but as one paper put it "mali could transform hollande's political image."ir wars make their leaders look tough, just like ours do! [ laughter ] france just needs "their" own france to call pussies-- i'm gonna say belgium. [ laughter ] come on, belgium. bunch of chocolate-slurping, mayonaise-dipping antwerps, who need to brussels sprout a pair! [ laughter ] france, those are all free. [ laughter ] and it's working for hollande with his mali intervention backed by 75% of the french, a shocking number, since french people normally can't agree on anything. that's why the scaffolding for the eiffel tower's been up so long. they can't decide what to build! [cheers and applause] well it is about time! about damn time the french are finally joining the war on terrorment they're gonna get in there, kick some al qaeda butt, and get out-- maybe someday. >> if you substitute afghanistan for mali, it sounds a heck of a lot like the united states' objective in afghanistan. >> in north mali you have islamic extremists, you have al qaeda, you have drug traffickers. this co

as recently as i think two months ago, in october and november of 2012 francois hollande was saying yes, he could consider sending troops into mali but they would be just for training and logistics. but the request mali put out this week specifically to france for military assistance really changed things and also the speed at which things were moving on the ground. france couldn't wait for the ecowas force to get fully operational. there was an announcement friday that that ecowas force would be deployed quicker but when france made the decision to be send troops in they didn't know ecowas was going to speed up the deployment and really mali's government was crumbling. the army was retreating so far and france considered this such an important issue for not just regional stability and security that it decided it had to get involved. >> in the meantime, reaction from the islamists in the area warning that french interests would be put at risk by the actions in mali, that's been taken quite seriously by the french government? >> yes, it has. there are four french hougs in -- hostages in

the country from going into austerity during his campaign to become a normal president francois hollande had made many promises some of which now experts say may backfire against the french leader and if the gay marriage law wasn't divisive enough splurge to impose a seventy five percent tax on the wealthy may become another sticking point several million years have already decided to take their businesses out of france that's called a lot of problems and it does divide the country because a lot of people realize that the rich aren't going so far as financial problems everybody's going to have to pay. the national programs including socialist voters which of course ross all along when he was being elected gave the impression that. this wouldn't happen the latest polls suggest popularity has dropped by twenty percent winning the election we proved to be the far easier challenge than what awaits the french president now with the economic problem is for twenty thirteen in france looking far from optimistic he could face an uphill jordan and. r.t. reporting from paris. france. that many well

over seven months since his dramatic retraining the presidential race but how socialist francois hollande really want i with a french people found out and just a few minutes. something . law is beneath. thousands of meters of. draw. that is a use for many. but dangerous even to those who keep it to a distance. the news today volunteers once again flared up. and these are the images the world has been seeing from the streets of canada. giant corporations rule the day. this is also the welcome back for years people in tibet have protested chinese rule over their land often taking drastic measures to do so with twenty eight self-immolation as reported last november alone but since bloody demonstrations four years ago beijing has been trying to integrate tibet into the rest of the country boosting subsidies and investment trying is now pumping almost fifty billion dollars into the region to win the support of the population. now reports. the communist party of china a slogan so widespread into but it's even displayed on taxis here everything is an ambiguous mix of modern technology and tradit

francois hollande the controversial law trade times has sent many wealthy french to seek financial haven elsewhere and on our website we'll get father reaction to the news that the roundup of here has been granted russian citizenship but led to a preacher without saying how they stayed at his request was planned. and also that dramatic twist in the case of the violent gang rape that sparked opt for. as it emerges the month believed to be the most a brutal abuse it could escape severe punishment if found guilty why. later today also he talks to william binney a u.s. national security agency whistleblower about the ways that american government is spying on its citizens but here's a preview f.b.i. has access to the data collected which is basically the e-mails of virtually everybody in the country. and they have at the f.b.i. has access to it all the congressional members are on on the surveillance to it's not no one's excluded they're all included so yes this can happen to to anyone if they become a target for whatever reason. if they were targeted by the government the government can go

insurgents claim there are avenging french intervention in mali which is putting president francois hollande into an increasingly tough political situation boyko now explains. these are peaceful civilians from all around the world that were working at the facility they've suddenly found themselves in the middle of this very dangerous situation where the algerian military have apparently been criticized for going in guns blazing you know the u.k. and the u.s. have already complained that they weren't really warned in advance that this rescue operation was taking place david cameron over in the u.k. has already warned britons to brace themselves for multiple casualties and for more bad news potentially on the way so many very surprised how quickly francois hollande jumped into this intervention just one week is a wednesday as strikes in the north of mali began with the crisis in algeria the stakes are really getting much higher we've got a number of civilian casualties from the u.k. from britain from japan all in this very dangerous situation and a lot of political analysts saying that yes all

and for more bad news potentially on the way so many were very surprised at how quickly francois hollande jumped into this intervention just one week ago wednesday as strikes in the north of mali began with the crisis in algeria the stakes are really getting much higher we've got a number of civilian casualties from the u.k. from britain from japan all in this very dangerous situation and a lot of political analysts saying that yes other terrorist attacks in retaliation for the french military offensive in mali are very much a possibility now we've also got critics over in the u.k. and in the u.s. saying that this is the place that the allies of france are now paying for supporting this intervention that was quite a hastily planned and a bit of surprise announcement last week so of course francois hollande needs to spin the crisis to suit his own needs and he said that the behavior of these militants justifies he says the french military intervention in mali up until a few days ago almost two thirds of the french public supported this military intervention in mali but for francois holland

the president is saying i want more, i want another $600 billion as chris van holland alluded to. so far the white house has only proposed a miniscule number of cuts. so the next debate is going to be all about spending cuts. and the big question is, because there are three deadlines, the debt ceiling, the sequester and then money to fund the government at the end of march. how far will the debate push that debt ceiling and if we go over the edge, if you will, of the debt ceiling and cannot meet our obligations, what effect does that have on america, the world and american taxpayer. >> the question also is at that point does the president act on his own and raise the debt ceiling out even going through congress? >> he has said that he won't go to the 14th amendment, which is the mechanism he could do it. but nancy pelosi said she would do it in the second. >> without seeing whether or not they can come up with a bipartisan solution. what are we going to end up doing, print money? >> they do that every day. how would anything be different? the bottom line is when you look at the fi

speaking at a news conference in berlin, german chancellor angela merkel and french president francois hollande talking about that. >> they promised to unveil

but things have been changing in holland because in 2010 the queen of holland had much more power than the average european monarch. she had a lot of political power to call forward the coalition -- >> diluted a bit recently. but there was a succession -- impressions you what a little too far so in 2012 she lost the powers and she has more a ceremonial role. quite a different role she is handed over to her son. >> she is interesting. not many monarchs have a law degree. >> she has a law degree. much more humble. they love her. the big celebration of queen's day will be a double celebration -- april 30, already a big celebration -- 200 years and now wilhelm. >> let's give an idea of what people have been saying, their thoughts on facebook. one has written. good for her, not clinging so desperately. william from north carolina -- it seems like a lot of civilized and traditional passing of the crown. and -- nobody wants a geriatric monarch. look at how were recovered when was when our queen did the boat procession in the pouring rain in the jubilee. sure not i thought many share here beca

twenty four hours a day seven days a week this is our duty president francois hollande has hailed of france's military intervention in mali as a success in mali an army has made big advances against islamist insurgents all with the assistance of french troops and early archies aton botton told my colleague and he said now about the progress made so far and the problems that have come with it. campaign starts with french troops about two and a half weeks ago sweeping up from the center of the country up to where these these islamist held areas meeting very little resistance really they are they go on there was an incident here in qana where in fact a french helicopter strike killed some civilians apart from that the french had been welcomed with with street parties and crowds coming out to greet the convoys as they arrived in each of these towns the islamist militants retreating not wanting to stand and fight many people thinking that they have been retreating further into the deserts in the north there's only one town of appreciable size left to capture after the fall of of timbuktu

insurgents claim they're avenging french intervention in mali which is putting president francois hollande in into an increasingly tough political situation artie's polly boyd gave some reaction on the streets of paris. it's all calm on the streets of paris but with an escalating military intervention in mali and an algerian hostage crisis in response to it french public opinion is predicted to turn against francois hollande pledged to help the mali government once he's really hit by the enormity of what they may be taking on in mali there may be a lot of questions then asked about his judgment and a lot of people who are supposedly supporting him now or may very quickly turn around and criticize it's already beginning to happen we've spoken to provisions here who lament the fact that they weren't told in advance that the military offensive was set to take place meanwhile voices in the french media complain of a war with no pictures they say that there's a media blackout and accuse the government of making it intentional the journalist surprising thing is that. we had no. recourse or infor

was quite a hastily planned and a bit of a surprise announcement last week so of course francois hollande he needs to spin the crisis to suit his own needs and he said that the behave. of these militants and the very brutal reports that we're receiving from the gas compound in algeria that justifies he says the french military intervention in mali up until a few days ago almost two thirds of the french public supported this military intervention in mali but for francois hollande that could change very very quickly as we're seeing these civilian casualties pile up and you we know that we had civilian casualties in the ground in mali you know throughout the course of last week but this crisis has really upped the stakes with a number of western casualties and other countries now being dragged into the situation this is turning into a very sticky and difficult situation for all and and of course this is a man who was voted in last year in france for his rather peaceful credentials he actually said that he wanted to cut his paternalistic ties with former french colonies but we've seen him jum

either war started by france or was started by them by the us nevertheless french president francois hollande remains committed to the french military offensive in mali making grand statements that the french intervention won't tend until legitimity or for a city in the country is restored what many french people are beginning to wonder is just how long that might take and out what cost probably boy k r t paris or others because more analysis now with our should return season author and journalist who's been following the developing crisis is live on the line from london tonight i think either option could see you these are early days this hostage crisis has escalated so much where is it going to go do you think whatever we do know is that there will be carnage in this remote area of the car on the libyan border of algeria we've got to remember this is a perfect storm of the i.m.f. so brutal policies in june or together with president putin pfleger combined with all that supplying of al qaeda back during the soviet years of afghanistan because this was a year old was trained with u.s. taxpaye

just over seven months since french voters invested their hopes for change in socialist francois hollande trusting him to steer the country out of stormy economic waters that has. found out less than a gain office it appears the president has already lost a lot of the momentum that swept into power. the debate on whether gay marriage should be allowed has split french society for years with protests about the issue often ending in violence with francois hollande coming to power the gay community breathed a sigh of relief but it may have been too soon activists say the new law which is going through parliament in january is not exactly what they've been dreaming of but we are. very happy that draft flow has been introduced by the government to open marriage to same sex couples and adoption and supposedly. medically assisted procreation but we're still very concerned because. people against same sex marriage same sex equality are getting very strong including in the parliament. in the initial mayors were obliged to officially register gay couples marital status and that's where me and you r

the french president, hollande, recalled the original spirit leading to the historic relationship. >> young people are not only our future but also the reason for the policies that we are pursuing. >> young people in both of our countries have the uncomfortable good fortune that they have never had to experience in it. but peace and democracy. >> he also addressed the economic crisis in europe and chancellor merkel followed suit. she stressed it is necessary. >> what have we learned from 50 years of franco-german friendship? our greatest problems can be solved when we remind ourselves the value of peace and freedom. if we dare to except change. >> earlier, -- havoc with a tight schedule when the german president welcomed his french guests and the national anthem is cannot be played due to extreme cold. a joint cabinet meeting had ministers from both governments working on, proposals to deepen the economic and military union. >> she says the proposals are about a deeper cooperation in economic policy with the goal a social security, employment, nd financials. >> the spirit of cooperati

francois hollande has denied the accusations. >> according to the indian army, the group of soldiers took good vantage to cross what is called the line of control that separates india and pakistan in parts of kashmir. >> while the patrol was out, they came across pakistani troops, which come into indian territory, and they probably made use of bad weather conditions. while the pakistani troops were challenged and firefight ensued between the parties. >> two indian soldiers died, and one was mutilated. pakistan has released this statement. pakistan military officials denied accusations of unprovoked fighting. the latest incident is being seen as one of the most serious breaches of the ceasefire between the countries. >> the potential for escalation is considerable, and i hope the facts of the case are established at the very earliest, because in the of zandt the pakistani military had been taking the support of this, in many ways, this would be setting the population's back in a very irreparable manner. >> india and pakistan have tried to mend their differences by playing each other i

all of holland came to a stop to watch it. thank you. >> 14-1/2 million cars were sold last year. the most since 2007. on tomorrow's washington journal we look for the reasons in the growth in auto sales and how they're affecting the overall economy. our guest is justin hyde who covers the auto industry for yahoo. >> the big discussion i remember , what is richard nixon going to do? >> i remember going home scared to death. this is like a time bomb. it's a disaster for all of us. >> came to me and said, john dean, the president's counsel, has just brought me a list of i think 50 names of people, and wants a full investigation of them. that's a very unpleasant thing to have happen to you. >> shortly after the speech, al haig, chief of staff called me, and he said, we are forgot one thing. he said we forgot a resignation letter. i said, that's very interesting. interesting reading. he said, you don't get it. you need to write it. >> i thought the best way was not for me as an historian -- i'm a trained historian, although i wasn't a nixon specialist. was for the players, key people

but merkel and hollande say they hope the celebrations will highlight the e.u.'s ties. >>> and now let's get a check on markets. first taking a look at the currencies, the dollar is lower against the yen as traders are taking profits following the recent advance. the dollar against the yen changing hands at 88.74-76. the u.s. currency was trading at the 89-yen level before the bank of japan announcements. market players see the outcome of the b.o.j. policy meeting as within market expectations. taking a look at the euro against the yen, that's quoted at 118.29-32. let's take a look at stocks now. tokyo share prices are lower. as the yen is gaining ground. the nikkei average trading at 10,651. that is a loss of a little over half a percent from tuesday's close. market sources say investors are selling many stocks but especially export-related issues, and that is due to the yen's strength as well as the fact that the b.o.j.'s measures were almost as anticipated. okay. in other asian markets we are seeing seoul regain that 2,000 level. it is up by 1/5 of a percent a

was in retaliation for french military intervention in neighboring mali french president francois hollande said that the situation means that the operation to oust as lawmakers militants is justified fighting continues across mali with paris increasing its presence on the ground to four thousand five hundred troops that has pledged to help train the mali army while the u.s. also promised logistical support but stopped short of the point its own military author and historian gerald horne says the fall out from the weak old intervention could eventually backfire and result in president obama being forced out of office . what mr old law is doing is enlarging and worsening an existing problem what's striking is that mr z. had initiated this intervention in libya and part raises for it being a popularity ratings i think that it's fair to say that mr mccoll on this intervention in mali for similar reasons the problem is that when the body bags returning to paris the populace will turn on mr along with a vengeance and he will be driven from office just as surely as sort of the what's driven from

and in holland it's a disaster. these kids are disastrous, right? because they cause so much social problems. this guy in denver saying these people are going to walk out and be absolutely fine. that's not true. >> no, i totally agree with you in one sense, bill. here is the problem. the problem is parents aren't regulating teaching kids. more narcissistic, research shows more narcissistic. >> bill: parental authority is absolutely -- >> we shouldn't have to legislate it bill. >> bill: but we do. let's switch dr. walsh to this study that comes out oof the centers for disease control because i only have a minute on this showing that binge drink something increasing among women big time. your reaction to that? >> big time? i think that me feminist sisters hate me when i talk this way. women seem to be adopting a male model of everything. when it comes to our biology, we just can't do it. the reason why women are binge drink something they are trying to keep up with men who have a bigger body weight and can metabolize alcohol better. the statistics are

you're watching r t now president francois hollande has raised the terror level in france but it's growing military action in west africa at least eleven civilians including three children were killed in airstrikes and fighting since the french intervention was announced that was just on friday the first french casualty in mali came on saturday when the pilot of a helicopter shot down by islamist rebels was killed the first task of troops in mali was to help the government regain control of the key central town of kona the neighbors of the west african state are also sending troops to help battle militants and francois hollande said the military operation in mali will continue for quote as long as necessary but france based independent journalist robert harness says the country's foreign policy ultimately contradicts itself. i think as long as the french people are to buy the consequences of this sort of intervention they generally favorite this as a great military tradition in france and they've grown accustomed to interfering other people's countries but if you if the minute it starts to

algerian hostage crisis in response to it french public opinion is predicted to turn against francois hollande pledge to help the mali government once he's really here by the norm or do. they maybe taking on in mali. there may be a lot of questions then asked about his judgment and a lot of people who are supposedly supporting him now or may very quickly turn around and criticize it's already beginning to happen we've spoken to provisions here who lament the fact that they weren't told in advance that the military offensive was set to take place meanwhile voices in the french media complain of a war with no pictures they say that there's a media blackout and accuse the government of making it intentional journalist surprising thing is that. we had no. information from. the day after this really started foremost. and when you see what's happening what has happened in iraq or in afghanistan surely if you will if you read to the region and if he lasts long it's going to be a problem comparisons already being made to the usas experience in iraq and afghanistan conflicts that were initially support

out these words could well be ringing in the areas of need what i saw was these six sasa francois hollande having just sent troops to mali france's new leader could well be learning that every action has a reaction. secu so not only do the range intervention in libya not help the democratic process which is what they said they were after but if that is if it opened up the floodgates for weapons stockpiles insiders to leave the country and go solve a lot of this is a more somali where the recently deployed french military were reportedly stunned by the technologically advanced weapons that are in the hands of their adversaries nobody seems to think that perhaps organized groups come from somewhere other than mali it seems they came across the nearby libyan border libya is as i say central to all this problem because all the plot of weapons it's been produced by the collapse of the darfur region but also a complete failure to establish any kind of real state you have essentially also crating in different parts of libya and you have across much of this hour a situation where people have argum

but nevertheless french president francois hollande remains committed to the french military offensive in mali making grand statements that the french intervention way intends until legitimate authority in the country is restored but what many french people are beginning to wonder is just how long that might take and out what cost. r.t. paris. and france is continuing to increase its military presence in mali with two thousand troops now on the ground the final total could now top the originally planned twenty five hundred according to the country's defense minister paris has meanwhile urged west african leaders to increase their commitment to fighting islamist militants in mali and their meeting in the ivory coast foreign minister iran stressed out the current french campaign was never intended as a substitute for an african led contingent deployed under un security council resolution france has also asked for more logistical assistance from the un into ongoing conflict one of base political activists john research the intervention shows that western powers can learn from similar camp

but nevertheless french president francois hollande remains committed to the french military offensive in mali making grand statements that the french intervention was intense and to legitimate authority in the country is restored but what many french people are beginning to wonder is just how long that might take and out what cost. r.t. paris. well activists and journalists who can't stand down says the current crisis in mali is the wrecked consequence of the intervention in libya the choir excuse fled after the fall of gadhafi who fought a lot who worked for the n.p.c. french intelligence told them to go to northern mali in destabilize mali and the coup leader in mali you overthrew the civilian government he was trained by the u.s. and french intelligence services so not only was my money be stabilized and what with terror these are death squads who targeted the heritage of morally undermining people and then nato have wanted these people to actually to draw in our jewry or so this is what happened and this is a direct consequence in french and the british of bombing these death squa

this intervention at the beginning of the week will the french people continue to stand by francois hollande even though this intervention is clearly leading to increased. and mounting terrorist threats. i don't believe that the public will continue to support a please don't force word on the news a. military operation is in merely because when he was elected sixty four percent of the french public. considered that. afonso an aunt. would not be able to take all need to national crisis compared to thirty percent for extras and sarkozy so i believe that. and this public support is temporary and that sooner or sooner or later the french public will realize that it's and this is all it's an end this is a re were a costly war and longer much more than planned and of course a lot might have some explaining to do i mean the unrest in mali began a year ago or so why has france stepped in only now and what have been easier to kind of do do something in terms of curbing the islamists in attacks back then. you know. there were there were plans to i mean the planning of the military intervention. began