in libya opposition forces close in on colonel gadhafi as some experts predict revelations about his relationship with the west should he be tried in the hague. please r.t. brings you an exclusive report from the heart of libya on the bars faced by foreigners trapped amid the violence and chaos some of whom are unable to leave thoughts. boil is the most diable resource on the planet today and who controls that it is extremely important relating on arrest in the arab world sends the price of black gold skyrocketing setting the stage for a new to oil rush by global powers. and surging oil prices will rush

in repealing if that result found it also helps narrow its budget deficit and that's according to the finance minister alex equipment and more in business interests and that's. also in the news a public outcry in the u.k. over the involvement of controversial u.s. security contractor lockheed martin britain's national census igniting a debate on confidentiality and ethics. three pm in moscow i'm not treasurer good to have you with us here on r t our top story opposition forces in libya say they're planning a final assault on the capital tripoli and it's essentially the last part of the country that remains under the control of longtime leader colonel moammar gadhafi and protesters say his days in power are now numbered recent u.n.

resolution has referred to him as referred him to the international criminal court for war crimes but some say there are details of his recent dealings with western countries that are washington or london would like revealed or he's correspondent in middle east peter all over more from cairo. current frontline in the battle between opposition forces and those soldiers still loyal to colonel gadhafi is the city of zawiya the mono that surround fifty kilometers to the west of the capital tripoli the opposition in control of the majority of the city of geography of the country if not all of its their headquarters based out of thing gharazi a second city in libya in the east of the country now that fighting is conti as continues we are hearing a piece in tripoli at the moment why if there is armed militias to control checkpoints on the streets now we can hear from sergey love rolph the russian foreign minister here dress the u.n. human rights council he called them the violence in libya and said that the country

should be allowed to determine its own future and what so we are pretty useless the mass protests across the middle east and north african countries and exposed a range of problems that have piled up for decades first of all poverty unemployment and guaranteed social and economic rights in general these problems should be addressed by the people of the affected countries without any coercion or external interference the use of military force against civilians is unacceptable and leading and cause hundreds of civilian deaths russia condemns such violence demands its immediate ization and observance of international humanitarian law on saturday the united nations imposed imposed sanctions upon the gadhafi regime these included a travel ban the freezing of assets of gadhafi and his family and close associates as well as an arms embargo also included in those sanctions was the referral of

colonel gadhafi to the international criminal court in the hague now this is caused some experts to to look twice at this had what could come out of those investigation should get duffy or any of his associates testify out of the court in the hague now. over the past few decades they could southie has been in power in libya he's been something of a pariah especially to washington and to london now in recent years this is we've seen him at rehabilitating in the eyes of those rehabilitated in the eyes of those governments somewhat what revelations could come out in a trial in the hague could be embarrassing to both of those countries i think the americans and i don't know people like tony blair would be very very frightened of nicolas sarkozy or mr berlusconi of italy would be quite frightened about an i.c.c. trial because then they're there for the regime and the people that are still supporting him in tripoli but in their bunkers will be able to tell the stories about everything from what could be. american and british arms companies were

involved in propping up that regime and they'll have a string of e-mail that have an email trail i don't think the americans or. brussels would very much want that to come out in court you know we heard the lockerbie bombing mention there that's just one of a number of incidents in a checkered history of relationship between the west and colonel gaddafi if you also look at the nineteen eighty six bombing of a west german this go take that was targeted killing u.s. soldiers have resulted in the u.s. air force and and marine airplanes bombing the libyan capital tripoli however in recent years we have seen this rehabilitation of get out in the west among western governments we've seen him used as an ally in the area over during the iraq war we've also seen contracts for arms deals and also oil deal struck between western countries and libya so if anybody does appear before the hague on trial for crimes

against humanity for what has happened during this violence in libya will be very interesting to see what comes out of those investigations well what we're looking at at the moment is the international red cross have described the border. between chinese here and libya as a humanitarian crisis forty thousand people crossed the border fleeing from beilenson libya in the last week alone now around one hundred thousand people are extra estimated by the u.n. to have fled libya in total some coming here to egypt where i am going forward elsewhere many countries around the world trying to get their citizens out of libya people from all over the world working in the north african country many countries already removing all of their citizens russia's sense of playing in order to remove russian citizens to evacuate russian citizens from the libyan capital and my colleague oksana boyko went along to find out firsthand just what they've been through in the violence that's been going on in the country propelled by fear held

back by doubt they are those who boarded the last russian emergency plane from libya didn't want to leave but then decided that or saved in story a subcontractor for gasper on alexy says he never cared much about they've been politics that is until our demands replaced by grants it's. equally dangerous because the regime suppresses its people but the. people. just don't. believe the responsibility. is this the people doesn't really work. for years it was a mantra for many foreign companies ignore get half

a square inch send you'll be rewarded in oil revenues but is the leader sleeps closer to civil war. no longer seems bullet proof yet even though the russian claimed. the grim projections for blown out of proportion. and until we know who's worth and leave as a nurse for twenty years so sure already regrets the decision to flee i keep all those reports by al-jazeera and other arab language channels calls she a panic among the people who bodies attack and intrigue there is no shooting in us that there could easily go to see my friends all the young people supported gaddafi hospitals are working as usual as are all the people open today everything functions people want to leave. the country awash with firearms the current law and violence and recently looks like a calm before the storm that's why a tripoli airport is now be easier than ever a country scrambling to call their citizens out growing up after he's known to

proudly cell phone being a shrewd negotiator and it shows even in the way the evacuation of foreign nationals is being carried out over the past week the government before servicing planes of the tripoli airport has more than tripled to more than eight hundred thousand dollars per plane considering that experts used to make about twenty percent of the country's labor force the cry from a beer is growing to be a very good source of cash. with less than two thousand of its residents caught up in there and rest russia manage the evacuation fairly easily other countries didn't fare that well the gyptian uprising may have in sports lead bins but it also left thousands of egyptian guest workers stranded at tripoli airport it's very little if any assistance from their state. a few years ago many countries raise to leave their whose all reserves are the biggest in africa now days even more frantically

if they're trying to get out the deuce fleeing the violence it's just a matter of time before they'll be back. artsy tripoli. but islands in the arab world has sent oil prices hireling with some suggesting it's just the start of a huge hike that affects the global cost of everything from food to transportation and also threatens to stifle economic recovery now there are some suggesting the u.s. could have certain interest in removing khadafi so as to gain control over libya's oil reserves or his laura lister has more. tunisia. egypt. and bahrain. algeria. and libya protest in countries seeming to fuel one another unrest spreading like wildfire through the middle east and north africa only raging in or near for your

great countries that helped fuel the world's use of more than eighty four million barrels of crude a day. uncertainty over production has said prices soaring i mean a shockwave through the middle east turmoil are being felt worldwide the oil is the most valuable resource on the planet today controls the. extreme right now the mideast crisis is hitting home for outrage americans as well prices have skyrocketed so too have the prices people pay for gasoline and now the price americans pay at the pump is threatening to derail the u.s. economic recovery a surge in oil. prices will be the end of the u.s. economy not just an end to the recovery there's no more bailouts like a reality peak oil expert michael c. rupert sees happening it will hit one hundred fifty dollars a barrel which he believes is inevitable this year others predicted going to two

hundred twenty dollars it's so devastating because oil. fuels more than just cars. it fuels the entire global economy. though there is no doubt that if gas goes to five dollars a gallon for americans asked some predict there would be a high political price to pay for the obama administration yeah yeah serene prices go up and much and for a very long period it could. be your or. your political impact here there is no denying the u.s. has played a role in the events that have transpired in the middle east every time u.s. president barack obama went to the podium calling for this that there must be reform political social and economic reforms that meet the aspirations of the egyptian people and calling for egyptian president hosni mubarak's resignation he

was calling for an end to the status quo which means a right and certainty and all rich region so did leaders weigh the toll it could take on their own economy some argue they don't have the power to kind of waning back up trying to push their back against an avalanche and i don't think we're going to hear a lot of success and that may not stop the u.s. from trying to take control some observers believe the u.s. may intervene militarily in libya or oil reserves are massive under false pretenses and helping protesting people has nothing to do with interest or people it has everything to do with the interest of the u.s. corporate oil corporations military corporations it's super profits either way analysts say the price of fuel going up will simply fuel public rage and the government is largely helpless the american people are going for a very nasty ride and there's no way out of it now but i can tell you the

government understands that it's time lauren mr r.t. new york later this hour the wider consequences of an arrest in the middle east being discussed in our debate show cross talk here's a sneak. there is no neutrality of washington ok please we will barak start if you look a little tension that that walking is to try to control events on the ground in the middle east and that's patently absurd it is no way we could and it's not so chaotic it's so little they believe these are the way we go down central let me there was a man we know that the cia is calling the shots here really defies description i mean i don't think america is necessarily doing if you're already on this i'm going to leave is my you're not up to speed on the latest i mean all you're willing to look at on the revolution in. georgia was saying was he or tripoli and you can realize this is not being dictated by washington. it.

turned out other stories we're covering here on our t.v. u.k. is preparing for a nationwide census starting next month the government says it will help provide the services and resources people need but a link up with a controversial u.s. security firm means many fear their privacy maybe violated with personal data falling into the wrong hands parties are and it reports. it's census time in the u.k. when every household in the country is asked to provide detailed information about their lives to the government so they can keep track of what's going on and who will be in charge of this sensitive data. yes it's controversial u.s. arms manufacture a lot martin and campaigners ranging from religious groups to peace activists to data protection lobbyists are really against it on ethical grounds they are no

longer of oppressive regimes they also of the us have only in the wars they fought in iraq and afghanistan opposed by the majority of people in britain even if supported by the british government hill vows to boycott the census despite the risk of prosecution he says he won't be alone look he'd makes land mines and nuclear weapons and contracts out interrogation at guantanamo bay although it will be the u.k. arm that carries out the survey there's still a worry that the information could fall under the auspices of the us patriot act which compels personal data held by any company on systems in the us to be made available to government intelligence the office but national statistics which in gauge lockheed martin maintains it's taken measures to make sure u.s. authorities can't access the data. processing will be carried out in the u.k. danceable leave will be held at any point outside the u.k.

no lockheed martin staff will have access to any personal census data or data is the property of the and only u.k. e.u. owned companies will have any access to personal census data but it's that last point that's raise red flags for data protection lobbyists who say that all the private information collected during the census will be available to practically any organization that requests it only use it on the any statute. any use by the security intelligence services for national security purposes any use for the pursuit of crime any use in pursuit of an e.u. community obligation so any e.u. rules that information can be passed over so it's essentially any government use whatsoever the competition or else is being abolished and u.k. government agencies don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to safeguarding information three years ago

a file containing secret terror related documents was left on a train more recently the national health service lost the medical records of tens of thousands of people thanks to lockheed martin's involvement in the census it would be hard for the u.s. authorities to lay their hands on that information if they wanted data from the said so it is used by the government to award grants to local councils and recognize new groups in society that census run by looking martin raises grave concerns in britain about ethics and international security if a lot of people boycott that says it will make it ineffective and the waste of money with a two hundred forty million dollar contracts amounts will go into looking at martin's pockets any way your average party wanted. remember r.t. dot com as opposed to debate on ethics and freedom in the u k. read about how a civilian asunder reflects on the british justice system and whether suspected

criminals should be granted asylum in the u.k. plus. you can look at how americans feel about the end of the space shuttle program and the fact that for now russia will be the only country providing the link for that. there are now some other stories making headlines across the globe chile is most the first anniversary of last year's earthquake that left five hundred dead and hundreds of thousands homeless the memorial service was led by president sebastian pinera there were also protests at the scene with demonstrators saying the government hadn't done enough to help lead build the worst affected areas the queues officials of mismanagement and exaggerating reconstruction statistics. security contractor has been sentenced to twenty years in prison for the murder of two colleagues about working in iraq then he fitzsimons becomes the first westerner

convicted in iraq important since the two thousand and three invasion this follows the signing of a deal in two thousand and nine the thing that got a lot going on in which iraqi authorities have the right to prosecute foreign contractors who violate the country's laws. the entertainment world the eighty third oscar academy awards have seen the king's speech take the prize for best picture film star collin for the best actor for his portrayal of british monarch george the sixth with natalie portman winning best actress for her role in black swan and told the king's speech to the four major oscars and it's me right the social network. by only in this news broadcast a luxurious delicacy for the most exquisite taste but black caviar could soon become more affordable after russian scientists discovered a new technique to harvest the eggs without killing the sturgeon if applied it might bring back the days when families could enjoy caviar without breaking the

bank archy's daria pushkov hauser. this is the new klondike home to black gold caviar the limited supplies and time consuming production of jerry's delicacy is one of the most expensive foods on the planet however that may soon be a thing of the past work on both and here we have bester a hybrid. sturgeon a beautiful fish a little sort hardy and very productive. igor board so has been working with stage and his whole life and even has a species named after him thanks to special living and they sions he created his fish mature three times faster then in the wild so they caviar can be farmed all year round. here this is all carving are in the belly it's food which. is also behind a unique technique to harvest the rope without killing the fish rather than being called like elsewhere in the world the female fish is what can be best called milked gently and are mislead each time a fish is milked it can produce up to

a quarter of its weight in caviar say this specimen is around ten philos so up to two without you as a caviar every time they approach no makes caviar more accessible but also helps preserve this increasingly stars read the beautiful fish once russia had about ninety percent of the world's stock of sturgeon of by the turn of the century while sturgeon were close to extinction and poachers were running the show to preserve what was left russia first hold a commercial harvesting in two thousand and two and then banned the sale of sturgeon and black caviar all together poaching escalated and so did the prices now the country is trying to return to the head and days of soviet caviar abundance this is the largest in russia and both parties in malta organic fish food and even spa treatments for its inhabitants the head of list always is says. all leads to

one inescapable fact. and nonprofessional consumers hardly be able to tell the difference between the wild your own form caviar in fact you can only do with it and if it is good that means the caviar is our fish however most experts agree that demand will always outstrip supply and although black caviar may get cheaper it will never be cheap. r t moscow. really is up next with a business update i'll be back with a headline stay with us here on r.t. . hello this is your business update a very warm welcome russia's budget deficit could total just two percent of total g.d.p. this year that's according to the finance ministry official forecast how weather still says the deficit role equal three point six percent of g.d.p.

and twenty eleven but it's. all force russia to continue boring proper ought to call the deficit but said the current surging oil prices will assist russia in refining its reserve fund. changed it is you part of russia's reserve fund to me even increased oil revenues are recent see and issue fifty billion dollars this means that for the first three months ago financial crisis were coming back to replenishing the reserve which is very important given the high risk some of today's global markets. and world prices are continuing to grow on monday on fears that unrest in the north africa and the middle east might spread including two top producer saudi arabia and the price of light sweet has almost reached one hundred dollars a barrel benchmark on monday and the price of bread careers hovers above one hundred thirteen dollars to discuss the fact of the growing world price progression

when i was joined by contents inseam of director of national energy security fund thank you very much for joining us oh some say that high oil prices are good for the russian economy another say will have a negative effect how do you think growing oil prices will affect russia you know it's an old discussion in russia some experts are sinking and there was all of them guess there will be norm of the musician of our country but i absolutely sure that high oil prices is good news for us sir because you know that i think the oil and the business and sports of old organized with musicians or for our country and let's come play our russia was ukraine part of the course of the soviet union you know but ukraine became independent states russia. ukraine has no oil and gas do you see more than. there is in the ukraine nor do sic a pick or so-called industrial corner in ukraine nor there is what i don't think that this was the oil and gas is more than the us have no but if you first begin

the world with more than using her speak in the world when you cook knowledge of us for those who are sick of all prices is the goal good news for us since it's possible to use this money also for the musician that i would want. because that's in gold prices have been particularly volatile during the previous years and will the current price closely to what happened back in two thousand and eight. you know you were speaking about for example libya in egypt you know libya is not a big you were speaking the old world oil market so all the production with libya is focal some of the eighty million tons per year but you are speaking the world all over the world produces less than two percent i mean libya so this is where of course if there will be moral. other countries of the world. will see some prices but. it's only the beginning it's only the beginning of this

process and my focus is the same situation. because. we already saw the civil war that is why absolutely sure that there will be the same situation. then maybe the same situation will be human but. it's difficult to imagine. also because we see this. is why there will be another revolution in another arab country of course. the price of oil will be more than two hundred dollars let's go to another related matter now some local analysts say new deposits in the arctic should not be developed until the oil price which is one hundred fifty dollars a barrel it's already basis such statements thank you notes good of course example we were speaking about the situation in oil might have because there are some.

increased oil prices but you are right you were speaking about green fields you were speaking about. you or. in you. of course price of. oil you said about. production of oil in what not only we can speak about. and so forth we will fly prices. that is right of course. because there will be new market. organize some people i know for but because it's the most difficult area from day one of the it's difficult yes you are absolutely right. and if. you begin our work

can you see someone with a question about the influence of oil prices the russian the because you know it's a typical idea that we. all sort of boil we will have no new technologies in russia i think is a good example i mean the example of the oil in the sea can be the main driver of modernization of our weak women because. new technology is impossible to dual exhaust so that is why high oil prices will help us to produce that is where we will see that our joint project for example will sniff him be and to sniff the last of economics that there will be in your view for the majors and i think. we can say we are welcome foreign companies who will arctic with us and will present us and we will help our partners because that's you thank you very much for this indeed that was because that seems even if the rector of national energy security funds and perhaps not the business do it in you can get more stories as always from our website out sarti dot com slash business.