happen in the european union part of town you talk about the i.a.e.a. now getting involved you talk about a meeting with twenty seven e.u. ministers they're discussing energy policies but do you have any details whatsoever on and any european countries sending a or tents or any type of help in the rescue and recovery mission out in japan because i just met with jose manuel barroso the president of the european commission and he's here saying that the response to this tragedy is top of the european union's agenda it was offered in the first days but japan held fire while it coordinated its own response and now requests are coming through from tokyo for support and help and the european union countries as a whole and also each separate member states here have said that they are willing and. want to help or japan in any way they can i must see it is the first stages we are the initial stages of coordinating that response so we're sort of the ministers here today are expected to come out with a statement in the coming hours to say exactly how they will resp

but the european union energy commissioner says the tests would be voluntary. the nuclear crisis in japan comes just as the idea of a clear power was enjoying a revival in mand parts of europe. the disaster in japan has been termed as an apocalypse at a meeting of the european parliament. >> nuclear regulators have had set energy companies rushed to brussels for meetings with european representatives. there is a lot at stake. the energy sector fears it will be disadvantaged by the decision to shut off all the nuclear power. >> all the nations of europe, with national sovereignty, building new nuclear stations. i read there were saying after the japanese disaster that poland would continue constructing new nuclear reactors and others are doing the same. >> the energy commissioner what is the reliability of the nuclear plants tested. the meeting reached an agreement. >> stress test with joint criteria, with joint standards for safety and risk assessment will be carried out in light of the event to which pad. -- in light of the events in japan. >> a stress test fo

and now conducting stress tests to see whether a similar accident could happen in the european union. and he's going to put a reporting there were all six reactors of the fukushima nuclear plant have been affected with the last two now in critical condition radiation levels of station are sort of becoming too high for engineers to be able to work in the control rooms now a no fly zone with a radius of thirty kilometers over the facility has now been imposed by the authorities or the site's owner is admitted a meltdown is a possibility of following explosions of all three working reactors under fire and one of the others several people have been injured in the blasts were more than one hundred fifty have been directly exposed to radiation japan's prime minister has addressed the nation as fears intensify about a possible nuclear disaster forty seven districts in the country are having to report their continual radiation readings to assess the spread. i want to. interview the world economy and international relations good to see you there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the situatio

there will be no serious amount of i don't guess of european union. and or oil prices have continued to strengthen as the islands leave the stokes uncertainty on the market some the united nations imposed sanctions on the country just cost the macro economic impact i think we're all sorts we're now joined by professor smiler from manchester business school thank you very much for joining us how will surging oil prices impact inflation well inflation was going up in certain countries like in the u.k. in the us as well we've got a big increase in oil prices definitely political instability and uncertainty will push oil prices i mean facial globally to a higher level but what happened to the so-called currency was have pipe oil prices and inflation put an end to them for now i think we have the american fred quantitative easing which which started the currency wars by putting pressure on. even brush and mobile and ought a bit between us and china. value but i don't think. it is one way or the currency wars because the. us was kind of blaming china for ma

and now conducting stress tests to see whether a similar accident could happen in the european union and it was an artist i was reporting right there would have either a five minute time but now it's business with dmitri. thanks rory and we stay with japan concerns about the state of japan's economy have been rising as the extent of the devastation becomes clear initial estimates already put the country's losses at one hundred seventeen billion dollars but some experts say the actual loss could be even more although the quakes fury bypass japan's industrial heartland the shock waves have been felt throughout the whole business sector power supply is critical in the country for us to go to nice and i've had to stop production because with eleven out of japan's fifty four power stations out of action they are running out of energy carmakers shipbuilders technology companies worldwide are short of supplies after the disaster transportation is also badly affected ports handling as much as seven percent of japan's industrial output sustained major damage with most likely to be out of oper

and that is the best economic aid we can provide. >> in all, the european union aid plan envisions fundingolitical and economic renewal that will benefit the people of north africa. many european policy makers believe the term marshall plan is a fitting title. >> so is implementing a kind of marshall plan the solution for north africa? put that question to the middle east expert at the association of german chambers of industry and commerce. >> i think it is basically a very good idea to help the country's of the southern mediterranean, especially in the current difficult situation. but we should not forget that we have already a framework in place for this purpose, which is the euro mediterranean partnership, which was later re baptized as the mediterranean union. at the what we should do now is, first of l, to adapt the instruments with this framework. second, we should focus on those countries that are making real progress in terms of political and economic reforms. >> so what is the best way to help the economies in the region? >> i think there are many ways in which we can help the ec

host: ambassador jaoa vale de almeida serves at the european union ambassador to the united states. ook the post in august of last year and originally from lisbon, pourt gal. prior to serving as the ambassador, he was the executive general to the european commission. what have you found since you've been in office that the most important relationship is between the e.u. and the united states? guest: well, i think we have two major points we need to come straight about. the one is for jobs and growth and the other is foreign policy security. one is living through difficult periods and economic crisis but also facing competition from emerging economies. our leadership or our role now is to create conditions for job conditions. relaunch conditions for growth. doing this, we are together. the u.s. and the e.u. and we are incorporating a lot to create conditions for sustainable growth. growths that able to sustain in the future with green jobs and new technologies that create conditions for this. i would like to point out the excellent cooperation between the euros and americans on iran.

these regions of course and we have to be prepared for that i think we have a discussion in the european union how to manage maybe a lot of your future is coming to of europe how to manage that in all the different member countries but of course this is a challenge we have to come along with solutions and i'm sure if you have a look to government we will have to solutions also the future in that of rain is in. then you're welcome talks with everybody and rebels who are this people who are the figure hath evaporation i think we have to welcome all talks with opposition leaders freedom fighters in libya tripoli we have not really recognized them as the new libyan government i think it's too early because we don't know so much about them but what do you know about them what we know so far is that in big there was a missional council established and i think those people are responsible for people in being guarded in the romance in the other towns to be a new libyan movement what we don't know at the moment is if i could also be responsible for all the freedom fighters in libya i want to find it i

the reaction of many is hostile to nuclear policy now in the european union let me just quote you a portuguese state secretary for the environment as an example in light of the nuclear meltdown in japanese power plants member states need to reconsider their energy policy nuclear power is neither a safe option nor is it sustainable that gives you a feel of the of the mood of the energy ministers and other top officials here in brussels today like a daniel main packed theater european perspective on what's happening in japan are there speaking to. i was told more now about the possible outcomes of the ongoing crisis in japan and speed better at least intel of these for us doctors and many kinds of being with us now we are getting reports that cooling systems after the fifth and six reactors that are plants are not working properly so is it only a matter of time before we can expect some more explosions. of course. it is very difficult to estimate the probability order chances of new explosions because this is really extremely look we. of course we know we're. extremely efforts t

so there is a way i have to sort of build not all serious amount of i don't get some european union. because even a from the national energy security fund and staying with gas for the company will finally be able to develop a giant convicted gas field which has enough reserves to cover global needs for up to eight years russia's goes giant has successfully bought all assets of the bankrupt convict or greater will see a petroleum in a deal worth around seven hundred seventy million dollars the deal will allow gasp from to help secure gas deliveries to china after it pledged to deliver thirty billion cubic meters of gas annually to beijing starting from twenty fifty and. that's a look at how the markets are faring this hour asian markets were high on tuesday helped by monday games on the wall street and relatively stable oil prices in tokyo the stocks were also supported by the week again with the nikkei are one point two percent down the hang saying this point three percent higher at this hour although it's weighed by a sharp decline in h.s.b.c. shares there's a priest almost five pe

but the european union energy commissioner says the tests would be voluntary. the nuclear crisis in japan comes just as the idea of a clear power was enjoying a revival in many parts of europe. the disaster in japan has been termed as an apocalypse at a meeting of the european parliament. >> nuclear regulators have had set energy companies rushed to brussels for meetings with european representatives. there is a lot at stake. the energy sector fears it will be disadvantaged by the decision to shut off all the nuclear power. >> all the nations of europe, with national sovereignty, building new nuclear stations. i read there were saying after the japanese disaster that poland would continue constructing new nuclear reactors and others are doing the same. >> the energy commissioner what is the reliability of the nuclear plants tested. the meeting reached an agreement. >> stress test with joint criteria, with joint standards for safety and risk assessment will be carried out in light of the event to which pad. -- in light of the events in japan. >> a stress test fo

and now conducting stress tests to see whether a similar accident could happen in the european union well as the situation in japan involves the world's nuclear powers have to rethink their policies to prevent similar attacks or freeze in the future and that's opinion rich or richard thornburgh he's the former governor of pennsylvania union from a three mile island accident back in one thousand nine hundred eighty nine in his interview with r.t. is coming up in the next hour here's a brief preview for you. certainly in the united states i know and i suspect in other areas where plants have been built anywhere near. that they're rethinking their process they don't want to become another job and in that sense they're all going to stop and take a deep breath and look at the consequences of this when they're fully available. i don't think they're going to abandon their present commitment to nuclear power but i think that represents a step backward in terms of their desire to build more nuclear plants. let's bring it up take a moment i'll be back with a summary of the main news stories in

and i know you have a lot of opinions about democracy in the european union why don't you reflect on what you have see into going on in the arab middle east in libya in tunisia eccentrics cetera and what's going on in the european union. i very much agree with brendan about the inability and undesirability of the impossibility and undesirability of exporting democracy i'm not sure i agree so much with the his overall political interpretation of these events but i'm not an expert i tend to think that revolutions or mass movements of these kinds have multiple calls it's there may indeed be elements of the crowds in north africa and the middle east who want political change but there's also an important economic elements in these events and in particular there have been very high rises in the cost of food driven incidentally largely by the quantity of easing the mass production of dollars in america which has caused inflation around the world and particularly in these parts which are now undergoing such massive change so i think that in revolutions you author or at least in big movem

i kind of joke it is true in the european union as well. 27 countries. i say this from the country that i know best, not necessarily the labor of the month for the year or the decade or the century and yet there are countries destined to get in because they see what the benefit can be. but for many people in bosnia and herzegovina they don't know what this would mean. we can talk about an end to conflict, potentially greater reconciliation but a season thing more practical than that. the ability to travel. the ability to trade more effectively. a huge market of a billion people to sell your products in without the various diaries' you would have otherwise. also doing trade deals elsewhere in the world. the political work that goes on that, people on an everyday basis to make a difference. one of the things i thought to do was to be more effective on the ground in putting forward the proposition that europe means a better future for better jobs, better opportunity. if we can do that -- >> so there have been rumblings for years that the constitution should

led by the european union, the hope is that today are moving closer to membership -- the hope is that they are moving closer to membership and make give ground on certain issues. they will skirt around the core issue of independence. serbia says kosovo is still its own province, but those of us as the issue of independence is not negotiable. >> there are some great proposals from both sides. we will continue working on them and the implementation when the time comes. what i need to say now is that there are some topics on which we are getting closer than some others. >> a first try perhaps to address the practical issues which might have improved the lives of citizens, advance our agenda to the european union. >> so they left, buoyed by a seemingly fruitful burst round, a hugely significant moment for both -- first round, a hugely significant moment for both sides. >> success in this dialogue could help serbia and kosovo leave their troubled past behind and build a road to a european future. >> the latest headlines this hour. in libya, colonel gaddafi sources seem to be gaining the up

and now conducting stress tests to see whether a similar accident could happen in the european union. reporting right there now as the situation in japan evolves well as nuclear powers have to rethink their policies to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. richard thornburgh the former governor of pennsylvania during the infamous three mile island accident in one hundred seventy nine his interview is coming up in about ten minutes time but here's a preview. certainly in the united states i know and i suspect in other areas where plants have been built anywhere near. but they're rethinking their process now they don't want to become another japan in that sense they're all going to stop and take a deep breath and look at the consequences of this when they're fully available. i don't think they're going to abandon their present commitment to nuclear power but i think that represents a step backward in terms of their desire to build more nuclear plants. that interview is coming your way shortly in line with all the latest details on japan and the disaster out there you can always l

we don't impose the european union. we want to work with countries. they have to want it because it is a long journey. if they want it we will work together. >> so, if you want it enough you can work with the e.u. to get there and you hope i think that by january, 2013, you will be responded to a and welcomed with open arms. >> if we speak to the treaty negotiations -- >> with outstanding view. it's very important to resolve some additional problems we had especially to the economy, and our government is doing the best to resolve those problems and also we are leading now the corruption that's very important and one of the key issues for croatia, and i think our results are pretty good, and we have to have contingency in our practice and very important not only to have good legislation and good practices and while we are trying to do our best. so just a few now are left open and we have to close them very soon i hope this year and then we are very near. >> just this audience me know a lot more about the details than i do. use a judiciary for instance.

that's why the agreement between our countries and the european union or u.s.a.'s also important in terms of commitment and not coming back. it's impossible to come back but we're sure that in some case it will take a long time before the arab summer. >> rose: what's the biggest challenge for the state of morocco. are >> the biggest challenge is our territorial integrity because our neighborhood is the legitimacy of morocco. and this issue is created artificially in the cold war, the world changed and still today we have this dispute between morocco and algeria. and we want to resolve it on the basis of a compromise because we want to cooperate and create a mag remember with fighting against it, together against al qaeda and be a partner of the region but also as model for other arabs or example for other arabs. and to resolve that issue... to create the... the monofar ski the best system we can have. once again as our identity and as guarantor of that morocco will all the time move and go forward. >> rose: thank you for coming. >> thank you. >> rose: a pleasure t

the european union has now introduced its own sanctions. that is significant because 85% of libyan oil goes to europe and because the quaddafi family has fortunes in other countries. all of this comes on top of u.n. and american sanctions. >> colonel gaddafi and those around him must be held accountable for his acts, which violence legal obligations and common decency. -- which violates legal obligations and common decency. they have lost their ability to govern and the people of libya have made themselves clear, it is time for gaddafi to go. >> most of the international pressure is now focused on naming those accused of human- rights abuses. this is the united nations' list of those closest to colonel gaddafi, now prohibited from traveling abroad. families are also been targeted by having the biggest assets frozen -- frozen. a clear message, desert quaddafi's before it is too late. >> it will make the generals think twice before shooting protesters in libya and before committing war crimes against the libyan people. this will be the main e

secretary of state hillary clinton raised the idea of a no-fly zone in a meeting with the european union representative for foreign affairs catherine ashton. >> when i said in my remarks that all options were on the table, or another way of saying it, no option option is off that table that of course ebb includes -- that of course includes a no-fly zone. >> british prime minister says they are considering a no-fly zone over libya. but the international community hasn't been able to reach consensus. turkey alternate member opposes the idea. some european members of the alliance say it will require a security council resolution. >>> the u.s. government also appears divide on the issue. >> if we move additional assets, what are the consequences of that for afghanistan, for the persian gulf? >> experts say the u.s. would have to gain air supremacy in libya in order to establish a no-fly zone. that would entail having to destroy libya's air defense system, which would serve as a defactor declaration of war. the arab league says it will consider establishing a no-fly zone over libya. >>> the f

but that has helped us as we had too high air pollution in brussels as it was sanctioned by the european union that we really could stress on alternative mobility. we don't wait until european legislation or regulation coming up. we also have no brussels, no belgium, but european towns, towns in europe, trying to find one another and to press, to put pressure on mayors and regional ministers to commit themselves to invest in bicycle policies. so those towns can learn from one another. as i told you, brussels, i have found several similarities with the two towns i have been getting to know now yesterday and today. we have about one million inhabitants. brussels is 10 to 10 miles on distance and i agree with what has been told here that that is in favor of promoting cycling because the distances are never too long, although we also have a difference of height. i mean, like amsterdam is plat as a pancake we would say. brussels does have some, well, ups and downs. an important issue politically is that we have -- we are, in fact, giving big gross national product to the country, 20%, although we'r

neither the united states nor russia neither the european union nor league of arab states we're ready to. forbid that such chain of revolutions may happen and the arab world and we do not know much about the opposition leaders because many of them are not provisional political leaders so to speak then and many of them just emerge like new leaders in the streets during the fights and i think that in libya we shall see many could be true groups have to be. end of gadhafi era we shall see tribal leaders we shall see political leaders from the north which will see some people who are in exile abroad and there will be a very strange cocktail of interests and spheres of influence so to speak those who will be coming back from the u.s. will be bringing with them some american and he is those who will be coming from the desert will come with the nomadic. civilization heritage and so i think that we cannot say who's going to be going to be leader who's going to be the new president the u.s. was quick to action when it came to inserting what barack but when you think about it this foreign gover

we don't impose the european union. we want to work with countries.hey have to want it because it's a long journey, and it's tough. but if they want it, we'll work together. >>, president josipovic, if you want it enough, you can work with the government to get there. i think you hope that by january 2013 you'll be positively responded to and welcomed with open arms? >> sorry. realistic to finish our negotiations -- >> what's outstanding for you? >> it's very important to resolve some additional problems we have, especially in judiciary and in economy. our government is doing the best to resolve those problems and also we had and we are leading, now, very important fight against corruption. that's very important, and it's one of key issues for croatia. and i think our results are pretty good. and we have to have continues in our policy and our practice, and for e.u. it is very important not only to have good legislation, but to have good practice as well, and we are trying to do our best. so just few chapters are now left open, and we have to close th

and definitely not in the interest of the people were egypt libya the united states or even the european union who would be a true patriot in your personal opinion to come to the white house but i'm not an expert on the houses rather than give names of we do have a tendency to focalize everything in focus everything around people who would see any group of men and women in america or europe or in my country argentina who are truly aligned with the national interest of the common good of the people and not. the money power but the problem is that with so called them obviously it is the money power that puts the candidates in the white house and ten downing street and they only see it and even our cats are also at the wrong argentina now look every look at the other side is a member now to go to hell now to explain the fact monetary policy something like twenty three year and it's not like all these lawmakers are in lockstep with him many have criticized this saying that this bubble of inflation will burst two republicans in particular have been very critical of some of these policies do you not

should be part of the european union. >> questions for the prime minister. >> thank you, mr. speaker. . . friends of our fallen service personnel. the prime minister will be aware that today is no-smoking day. we will -- will he join me in congratulating the organizers of the "making smoking mr." lantern parade which takes place this wrekenton, a part of my constituency that is particularly blighted by that addiction? but he also comment on british on foundation research that shows that more than half of children's service across the uk have been exposed to cigarette smoke in cars, and that 86% of children what adults -- >> order. we have got the drift. >> the hon. gentleman makes a good point with repression. i certainly support nonsmoking day and, unlike in some previous years, i hope to meet its requirements in full this year. his point about smoking is not -- his point is about looking for to children and babies and smoking in cars is a good one. whenever people have done in the past, the facts show that they really should range their behavior. -- really should change the

russia may be the last hope of european union even the situation. in which. is still everywhere your very important commodity in the main fuel also fuel so liberalisation of access to guest pipeline system it means that if you have no competition this sort of baggage is excellent for russia because. just drawn. directly. from our gas wells final consumers in group union and that we must remember this. production european union so there is a way i have a bill good moral serious amount if i don't have gas and you. let's have a quick look at how the markets are faring this hour asian markets are high on tuesday helped by monday gains on the wall street and promising a stable well priced in tokyo the stocks are also supported by the weak the young with the nikkei are almost a percent of banks saying it's too much most of all though it's weighed by a sharp decline in h.s.b.c. shares a decrease almost five percent after h.s.b.c. these last year profit fell short of analysts estimates. and russia the markets ended in the black on monday having continued their last w

that much better they also engaged in terrible massacres and ethnic cleansing and recently the european union has issued a report implicating the leadership with the k.l.a. in the possible trafficking of human organs taken from slaughtered serbs. so what you had in kosovo is a situation where neither side came off very well and backing the kosovo liberation army the united states and the european union made itself complicit in mass ethnic cleansing another atrocity and. i fear that that's a possibility in libya and that we don't really know that much about the opposition and we've got the clearly more market duffy's a very unsavory and brutal leader we know that but there is a danger that the opposition may also commit ugly atrocities and then back into the opposition which again we just don't know that much about the west may be setting itself up for it became infamous here in just a moment let me jump in here and we're going to assure break after the actual break we'll continue our discussion on the intervention in libya stay with our. case. ok charlie here broadcasting live from washington