wealthy british scientists say it's not on the title. markets. find out what's really happening to the global economy for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines to cause

a report on our. protests

in europe as workers say they do not want to be paying for the mistakes the fact cats while the businesses say it's time to get off the streets and get back to work . smugglers feeling trouble in northern iraq innocent lives are put at risk as pollution hits local rivers. and empty drums officials from russia try to work with the u.s. to wipe out afghan peril when production says america's sole focus on taliban the field is not and. it's three pm in moscow and this is coming to you live with me and used to now way there's more protests pain ahead for france as strikers commit to yet more stoppages to vent their anger over plans to make them work longer tear gas and

water cannons have been used against demonstrators while president sarkozy tries to hurry the senate vote on raising the retirement age to sixty two considering those are what is in paris. the senate is working all pretty much all day every day figuring out the final details fine tuning the proposed pension reform that will see their retirement age rise from the age of sixty to the age of sixty two and the french are definitely not happy about it they've been taking to the streets of the country not just the capital paris making sure that their anger is heard with some protests turning violent and police forces. being forced to use tear gas to disperse angry crowds and of course those protests are ongoing in paris there are dozens of them daily from the students to the pensioners everybody young and old taking to the streets making sure we're attempting to make sure that their voices are heard and that the government pays attention to their demands but it seems that

this is probably the first time in a very long time where the government is not prepared to back down is not prepared to renegotiate with trade unions and is simply staying very firm on its position saying that this pension reform is what is necessary to make sure that the french economy actually gets over the effects of the aftermath of the global financial crisis with the economy of course being strongly hit by it and the the government proposed pension reform is exactly what is necessary to push the economy forward and to aid the country out of the financial slump that it's currently in so this could well be perhaps the first time in a very long time where the french people and their protests are being ignored with many already saying of course that the people who are protesting basically have gotten used to nearly blackmailing the government institution in france in order to

get their way and this perhaps could be the first time in a long time where the government is not prepared to do that and of course many people in paris according to opinion polls people who. paris and in france as a whole over forty percent of the people say that what they are most tired of is the protests and the disruption that they cause their country to foist the costs of these problems protests are also to be taken into account in these current strikes economists have not yet had a chance to count exactly how they will affect the current economy but of course just to compare in two thousand and seven and ninety eight transport strike cost the country four hundred million euros and those are figures that france cannot afford to be paying right now. well the what's happening in france let's talk to one just from the stuff like moving thank you for joining us mr j.s. now let us just see the reform as unfair making them pay for a financial crisis caused by failed bankers why are you calling to stop the strike

well we call them to stop the strike today because it's too disturbing for people going to work today with public transport in the universities there are people preventing goals and students to go to the. course so we ask everybody to just to just put distances to do their wells but just prevent of the people to do their work and just trying to to. as a country to buck the economy it's. a strange situation in france we don't want them to block all country right but what do you expect them to do how do you expect them to make the government hear their voices. what if there were. protests in the streets about forests as a reform is a good thing we have to reforms a punch and system has a young student. for my generation for every reform is really really because

tomorrow it's all generation going up plays a punching for how parents how grandparents and you know the today influence one function of out of town the spades by. the humans that going to have to pay. the next year. democrats demographic. it's going to be a rest we'll see in the next year soon we have to reform all. today we have to two more years says that we can save the system in the next year but those reforms are likely to be approved by the senate by the end of friday but the unions are promising more protests in november do you think the government should be getting a plan b. together before the country is completely damaged both socially and economically.

well there is no plan b. possible to there is no the solution we ask people as a government ask people today on the two will two more years is that we can save the system we chummed. them only to reform it's only to you as more you know. what that what they like to say is that. it. is going to vote as a reform everybody has to respect democracy in france and when the reform will be voted by the senate for me. that has to be xian golf for the moment and everybody go to work and everybody let's use a well that's let's people who wanted to go to will ok and then there goes the when the election on a platform trying to push france to work longer hours during the week also talking about this welfare reform didn't voters expect this excuse me. i'm

saying didn't nicolas sarkozy win the election on a platform of france needs to work more yeah yeah that's it's what we have to to to walk more today because of the financial crisis because of the situation of the country because of the depth and we ask people to work more too because it's my generation it's the young people going off to places adepts in the next year so everybody has to make an effort today that we can. redress so i kind of. pay our debt and this is what. we could maintain our social system right and one gas from the stop the strike movement in france life in paris for us thank you very much for your time. now

we're also bringing down its debt by imposing the de prescott since the one nine hundred twenty s. yet the british are being a lot more restraint in their response then their gaelic neighbors then both men from the center right adam smith institute explains. well i think we have to look at the way these cuts are going to hit people and the people who are going to be here are people on benefits and the real aim of these cuts is to get people into a job and to work but of course we have to look at the actual amount that the cuts are going to be hitting people by and the institute for system of studies is looking at the north point six percent for the poorest in the north point two percent here for the richest and even though that is quite a discrepancy it's not very much in the grand scheme of things i think really these cuts are only the beginning it's not really in the british national character to protest we haven't really seen protests any of these cuts in the last year or so and in fact the two biggest protests happened over the last ten years were against fox hunting and the iraq war neither of which had any real effect the british government doesn't really listen to protesters and i don't expect that there will

be any protests that we'll see in the next few weeks there was a protest the other day. held by the unions against these cuts and it had about five hundred people which compared to the protests in france it's nine years so i really don't think we're going to be seeing anything more really the protests are quite a tradition in france whenever there is a government cut of some kind it doesn't happen in the u.k. and people really here are interested in getting out of their lives and getting back to work and hopefully that's what these cuts well people to do. there they are steve live from moscow coming your way in just a few minutes people to counter problems. are going to. russia. we'll look at russia's biggest q. and a session in over five years and follow census takers as far as the international space station. but first they say that oil and water don't mix but in northern iraq the grade of gangs of smugglers and bring the two together with painful results for local people and sebastian meyer reports their

health a mildly hoods are under threat. one hundred miles northeast of baghdad a special iraqi police unit makes its way to the iranian border they're hunting a new breed of smuggler who trade not in guns but in gasoline and this cache of confiscated jerry cans contains thousands of gallons of gasoline that was illegally trafficked from iran a few days ago smugglers for the disc cans down the sewer one river with they were intercepted by the iraqi police but many of the jerrycans didn't make the journey intact punctured by rocks or shot at by the iranian police tens of thousands leak their contents into the sea of one river poisoning the water supply used by the thirty five thousand residents of the city of. saudi or these are the cans did you know if over the years you killed people through their brains you could use this water with now because of the color is to do it see people count to use it. again but the money is too tempting for the local smugglers who can run ten

thousand jerry cans on an average night for a few hours of work they can make up to six thousand dollars what the smugglers wind their pockets downstream fishermen like you bring him in my head are watching their livelihood disappear two years ago we could catch a lot more fish. when i'm with your kids twenty kilos a day now it's only five hundred. in the city families unable to afford their own well have to drink to felpham and water delivered to them by municipal trucks on the outskirts of town he was forced to feed his family this water those who are true is not safe to drink but because we can't afford clean water we have no choice but one of my children get sick listen i was born again so i had to take her to hospital when we dream to daughter and we get sick according to the recommendations of the american environmental protection agency pollution levels in the water supply are over fifteen times higher than the safe amount. in the benihana hospital now means daughter is suffering from diarrhea which she contracted after having

a bath in the cities. water. i haven't been hospitalized myself but because of my child i come home i have two of the children and they suffer from time and vomiting . comes back. we hear again. and with the same regularity is no means visits to the hospital the smokeless continue to still get to leave it to do it then becomes water system in this remote and peaceful part of iraq we do in some greedy or is dangerous as in the rest of the country the best in my northern iraq or. america plans to sell some sixty billion dollars worth of weapons to saudi arabia and what's seen as one of the largest arms deals in u.s. history congress has yet to approve the deal put forward by the obama administration the saudis want new fighter jets attack helicopters as well as upgrades for its existing aircraft to sell would also include a wide range of bombs. saudi arabia is one of the united states biggest oil

suppliers washington hopes the deal will improve the defense of the gulf state but limiting campaigner david he says saudi arabia is not likely partner for a country that claims to defend human rights. in classic dictatorial fashion the saudi regime does not rely on the consent of its people to be governed and therefore needs all the arms that it can acquire simply to maintain its presence in the region there has been unfortunately a lack of concern for human rights in saudi arabia there are elements within the us government that believe that either ship is moderate and therefore it is an ally of the united states i believe that the saudi regime does in fact quite extremist in its beliefs and its policies saudi arabia is a country which. prevents women from leaving the their home country without being accompanied by a male. or guardian it is

a country which bans the walking of pet cats and dogs in public there is gender apartheid it bans women from driving and i think a lot more can be done to increase american concern and pressure for improvements in saudi human rights. and american support for the saudi regime is a flashpoint in the latest edition of archie's cross talk later this hour peter the bells gas grapple with that and whether iran soft power is driving its influence in the region. what six of reality in that in iran you have elections mr ahmadinejad for various reasons is because very popular just a couple of days ago when he went to this city he stole the election and you know he stole the election that's why they were able i know you should understand why you would say that. we are in the river to. go running from god go right ahead yeah. ok you let the tides

wash over for a second look each truth that most of the arab world is totalitarian saudi arabia jordan egypt because we the west support them we want them to be totalitarian we want them to quote unquote their own people to be on our side. and that's why we hope i was enraged and i'm just going to be interviewed by me finally you're continuing my maze if i made your continual baby. gentleman like robert for you in just a moment. you can watch crosstalk at three thirty pm last count time russia and the u.s. totally agree that the afghan how or when industry needs to be wiped out but what they can't see eye to eye on is how to do it afghanistan is why far the world's biggest opium producer but america only wants to focus on taliban control poppy fields are going to can explain why russia says that's not enough. there is

definitely an understanding that drug trafficking from of ghana's then is a common enemy russia in the us seem to be more than eager to join forces to fight it and they are doing so drug control chiefs of both countries said russian the us now share a lot of sensitive information in order to crack down on drug trafficking networks in afghanistan and also track down their assets let's not forget the drug business in afghanistan is worth around seventy billion dollars a year if that money goes somewhere some of it sponsors terrorist experts say victor evolved the head of forces drug control service was also talking about this well known connection between herring and terror now the u.s. and russia perfectly realized the problem but they for on the solution russia suggest eradicating all poppy fields and labs where heroin is produced the u.s. says it's up to the afghan government to make that decision russia's argument is the afghan government can stand up against multi multi billionaire drug monster stronger nations have to put an end to it and russia made that point many times to

medo which it actually cooperate with on drug trafficking but but to no avail. do you want congress evaluates the taliban's drug production to be worth one hundred fifty million dollars however it's not worth the whole of their began drug production success to meet a sixty five billion dollars so we conceived of the taliban sectors only zero point two percent obviously it's not the main producer who our international forces say that they will eliminate only do drug production related to the taliban in other words all one hundred fifty thousand personnel will be directed to eliminating just zero point two percent of drug production the remaining ninety nine point nine percent live to be destroyed by the afghan forces. the official argument of nato and one of its key members the united states for not eradicating the poppy fields is that they don't want to destroy the only source of income for local populations russia says that. argument doesn't work and his victory of almost said the only

ones who benefit from it are the landlords or the drug lords and definitely not afghan peasants and afghan pasand household makes seventy dollars a year for growing poppies and this missive almost that international forces should be after the landlords in afghanistan because the leave presents with no choice but growing poppies and in the last nine years of war in afghanistan that policy brought nothing but deaths afghan drugs killed more than a million people worldwide because i'm more on that story online we have the full interview with russia's anti-drug victory on our website r.t.e. dot com. let's take a look now at some other world news in brief for you this hour a suspected called outbreak in haiti has killed at least a hundred and thirty five people with hundreds more seriously ill the stream of those needing treatment has overwhelmed hospital staff and believe these doctors are now waiting for test results to confirm the cause of the infections many people

still live in unsanitary conditions after january's massive earthquake which killed some three hundred thousand people. die from meggie has reached land in taiwan cause and widespread destruction three people have reportedly been killed by a month slide also a helicopter search is underway from one thousand missing tourists from china whose boss was trapped by falling rocks on a coastal highway earlier this week making batter the philippines killing more than twenty people and is expected to hit china this week. on hundred forty million and counting russians nationwide census is underway it's an effort to better understand today's population from current living standards to improving its future and stacy bivins found out census takers are reaching out in all directions . the ability to defy gravity is not an excuse to deny earthly responsibilities even in space cosmin arthur answering questions for russia's

twenty ten senses your nationality russian elinor's of our sky air has the job of reaching out to orbit it via the ultimate and long distance phone calls. when it was my first time i felt more anxious and now maybe because i already know what it's like i'm a little bit less anxious but still i am. this out of this world q. and a is meant to inspire russians a matter how busy or how far away they are to take a moment and fill out the census that's because it's believed that the questions that apply here could lead to some answers that could solve some of the nation's biggest problems the questionnaire attempts to probe issues such as why russia's birth rate is so low and its death rate so high a comparison to european countries data collected is meant to show who makes up question households learn what their resources are and identify how government can improve the quality of life and with the slogan everyone matters to russia everyone

from those serving their country to those serving time are being counted. how else would we know what kind of financial situation russia's and what our social situation is how will we know how many people live in russia they're doing it for us i think it's a necessity and that was why i went to take part in it. and less captivated surroundings people like these young men and women are hoping not to be turned away before the questionnaire is complete. this family of three is doing well but mom and dad are filling out the forms as a form of security. now i feel. help but maybe in future. if i don't have. the government or will have this information about me but for now it's the government that's counting on the population. r.t. . that's the way the news looks this hour from r.t.

business is next. time to have a look at what's happening in the world of business and the us trading near its lowest level this year against the euro dollar currency basket but as to ten a pretty over of course the central bank is not too concerned about the weakness as it focuses attention on control of inflation. the government is increasingly perswaded that the rouble can't take care of itself it's inflation it needs to worry about the central bank has widened the exchange corridor as a cautious tapped was the free float of the currency when this happens it will allow the central bank to focus on setting policy to control prices this has the ultimate aim of making russia more in line with the developed economies which offer a stable monetary environment. if we want an investment economy inflation should be

around five percent any measure that leads to decreasing inflation is a priority there is no sense of the panic about the current valuation of the ruble unlike in two thousand and eight when the government burned through a sizable chunk of its reserves to prop it up russia's central bank says the current fundamentals of the russian economy do not support a one way train and indeed officials believe there are a number of factors which will lift the value of the currency in the medium term. the measures that can prop up the nation or currency are the transfer of some expert oil contracts to the ruble and increasing the volume of ruble deals between the c.i.s. countries russia has just announced a large scale privatization inflow of capital prompted by these deals will also have a positive impact on the ruble status on the world market paradoxically the current weakness of the russian ruble contrast with the problems faced by many other

countries struggling to restrain their currency at the moment that perhaps explains why the russian government is in no hurry to alter its course dramatically but generally of course of business are to. central asian gas deliveries hot sauce stream pipeline as stake as russia's president richard vedder faces turkmenistan leaders of both countries are to discuss the proposed pipeline that will connect caspian gas to europe much of a. planning and financing for south stream is complete construction is due to start in twenty thirteen but the consumers starting to receive gas by the end of twenty fifteen. and russia will produce around five hundred million tons of oil in twenty one percent on the previous year production rose at roughly the same speed as a did during two thousand and nine which saw russia out before saudi arabia as the world's top well exporter but russia is close to its peak and production is expected to decline twenty two percent in ten years time currently the country has

the world's largest oil reserves. a quick look at the markets and here in russia the r.t.s. and the mice it's a down this hour most of the blue chips are in the red bucking the trend of course hydros up one point one percent. and european stocks are suffering losses on friday after previous sessions gains led by banks mining and oil sectors as more key companies reported results shows a volvo one percent the firm's first quarter sales but short of its potations go one two and profit from last year will go. somewhat of russian stock precious metals producers pull in metal has posted a fifty five percent boost and gold production for the first nine months of twenty ten year on here how well the silver production sure in the same period increased by only five percent the company also saw its revenue rise to six hundred fifty five million dollars in the first nine months that some eighty seven percent

compared to the previous year. shareholders have voted against changing the board of directors at an extraordinary general meeting in moscow the result of b.s. to favor of legitimate baton and company into rolls over. in the national for control of the russian mind interval central south each control twenty five percent of nor nickel all correspondent daniel bushell asked direct if the dispute could damage the company. any dispute is affecting the company but the question is whether the dispute leads to any positive trends opposed to changes and we believe that the. whole idea which we are promoting when we were calling for the c.g.m. is to actually rebuilds the board in a manner where there will be no controlling shareholder who will sell try to take this conflict for the for example to the court it's more the fight isn't the wall it goes it's a different story it's about being

a shareholder in the rules trying to change the situation and so that every single intense billion is implemented results are in line with international competitors what's wrong with the bombing of the company it's really really the best money but it has no strategy and it has cash on the bells so either management should come to the board is a proper strategy which would include organic growth projects and we'll explain that's where this money is have to be spent and they're spending would create additional value to all shareholders if that's not happening then it should be paid out as if you believe nickel miners to shareholders actually support resells period absolute majority of independent shareholders have supported the idea for you which neither of the big shareholders have ever actually had a dialogue with this is why not if the shareholders of such a big supporter of minority shareholders is actually a big victory does russo want to braze nourse the.