the cold out in the smoke in. twenty one year old us a doula started smoking heroin at university six months later he dropped out and does what he can to support his habit. he is one of the million addicts in this country the world's largest producer of opium. as i said my life rizzo's their own this drug i know it's killing me but i can't stop any drug measures of diminished output but a hit only costs two dollars providing an escape for addicts ranging from refugees returning from iran who fled the country's civil war to military veterans to teenagers with little to look forward to. the united nations says it's another threat to afghanistan's long term economic growth and security it's what we call the coca-cola effect i mean people always talk about the demand creating supply but people forget that supply demand and that's exactly happening in afghanistan i mean if you think about the health issues you think. is often starting among injecting

drug use it has as well to do what you security mean security forces and the high levels of addiction in the security forces means that yes you will corrupt your security system so all those elements together means that there's a heavy burden for this country and with the limited resources available it's one more of what they should not have within this country. local city that external and threaten them and the police do nothing more than chase them away or throw them in jail for a day or two then they come right back. today there are an estimated sixty thousand heroin addicts in the afghan capital and that numbers rising fast many of them say they want help but the government can do little for them in the handful of rehabilitation clinics that existed just a few hundred beds to offer. the u.n. funded new job sensors the largest and best equipped facility in the capital but that's not saying much it can only handle about sixty patients at a time to enter addicts must submit to

a two months detoxification but the center's director dr why do. it is a lack of post treatment prospects ensure that over half of the patients fall off the wagon. and we just don't make a. relapse is a huge problem there's not much we can offer these people once they leave here. as a doula got ten days treatment before running away to get high again the international community is focusing on combating the flow of drugs leaving afghanistan but within its borders a battle just as important is being fought with addiction a major hurdle in the country's hope for future stability. jason in kabul for r.t. . russia stop anti drug enforcers as if made a once to stop the flow of opium from ghana stand must target the drug lords at the top of the chain. the size of the poppy plantations hasn't

changed this year they still cover one hundred twenty three thousand hectares the number of families involved in poppy cultivation has increased by about four thousand for these peasants the fifty provides the most basic living simply struggling for survival and all the talk about the need to create economic incentives for them is simply pointless they work as slaves for the land and these are the people we need to find. and what we're proposing. from the. international law and most national legal systems. used for criminal purposes should be confiscated. and christmas days thirty one years ago marked the break of a decades long war in afghanistan. the military there in the country. political standoff between call for rivals spilled over into decades of conflict. take several hours to get from the nearest airport to. russia and as you can see

this still doesn't look like. tourist areas and far from reality we'll look at what's well the idea of purpose built gambling zones in russia. a series of anti-semitic cartoons have appeared in georgian newspapers the latest move in a campaign launched by president saakashvili a number of have already been dismantled across the country and schoolchildren have been obliged to watch a documentary likening the u.s.s.r. to nazi germany but as our ports many georgians are. past despite the government's attempts to wipe out their history. the destruction is savior at monuments a law banning savior symbols and now an anticipated documentary and a series of cartoons in local newspapers all part of an anti said it campaign currently being led by the cuban government that both the timing and methods of

implementation have led many to question its real natives. and then you say it's not just anti soviet propaganda but anti russian those conducting this campaign are trying to put russia on a par with the soviet union. it's been two decades since julian independence and just two years since children attacked south provoking an armed conflict with russia and history of tense relations and these recent events i thought likely to have a bearing on what's now happening. in a local newspaper the favorite general. chieftain. with the from this white but part of the anti favor campaign is being accused of being anti russian and of encouraging the public to live like the bigger picture. than many georgians particularly the older generation positive memories of saving the time. and seeing

what is a police officer in the save the union and jules harsh comparisons between the situation then and today we are the nuclear war and order it was much better in a small retirement today in the soviet union we had professional unions protecting our rights today we have nobody to take care much for being poisoned with the ideology of the current authorities. for people like angrily the destruction of monuments dedicated to save us soldiers many of whom were themselves georgian is particularly inflammatory they've had to sit by and watch as their memories of the past have achieved to rubble. why do you think they've dismantled these monuments they want us to forget our history but we should never forget. the georgian government his name for his provoked his stance towards russia before the controversial campaign techniques up perhaps that.

history must be honest and true to fact not one sided all nations united and soviet union are equally guilty for. the problems it doesn't make sense to try and blame it on but should you buy but using comic books to facilitate this is appropriate i think the efforts of the government look silly. to strong emphasis on the negative aspects of the same period might well suit the present political agenda everyone inside georgia is happy with their government's actions. to egypt. and you can always find more on this and other stories on our website here's just a quick look at what's online right now. the russian president sums up the year's events in a t.v. interview find out what he had to say about his personal priorities corruption spies freedom of speech and more. and if you want to get mary was something a little more sophisticated than this christmas party has got the perfect recipe.

as christmas comes a lot of us media appears to be focused on whether or not the christian side of the holiday is being deliberately ignored but many americans say the so-called war on christmas is simply at the struction to divert public attention away from more serious problems are to zenit us off ski investigates. tis the season to be decided i'm just so enraged by these all these atheist displays in trying to push jesus to the back seat on christmas day but people like head humanist roy spec hard say they aren't trying to push jesus anywhere when they see these ads it does give them pause they it gives them a chance to think about the issue and the issues are plenty two wars record high

unemployment and a budget crisis. but apparently the real group more well that one atheist group is putting a new spin on the war on christmas if you listen to the media this is the truth we're trying to to take a shot at christmas they don't have any guts if they did so they said they go after the muslims want to stop. and they he's referring to is the quote unquote other america the folks who want religion out of public life that you do a real growth and on the opposite side of humanity now with all the political correctness here in the united states like the fact that you can't call it a christmas tree anymore you have to call a holiday tree you can't say merry christmas you have to say happy holidays some groups are taking action like this religious group here god and america's leaders dot com this is the web site they created you can log on and take a ten question what about choice quiz about which founding father or politician said it which really just quote but with all that outrage and all the back and

forth much of the quote unquote rest of america thinks things probable are politics right now we're focusing all these moral and religious issues instead of focusing on the actual things like the economy and the wars and the like that is distractions but for those americans who want religion any time any place anywhere it isn't just a distraction there definitely has been a war on christmas for a long time and brian fisher is part of the countless conservative christian organizations that are formed to send this kind of message the single most inclusive thing that you can do this time of year is wish people a merry christmas. i think it's appropriate to ask them to acknowledge that jesus christ is the reason for the season and the division is particularly evident in the most powerful of places case in point democrats were pushing to work overtime even after christmas and republicans like senator john kyl and jim de mint were pretty much calling the proposal blasphemous causing this kind of reaction you need to

rethink. everybody call groups. it may. rethinking and perhaps considering that the real battle is much more serious. levy. and it's one that goes on all year round. of this just for our tea. just alaska being barred from russia recenter ago is perhaps another thing many americans are unaware of this christmas yet the place itself is alive with a lot of memories of its previous settlers as were revealed in a special report lay are today. it's the secret incursion into the country. it's the invasion by means of. tradition the language. this is the best compete the beat.

and culture. the thing is. the have the dinners are still unaware of what's going on in their mind you're still asking me why do you. like this i don't know you but alas the great game on our t.v. . and introduced two years ago russia's gambling ban has been of widely declared a failure the isolated locations of the four official gambling zones have mance that they failed to live up to expectations now so already are looking at shifting casinos closer to tourist areas to combat thriving illegal businesses are designed as blocks to reports. stacks of cash and roofs of one are bandits federal security service agents breached an illegal casino in. eighteen months ago a strict gambling law meant casinos in russia could only exist in four special

zones but it failed then the show idea to build gambling zones far away from residential areas just didn't work it takes several hours to get from the nearest airport to this casino in southern russia and as you can see the zone still doesn't look like gamblers paradise. the distance according to regional authorities almost killed the whole idea. of transportation is a key factor today we have a steady flow of gamblers coming to this casino enough to make the project worthwhile but that's not the storm's full capacity plus months russian president medvedev approved a war relocating the only functioning gambling zone in the russian south now the zone will be closer to tourist destinations would travel to the city of an up on the black sea coast which according to locals may very well become the new and hopefully more successful version of the russian vegas. in the winter time the place looks a bit depressing but i'm not as deputy mayor is certain that his city does have

a potential put developing gambling industry. in the village obligations with its one thousand hectares of vacant land it is just five minutes away from the airport there is also a railway line and a highway around the music bar resort hosting the gambling college out there is a good opportunity to make a mountain accessible to go around these fields have been prepared for a large scale construction by a peninsula with the yellow sand beaches that attract thousands of the future golden sands gambling zone will also include a russian style theme park hotels shopping malls and restaurants authorities admit however that the news those will be more or less just like the old one unless the illegal casinos disappear and this may require more legislative work to stop because he knows from operating where they shouldn't be pushed i am always the first we have come up with a proposal to introduce stricter punishment was the organizers of the end examined gambling dens especially it was so far almost one hundred percent of these

individuals have been able to avoid seeing his punishment like a few disguising their businesses as lottery clubs or internet cafes although there is still no deadline and the golden sands project isn't especially stay just the regions of the ortiz are optimistic they are certain that it may take less than three years to. this new gamblers paradise on the black sea coast but with a huge and powerful underground gambling industry it's still unclear but that the news will be the right bet for russia. crossing the region and this christmas marks thirty one years since the beginning of the soviet campaign in afghanistan the country was gripped by civil war at the time of the soviet intervention came as a shock to the u.s. and the subsequent campaign change the life of the country for decades to come artie's military contributor reviewer who fought in afghanistan looks back at how it all began. the list expected guests of the christmas parties since nine hundred

seventy nine while this summer it spits who commands the most successful special forces operation. back on christmas night in one thousand nine hundred seventy nine ironically it was not only a smashing success for the joint. task force it was a tactical success for their opposite numbers back in langley christmas party was celebrated as the beginning of the new era of entrapping this soviet union in afghanistan as a way to revenge for the united states failure in vietnam and as the beginning of this so-called war otherwise known as the anti soviet jihad and their proxy war against the soviet union in afghanistan conducted by the united states and their allies it's really symbolic that their wilson's war their war part one and part two the current u.s.

counterinsurgency both those stages personalized by robert gates who used to be of the cia coordinator of the anti-submarine jihad in afghanistan and in this century presides over the pentagon infuse new capacity merry christmas to you all who have been involved one way or another into the tragedy of afghanistan and its people. and watching our team live from moscow still to come. this hour a way to escape the apocalypse. if you could over the outside of moscow about three ball and the legend has been laid which will save humanity when the end of the world recalled the doomsday capitol hill. our teammates and russian engineers were is an unusual means of salvation from the end of the world which mad believe in. it's coming to your surely and before that let's take

a look at some other headlines from around the world and at least forty people have been killed and seventy injured in a suicide blast in northwest pakistan near the afghan border the explosion went off outside the u.n. world food program office in the town of car while locals were waiting for supplies to be distributed suicide bombers believed to be a woman it comes a day after clashes between pakistani taliban insurgents and security forces in neighboring region that left thirty five dead. many travelers throughout europe will be celebrating christmas at airport terminals as having snow continues to prevent planes from taking off a shortage of d. icing chemicals meant hundreds of flights were canceled in paris europe's second busiest international hub the problem was made worse by workers at france's main anti-freeze factory going on strike travelers have also been stranded in ireland in danmark and germany's dusseldorf airport has been closed due to the weather. and

the i re coast opposition leader is called on the country's army to protect civilians against foreign mercenaries and militia and although assad atar has been recognized as the winner of last month's disputed presidential election incumbent the wrong babo is refusing to step down west african leaders threaten to use legitimate force to remove with the region central bank cutting off access to funds one hundred seventy three people have died in post-election violence in the country . tens of thousands of tourists have converged on bethlehem to celebrate christmas day at the birthplace of jesus the midnight mass led by the catholic church's top priest of the holy land and. festival vence. china hundreds of christians granted to store. while those who couldn't get in braved subzero temperatures to watch the festive mass and screens of world wide

celebrations marked the and of christmas eve which leads into the christmas day holiday. and while the world celebrates christmas some are more worried about what they call imminent armageddon one man perceiving the threat after reading ancient for addictions state and on himself to guarantee humanity's survival failings that his invention can always be turned into an eighty thousand dollars sauna he explains. the ancient mayan calendar predicts that on twenty first of december twenty twelve the world will and. suffer cataclysmic events floods options and earthquakes that will wipe out almost everyone but some are getting ready to survive the apocalypse a few kilometers outside of moscow on an abandoned battery farm and invention has been made which will save humanity when the end of the world does not i behold the

doomsday capsule a military engineer by training. says he's a genius and that the large trajan collider controls the world whether he admits that many lost when he showed us his proposal for the life capsule one year ago now he built it he says people are taking him seriously yeah we can. pull layers of insulation you can float roll down here and learn upside down without being where midst. of course company can't be destroyed point. this is where the show will be and the air purification systems and housing people take days. donors became has recruited a band of neighbors have already booked their places in the capsule. i'm scared of twenty two out we have to be ready. yeah there's going to die we will survive.

and of the end of the world doesn't come into years you get any says his capsules can be used as soreness or industrial fridges and recommends that the government order several thousand immediately you there are no. more scary. all you have to date right now it's time for the business news with her i don't go away. hello welcome to the business program i'm sure on a key gas has announced gas price cuts of fifteen percent for a stone and lots of you should gas deliveries resume pre-crisis levels the gas giant stated that last year has already committed itself to increasing consumption to the levels of two thousand and seven prices for baltic neighbors lithuania and bella ruse however would not change gazprom said any discounts for these countries would only be discussed once existing contracts ended and new price formulas were calculated. and staying with gazprom the company has announced it will spend six

point five billion dollars or one quarter of its investment program for two thousand and eleven on the development of peninsula refineries deposits situated in the northwest of siberia are considered to be the most lucrative in the country. and officials at russia's first liquefied natural gas projects say foreign investors can take part in its expansion the governor of south holly in in the country as far east said shell could participate in the construction of subtlely in three l. and g. plants as well as expand the wholly into shell sold a majority share in the project to gas problem several years ago but retains a blocking stake. let's take a look at the markets but my sex ended flat after closing marginally in the red on friday down just under a half percent and a fourteen straight week of gains the r.t.s. fared better finishing in the black point twenty three percent wrapping up

a successful trading week trading volumes were light as investors prepare for the holidays. and russian markets hardly moved this week as investors were buying gifts for christmas and new year rather than stocks maxime orlowski. wraps up the week. so. this week was relatively calm and that's mostly because the majority of the market players example large ones from europe and the u.s. on christmas holiday season barely changed this week with trade volumes very little but also global tilt one of the interesting events of this week was the disclosure of terms from the alleged merger between. which lived up to started this company. and positive price outlook for russian commodities including oil spells a continued appreciation of the russian ruble the head of the london school of economics believes that the russian ruble has strong prospects for becoming

a hedge currency i think the ruble can be an interesting hedge against currencies but also for there to be a lot of russian traded internationally and russian equities traded internationally because of the assets for people to buy to hold these massive reserves and i don't think at the moment there are enough assets for the ruble to become a very significant reserve currency. and that's all the business news for now but you can always join us for more news at r.t. dot com slash business stay with us.

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welcome back you're watching r.t. coming to live from moscow i'm marina joshie these are the top stories ghana stands cheap heroin is depriving thousands of locals of a future besides flooding other countries and desperate situation is a reflection of poor efforts to tackle the problem says russia's top as a dragon force or. from dismantling historic monuments to cosmic street to comic strip propaganda as they saw the campaign in georgia gathers with russia seemingly

its prime target but a growing number of people say of the war these attempts to rewrite the history are going too far. and reports of a war being waged on christmas have been all over the have lines in the u.s. this holiday season but many americans believe the hype is just to divert the public's attention from war pressing problems. they have lives here in our next martin anders explores ways to have a perfect christmas and the russian capital moscow is coming right up.