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 anti 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 i mean a chevy is often starting among injecting drug use it has as well to do what you

security means 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 local city and 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 number is rising fast many of them say they want help but the government can do little for them and the handful of rehabilitation clinics that existed just a few hundred beds to offer. the u.n. funded the job center is 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 addicks must submit to a two months detoxification. but the center's director dr y. doula has shown this is a lack of post treatment prospects ensure that over half of the patients fall off

the wagon. and i mean it's only in a motel the mother 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's top anti-drug and force or says the coalition has literally had no effect on the heroin trade in afghanistan. well. 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 trophy provides the most basic living is simply struggling for survival and all the talk about the need to

create economic incentives for them to simply pointless they work as slaves for the landlords and these are the people we need to find. and what we're proposing to its . international law a most national legal system that focuses used for criminal purposes should be confiscated. stay with us here still to come a feeling of paranoia. prophecy well some practical steps to. take. and as you can see this is the. gambling zones are failing in the face of illegal games of chance. but first the birth of jesus or an excuse to give presents and christian

conservatives in the usa the real message of this time of year is being lost. and yet another war a war on christmas. takes a look. 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 speck 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 issues and the issues are plenty to wars record high unemployment and a budget crisis approaching apparently the real good or 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 word of toronto to take a shot at christmas they don't have any guts if they did so i said they go after the muslims. and the v.a. he's referring to is the quote unquote other america the folks who want religion

out of public life. into 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 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 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 we need to rethink and everybody calm groups. rethinking and perhaps considering that the real battle is much more serious. it's one that goes on all year round. for r t.

so here in russia orthodox christmas is still a couple weeks off but in our weekly segment moscow martin explores ways to have a perfect christmas in the russian capital for those who are celebrating on the twenty fifth coming your way in the next hour but here's a quick preview. we must go out program we'll be taking a look at christmas food and while russians have their main celebrations on the year's eve and january the seventh millions of other people around the world and some here i must go already popping in the champagne so join me martha dandridge let me take a look at a merry christmas to you in the russian capital. georgian newspapers have launched an anti soviet cartoon campaign backed by president saakashvili a number of soviet era monuments have already been dismantled across the country

and schoolchildren are being shown documentary that likens the u.s.s.r. to nazi germany but as r.t.s. our fourth reports many georgians do feel nostalgic about their country's soviet past. the destruction is savior at monuments a law banning savior symbols and now an anticipated documentary and a series of cartoons like who needs papers part of an anti said it campaign currently being led by think government that both the timing and methods of implementation have led many to question its real natives. 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 so that's yet 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. in a local paper a favorite general bearing his chieftain. with the from this white. part of the anti favor campaign has been accused of being anti russian and of encouraging the public to live by the bigger picture. but many georgians particularly the older generation hold positive memories of saving the times and seeing what is a police officer in the save the union and jules harsh comparisons between the situation then and today we are to be no more and order was much better and so retired and 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 his soldiers many of whom were themselves georgian is

particularly inflammatory they had to sit by and watch as their memories of the past of richie's to rubble. why do you think they've dismantled these monuments we want us to forget our history but we should never forget. the national government his name for his provoked his stance towards russia first the controversial campaign techniques are perhaps a step too far. that the 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. but using comic books to facilitate this is appropriate i think the efforts of the come and look silly. the strong emphasis on the negative aspects of the same might well see the present political agenda everyone in. is happy we think government's actions. are you can always find more

on this and everything we cover a click away on our website here's a quick look at what's online right now and. russia's president your. t.v. interview find out what he had to say about his personal priorities. freedom of speech . and if you want to marry something a little more sophisticated this christmas are you may have the perfect. russian authorities are looking for a closer terrorist spots to build new zones for illegal gambling the gaming ban that was introduced two years ago is widely seen as a failure and the original for official gambling spots have failed to take off our

reports. stacks of cash and rows of bandits federal security service agents breed and illegal casino in. eighteen months ago gambling casinos in russia could only exist in four specials but it failed then the show idea. just didn't work it takes several hours to get from the airport to the southern russia and as you can see still doesn't look like. the distance according to regional authority. almost killed the whole idea some of the transportation is the key factor today we have a steady flow of gamblers coming to this casino enough to make the project worth while but that's not the zones full capacity last month russian president video approved a war relocating the only functioning gambling zone closer to tourist destinations would travel to the city open 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 village of like a vission sky is a perfect transport hub hosting the gambling project will make our resort accessible well you. know these fields have been prepared for large scale construction by a peninsula with the yellow sended beaches that attract thousands of thirty's admit however that the news will be borth list just like the old one unless the illegal casinos disappear and the push timer was supposed to almost after hours game organizers have been able to avoid serious punishment here but that has changed due to just the regions of the words are certain that it may take less than three years to build this new gamblers their dogs on the black sea coast but with a huge and powerful underground gambling industry it's still unclear what the news will be the right bet for russia does below its keep r.t.e. across the region. turned out of some other stories making headlines across the

globe a suicide blast in a crowded u.n. he would distribution center in northwest pakistan three people dead more than one hundred injured a female suicide bomber flew two hand grenades and detonated her explosive vest in the city a car in a tribal region bordering afghanistan as locals wait in line for their food stamps this comes a day after some hundred fifty militants killed eleven soldiers in a coordinated assault in a neighboring region where the army was carrying out operation. ivory coast opposition leader has called on the army and united nations. to protect civilians from foreign militia and mercenaries personnel assigned a a ouattara has been recognized as the winner of last month's disputed election but the incumbent president is refusing to step down west african leaders and warned they'll use legitimate force against iran babo to make him stand down with the region central bank having already cut off his access to funds. and more snow in

western europe has wreaked havoc for those trying to get away for christmas as severe weather causes numerous flight disruptions and many passengers had no choice but to spend christmas eve at airports at brussels of on time airport twenty five centimeters of snow forced cancellation of most flights hundreds of planes couldn't get off the ground in paris at europe's second busiest international hub earlier two thousand people had to be evacuated after snow piled on the terminal roof and sparked fears of collapse. all this unusually wintry weather across europe is likely to be met with some foreboding by those predicting the end of the world in two thousand and twelve one russian man is so worried about the age and the age of predictions he's invented a shelter that he believes can guarantee the survival of the human race as are found out if armageddon doesn't arrive it could make a nice sauna to. the ancient mayan calendar predicts that on twenty first of december twenty twelve the world will and. the earth will suffer cataclysmic events

floods in the earthquakes that will wipe out almost everyone but some are getting ready to survive the book lives 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 looked when he showed us his proposal for the wright capsule one year ago now he's built it he says people are taking him seriously yeah we can see kids got full lives of insulation you can float roll down here and learn upside down without being with you. of course company can't be destroyed by truman.

this is where the show will be and the purification systems. people take days by the. 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 dying out we will survive . and if the end of the world doesn't come into years you get in he says his capsules can be used as saunas or industrial fridges and recommends that the government orders several thousand immediately either there are no. more scary. ones russian territory now the largest chunk of the us and a couple of hours r.t. travels to alaska the land where the memories of its previous settlers are still preserved here's a quick sneak peek. it's

the secret incursion into the country. it's the invasion by means of. tradition the language is really. the best the best deal could beat the beat. and culture. the thing is that the had the germans are still unaware of what's going on in their land. i don't know anything about alaska the great. on our cheek. eve's.

hungry for the full story we've got it for. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. that are killing. allies a call of course and that's never a. mom a song called scopolamine. i think are but every day. before i was fired from her memory. so much so long tom. i was. i was ashamed that i had been. i was ashamed that i hadn't a clue. why i go all are my go my way.

and them are. what i want to be out of knowledge about the fourth quarter. that i believe what i was going on once or i think. that i was a good soldier. but now i am most soldier on the other side and i think i'm just. down the official location. i pod touch from the. lights on the. video on demand on t.v.'s my old costs and r.s.s. feeds now with the palm of your. machine on the dot com.

welcome to the business program i'm sure on a qian this year's christmas shopping has shown that russians are not yet spending as much as they did before the crisis however russia has one of the longest went to holiday periods in the world a lot of retailers and restaurants to make fortunes during that period tachyon employer called all reports. maybe a russian start celebrating christmas with the rest of the world all depends if it's all december. then move into the new years fisted it says and then off course celebrates their own russian orthodox christmas all the savants of january nearly two weeks holidays make fun big spending holiday shopping in russia will do three town sales by forty two percent this december which is ten percent higher than the same period last year clothing purchases and food retail we. group over fifty percent this month will restore sales will increase a whopping one hundred sixty three percent but russian shoppers are no longer as

impulsive as they used to be before the crisis. this year every version will spend an average around three hundred and eighty five euro zone holiday shopping which is just five euros more than in the prices year of two thousand and nine. but this is still twenty percent lower than for example germans pound on presents and festive dinners additionally russians will still be on holiday for more than a week after the new year while most european countries return to full time work analysts say such long holidays are merely a luxury when considering that the russians do do people are capital is still very poor this drunken week as some call it cost the economy about one percent of g.d.p. annually but for now that law since peanuts compared with the almost full two percent growth which most consumer sector is currently enjoying in russia that's

you know pretty cool the business are to. and russian stock markets had a quiet trading week my sex and the flat after closing marginally in red on friday down just under a half percent ending a fourteen straight week of gains the r.t.s. fared better finishing in a black point twenty three percent wrapping up a successful trading way trading volumes were light as investors prepared for the holidays. and russian markets hardly moved this week as investors were buying gas for christmas and new year rather than stocks maxime arlovski chrystia wraps up the week. this week was relatively calm and that's mostly because the majority of the market players example large ones and brokers from europe and the us on christmas holiday the indices are barely changed as we treat volumes very low but also low volatility or one of the interesting events of this week was the

disclosure of terms from the alleged merger between only needs which liven up the stocks of these companies. and that's all the business for now but you can always find more on our on our website that's our. business stay with us.

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seven thirty pm in moscow thanks for spending part of your christmas but us here on r t easier headlines the world's biggest exporter of heroin also one of the worst sufferers of drug addiction cheap opium makes it nearly impossible for addicts about ghana's can't stand. from the motion monuments to propaganda cartoons a georgian anti soviet campaign has a growing number of people accusing the government of messing with history. and

a new conflict diverts media attention from pressing matters in the u.s. conservative christians say the country is locked in a war on christmas. coming up archie talks with oscar winning actress helen mirren about her role in the last station a film looking at the final days of leo tolstoy the picture of an unknown tolstoy but what horizons did open up for the actors themselves it's coming your way next in the spotlight. the. title again the welcome to spotlight the into the show on.