officials in pyongyang escalated tensions after u.n. security council members approved stricter sanctions. they were responding to north korea's third nuclear test. the country's military leaders have issued a series of warnings that they're ready to attack. they threatened to strike targets in the united states, south korea and japan. south korean government officials suspect north korean agents were behind a series of cyber attacks last month. they affected more than 50,000 computers and tv stations and major banks. officials believe the attacks were the work of north korea's reconnaissance general bureau, which conducts espionage against the south. this month south korean officials said the north appears ready to launch the musudan, a midrange ballistic missile, and several short-range missiles. defense analysts are trying to understand where all of this is headed. akimoto has been tracking the situation for the royal united services institute for defense and security studies, it's a british think tank. >> north korean commanders are

a year later, pyongyang blew up a cooling tower at the country's main nuclear plant. in 2010, a south korean warship sank close to the country's see border -- to the countries' sea border. early in 2013, the situation worsened further. north korea declared it was in a state of war with the south because of joint military exercises with the u.s. washington said more weaponry to the region. the two korea's are facing off, as opposed as ever, both armed to the teeth. >> in germany, chancellor angela merkel has averted a defeat in parliament by accepting a comp or my on mandatory quotas -- accepting a compromise on mandatory quotas for women in board rooms. >> leading conservatives, including the labor minister ursula von der leyen, were threatening to break ranks and vote with the opposition parties. >> the issue of gender equality in the boardroom threatened an embarrassing split in the conservative camp ahead of this september's natural elections -- national elections. >> it is a difficult situation for the women and for the party as a whole. with an actual -- and with

for now north korea has suspended south korean access to a joint industrial zone it's pyongyang's latest move in the ongoing conflict with washington and seoul the north also says it's restarting a nuclear reactor to beef up its arsenal after the u.s. moved its military closer to the korean peninsula a south korea based journalist joseph kim has this report from seoul. the south korean president is newly elected north korea doesn't want to test her limits and perhaps she's willing to change her policies towards north korea and the game's main objective is actually to start dialogues with the u.s. with north korea's recent what the u.s. calls provocations it's actually been easier for the united states to pivot its military back and see something that the pentagon has said that it was wanting to do to rebalance back into east asia so because of this we've seen a larger increased presence of military expansion by the u.s. into east asia during these annual drills something that we haven't seen before we're seeing a lot of money spent despite the eighty five billion dollars budget cut that

the same in pyongyang. embassies are not yet telling their people to leave. >> we'll see what happens over the next few days because these are critically important symbolic days leading up to april 15th, the birthday, if you will, of the founder of the north korean regime. what do you make, fareed, of senator mccain and some others who say, you know what, if they launch a missile, shoot it down, intercept it, destroy it even if it's heading into the middle of the water. obviously if it's heading towards a populated area of tokyo, guam, south korea, that goes without saying it. knock it out to make a point. >> i think it's a very good example of the difference between what a john mccain foreign policy would be and what president obama's has been. president obama has been trying to show some strength, not to play into the kind of yank your chain that the north koreans are trying to do. they're trying to get attention to get negotiations to get concessions. they've been threatening like a child who is screamin

the same in pyongyang. embassies are not yet telling their people to leave. >> we'll see what happens over the next few days. these are critically important symbolic days leading up to april 15th. the birthday, if you will, of the founder of the north korean regime. what do you make, fareed, of senator mccain and some others who say, you know what, if they launch a missile, shoot it down. intercept it. destroy it. even if it's heading into the middle of the water. obviously if it's heading toward a populated area in tokyo or guam or south korea, that goes without saying. but just knock it out to make a point. >> i think it's a very good example of the difference between what a john mccain foreign policy would be and what president obama's has been. president obama throughout this has been trying to show some restraint. not to play into the kind of the yank your chain that the north koreans are trying to do. the north koreans are desperately trying to get attention, to get some kind of negotiations going, to

adstent show of force against pyongyang. the b-2 stealthflyover, the 22 a missile defense systems on guam, japan, and on warships in the south china sea. kerry suggested if north korea steps back from the brink, the u.s. would reconsider those missile defenses. did you discuss with them also the possibility that some of the recent deployments of anti-missile defenses might be redeployed or stood down in pyongyang were to change its behavior? >> if the threat disappears, ie north korea denuclearizes, the same imperative does not exist at that point in time for us to have to have that kind of robust forward-leaning posture of defense. >> reporter: despite today's promises, experts doubt that china will really pressure north korea. its neighbor and close ally, even as it grows increasingly frustrated with kim jong-un's threats. >> they don't want to see north korea collapse. for this reason, they'll push him a little bit, but won't push the north koreans hard enough in a way that would help to reach a denuclearization outcome.

. >> are you ready to go to pyongyang and meet with kim jong-un? >> i have made it consistently clear that i am ready to visit the dprk when and if my visit is helpful, and in close coordination with the concerned parties, particularly the republic of korea and the united states. >> stand by for more of my interview with the united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon. the u.n. secretary-general delivers a direct and powerful message to kim jong-un. i asked him to deliver that message in korean, knowing that they watch cnn international in north korea. at least the elite, the elite government officials and the military do. you'll hear that message in korean. what he has to say to kim jong-un, that's coming up this hour on our special report, the korean crisis. >>> up next, though, we have secret film from inside north korea. very dangerous escape route for people who are starving. >>> and the former president bill clinton once called the korean border the scariest place on earth. gun fights, kidnappings, other dangers in the dmz. ♪ introducing b

in tokyo sunday, secretary of state john kerry urged pyongyang to opt for a peaceful resolution. >> we can find a way to resolve these differences at a negotiating table. i hope they will hear that. reporter: kerry's visit here is the last leg of an asia trip aimed at tempering tensions on the korean peninsula. in japan there is increasing unease. pyongyang has singled out japan as the first target in case of war, and with its mid-range missiles within striking range. tokyo has destroyerers and missile batteries in the capitol. >> those interceptors are pointed directly at north korea, and with pyongyang just 800 miles away, defense officials say they're ready to shoot down any missile that threatens japan. >> north korean missiles have thrown over japan before. >> i'm constantly worried about another launch. i don't know how accurate those missiles are. >>> behind the scenes there's a push for delog led by the south korean president. kerry reiterated his support for north korean engagement sunday but that has done little to quiet concerns here. abc news, tokyo. >> ama: right now in sa

bills on the korean peninsula with many south koreans fearing war as pyongyang has buttons x. is so crucial industrial zone joined iran with so. a milestone deal and on the un adopt the treaty is supposed to control global trade of controversial weapons held as a land owned by some but criticized for and lack of clarity by others. on the ten day countdown to the presidential election for example venezuela would be charged as a bloodsucking president in a race against the pro washington opposition leader. international news and comment live from moscow this is all she with me hello and welcome to the program. first north korea has suspended a south korean joint industrial zone the latest move in the ongoing conflict with washington and seoul pyongyang also says it will restart a nuclear reactor to beef up its also know how to washington move its military closer to the korean peninsula south korean based journalist drawers of came gauge the reaction to pyongyang's fierce rhetoric on the streets of seoul for us. so often when i do south koreans how they feel about these threats t

it is the latest in a series of controversial moves by pyongyang. on friday, north korean tv showed these pictures of the leader, kim jong-un. pyongyang has told foreign diplomats to consider evacuating the embassy. warning the safety of members cannot be guaranteed. to theeffort was made embassies which are in pyongyang. we are trying to clarify the situation. we have asked several questions which are to be posed to our north korean neighbors in this case and are in close contact with our chinese partners as well as with the americans, south koreans and japanese. we can say we're in contact with the participants of the talks. >> at the border, south koreans are leaving the industrial zone shared with the north. around 100 factory members are exited to leave on saturday. companies there are running out of raw materials for days after pyongyang banned people from entering the border. the area is a symbol of north- south corporation. 10 people have died in suicide bombings in iraq. hits believed the bombings the home of a local political candidate. 20

this is after meeting with chinese officials, asking them to put pressure on pyongyang. there has been an attack in the sum olli capital. -- in the somali capital. a palestinian leader favored by the united states has quit his after disputes with his boss, mahmoud abbas. salam fayyad's departure comes at a time when the u.s. is hoping to restart middle east peace talks. we have more from ramallah. >> he had been prime minister for six years, but his relationship with abbas has become increasingly tense. >> prime minister salam fayyad has tendered his resignation. he asked him to stay on as the prime minister of caretaker government until a new government is formed. >> last month, the palestinian finance minister submitted his resignation. fayyad accepted it. abbas did not. abbas' inner circle have been very critical of fayyad, a technocrat who does not belong to any augustinian faction. -- palestinian faction. many palestinians say he has made a difference in people's lives and brought transparency to the -- palestinian authority. others say that it caused an economic cr

this is pyongyang's subway station, one of two main hubs. and one of the main forms of transportation for average north koreans. many don't own bikes let alone cars, so this is how they get from point a to point b. and today, the trains appear to be running on time. many travel by foot. on the streets, there are no ads, only propaganda billboards. and listen -- ♪ they not only see the message, they hear it. north korean propaganda songs blaring across pyongyang. look at what we happened upon here. we're in the middl w

i just want to quickly just ask you this pyongyang has made similar threats many times in the past and analysts tend to question the seriousness of these warnings why is that such a media hype for them this time around there is a lot of media hype in terms of western media with what north korea is currently doing right now and we have to actually see this as something that the u.s. perhaps is maybe thinking about in terms of their rebalancing to east asia they are technically trying to get back into east asia to be able to counter china and its growing powers in terms of the economy and why not use north korea north korea is a threat in what it says is a threat and so they are using this opportunity to be able to rebalance his military as well as his presence here to be able to continuously monitor and gain more influence in the region. now for more insight into this developing story i'm joined here in the studio by a correspondent. he is one of the few foreign journalists is actually been able to report from north korea and i see there's been plenty of empty south korean rhetoric comi

and south korea those of us i just want to quickly just ask you this pyongyang has made similar threats many times in the past and analysts tend to question the seriousness of these warnings why is that such a media hype over them this time around there is a lot of media hype in terms of western media with what north korea is currently doing right now and we have to actually see this as something that the u.s. perhaps is maybe thinking about in terms of their rebalancing to east asia they are technically trying to get back into east asia to be able to counter china and its growing powers in terms of the economy and why not use north korea north korea is a threat in what it says is a threat and so they are using this opportunity to be able to rebalance its military as well as its presence here to be able to continuously monitor and gain more influence in the region. now for more insight into this developing story i'm joined here in the studio by our correspondent he's one of the few journalists who's actually been able to report from north korea and i see there's been plenty of you know

his intention was to show pyongyang that u.s. ties with south korea are strong, and that america is prepared to take decisive action if the north were to attack the south. kerry will visit china on saturday to meet with president xi jinping and a state counselor, among others. china recently indicated it's prepared to get tough with it's long-time ally by sporting a u.n. resolution against pyongyang. president jinping has made a criticism of the reclusive regime. north korea is dependent on china for nearly 70% of its international trade, including its imports of oil and other energy resources. as such, the u.s. believes china yields great influence over the north. >> i think, of all of the scenarios i can imagine, either china's position remains as it is, tolerant although resentful of north korea, or that china will move in a direction that takes it closer to the united states. >> reporter: the biggest challenge facing america's top diplomat is convincing china to use its leverage on north korea while underscoring america's tie

the unit is located in yongbyon north of the capital pyongyang. the reactor generates electricity and operators can use the spent fuel to make plutonium. north korean scientists have used plutonium in experiments, and analysts believe they have built several nuclear weapons with it. authorities shut down the reactor in 2007 and destroyed part of its infrastructure. that followed an agreement with members of the six-party talks. the group comprises the two koreas, the u.s., china, japan, and russia. north korean officials say their decision to restart all nuclear-related facilities in yongbyon is part of efforts to deal with an electricity shortage. they add it's in line with leader kim jong-un's pledge to rebuild the economy and strengthen the nuclear program at the same time. the spokesperson for south korea's foreign ministry called the announcement extremely regrettable. >> translator: north korea should keep their promise and agreements, and they should maintain denuclearization of the korean peninsula. >> cho tai-young said the south korean g

player dennis rodman or google officials to pyongyang everything which relates to north korea creates something of a big scandal in the western media anywhere across the world. well north korea's lack of action is once again leading to questions over the billions of u.s. dollars spent on the military in the region something some experts believe is provoking pyongyang even further well let's take a look now at the figures well according to some estimates at least twelve billion dollars is spent annually on what the u.s. calls maintaining peace on the peninsula some of that money goes towards keeping almost thirty thousand american troops in south korea to give an example of how much the joint drills that have angered the north could have cost dispatching two stealth bombers to drop dummy bombs during recent exercises but of course as much as five and a half million dollars. well with the attention focused on the korean crisis the b.b.c. is under fire for pushing the boundaries of ethics in pursuit of a good story u.k.'s top financial school the london school of economics is accusing th

this is pyongyang's subway station, one of two main hubs. and one of the main forms of transportation for average north koreans. many don't own bikes let alone cars, so this is how they get from point a to point b. and today, the trains appear to be running on time. many travel by foot. on the streets, there are no ads, only propaganda billboards. and listen -- ♪ they not only see the message, they hear it. north korean propaganda songs blaring across pyongyang. look at what we happened upon here. we're in the middle of week long celebrations here in north korea commemorating the 65th anniversary of the worker's party of north korea. this is how people are celebrating. they're literally dancing in the streets. railroad foul the small changes we've seen, the larger question remains, is the new young leader the son of the last any different? for now, it doesn't appear so.

player dennis rodman or google officials to pyongyang everything which relates to north korea creates something of a big scandal in the western media anywhere across the world. well north korea's lack of action is once again leading to questions over the billions of u.s. dollars spent on the military in the region something some experts believe is provoking pyongyang even further let's take a look now at the figures involved according to some estimates at least twelve billion dollars are spent every year in what the u.s. calls maintaining peace on the peninsula and some of that money goes towards keeping almost thirty thousand american troops in south korea and to give an example of how much the joint drills that have angered the north could have cost dispatching two stealth bombers to drop dummy bombs during recent exercises but of course as much as five and a half million dollars well with attention focused on the korean crisis the b.b.c. is under fire for pushing the boundaries of ethics in pursuit of a good story the u.k.'s top financial school the london school of economics is ac

officials say pyongyang's missiles are lock and loaded. unarmed, but for the first time, they admit capable of launching a nuclear missile. >>> as the world watches and waits, secretary kerry reassures south korea's new president the united states has their back. >>> and president obama warns pyongyang to end the threats. >> now is the time for north korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking. and to try to lower temperatures, nobody wants to see a conflict on the korean peninsula. >> andrea mitchell joins us live in seoul, south korea with the latest. >>> gun fight -- as the senate gets ready to vote on expanding background checks, former congresswoman gabrielle giffords says she'll lobby senators still on the fence. >>> while her husband, mark kelly, makes new robo calls praising senators joe mansion and pat toomey for their bipartisan compromise. >> i'm mark kelly, combat veteran, astronaut and most importantly, husband to my brave wife, gabrielle giffords. i'm calling to thank your senator, pat toomey for wo

there's going to be major celebrations of that up in pyongyang. this is the perfect time during these kinds of joint maneuvers by the u.s. and south korean militaries, there is a higher chance of provocations coming from the north. so a missile launch in the eyes of most experts is almost a sure thing. >> watching what the north koreans might do next. could happen at any minute now. thanks, jim. >>> a 39-year-old asian elephant with the ringling brothers circus is expected to fully recover after getting hit by a bullet in a drive by shooting. it happened yesterday morning in mississippi. the elephant was in an enclosure outside the arena where the circus was performing when she was shot in the shoulder. police say leads are slim, and they don't have a suspect. >>> the air force has begun grounding one-third of its fighter jets due to the forced budget cuts that kick in last month. yesterday the navy announced it is canceling all air shows put on my blue angels flight demonstration squadron. they are canceling them for the rest of the year. >> we'v

pyongyang saying if you are an international runner, come on in to the international pyongyang marathon. they're actually inviting foreigners in for this. at the same time, just days earlier they're telling embassies, foreign embassies inside pyongyang that we cannot guarantee your safety. we're suggesting you leave on april 10th which was yesterday. and they're also telling foreigners, you should evacuate south korea. back away from the peninsula. it's difficult to tell what is happening. we're getting multiple reports inside north korea saying there is almost a festival type atmosphere leading to the birthday of kim il's son. whenever you deal with a hermit kingdom, very serious, you have to take their threats seriously but at the same time it is very, very nutty. >> all right. thank you very much. i mean nutty is the right word even though, of course, so dire and serious. >>> all right. we have a little more on our breaking news story. i want to get straight to atlanta. four firefighters hostage in suanee, georgia. david mattingly just heard shots fired. >> reporter: what we heard we

doesn't have an embassy in pyongyang. in the past few days, north korea has repeatedly warned they with planning a nuclear attack on the u.s. and the south. experts don't believe pyongyang has yet the expertise to put a nuke on a missile. but south korea has said it has monitoring the movement of two intermediate range missile to the east coast and believed they have range of 1800 miles and could reach guam that north korea has threatped to attack. now, the obama administration is currently downplaying fears of war now. but white house spokesman has said they wouldn't be surprised if there is another missile test and they are deploying missile defense system to guam to protect it in the event of any kind of attack. back to you, jamie. >> jamie: all right. at least the embassies getting warning they can't be protected by the north koreans. that is what they say. david, thank you. we'll check back with you soon. eric? >> eric: for more on this, bring in former united states ambassador john ballton. ambassador to the united

as north korea knocks the high point of its kind and the job it's found out with many worried that pyongyang may be compelled to demonstrate its power. on the world renowned turkish piano player is back in court facing up to eighteen months in prison on blasphemy charges over several some caustic tweets about islam and muslims. international news and comment live from moscow this is all she with me you are hello and welcome to the program. chavez has won the presidential election in venezuela meaning been legacy of the influential leader will continue but the mileage in between to him on the opposition candidates and recreate the privilege was how extremely narrow with the vote split almost fifty fifty so. is joining us now live from the capital caracas with the latest good morning to you while madeira has won but his victory seems to be thought from being convincing wealthy reaction there in caracas. well first of all if you talk about the reaction coming from the supporters of mother roy it was almost instant as soon as the the results were announced fireworks were going off actually just

the war of words soars on the korean peninsula with many south koreans fearing conflict as pyongyang suspends access to a crucial industrial zone jointly run with. the presidential race now underway in venezuela we take a look at whether any of the main candidates could fill the shoes of the late. top stories this hour. live from our new center here in moscow this is r.t. with you twenty four hours a day. we start with our developing story a fire is raging in the tallest skyscraper in the chechen capital grozny located in russia's north caucasus the forty story building part of a new multi million dollar complex as been reduced to little more than a burn talent shell more details now from our correspondent lindsey france. around six pm local time reports came in that a large fire has started around the thirtieth floor of the one hundred forty five meter tall olympus building now that is a part of the cross in the center complex that was just completed in two thousand and eleven the luxury hotel and apartment building now this building contains the largest clock to sit on top of the b

is well out of pyongyang's reach. that standard of arkansas or demand documents from the oil giant responsible for the drop should pipeline spill while the us federal sources restrict access and implement a no fly zone over the disaster area. international news and comment life this is our see with me hello and welcome to the program. the prisoners hunger strike gone time of day has been continuing for two months now despite no sign of a conclusion the inmates protest has managed to bring the gun tunnel you sure bought into the spotlight after interest in the can but for by the wayside mainstream journalists are once again asking the u.s. authorities uncomfortable questions about the prison and i would say your show skit looks now at the latest the verbal exchange at the u.s. state department press briefing. when victoria nuland was asked the question about a russian citizen of one thousand or more. of the man who spent eleven years in the prison for his alleged links to al qaeda and russia haven't been concerned with

will actually decide to hold missile test launches now the latest reports are suggesting that pyongyang already has mid-range missiles called mustard done which would be able to hit a target at more than two and a half thousand miles and the reaction of the international community to do the possible test launch can be very very serious and could provoke a major conflict in the region so the worries are especially high because the doesn't seem to be any breakthrough in on the diplomatic level in the talks between the parties in volved on sunday young young again rebuffed the attempts by seoul to hold talks to resolve the issue or at the negotiations table saying that the proposal itself was nothing more than a crafty trick the leadership in most of the countries of the region china north korea and south korea are new in south in south korea and north korea moreover the leaders are quite young and with they have obviously more than views on the world and it is really unclear why china and south korea and japan are not mediating this conflict with here it is very interesting to see whether

be in the offing as north korea marks the apex of its calendar day which experts feared would push pyongyang to demonstrate to its people the power of the north and this year it's coincided with a historically tense moment as pyongyang engages in a standoff with the u.s. japan and south korea warships from those nations currently ring the north's coasts while its own missiles stand ready on launch pads across the country but talks still seem distant washington declaring it is ready and willing quote to reach out to pyongyang but only when the time and conditions of right. now reports from the frontiers of north korea. monday april the fifteenth is known as the day of the sun in north korea when the nation is celebrating its biggest holiday the birthday of the late leader the founder of the north korean republic kim il sung that's of course the north koreans will be celebrating in the streets in the ever present military parades but the eyes of the world and of course be focused not on the celebrations on the festivities in north korea but on whether young will actually decide to hold missile

they watch cnn international in pyongyang. you'll hear what that message to kim jong un from ban ki-moon is coming up at the top of the next hour. ban ki-moon as i said met in the oval office with the president who himself had this to say about the latest threats from north korea. >> now is the time for north korea to end the kind of belligerent approach that they've been taking and to try to lower temperatures. nobody wants to see a conflict on the korean peninsula. >> once again we'll have much more coming up on the crisis with north korea. our special report here in the situation room comes up right at the top of the hour, 6:00 p.m. eastern only here on cnn. let's move on to other important news here in washington. president obama's budget blueprint has something for almost everyone to dislike. it would raise taxes on the wealthy but also could reduce some medicare and social security benefits. that has some liberals up in arms. let's go to our chief white house correspondent jessica yellin watching this story unfold. what

the leaders in pyongyang are simply responding to that. these are psychological tactics. we see little signs that ground troops are preparing for war. no troops have moved south, and we have no reports of anything unusual happening in pyongyang. military tensions always risk causing something unpredictable. a nervous front line soldier could fire a shot by mistake and prompt an exchange of gunfire and start a fight that could escalate. with this dynamic, u.s. leaders counsel that the test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile, but we've heard these repeated threats from the north koreans. they may believe that doing nothing would damage morale among their it troops. so they may launch a missile, but i can't imagine a direct assault on japanese territory or guam unless a war breaks out. data from the past three nuclear tests show that the explosions were all small scale. but seven years have already passed since the first test. and it's clear that engineers are trying to develop a small nuclear warhead capable of being launched on a missile. the medium-range musu

a few experts believe there is an imminent threat of war and aggressive talk from pyongyang has been continuing for days threatened to as shut down something it runs with the south. >> after weeks of threats pyongyang continues to find ways to up the stakes. north korea's latest blast came from an army staff informing the white house that the nuclear -- would be smashed. the rhetoric remains the same but on thursday came signs of physical measure as well. confirming reports a missile with considerable range had been observed being moved to the coast but couldn't teach u.s. mainland and that it could be a drill for a test. >> as i told you before, we have not found any signs of all-out war but we consider with provocation it is always possible and we are ready for it. >> the united states is moving a mobile intercept on the pacific island of guam calling the danger real and clear. >> some of the actions they have taken over the last few weeks present a real and clear danger and threat to the interests certainly of our allies. >> as significant as its military threats, pyongyang for th

leaders there have long defended their allies in pyongyang. kerry wants to convince them to use their leverage. on sunday, kerry will move on to tokyo. he'll meet with kishida. and he'll talk about a stronger diplomatic pesance in asia. >>> north korean leader kim jong un has kept people guessing ever since he came to power. for moany he remains a mystery. >> reporter: people outside north korea new little of kim jong un. more than a year later, they're not sure they know much more. he's appeared in orchestrated events, often with the military. he spoke last april at the parade to celebrate would have been the 100th birthday of his grandfather. the nation's founder, kim il sung. >> translator: we need to strengthen our military to make north korea a strong and thriving country. >> reporter: kim moved to switzerland when he was still a boy to attend school. some hoped his experiences abroad would persuade him to move away from the policies of his father, kim jong il. initially he showed a softer side, talking to children across the country. att

player dennis rodman or google officials to pyongyang everything which relates to north korea creates something of a big scandal in the western media anywhere across the world. well the north koreans our lack of military action is once again leading to questions over the billions of u.s. dollars spent in preparation for conflict something some experts believe is provoking pyongyang even further let's take a look now at the figures and see according to some estimates at least twelve billion dollars are being spent annually on what america calls maintaining peace on the peninsula well apart from that some of the money goes towards keeping almost thirty thousand american troops in south korea and i just to give you an example of how much the joint drills that anger the north could have cost or just dispatching two stealth bombers to drop dummy bombs well that may well have cost the u.s. taxpayer six billion dollars although with the world's attention focused now on the korean crisis the b.b.c. is under fire for pushing the boundaries of ethics in pursuit of a good story that the u.k.'s t

player dennis rodman or google officials to pyongyang everything which relates to north korea creates something of a big scandal in the west and. bowled well north korea's lack of action is once again leading to questions over the billions of u.s. dollars spent on the military in the region something some experts believe is provoking pyongyang even further let's take a look now at the figures we're talking about according to some estimates at least twelve billion dollars spent annually on what the u.s. calls maintaining peace on the peninsula and some of that money goes towards keeping almost thirty thousand troops stationed in south korea and to give an example of how much the joint drills that have angered the north could have caused dispatching two stealth bombers to drop dummy bombs during recent exercises would cost as much as five and a half million dollars well with attention focused on the korean crisis the b.b.c. is under fire for pushing the boundaries of ethics in pursuit of a good story u.k.'s top financial school the london school of economics is accusing the broadcaster

is well out of pyongyang as reach. out that turn to china or console demands documents from the oil giant responsible for the ruptured pipeline spill while the u.s. federal authorities restrict access and implement a no fly zone over the disaster area. and welcome to. news live from moscow my name is you know our top story now the hype around north korea's nuclear threats is being fueled not by reports that pyongyang has moved a mid range missile to its east coast closer to the u.s. your own secretary general ban ki moon believes the north has gone too far and has to change course while washington says it's taking all necessary precautions but as fears of an impending war seem to grow so does the course of those saying is the last thing both countries want and drones are for is a co-director of foreign policy in focus here now. north korea basically is trying to get the united states back to the negotiating table and its missile range is frankly not reliable nor long enough to make it to the u.s. positions if these wer

its people the power of the north and this year it's coincided with a historically tense moment as pyongyang engages in an atomic standoff with the u.s. japan and south korea warships from those nations currently ring the north coasts while its own missiles stand ready on launch pads across the country but talks still seem distant with washington declaring it is ready and willing quote to reach out to pyongyang but only when the time and conditions are right. to shift the reports now from the front of north korea. monday april the fifteenth is known as the day of the sun in north korea when the nation is celebrating its biggest holiday the birthday of the late leader the founder of the north korean republic kim il sung that's of course the north koreans will be celebrating in the streets and the ever present military parades but the eyes of the world will of course be focused not on the celebrations and the festivities in north korea but on whether young will actually decide to hold missile test launches now the latest reports are suggesting that pyongyang already has a mid range missiles ca

it abandons its nuclear weapons program in an apparent attempt to encourage china to put pressure on pyongyang. cyprus extends a financial quarantine that's why billions and save us money as your grants rush for an emergency bailouts to rescue is teetering economy. the latest news on the week's top stories we're watching the weekly on all she with me you are welcome to the program. to inmates at the gone time of a prison to have clashed with the gods during an attempt to end a two month long hunger strike that officers try to forcibly remove detainees from communal living quarters and isolate them in individual cells normally four rounds were fired at the prisoners as they resisted with improvised weapons get an extra count brings us the details. this was apparently a pre-dawn operation that took place hours after the delegates of the international committee of the red cross left the island left guantanamo a statement released by the u.s. military says the guards at guantanamo have fired four rounds at prisoners from non-lethal weapons they say the detainees covered surveillance cameras window

way of the modeling aid we've seen the whole carriage sticking maneuvers between pyongyang and washington for years perhaps this is nothing different well at r.t. dot com you can still get involved with a poll here we always greatly value your opinion. today. these are the images the world. can't. change for asians to rule the day. live from moscow this is our two young brewery sushi the west bank city of hebron has been flooded with fouls and of those coming to attend the funeral of a former palestinian security officer and he did die while in israeli custody his death has triggered a wave of riots and clashes between palestinians and israeli forces which resulted in at least two teenagers being killed by the soldiers. been following the funeral procession joining us live here on our to arena good to see you again so quickly you've been keeping a very close watch on clashes and post funeral violence so what can you tell us where you are. well i'm actually in downtown have run right now that you are allowed to have to tell about an hour ago made it look evil a little bit less now we are i

young will actually decide to hold missile test launches now the latest reports are suggesting that pyongyang already has mid-range missiles called must have done which would be able to hit a target at more than two and a half thousand miles and the reaction of the international community to do the possible test launch can be very very serious and could provoke a major conflict in the region so it's also interesting to see the transformation of north korea under the embargo under the sanctions which the country has been living in for many years already not only have they managed to build missiles to create missiles which could potentially be dangerous for the whole region and even reach the shores of the western shores of the united states but also there are speculation peculation and there is information that the north korea may be embarking on the space program so definitely the this crazy twist the crazy saga of korean peninsula is continuing we're watching the situation here in the far east and we'll update our viewers with all the latest developments as we get them throughout the day wel

the latest round of exercises that have enraged pyongyang. they have confirmed their belief that a missile on the east coast of the country is technically ready for launch and could be fired as early as wednesday. it comes on the day of the temporary closure of a joint industrial being confirmed, with north korean industrialists turning up for their shifts. >> how much can we see this endless and vicious cycle before reaching compromise? anti-missileoyed batteries with an east coast launch by north korea indicating a flight path over japanese territory. >> we are taking every possible step to make sure the japanese people feel safe and are protected. >> pyongyang was warning residents and tourists to prepare to evacuate saying that they face harm if 42 -- a four were to break out. tourists in seoul seemed unconcerned. is my opinion. >> i am not concerned at this point. >> the main harm for now is being restricted to the 123 firms with factories in case so -- kasung. >> as the situation goes on, the company is the face crisis, including bankru

>>> officials in pyongyang have ratcheted up their threats. they're advising all foreigners working in and visiting south korea to leave. >>> workers at the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant have reported another setback. they say a third tank for storing radioactive water may have a leak. >>> welcome to nhk world "newsline." north korean officials have made more threats after weeks of them in a broadcast on state media. they warned all foreigners to leave south korea. >> translator: we urge all foreign nationals at institutes and companies, including tourists, to take evacuation measures out of seoul and south korea for their own safety. >> defense officials in seoul are worried this could be more than just talk. they say on wednesday the north korean military may launch a missile. >> translator: we could say that the north koreans are expected to fire a missile tomorrow, although the schedule could change. >> the north korean military has reportedly moved a midrange ballistic missile to the east coast. kim said it's not known whether they have

pyongyang saying if you are an international runner, come on in to the international pyongyang marathon. they're actually inviting foreigners in for this. at the same time, just days earlier they're telling embassies, foreign embassies inside pang yang thyongyang tha guarantee your safety. we're suggesting you leave on april 10th which was yesterday. and they're also telling foreigners, you should evacuate south korea. back away from the peninsula. it's difficult to tell what is happening. we're getting multiple reports inside north korea saying there is almost a festival type atmosphere leading to the birthday of kim il's son. whenever you deal with a hermit kingdom, very serious, you have to take their threats seriously but at the same time it is very, very nutty. >> all right. thank you very much. i mean nutty is the right word even though, of course, so dire and serious. >>> all right. we have a little more on our breaking news story. i want to get straight to atlanta. four firefighters hostage in suanee, georgia. david mattingly just heard shots fired. >> reporter: what we heard we

pyongyang declared a state of war with the south and vowed to restart its main nuclear reactor in response to u.n. sanctions meanwhile the u.s. has moved its military hardware closer to the north coast including a warship in a sea based radar platform south korea says it will retaliate if it's attacked seoul based correspondent joseph kim believes that america's geopolitics in the region is firing up pyongyang is rhetoric. in terms of people in the capital in seoul there's not much reaction and much alarm as these threats and the rhetoric from north korea has been continuous throughout the years we've seen an annual drills with south korea and the us that north korea has continuously condemned and denounced them but the u.s. and south korea continually do these drills so we can see that a lot of these rhetoric these harsh rhetoric that are coming out of north korea in pyongyang are in response to these these military exercises as we mentioned a warship has come on the korean coast and now north korea has said that it will restart its grant nuclear reactor so we see that a lot of what the t

missile system will stream into the pacific as the war of words with north korea reaches fever pitch pyongyang in response says its military is now approved for a nuclear showdown with the us. up to the west bank has promised to bury a long term prisoner who died while in israeli custody triggering a wave of bloody confrontations. the us authorities impose a no fly zone over an oil spill in the console that dozens of homes with crude oil company says it's to provide safety for the cleanup locals suspect they just want to keep cameras away. live from the new center here in moscow this is our t.v. . twenty four hours a day a nuclear attack on the u.s. has moved a step closer with north korea's military saying it's now been authorized to wage atomic warfare against what it calls washington's aggression pyongyang says war could break out today or tomorrow one american missile was ships are reported to be streaming into the pacific the war of words between the errant sides took a turn for the worse last week when nuclear capable u.s. bombers skirted north korean airspace or it is going to japan has

north korea warns all foreign embassies in pyongyang to evacuate citing critical tension. that after the regime reportedly ordered another ballistic missile to be primed in the face of encroaching american and south korean. ships. and in light of the escalating muscle flexing between north korea and america britain says it needs a nuclear arsenal citing a threat which many critics believe doesn't even exist. and hidden billions presidents international celebrities and captains of industry are implicated in a. void scheme being laid bare by millions of leaked e-mails coming from the british virgin islands. also hungry for humane treatment of the no food. brings attention back to the controversial prison and america's continued use of it as a human rights black hole. of bird slaughter poultry markets closed down and shares falling on fears caused by six bird flu deaths in china. we investigate whether the panic is being blown out of. life or moscow this is. your news from all around the world and we start this hour with news just in that an earthquake measuring six point two

player dennis rodman or google officials to pyongyang everything which relates to north korea creates something of a big scandal in the western media anywhere across the world. well north korea's lack of action is once again leading to questions over the billions of u.s. dollars spent on the military in the region something some experts believe is provoking pyongyang even further want to take a look now at the figures here on the screen according to some estimates at least twelve billion dollars spent annually on what the u.s. calls maintaining peace in the peninsula some of that money goes towards keeping almost thirty thousand u.s. troops stationed in south korea to give an example of how much the joint drills at the bank of the north could have cost dispatching two stealth bombers to drop dummy bombs during recent exercises well that would have cost as much as piven one hundred million dollars well let's discuss the situation around north korea further with erik's iraq and he's an international human rights lawyer and mediator joining me live in the u.s. eric there's a lot of conce

calls off a missile test to avoid antagonizing pyongyang. the u.s. secretary of state visits turkey for the third time in two weeks. passing the taste test. new regulations some are fighting hard to swallow. -- finding hard to swallow. and international donors conference is underway to help the troubled darfur region. the goal is to raise billions of dollars to rebuild the area. fighting broke out in march 2003 between the rebels and the government forces. since then, more than 200,000 people have been killed. 7.5population is about million. the united nations estimates about 2 million have been displaced because of continued fighting. that is almost 1/3 of the population. 1.4 million live in camps set up by international relief organizations. an estimated 200,000 refugees live in camps in chad. darfur.oks like the same soil and trees. nothis refugee, this is home. it never will be. is bitter. the minute security is restored, that is our country and we're throwing back. up to now, there is no security. there is fighting and air strikes. our people ar

and south korea those of us i just want to quickly just ask you this pyongyang has made similar threats many times in the past and analysts tend to question the seriousness of these warnings why is that such a media hype over them this time around there is a lot of media hype in terms of western media with what north korea is currently doing right now and we have to actually see this as something that the u.s. perhaps is maybe thinking about in terms of their rebalancing to east asia they are in a cli trying to get back into east asia to be able to counter china and its growing powers in terms of the economy and why not use north korea north korea is a threat in what it says is a threat and so they are using this opportunity to be able to rebalance his military as well as his presence here to be able to continuously monitor and gain more influence in the region and the also spoke as well to r.t. correspondent alexia jeff ski one of the few foreign journalist who's actually been able to report from north korea. to be honest with you i haven't had a chance to talk to many ordinary people

south korean officials say they cannot rule out the possibility that authorities in pyongyang will fire the missile. they say they're closely monitoring activity in the north and are in contact with the u.s. and japan. >>> north korean authorities are making move on another front. they barred south korean workers from entering a jointly run complex. now they're threatening to shut down the zone entirely. a government announcement on state-run media says the closure of the kaesong complex is imnt. it says the south is using the area as a venue for confrontation. the state warns authorities in pyongyang will not hesitate to pull out the roughly 50,000 north koreans who work there for south korean firms. the complex is located in north korea, close to the border that divides the peninsula. in 2009, north korean officials banned south korean workers from entering the complex for five days. they were protesting against u.s./south korea joint military exercises. they've never stopped operations at kaesong. it's a source of much-needed foreign currency for the north. >>> u.s. defense secretary