it a peck on the cheek hello, that is as much a symbol of france as the eiffel tower and red wine. it has been a part of every day french life going back generations. fashion models do it and even sentimental french v.i.p.s do it, so when the french government recently suggested that its citizens abandon the

age-old habit as a way of preventing the spread of swine flu, many french men and women were left exclaiming -- shocking news indeed. and that is "worldfocus" on this wednesday night and a remind tore visit our website at worldfocus.org. i'm daljit dhaliwal in new york. have a good night and thank you for joining us. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com "worldfocus" is made possible in part by the following funders. >> major support has also been provided by the peter g. peterson foundation, dedicated to promoting fiscal responsibility and addressing

key economic challenges facing america's future.