it's in russia's interest here russia's interest and your second largest operator thomas announced a new joint venture that could become one of europe's top companies on our business bulletin coming up next. a very warm welcome to you this is our live from moscow well russia are stepping up efforts to help nato to struggling campaign in afghanistan it's agreed to allow all the alliances armored vehicles through its territory to afghanistan reducing the reliance on volatile pakistan well confirmation came from russian foreign minister sergei lavrov during talks with his afghan counterpart here in moscow. pledged to keep up the battle against the drugs flow. reports. the two foreign ministers meeting today in moscow or c.

seem to be pretty happy about the way the corporation is going this cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking has been very strong of late we know that russia has donated twenty thousand kalashnikov rifles to afghanistan to the interior troops in afghanistan to fight the spread of drugs as well as the recent joint u.s. russian operation in afghanistan after which almost one ton of herion was destroyed and several drug labs were shut down in the country so obviously the two ministers sad that the operation is going well and it will expand in the future according to mr law process that we just learned in that the cooperation between russia and the united states in combat in drug trafficking will continue and the creation of relevant international laws is of crucial importance as the u.n. security council resolution adopted this october has already qualified drugs coming in from afghanistan as a threat to international safety and stability the war against narcotics remains one of the biggest problems in the ties between the two countries that's why that

was something underlined by president video and president karzai during their last meeting at the summit of made in lisbon where the president did have said that as long as the drugs are being transported through the russian territory from afghanistan into europe this problem has to be dealt with and has to be dealt with now well we heard from mr lavrov that there's been a certain problem coming from the nato side on the transportation of russian helicopters the ones which russia is donating to afghanistan and this problem has to be dealt with and obviously it will be dealt with in the nearest future other than that we know that this cooperation will also expand we know that russia is allowing nato to transport its war toys through its territory into afghanistan russia will supply the nato troops stationed in afghanistan with electricity and also spoke about further steps in that direction the mission russia and nato agreed continued cooperation towards a. afghan settlement program to train pilots and other security forces will be

expanded with the aim of boosting security in the country and finding the drug flow easier conditions for transit across the border will be extended to armored vehicles. clearly all that issues will be discussed between the russian president dmitry medvedev and he's afghan counterpart mr karzai when he comes to moscow in january twenty seventh and this visit of the afghan foreign minister in moscow is preparing that president's visit in the coming january. reporting more analysis on efforts to resolve the problems in afghanistan and are joined by evenness often truck from the moscow state university of international relations so we're seeing get more cooperation between moscow and nato on afghanistan tell me this just how significant is the expansion of the transit deal. well the expansion of transit is very important because nato and the united states have problems in pakistan with the security and reliability of transit through this country and

that's why so-called northern roll call for transit through russia and central asia namely kazakhstan that builds because don is extremely important for what they have of we call sex a household name they have the united states is not going to stand and i think that western partners should value a lot drosh willingness to cooperate in this transit the sure knowledge the agreement steps just short of opening the russian route for nato weapons why is russia insisting on non-lethal supplies only do you think it will ever allow to be taken through its territory as well. oh well that was the initial russian position and that is the position of principle that russia is ridea to fail with the rams it all nonmilitary goods. then there was discussion so what do you find the u.s. military and what they define as so i mean look for a year and then this normally. was seen for the us in my personal opinion

russia may be a radio for help with transit all the wide range of. everything what is needed for the war except probably explosives so military and nonmilitary goods are possible but i think that explosives that will be out of the question for a for a while it based on all this talk about the issue of opium and heroin rusher is pushing for more progress in the fight against drug production one trafficking in afghanistan do you think it's russia doing enough itself to ensure the problem but it doesn't get out of control. well that is already a a dispute with some history because russia was pressing for nate in the united states to fight the production of oil in inside afghanistan. while need there in the united states will press in russia the fight drams it and that is a sort of de lay on my cheek and versus what is to be tackled first in my personal

opinion all for sport as is the shelf top priority because if there is less production there will be less storms but they should and transit and i think that it that there is a sort of exchange russia helps more with. the nato operation in the goodness time and nato in response should be their elimination of golf is inside i've been just on the area seriously now moments ago you said that in your opinion the russia at some point could allow nato nato is a lethal weapons to be transported along russian routes here but russia has a reiterated that it would not get involved militarily again in afghanistan but given the recent agreements for the long term goal here do you think that's accurate. i yes i think that for russia will not get directly involved in there in that on their gun grown so russia is going through it sees. the united states but i don't think that russia will get involved. and i think that sand in

russian troops or anything like that is absolutely out of the question. right if on sufferance moscow state university of international relations thank you. meanwhile the violence in afghanistan has reached an all time high during the nine year u.s. led war is so according to the latest pender god report american military chiefs have made progress their progress across the country is just a bit uneven and only a modest gains have been made against the taliban. mass relocation of american forces the latest attempt to break the deadlock. i will try to purchase time in iraq is coming to an end he's part of the american forces who stayed behind to train assist and he quipped iraqi security forces their families sure their own wants to go home that's for sure no one knows whether once they hear the generous not just movement of troops and equipment since world war two the u.s.

army is moving its supplies from iraq to afghanistan certain equipment such as r m wrapped. mine resistant vehicles our humvees are those types of equipment a lot of our rolling vehicles rolling stock of vehicles and some generation that equipment yes will be dedicated towards. the mission in afghanistan but critics warn that moving troops won't help much that. did rewarded when i've gone people seen as forces inside their country it brings in paganism and makes them turn to terrorism and al qaeda so is more american troops come here from iraq it will just make things worse i don't believe the americans will leave for another fifty years so that they have two of them main military bases here and then building the americans leaving iraq also sends the wrong

message to insurgents the afghans seeing the americans withdrawing from iraq and they think themselves ok they're going to withdraw in a year or two we got a hold on things we'll take control in a year or two it doesn't matter i will quote she's already been told he'll be going . from iraq back to afghanistan it'll be his second time there and he's not looking forward to it i would definitely say that afghanistan is a lot more difficult though the terrain is a lot more heavier and the mountainous region is that we have to do a lot more walking there and waited a beefed up presence in afghanistan will help troops meet mixtures didn't mean to pull out or make it more difficult he stood on the guns and just come back from the kill everything went to cover next one point. that. we're coming to you live from moscow this is r.t. and coming up in just the next few minutes here find out of alberta new security measures that are giving americans our thankless holiday. well there are fears

that belgium could be next on the growing list of eurozone countries teetering on the edge of economic collapse international bond investors are sounding the alarm after the country's debt level reached one hundred percent of its annual national income and it comes hot on the heels of violins monumental bailout mass protests in portugal where the country is on its knees i president bush and also saw huge demos on wednesday thousands of students flooded the streets angered at plans to increase tuition fees and cut university budgets windows were smashed and fire started and several people were injured in some parts of the country and school pupils also have marshals they will be affected by the rising fees set to take effect in two thousand and twelve all of out of from the e.u. referendum campaign says people are fed up with the u.k.'s government's disregard for the. last year as people look angry enough they're actually doing something about doing something about there and this fed up with with the government and

really what the government is saying actually we know better than you and your opinions don't matter and these students are seen through that forum and so hopefully you know this. this will snowball and and other people that at the moment for example unhappy that we had to give billions away to other countries just a kind of trance sure rock take credit rating rather than invest it in education and transport and jobs back here perhaps they will start to take to the streets what would help the austerity measures of course some people would say would be for example leaving the e.u. spending forty eight million pounds every day and staying in the e.u. we could leave the e.u. if we wanted to still have the free trade agreements and that kind of thing and i would go in willful long way to make sure that we perhaps didn't have to come much and you know we didn't have to come transport we didn't have to cut investment in

our own infrastructure or schools it's almost certainly and we bailing out and the big problem of course is space because it's a huge country and it's not where it is easy to bail out to someone like ireland of fortune so you could seriously be seeing a collapse of the of the euro and a lot of people would say that not before time and why should. be bailing out countries that were foolish enough to join the euro in the first place meantime british conservative m.e.p. know you deva says it's the political elite that wants to maintain the european union while ordinary people have no use for it. trying to create a country when the people who back creating the country fall have no particular desire to have a country called europe created so the elite want to country call europe created and their t.v.

on ahead with it but the people not carrying the people and one day that there'd be such a train wreck. over this whole issue and when you think that what. it will stop functioning and then that will be slow or realize. that he stopped working. and then really start working and the crisis comes like we have recently the financial crisis we saw there was no european response it was the germans bailing out the greeks or somebody else coming in to bail out somebody else but it was not an e.u. thing and now we are told it's the chinese coming to bail out the greeks and save the euro zone. west europe in all this so there you are we are supposed to have created of this economic block a trading block. a very powerful block of crises if the individual states

who have become to pieces. don't. they meet. but this is not working. and you can watch the whole interview with interest about fifteen minutes time right here on r.t. well there are plenty more stories to be discovered at our website that's r.t. dot com and here's a taste of what you can find online right now for the us to be about to see her come back sarah pailin may have lost out in a bid to be the vice president bird issue now setting her sights on the top job in two thousand and twelve. and it may sound like a hollywood blockbuster but this is a very real and titanic effort to save the world's biggest wildcats leonardo dicaprio get star frames from the russian prime minister. tackling terrorism and extremism are the main issues on the plate for the members of the shanghai cooperation organization they have come together in the capital for the

c.e.o.'s annual summit the group that unites russia china and the four central asian nations representing over one and a half billion people iran india pakistan and mongolia. members russia's prime minister vladimir putin came to do discuss ways to smooth economic relations and keep the massive borders of its members secure the participants in the summit also focused on developing agricultural trade and humanitarian cooperation as well as fighting the consequences of the global financial crisis of the c.e.o. is not a military alliance and its top priority is the regional security of its member states. are time now for some other news making stories around the world of this hour and the bodies of two the south koreans killed during a stranger fire. with north korea return to the mainland tensions are still high on the peninsula after both sides launched artillery attacks on each other two days

ago china has publicly called for calm while the u.s. condemned the action sending an aircraft carrier to the region now south korea's defense minister has resigned following criticism of his handling of the situation . iraqi president jalal talabani has given the country's prime minister the green light to form a new government the official request will pave the way to end an eight month deadlock following inconclusive march elections which led to a power vacuum and an upsurge in sectarian violence prime minister nouri al maliki now has the task of forming a cabinet within the next thirty days that is expected to include all of iraq's rival factions. cambodia is holding a national day of mourning for the more than three hundred and fifty victims killed in a stampede in the capital government officials were among those who lined up to offer flowers and memory of the death the tragedy happened on monday as crowds gathered

on a bridge to celebrate the end of the annual water festival a massive panic broke out when the bridge began to sway and many were crushed or suffolk. americans are in a thanksgiving mode and are getting set to celebrate but not everybody is thankful concerns have been raised in recent weeks over airport security for infringing personal space but in the lead up to america's busiest holiday parties. investigates whether everybody is opposed to these new measures. here's another case of outrage over t.s.a. pat downs the fury over the pat downs not exactly dying down it's the t.s.a. versus t.n.a. skaters are turning the tables now men can be judged by their package according to the media the american people don't appreciate being scanned or patted down their test by just going to have your rest since nine eleven air travel in the united states has undergone quite the security changes in last year's christmas day bomber

didn't help matters much either because americans usually fear for their safety and welcome heightened security measures when it comes to nudity or even being patted down many folks don't seem to be too aroused i think it would discourage me from flying even more so really before it's just too invasive it just appears to be too invasive but most people didn't share that sentiment really from the time i've been through the scanner to find my walk through and that was that i mean there was no scanning there was no pat down there was nothing about to go through a scanner i didn't know it's kind of the point of why why not i don't know says such a big drama about it for nothing the drama as collated with a loosely organized internet boycott national opt out day for those bashful of their lady or man parts they could choose a pat down instead of a scanner the story became media frenzy as far as creating a frenzy at the airport not so much it is inconvenient it is uncomfortable but when

you go to the doctor and he examines you they put their hand all over the place and you don't like it. but you put up with putting up with or even enjoying it does it matter who's patting you down or rather have a choice between a male or female who would you choose by a female so you'd like to be patted down as long as it's a female yes while others actually opted for the scanner much rather be scanned and patted down and read as my feelings about their touching or looking even our favorite celebrity is don't see the big deal it's not the way that i would like to live but if it's going to keep me from getting blown out of the sky you can check anything you want and if you feel something you like i'll squeeze a one of my i want to. but to some americans it's no laughing matter it's difficult that we live in a society where we are so afraid of what's going to happen that we have to have these invasive search for seizures i think it shows a real weakness in our foreign policy and wherever there is frustration with the government or media hysteria there's money to be made case in point fig leaf

underwear brought to you by a las vegas businessman who says this strategically placed leaf along with some powdered metal will ease the embarrassment when having to go through the scanners would you have a rock rock underwear. personally i think it's a little out of proportion and. not a fan of figleaves. figleaves hiding private parts to protect privacy rights that most of these travelers could care less about doing a soft ski r.t. washington d.c. . coming up next it's the business news we. welcome to the business news i'm sure ana kiana will go first to our top story we start with an exclusive to r.t. rolls royce engine say it's gearing up to become a founder member of russia's titanium valley glad we're pugin size of the crew next

week to create a vast technology and they are also around the world's top titanium supplier the s.n.p. the british m.p.'s and disrupt the british engines giant is hammering out a deal with top officials for the new special economic zone which will enjoy tax breaks and customs free trade. to tame valley initiative skolkovo yes they had meetings with the ministry of economic development and they're setting up special zones if the numbers look right and we like the park and we're able to work closely together there's absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be very very involved if the research and development operation is successful. production here as well what we haven't been doing in russia is is manufacturing engineering supply chain and research and development. and that's the area that i think we're interested in in exploring you know developing new technologies for gas turbines. new forms of

engines i mean we haven't had. that many major technological shifts in the aerospace industry you know in the hundred or so years that we've been flying. the world is ready for some new new developments rosalee dmitri medvedev says fighting corruption is his number one priority have you received in your surety is that you will be spared red tape if for example you went staying in bali we know there's a commitment to changing business practices in russia and we welcome that and we can already see some of the practice. practical effects of that there are some very dynamic private sector. who are aware because they operate all over the world they're aware of how russia compares with with other industrial centers. and russia's travel company interest and europe second largest tour operator thomas cook have announced

a new joint venture archie correspondent medina coach of a has the details of the deal. one of the global tourist company thomas cook assigned a deal to form a joint venture with a one of the russia's biggest tour operator interests as we were told today after the press conference by companies representatives thomas cook will oh fifty point one percent of the future form company however is the company do have some kind of a very clear strategy for the nearest future how to acquire the remaining shares thomas cook told us today that they paid forty five million dollars for thirty point one shares but i do hope in the nearest future a maximum till twenty fifty to acquire the rest of this year he said as we were told today of by of the general director of thomas cook at the been chasing for these deals for this deal for the last three years and it was a fantastic deal for this company to befall bruce going to as you do through to bar

the whole organization one hundred percent of the company. in those intervening for years both with shareholders want to continue to grow the business to grow. but to grow in the us in terms of time however as the future of form to companies still hasn't hasn't got its own name they might work under the brand of interest all my in the future work out their own brand meanwhile of the role of interest to give some sort of a market knowledge and a brand recognition a four thomas coke as interests do as interest has quite a strong bracket mission brand recognition within the russian tourist market meanwhile the russian tourists market is growing quite tremendously and some analysts see a perspective for some significant growth in the nearest future however there are some challenges like a like

a lack of proper infrastructure and services that many russian to all. operators are facing and trying to overcome. and let's have a look at the markets asian stocks were mostly higher on thursday japan's nikkei ended the trading session half a percent in the black oil firms in the region higher on stroup strong crude futures woodside petroleum point four percent while petro china climbed two percent stocks in hong kong as well helped by an overnight rally on wall street. in europe stocks are also gaining the footsie is up twenty three percent boosted by gains for the mining sector shares an extra over two percent newspaper publisher daily mail and general trust dropped two point four percent after reporting its annual results thomas cook group rose over one point five percent after agreeing a joint venture in russia more on that in a moment. and here in russia both the r.t.s. and my snacks are trading in the block boosted by energy majors most of the blue

chips are gaining with gazprom mostly at two percent nickel is also up more than half a percent on the r.t.s. . and russia second biggest bank of view to be expects is two thousand and ten net profits to be twenty percent more than previously expected the bank was projecting a total of one point six billion dollars but it almost reached that target in the first ten months it's now up its for your expectations to one point nine billion dollars last year the bank recorded a loss in the annual results. and russia has added the canadian dollar to its international reserve to diversify them and reduce risks posed by the us dollar before the change the reserve comprised forty seven percent us dollars forty one percent euros ten percent british pound two percent japanese yen and a small amount in swiss francs the deputy chairman of the central bank says the initial holding in the canadian dollar is small but russia may increase it within

a few months the international reserves currently totals four hundred ninety billion. u.s. dollars. that's all we have for this hour you can always find more stories on our web site at r.t. dot com slash business stay with us.

for six months russian capital was in a state of siege. days and nights people lived in fear of occupation and were preparing for the desperate defense intense battles took a heavy toll. then also made on me switch to the offensive that was the first sunni or defeat of the where mobs would. battle for most go on or keep. fifty. five.

well you see it's good to have your company today the headlines now russia pledges support for afghans to. help nato struggling campaign that the russian foreign minister has also pledged to keep up the battle against drugs during talks with his afghan counterpart here in moscow. all americans feel particularly thanksgiving day people raised voices against. security there are even some who say they're. some of these. it's feared a belgium could become the next country in crisis. in the heels of. strikes in portugal.