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the french said it's a truce an increase in the time of day for the countries paralyzed by the strikes and great work. workers say they do not want to be paying for the mistakes or the fact cats all the businesses say it's time to get off the streets and get back to work. also a common goal with no common vision while recognizing afghanistan's world's greatest drug spread pressure on the u.s. can't agree on how to deal with. petrol traffickers in iraq because of the new health hazard as the fuel they take spills into rivers poisoning the populations water supply.

this is r t live from moscow very good to have you company it's eleven pm friday night here now on kevin zero in with our top story the french senate's approved the pension reform raising the retirement age to sixty two the decision to support president sarkozy's proposals been agreed in a vote that went to the wire the approval comes amid ongoing protests that hit the country more than a week ago earlier french police broke a blockade of a refinery that was crucial for the capital's fuel supplies now tonight has been reported the demonstrators captured one of the largest waste recycling centers just outside paris as artie's a country reports now there's no end in sight to the education. 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 today and trainers 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 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 it's vitally necessary if they don't do with the entire system is going to go bankrupt

you cannot spend money you don't have if the system is not reformed people just aren't going to get pensions 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 to nearly blackmailing the government and situation 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 in 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 of course the costs of these products protests are also to be taken into account in these current strikes iconic 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 one hundred million euros and those are figures that france cannot afford to be paying right now. and on the campaign against the protesters pension reform is vital to say the system of the french economy is based on if there were. protests in the streets about forests as a reform is a is a good thing we have to reforms that are punched in system has a young student. for my generation for the reform early because tomorrow it's good luck plays a bunch and for help parents our grandparents. you know that today in france one punch in of out of turn is paid by it's so good to have to pay the debt in the next year with the demographic issue. it's going to be. the next year or so we have to reform our pension scheme today we have to work two

more years so that we can save the system in the next year and united kingdom is also cut its public sector budget to reduce the national deficit spiraling out of control so far the response in the u.k. has been far more restrained than in france and there's some bowman ahead of a london based economic think tank says the british won't copy the french. it's not really in the british national character to protest we haven't really seen protests in any of these cuts in the last year or so and in fact the two biggest protests that 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 but a poll by the unions against these cuts and it had about five hundred people which compared to the closest in france is nine years so i really don't think we're going to be seeing anything more the british government has a long history of ignoring protesters and british people really are kind of people

who want to get on with it and get back to work business as usual you might say and really they protest quite a tradition in france whenever there's a government car some kind it doesn't happen in the u.k. and people really here are just in getting out of their lives and getting back to work and hopefully that's what these cuts well people to do. i had tonight are to see in just a few minutes how militants have turned of mine into a route for pursuit of special forces operation in russian corpses targeting militants in a one hundred kilometer long abandoned mine got the details coming. for that russian prosecutors have demanded fourteen year sentences for the jailed oil magnate mikhail khodorkovsky and his business partner on trial for the second time now it's the latest twist in the so-called you cross affair artie's at this habit reports. prosecutors in the case of full all magnets in you call c.e.o. mr holder hoskins his business partner never there now today almost to drop the

charges of theft in relation to thomas nafi in case she says formally appalled all the new console company they've also walls for a sentence of some of fortini he is against the two men this would then mean if it's up held that they would only be released in the twenty seven teen who is acting the defense of a little mostly on that level if you continue to protest that there were distance on each other just say that they will contest this in poor next wednesday on october the twenty seventh this is this just good time that both men haven't stood at trial this time they're charged with money laundering at best and embezzlement that's just some three hundred and fifty million tons of oil from one thousand nine hundred ninety six two thousand and three the numbers are going to norm during that some twenty three billion u.s. dollars may come for the whole city was of course once upon a time the richest man in russia that all changed but i'll tell you but two thousand and three when he was arrested in may thirty first two thousand and five

both he and cattle live at every sentence probably of most cases to nine years imprisonment in a siberian jail all those charges of food and tax evasion that's a sentence was that reduced to eight years and the later bite got more sixteen cool both men continue to protest there were this instance say there were charges brought against them optimistically motivated. now does have a correspondent in peaceful northern iraq has not gone there's a war right now that are putting people's lives at risk the main source of water in the region's being polluted by gangs of petroleum smugglers looking to make a quick buck and there's sebastian mail reports for say the health and livelihoods of the local people there 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 this cache of complicated jerry cans contains thousands of gallons of gasoline that was illegally

trafficked from iran a few days ago smugglers footed these cans down the sewer one river where 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 leaked 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 to tell if it's over used to kill people. could use this quarter with now because of the color is to do people count to use it. again but the money is too tempting for the local smugglers who can run ten thousand jerrycans on an average night for a few hours of work they can make up to six thousand dollars what the smugglers line their pockets downstream fishermen like keeper human mahmoud are watching their livelihood disappear two years ago we catch a lot more fish. than what your kids twenty kilos

a day now it's only five hundred a second in the city families unable to afford their own well have to drink to fell smelling 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 going in so i had to take her to hospital when we dream through the orchard 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. you know of any one hospital now means daughter is suffering from diarrhea which she contracted after having a bath in the cities. have water. i haven't been hospitalized myself but because of my challenge i come often i have to have the children they suffer from diarrhea and vomiting as well i told this come spend it will go home to tell you we will be back here again and watch it with the same regularity as no means visits to the hospital

the smugglers continue to spill gasoline into dock then because water system in this remote and peaceful part of iraq ignorance agree or is dangerous as in the rest of the country sebastian meyer northern iraq fourteen. russian the us both agree that afghan heroin needs to be wiped out but the can't see eye to eye on how to go about it afghanistan is by far the world's biggest opium producer but washington only wants to focus on targeting taliban controlled poppy fields has got a teacher can explains next why russia insists that isn't 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 tracking down their assets victor evolve he had a ferocious drug control service was also talking about this well known connection

between herring and terror now the u.s. and russia perfectly realize the problem but they differ on the solution russia suggests eradicating all poppy fields and labs where heroin is could be used the u.s. says it's up to the afghan government to make that decision just argument is the afghan government can stand up against a multi dealin or grog monster or do you want congress around he was determined brown's drug production to be worth one hundred fifty million dollars however it's not the whole of the if you're on drug production it's just to me the sixty five billion dollars to concede that the taliban sector is only zero point two percent obviously it's not the main producer who our international forces say that they really women need only do drug production related to the taliban 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 about love said the only ones who benefit from it are the landlords or the drug lords and definitely not afghan peasants 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. if you can i washington correspondent there and if you'd like to watch the full interview with the head of russia's federal drug control service and more related news about you can also get our web site r t dot com talking of which also online tonight in our home page. the tennis star world famous for both his sporting achievements and let's face it good looks is getting married hitched at last find out who to do online with us tonight and. freshwater set to become the oil of the new world as reserves runouts russia is looking to adapt to exporting the new most valuable resource we've got the back story online on our home page party don't haunt.

him. this is r.t. the bomber administration wants to sow sixty billion dollars worth of weapons to saudi arabia congress has yet to approve what would be one of the largest arms deal in u.s. history now it said to include fighter jets attack helicopters as well as upgrades for its existing aircraft the saudis also want to wide range of bombs and missiles washington saying it hopes the deal would improve the defenses of saudi arabia which is one of the u.s. is the biggest oil supply but they really campaign and david keys we spoke with says it's an unlikely partnership because of the gulf states human rights record. in a classic dictatorial fashion the saudi regime does not rely on the consent of its people to be governed and therefore need 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 u.s. government that believe that the leadership is moderate and therefore it is an ally of the united states i believe that the saudi regime is in fact quite extremist in its beliefs and in its policies saudi arabia is a country which. prevents women from leaving the their home country without being accompanied by a male mataram 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 people of cross talk show you can get the

full feisty debate in just under twenty minutes time is a taste of what's in store for you. well it isn't but let's carry on militants hide big neutralized the special operation of the russian republic a couple of the noble caria policemen also found a truck with explosives near a mine with a gun when a truck exotic a child was in the region for. at least ten militants assumed office in the abandoned mine uncovered in about the counter-terrorist operation which started on wednesday is under way through militants have been killed one police officer died in the crossfire the federal forces have started this sold on the mine after the militants ignored all demands to surrender and opened fire right now they are blocked inside the industrial mine which is approximately one hundred kilometers long these gunmen are involved in the terror attacks and the system nation of police officers in car but is in a bokhara when we do know is that a car has been found by the mine this car was filled with explosives and it was it in mind also several locals collecting scrap metal have been evacuated from the

scene so the counterterrorist operation is still going on a criminal case has been launched and police has already found the nation inside the mine these militants blocked in the mine are yet to be identified and. for the world news headlines for you now a brief three people have been killed and twenty two injured after a hidden form. in pakistan the bus targeted worshipers leaving the mosque of a credit for as police say the bomb was placed in the random outside and detonated by remote control no groups claimed responsibility so far. a cholera outbreak killed at least one hundred forty two people in rural central haiti and left more than a thousand infected health workers say that lab tests have confirmed the illness doctors at the hospital are struggling to handle the flood of patients right now medicines being rushed into combat the country's deadliest health problems in january's massive quake that killed some three hundred thousand. russia is counting everyone this week with a nationwide census today mr take

a snapshot of the ninth most populous and indeed the biggest country in the world census takers are reaching out in all directions to get information to improve standards of living. the ability to defy gravity is not an excuse to deny earthly responsibilities even in space are answering questions from russia's twenty ten senses the russian knowledge. russian owners of our skies has the job of reaching out to orbit the ultimate and long distance phone calls. it 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 russia as 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 of life 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 it compares to european countries data collected is meant to show who makes up for she households learn what their resources are and identify how government can improve their quality of life and with the slogan everyone matters to russia everyone from those serving their country to those serving time are being counted. on the stairwell so we know what kind of financial situation rushes and what our social situation is sort of how will we know how many people live in russia because 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 for the questionnaire is complete. this family of three is doing well but mom and dad are filling out the forms as a security. now i feel. me i do need help

but maybe in future. if i don't have. the government or. this information about me but for now it's the government that's counting on the population says he didn't r.t. . you to comment on any of the stories you see on this channel it's always good to hear from you take a look at our home page r t v dot com by those stories you'll see a little discussion button hit that tell us what you think business coming up next down you'll see. the business this week the government gave details of its five year privatization program it will be the second load selloff of publicly or groschen companies since the end of the soviet union the teleco clover reports. the biggest privatized program since the one nine hundred ninety s. it covers the whole range of the state's involvement in business the government

plans to put stakes to nine hundred state firms up for sale globally but the main goal of the law will be to change the investment appeal of these assets to attract private investors and if you change the structure of ownership of the companies to make them more transparently stable and reliable. the government also hopes to patch the hole in the budget with the sixty billion dollars it expects to raise among the most notable offerings is the sale of shares in v.t. bank to blow controlling the state will reduce its stake to controlling in the country's biggest lenders burbank and in the national airline and afloat the finance minister believes investor to munge will exceed supply but analysts are more cautious. larger companies the company perhaps already being traded on the market such as bank ross now after forty years. concerning other companies i'm not sure because it would very much depend on

investors which in turn would depend on the way the russian and global economies are proceeding bursaries not the first country to undertake widespread privatization indeed it's a common factor among nearly all developed economies since at one time or another they all had extensively publicly owned companies in countries such as the u.k. the process helped turn large numbers of the population into shareholders however analysts are skeptical this will happen in russia my personal take is it most likely as a goal of mine so some company as it can be also. all there are well known names like oil companies all for these shares are we to invest how is it seems that. seen this sixty bulletin boards prove it is a sure bet the church i'm not sure that the largest part of this placement torelli

target as it would to investors if pushed through successfully the program will alter the financial landscape in russia although it will continue to be a major player in business the government will have less direct involvement it's hope this will usher in a mirror of greater transparency as companies become more accountable to their new owners the belly how clever business r.t. . russia has extended its ban on grain exports to july twenty eleventh prime minister putin announced the six month extension as he revealed the grain harvest would be just sixty million tonnes that's down from ninety five million last year russia suffered the worst drought for a century in the summer causing extensive damage to crops as well as disrupting the planting season for twenty eleven. russia stock markets have enjoyed mixed fortunes this week troika dialog vice president says profit taking has by that strong corporate results. the markets were very volatile very volatile and the

general trend globally is that the markets expecting the release of information on new what if using it from the states then we we saw very good results on the corporate. third quarter results from the united states most companies about eighty five percent reported two very good results well above expectations and probably the third factor which is very important for russia is their denouncement of new approaches ation program. russia's anti monopoly service is to find the country's big three mobile providers for overcharging customers the watchdog says n.t.s.b. lion and megaphone which control eighty five percent of the market broke competition law they would find one percent of their turnover that's around three million dollars each the firms have also agreed to cut terrorists for regional and international roaming. one of russia's top precious metals producers poly metal

has posted a fifty five percent boost in gold production for the first nine months of twenty ten year on year output of silver barely grew the company increased revenue eighty seven percent to six hundred fifty five million dollars. russia will produce around five hundred million tons of oil in twenty ten one percent on the previous year production rose at roughly the same speed as in two thousand and nine when russia over took saudi arabia as the world's top oil exporter but russia has close to its peak production within a decade is expected to slide by almost a quarter that's the latest you can find more stories on our website r.t. dot com slash business.

it's the secret incursion into the country. it's the invasion by means of. tradition language. that these. are still unaware of what's going on in their man.