the united states to ratify the new strategic arms reduction treaty president brock obama has to seal the deal with his signature but this is a mere formality all eyes are on russia now up next is russia's turn to say yes or no to this first major nuclear agreement between two largest nuclear superpowers which account for ninety percent of the world's nuclear stockpile from the very beginning the two partners agreed that if occasional new start would be synchronized and today russian foreign minister again repeated that russian lawmakers would stop the voting on this would it be cation document as soon as they get the script because they're going to split the deal. as the president agreed ratification will be synchronized we have passed all the hearings in the committees of the state duma and federation council the foreign ministry has kept lawmakers informed on the senate plans for its ratification resolutions this is very important because each text depends what wording our legislators will use in the

russian ratification law although we are aware of the contents of u.s. resolutions we still don't have the official text but in any case we're ready to consider it a soon as this day do a session is called a last minute u.s. senators added this read it became a resolution to the main script of the new strategic arms reduction treaty and of course the russian side will have to see it and study carefully before the vote indeed it is been a long time the wait for the new start has been a long time coming it actually missed last year's december deadline when the previous ninety nine treaty and there were talks among skeptics that now that there is no accurate in place where the two nuclear superpowers would increase. would start increasing their stockpiles but based did not happen russia has been saying that. new start does not draw a line between winners and losers that both sides come out as winners by but working towards global does. some amount as to largest nuclear superpower as they

are leading by example then all considering that nuclear weapons not as a security asset but as a liability for war and how long had been the way before moscow and washington hate that law just reset button in their relations here is their port of r t's going on in washington. the vote on this american on this sort of resolution are seventy one twenty six nays two thirds the senate president having voted in the affirmative the resolution of ratification is agreed to. and with this approval russian the us will start the new year with a treaty that has become a symbol of trust and cooperation between the two nuclear superpowers i am glad that democrats and republicans came together to approve my top national security priority for this session of congress the new start treaty. this is the most significant arms control agreement in nearly two decades and it will make us safer

and reduce our nuclear arsenals along with russia both states have some very significant reductions underway the countries will cut their nuclear arsenals by a third down to some fifteen hundred fifty deployed warheads on each side the deal also limits the number of delivery vehicles and launchers but even with those cuts both russia and the u.s. will still hold more than ninety percent of the world's nuclear weapons so many agree that the value of a new arms reduction treaty is not just in reductions but i think it's also important to say that the significance of the treaty is much larger than the implications for arms control it really does give a lot of momentum and boost to the broader u.s. russia reset and i think puts obama and medvedev on course to cooperate more closely on a whole host of issues and it may well be that this is seen as a turning point in which the russia us rivalry of the past is finally laid to rest for weeks and months the president of the united states all members of his

administration the military all living former secretary of state and of defense were calling for senators not to ruin this reset opportunity for us russia relations and the message did resonate with many senators every senator knows when you're trying to get things done relationships matter and the relationship between the united states and russia has been critical since we fought together in world war two and will be contin and will continue to be so this is an on parallelled opportunity to enhance that relationship and to say by signature and by ratification of this treaty that yes the united states of america wants to work with russia after look despite the huge support the treaty has received on many levels. a number of republican senators nearly sabotaged it their actions provoked an avalanche of criticism from the country's top security experts

who feared that the treaty could become a victim of political games on capitol hill the arguments the treaty adversaries brought up on the hearings ranged from there's no earthly way to do all of this within the time that we have to even more on substantial ones like we don't have to have this treaty if we don't have a nuclear treaty with the u.k. anglin we don't have one with france in the final days of debates on start some republican senators trying to rewrite the deal which would have actually killed it you know they wanted to take out the line in the preamble which makes the connection between offensive and defensive weapons start straitjackets the united states' missile defense capabilities but all of those from the military who testified before the senate said the connection between offensive and defensive weapons is obvious they also maintained it's not start to make the us weaker the treaty itself explicitly says either side can play

a lot of it if at some point they deem it threatens their national security and for russians this new start is about balance and equality and they will be in it as long as the u.s. respects that balance in russia the outcome of the vote in the u.s. senate has been will come from many in moscow it's a signal that the u.s. and russia can now opening a new page of cooperation russian lawmakers made it clear they had no objections to the treaty and would pass it as soon as the u.s. did advocates of the treaty see the outcome of the vote not so much as obama's victory but a victory for the whole world which on the one hand is going to have considerably fewer weapons of mass destruction and on the other hand two nuclear superpowers former adversaries actually trusting each other and looking to work hand in hand to provide their security guy to check on our team washington d.c. . ivan eland a political analyst from the independent institute think tag says the nuclear cut

steel is an important step and even those who put up objections to it recognize this. they arms control has always been sort of the central. pillar of the relationship ever since the cold war is on and that's still the case because the most important thing in the world is these two huge arsenals which dwarf any other countries arsenals the treaty does allow russians and the us to cooperate war and i think the general. better relationship is good if there's a potential nuclear accident or something like that as we had in one thousand nine hundred five we had good relations back then and i think that really prevented an accidental nuclear war i think this happens on many senate votes is that they dig in their heels they tried to put up the price on what the administration has to. pay to get the treating out in physical cash but in programs handed out to their constituents and everything they pretend to be on the line so they can get more

playing hard to get and then when the treaty comes they don't want to be seen as having missed a chance for a historic vote on a major treaty lawrence korb a senior fellow from the public policy research organization center for american progress believes the treaty helps address the danger of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands. i think it's significant for two reasons number one it helps us get our relations with russia back where they they they should be and get the russian help and things like on a stand and on and iran and the other is that the real danger to the security of the united states is a nuclear weapon or nuclear material falling into the wrong hands and this treaty is the first step to dealing with the problem what it is is if we get all of the countries of the world including russia the united states signed the nonproliferation treaty which they agree that if other countries wouldn't develop nuclear weapons they would reduce they i was and really we haven't had anything for

a decade so we're still moving in that direction. greg thielmann a senior fellow at the arms control association in washington says the treaty said good example for other nuclear powers to follow this treaty itself does not affect directly the nuclear arsenals of other countries in the of the permanent five members of the u.n. security council or countries like india pakistan israel and perhaps north korea that may have nuclear weapons what it does is though by the u.s. and russia that have ninety percent of all of the world's nuclear weapons by showing that they are taking another step toward significant reductions this does put pressure on the others to become more transparent and to be more willing to engage on what they can do to move toward nuclear disarmament. we'll be bringing you more comments and analysis on the start treaty approval from leading experts

throughout the day so stay with us here on r t remember you can always log on to our website r.t. dot com and leave your comments as well. china says it will help struggling european economies fight their debt crisis the offer came at an economic forum in beijing the e.u. is china's largest economic partner but cooperations been challenged by europe's ailing financial health economist marco putri pollie says beijing support is not a permanent remedy for the block this extends china's political influence in europe by making a lot of european states dependent on china to buy to buy their debt but it doesn't get away from the fundamental problem in europe europe has a big big sovereign debt crisis and they seize if you like a patch to try and help the situation until the europeans managed to put together some some proper reforms some proper fundamental structures to help the euro stay

together moving forward and to date they've been very much dragging their heels in and patching up greece and ireland rather than coming to the table to put together fundamental reform of how the euro actually operates. and coming your way in about fifteen minutes max kaiser and coast stacey herber will take a look at the financial scandals in the debt ridden european union and on the other side of the atlantic. i'm here in london where the bankers are demanding their year end bonuses and the government is asking the blues mr brander don't steal any were our money and the bankers are saying wait a minute if we can steal your money we might leave and the government is saying no we want you to stay still money meanwhile the i.m.f. is asking people ireland to suffer more austerity while the i.m.f. is redecorating its lush headquarters in washington d.c.

. the israeli government is up rooting nomadic arab tribes from the desert they've lived in for more than a century it says the bedouins built their homes without permission and activists claim the crackdown on arab villages aims to replace them with jewish settlements or his policy reports. in the middle of nowhere the remains of i'm a keep village. for the third time in two weeks israeli police came with a few doses and in a little more than an hour demolished sixty houses. from a club no this is my land i have a paper i have a document this is my land i ask this government how do i live and how can i afford to buy the same land elsewhere in israel and i can't what they want me to sell my land i won't. and as long as he and hundreds of others won't the police will

continue to raid seven times they've come so far backed up by a government whose official policy states this is their land. but i think the unofficial policy underneath it is that the land should go to the jews not. the big ones on a medic arabs who've lived in the negev desert for more than one hundred years they claim they used to pay taxes june ottoman period and british mandate but off to israel took over in one thousand nine hundred eight they've been hard placed to prove their ownership of the land they don't have any legal documents proving that this land is theirs they have a grievance of buying and selling between themselves but according to the law the state of israel ownership of land can only be proven by registering the land in a public office israel says it's built alternative cities fill them with all the facilities they could hope for but they keep coming back to the desert official printing one time and going they're not abiding by the law they live inside

graveyards with horses and donkeys she wears the animals mess all over the graves and make it difficult for us to move them come away but we have to because they need permission to build on the land and they don't have it at all because. i think that. the government they would like to push them into the townships where they could become simple workers they would like to give the land to the mayor to the army and jewish settlements who. who will. change the demographic status of the negative just look around here at this vast uninhabited is it is home to only seven percent of israel's population several years ago the government launched an ambitious program to the bad you of six hundred million dollars to try and attract new jewish immigrants and israelis to live here it aims in the next three years to have more than a quarter of a million of them living in the desert but just because the desert is it seemingly

not big enough for jew and arab jew male tory has lost his way hoss and seven houses but he hasn't lost his resolve and. we are men of peace we don't use the gun the man who came to destroy houses with a bad phases of this land we did not fight back when they came but the fights will continue because tomorrow when the sun comes up. again and in a few weeks these raids will return. in the negev desert israel. you can get more from our t.v. with the latest news analysis and blogs always on our web site our team dot com here's a taste of what's online right now former spy drone and chapman isn't biding her time in russia as few joins a political movement for find out what she's up to and where she stands on the issue. and christmas is coming from moscow fifty santo's from across the globe are in the capital for a gift giving spirit and if you don't believe in jolly old st nick check on our dot

com and see for yourself. taking a look now at some other stories making headlines across the globe south korea's president has warned that any aggressive action by the north will be met with a merciless counterattack this comes as the south wraps up its work. it's winter time war games and it's history exercising all jets tanks and artillery all using live fire just twenty kilometers from the north korean border the war games have come under criticism for what many see as an unnecessary provocation. the greek government has passed its twenty eleven austerity budget despite massive and often violent protests in the country the ruling socialist party mobilized its majority to win a close vote three measures passed or

a precondition for athens to get aid from the e.u. and i.m.f. experts say a collapse in the greek economy would have a knock on effect on other european countries. iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad is visiting turkey to attend a regional economic summit and garner support for his country's nuclear program and he's already met with the turkish prime minister to discuss the upcoming six party atomic talks to be held in istanbul in january together with brazil for a negotiated nuclear fuel swap deal with a gesture by united states. and if diplomatic efforts fail to resolve the iranian nuclear dispute israel would have to step in with a strike that's according to the senior military a senior israeli military analyst the full interview coming your way in the next hour here's a quick look. israel would like to attend is really does understand the bill here in this results of such of the how of. if

diplomatic pressure economic sanctions don't work in iran is getting too close to a bomb then i think that the european intelligence communities and the united states they are going to stand hope close. to launch an aerial strike on the nuclear facilities of iran. it's a disease that many believe belongs to the biblical times but for those struck with leprosy it's a present pressing problem many russians affected are confined to remote villages with little chance of rejoining society as artie's oxana we've heard reports. lost amid vast families russia's oldest lap a village has no streets only one but houses with its own fire brigade ambulance service and kindergarten it's a home for many people affected by leprosy away from the eyes of the public would little understanding of the disease when the first patients arrived safe to know

they were packed into just one house but now there is this a building big enough to house two families given the patients more privacy and dignity valeri like the vast majority of people in tears kay has been pureed he could believe but says it's not the ethics of the disease which made him stay but people's reaction. sometimes it's like a man in a snake you see a snake and get frightened but someone who knows the snake a snake catcher is not afraid he knows which ones bite and which is dying and how the bites of the snakes don't use wind out of the blue the same with letters if you hear this word you get scared once you know woods what's that is different. most people's knowledge of the disease comes from engine bible stories if you realize that they're most likely me in all that after treatment for myself or is a no longer infectious in any case the condition is extremely rare. it's that

ignorance which stops many of the residents of testy feel unwelcome in the outside world. and most of all snarky old so where will we go there were many cases when people were discharged and they got on ok until the neighbors around downs about their jerseys and those we don't want to leave next year will be so and so. we've got kids who sometimes you will not proceeding from patients have to move mountains to laser and nobody knew. but if i want to know was among the first to receive all the drugs that are before leprosy and they were sought in many ways she was lucky to be treated at all at a time when diagnosis was hard the telltale patch on her food was missed by most doctors read that but i won't look at my hands it's rugs i did this and we were all the time and brian were in the cool barbara found her killing terrorists should

also find a husband and i wanted it off of her and many others the chance of a relatively normal existence you know woods hope centers like these will no longer be needed in the last decade there have been hardly any new cases of leprosy in russia however doctors say the risen need to keep institutions open even if they're virtually empty. if we don't leave any signs of how what where and why it would be very difficult for many kinds of them just aren't combat in legacy all over again it's possible that one day due to poor living conditions and things like that the pandemic will return to you for now those still live in interest no longer need a medical care but a change in attitude in the outside world a society where people care and don't stare acts on that if a child what are several of original stay with us here on our two daniel schorr joins us next with a business update after

a short break. hungry for the full story we've got it for. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. soon which brightened. the sun from fans to impression. on t.v. don't succumb. to business the battle for control of russia's biggest mine inaugurals nickel is likely to be over by the spring as the view of billionaire vladimir patani in

a central figure in the dispute with all of their past because roussel speaking to the wall street journal puts one in called nordics twelve billion dollar offer this month to buy back a twenty five percent stake from real self was generous so has no hired bankers merrill lynch to assess the value of the stake. holder. says he's willing to sell for the right price. longyou your holidays in russia will cost the economy up to twenty seven billion dollars according to analysts f b k the ten day break from general most of the country shut down including virtually all non-essential services and production however russians can help the country's budget by doing what comes naturally in the festive season. goes up from the beginning of next year so that every liter of vodka sold contributes three dollars to the state. gazprom may become the main sponsor for russia's team at the olympic games in london. but

a misty daily reports the gas giant is in talks with a limpid committee which guessed from the finance preparations for the games the sponsorship could cost up to one hundred twenty million dollars and gazprom is expected to receive advertising space in exchange for its officials are calling the deal a donation and say no contract will be signed. now the footsie and both slightly higher moving into the afternoon discount retailer metro is again on one of the year's busiest shopping days to travel in london as clear their flights backlog off of the slow fueled chaos but shares in allied irish have slumped seventeen percent as the irish government prepares to nationalize the debt laden bank. six have reversed after early morning games in economic news russia's g.d.p. grew four point two percent in november year on year which says g.d.p.

growth to three point seven percent for the first eleven months of twenty ten. looking at some stocks is lower but continues to gain of too strong profit for cost for the next year n.t.'s however is down for a second day of losses from the suspension of its business in turkmenistan would be one hundred sixty million dollars. now the cost of basic foods in russia. in twenty ten the severe drought in the summer and poor harvest push prices well above the official inflation figure a staple of the russian dinner table almost triple while other essential is like cabbage potato and grey nearly doubled the government has released grain reserves and threatened to control prices on thursday russia's agriculture minister called to zero tariffs on grains of imports he says they're doing everything they can to keep prices down. the scales of a morgue the main reason for such

a dramatic increase in prices is the trout we see a massive jumping prices for potatoes some where taking all possible measures to control the situation and the recent price hike it was not just speculate of growth the financial backing would given farmers has stabilised the market but yes it's a difficult situation review the business remember you can always buy more stories on our website that's all true dot com.

it's the secret incursion into the country. into the invasion by means of. traditional language tell you this is the best deal copied copied. the thing is. the dims are still unaware of what's going on in their minds still asking too much . like. i don't know anything about. the great. discoveries.

communicate with the wind. and become free. nature can give you. good to have you with us here on our team easier headlights washington and moscow alba new nuclear cuts treaty for passing a final vote in the u.s. senate after months of delays and house wrangling now it's russia's turn to vote on a deal that both countries agree is a new symbol of trust between the two nations. a new fight for lead in israel as the governments of bulldozing bedouin villages and upgrading inhabitants from the desert they've lived in for more than a century some claim the authorities aim to replace them with jewish settlements.

at an economic forum in beijing china said it would help debt ridden european economies to tackle the crisis experts warn the move will make the consummate more dependent on. up next a close look at this week's financial scandals the kaiser report coming your way. i max kaiser and this is the kaiser report i'm here in london where the bankers are demanding their year end bonuses and the government is asking the palooza mr broker told still anymore of our money and the bankers are saying wait a minute if we can steal your money we might leave and the government is saying no we want you to stay still money meanwhile the i.m.f. is asking people ireland to suffer more austerity.