RT News - May 28, 2014 (12:00 MSK)

The dissenting regions of Eastern Ukraine expect a new crackdown any moment now, while Kiev denies the reports of massive civilian victims in the previous round of fighting. Boots on the ground - The U.S. President announces a change of plans in Afghanistan, saying he intends to keep some 10,000 US troops there, well beyond the end of this year. Parties on the political left reap the rewards of years of austerity measures as voters look for new leaders to drag them out of the economic doldrums, in EU parliamentary elections. The torture of inmates and a mass sterilization scandal see Californian prisons come in for strong criticism, as a former convict tells RT what psychological tools are used to break them.