to keep the cold out in the smoking. twenty one year old us to duel a started smoking heroin at university six months later he dropped out and does what he can to support his habit. but he is one of the million addicts in this country the world's largest producer of opium. as i said my life or is it was there on this drug i know it's killing me but i can stop drug measures of diminished output but it only costs two dollars providing an escape for addicts ranging from refugees returning from iran you 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 i. forget that supply demand and that's exactly happening in afghanistan i mean if you think about the health issues you think i mean activities often starting among

injecting drug use it has as well to do what you security i 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 all of what they should not have within this country. local city 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 number is rising fast many of them say they want help but the government can do little for them in the handful of rehabilitation clinics that exist just a few hundred beds to offer. the u.n. funding to judge sensors the largest and best equipped facility in the capital but that's not saying much it can only handle about sixty page. incident time. to enter

addicts must submit to a two months detox if occasion. 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 i mean it's only going to motivate them with 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. in kabul for r.t. . and russia's top and i drug and force ourselves of nato wants to stop the flow of opium from afghanistan must target the drug lords abah top of the chain. because you know what she did 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 puppy 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 landlords and these are the people we need to find and target and what we propose in nato is to take the land from them. international law i most national legal systems presume that prophecy used for criminal purposes should be confiscated. christmas day thirty one years ago marked the break of the decades long war in afghanistan and if you are a military leader who fought in the country discusses how a political standoff between cold war rivals spilled over into decades of conflict . takes several hours to get from the nearest airport to. russia and as you can see still doesn't paradise. from tourist areas and far from reality will

look at what spoiled the idea of purpose built gambling zones and russia. and a series of anda sauvie of cartoons have appeared in georgian newspapers the latest move in a campaign launched by president saakashvili a number of soviet model months 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 sara firth reports many georgians are in this tell joke about their self your past despite the government's attempts to wipe out their history. the destruction is savior monuments a law banning savior symbols and now an anticipated documentary and a series of cartoons in local papers all part of an anti save 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 thirty year provoking an armed conflict with russia a history of tense relations and these recent events i thought likely to have a bearing on what's now happening. let's cut to a local newspaper the favorite general firing it kicks in. with the problem of why and what part of the anti favor campaign is also being accused of being anti russian and of encouraging the public to live like the big picture. but many georgians particularly the older generation hold positive memories a saving at times and widget blood seeing worked as a police officer in the save the union and was harsh comparisons between situation

then and today we are we know. it was much better in the song retirement today in the soviet union we have professional unions protecting our rights today we have nobody to take care much we're being poisoned with the ideology of the current authorities. for people like the destruction of monuments dedicated to saviors soldiers many of whom were themselves georgian is particularly inflammatory they've had to sit by and watch as their memories of the past i've reduced to rubble. why do you think people. dismantle these monuments if you want us to forget our history but we should never forget. the georgian government is named for its provocative stance towards russia but the controversial campaign techniques are perhaps a step too far. history must be honest and true to fact not one

sided only sions united and soviet union are equally guilty for the problems it doesn't make sense to try and blame it on russia but using comic books to facilitate this is appropriate i think the efforts of the government look silly. was the strong emphasis on the negative aspects of the savior period might well suit the present political agenda not everyone inside georgia is happy with their government's actions sarah fair georgia. and you know always find more on this and other stories we're covering for here on our website or to call us now take a look at what's available there right now the russian president sums up the year is advance of a t.v. interview find out what he had to say about his personal priorities corruption spies freedom of speech and more. if you want to get married with something a little more sophisticated than a beer 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 holaday is being deliberately ignored but many americans say the so-called war on christmas issue is simply edits rection to divert public attention away from more serious problems are to investigate. tis the season to be divided i am 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 that it gives them a chance to think about the issue and the issues are plenty to wars record high unemployment and

a budget crisis approaching but apparently the real good or well the one atheist group is putting a new spin on the war on christmas if you listen to the media this is a cheap way of trying to to take a shot at christmas they don't have any guts if they did so so they go after the muslims. and then they he's referring to is the quote unquote other america the folks who want religion out of public life. 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 water bill a 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 these like badasses 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 we think it's appropriate to ask them to leave knowledge 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 they need to rethink it does everybody calm groups.

move is the good news rethinking and perhaps considering that the real battle is much more serious. and it's one that goes on all year around. this for r t d and a soft. alaska being bought from rochelle recenter ego is perhaps another thing many americans are not aware. this christmas tree at the place itself is alive with a lot of memories of its previous settlers as we reveal a special report next hour. it's the secret incursion into the country. it's the invasion by means of. tradition the language usually you see fifty first day compete the beat. and culture. the thing is that the had the dinners are still unaware of what's going on in their

mind you're still asking me what. it's like. i don't know you but alas the great game on our team. introduced two years ago russia's gambling ban has been widely declared a failure the isolated locations of the four official gambling zones have mad that they failed to live up to expectations now soaries are looking at shifting casinos closer to tourist areas to combat thriving illegal businesses artie's dennis blots reports. stacks of cash and roofs of one are bandits federal security service agents breed 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 paradise. the distance according to regional authorities almost killed the whole idea some of the 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 zones full capacity plus month 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 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. and winter time the place looks a bit depressing but are not as deputy mayor is certain that his city does have a potential for developing gambling industry in. the village obligations with its one thousand hectares of vacant land lot is just five minutes away from the airport

there is also a railway line and a highway passing through a napa for resort hosting the gambling project there's a good opportunity to make an operatic sasebo the year around these fields have been prepared for a large scale construction by a peninsula with the yellow sand beaches that attract thousands the future golden sands gambling zone will also include a russian style being park hotels shopping malls and restaurants authorities admit however that the news though it will be more or less just like the all 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 wish there was that is that we have come up with a proposal to introduce stricter punishment for the organizers of the underground gambling dens so far almost one hundred percent of these individuals have been able to avoid serious punishment by 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 region up to mystic they are certain that it may take less than three years to build this new gamblers paradise on the black sea coast but with a huge and powerful underground gambling industry it's still unclear whether the news will be the right bet for russia there's a lot ski r t cross in our region. that this christmas marks thirty one years since the beginning of the sonic campaign in afghanistan the country was gripped by civil war at the time the savita intervention came as a shock to the u.s. and the subsequent campaign changed the life of the country for decades to come are these military contributor of the any herself who fought in afghanistan looks back at how it all began the least expected guests of the christmas parties since nineteen seventy nine while the soviet spetznaz who commands the most successful special forces operation. back on christmas night in one thousand nine hundred

eighty nine ironically it was not only a smashing success they joined the last 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 wilson 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 there wilson's war the war part one and part two the current u.s. counterinsurgency both those stages are personalized by robert gates who used to be this cia coordinator of the anti savia jihad in afghanistan and in this century

presides over the pentagon in his new capacity merry christmas to you all who have been involved one way or another into the tragedy of afghanistan and its people. also the con this hour here in r.t. a way to escape the apocalypse. if you come up with the sort of most. of the world does lloyd behold the doomsday cups you'll. argue it's a russian engineer who offer is an unusual means of salvation from the end of the world which many believe is now i. also take a look at some other stories from around the world and at least forty one 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 the suicide bomber reportedly a woman threw two hand grenades into the crowd and then detonated an explosive belt . many travelers throughout europe are celebrating christmas in airport terminals as heavy snow continues to prevent planes from taking off a shortage of the icing chemicals many hundreds of flights were canceled in paris europe's second busiest international hub two thousand passengers have to be evacuated from a terminal building at charles de gaulle airport as snow piled on the roof leading to fears of collapse travelers have also been stranded in arlington dam mark and germany's dusseldorf airport were shot for several hours. the worry coast opposition leader as called on the country's army to protect civilians against foreign mercenaries and militia although i was satara has been recognized as the

winner of last month's disputed presidential election incumbent is refusing to step down west african leaders threaten to use legitimate force to remove the region central bank cutting off his access to funds one hundred seventy three people have died in post-election violence in the country. tens of thousands of pilgrims have converged on bethlehem to celebrate christmas day at the birthplace of jesus a midnight mass led by the catholic church's top priest in the holy land is considered the peak of the festivities and in the town china hundreds of christians parameter historic beijing cathedral those who couldn't get in braved subzero temperatures to watch the festive mass on screens the world wide celebrations mark the end of christmas eve which leads into the christmas day holiday. and while the world celebrates christmas some are more concerned with what they call impending

armageddon one man who learned of the threat from ancient text has taken on himself to guarantee humanity's survival failings that his invention can always be turned into an eighty thousand dollars sauna. explains the ancient mayan calendar predicts that on twenty first of december twenty twelve the world will and. the earth will suffer cataclysmic events floods the 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 an invention has been made which will save humanity what the world doesn't behold the doomsday capsule the military engineer by training. says he's a genius and that the large trajan collider controls the world whether he admits that many loft when he showed us his proposal for the world capsule one year ago

now he's built it he says people are taking him seriously yeah we can. lose of insulation he can float roll down here and learn down without being damaged . is that within the course of course you can't be destroyed by truman's. make mistakes this is where the show will be and the purification systems you can how is it to feed people since the two days eighty thousand dollars it became has recruited a band of neighbors who've already booked their places in the camps to provide which of course i am scared of twenty two out we have to be ready. yeah there's a going to die we will survive the end of the end of the world doesn't come into years you get in he says his capsules can be used as soon as industrial fridges and recommends that the government orders several thousand immediately either on the.

mosca region we are today now and business news is next with her own. hello welcome to the business program. gazprom has announced gas price cost of fifteen percent for estonia and latvia 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 belarus 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 your mall peninsula refineries the deposit situated in the northwest of siberia 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 holly in the country is far east said shell could participate in the construction of three plants as well as expand the hole into shell sold a majority share in the project to gas 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 just for christmas and new year rather than stocks maxime orlowski from wraps up

the week film review to bordeaux for. this week was relatively calm and that's mostly because the majority of the market players example large ones from europe and the us on christmas holiday season really changed as we would treat volumes very little but also global tools you know one of the interesting events of this week was the disclosure of charges from that alleged merger between. which one of the don't just last of these companies. 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 other currencies but also for there to be a lot of russian bonds traded internationally and russian equities traded internationally because where are 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. there are kill innocent kids allies are to call the base of course and that's never

a say. on the song from the skull still with me i think of it every day. the flashbacks from the memories. so much so that long time i'm just here trying to tell. i was. i was ashamed that i didn't. i was ashamed that i hadn't been a hero why i got the way. in the mine. where i would just be out. for to. now believe what i was going on once or i think. that i was a good soldier. but you know most soldier on the other side and i think i'm just as good.

well the. bringing you the latest in science technology from the realms of russian . we've. covered wealthy british. markets. happening to the global economy in the kinds of reports. more news today. in these are the images we're seeing

from the streets of canada. today. look. for the. we've got. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. live from moscow these are the top stories afghanistan's cheap era when is depriving thousands of locals of a theater besides flooding other countries the desperate situation is a reflection of nato for efforts to tackle the problem as russia's top and dragon force or. from this maddening historic monuments to comic strip propaganda and i saw the campaign in georgia gathers pace was russia's seemingly its prime target

drawing number of people say the authorities attempts to rewrite history are going to 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 more pressing problems. as they have on the next martin andrews explores ways to have a perfect christmas in the russian capital moscow that's coming up next.