from fans to. start

on t.v. dot com. britain's biggest selling newspaper is caught out announcing it's shutting down after revelations it was hacking into the phones of terror and murder victims. high profile photographers arrested in georgia suspected of spying up to nine others are convicted on the same charge the country's opposition says the government is muzzling the press to cover up its own problems. the credit rating agencies after a downgrade of portugal's debt to junk status leave world markets panicking over a fifty billion dollars and a knock on effect elsewhere. international news and comment live from moscow this is r.t.

britain's biggest selling newspaper the news of the world has announced it's shutting down in response to the phone hacking scandal that's engulfed it it follows claims that paper been hacking into the phones of murder and terror victims as well as dead soldiers the paper is a jewel in the crown of rupert murdoch's global media empire and a public inquiry has been promised by the government that has the details for us now from london. it started off relatively early really with just we understood the news of the world had been allegedly hacking into the phones of celebrities and politicians and to be honest no one in this country really cared about that very much we we all think that celebrities and politicians are sort of fair game as far as that kind of thing is concerned but then of course it escalated when it was alleged that the sunday version of the newspaper had tucked in to the telephones of relatives of soldiers killed in combat and also that those caught up in the two thousand and five london bombings the anniversary of which it is

today in fact also the most shocking thing really for a lot of people in the first thing that was revealed was that news of the world journalists to deliberately hacked into the telephone of a missing girl milly dowler who was later found had been murdered we also now know that allegedly senior police officers had been brought by the news of the world for tickets on criminal investigations and other confidential information which of course a crime there are two things that we should take away from this for now one of them is surely this kind of action couldn't have taken place without an ok from the very highest level and in fact i spoke to someone today who knew the editor the current editor of the news of the world rupert murdoch said to her you have to keep this paper in high circulation around four million copies a day and you have to do it by any means possible so it's almost like he was giving the green light to that from the very beginning we don't know that of course and also is this an isolated incident is tapping attacking something that goes on

throughout news corp and is it an isolated incident within news corp or that other newspapers in fact in the u.k. who engage in that kinds of those kinds of behavior those are the questions we should be asking. for more insight on the story let's talk to journalists or she returns and he's also in london thanks for being with us here. is this simply about the news of the world or the wind implications here. this is really an international story you know i had to trip over the red carpet from the harry potter premium but it's another film citizen kane that really comes to mind here because this is a story about rupert murdoch not about rebecca brooks the former editor of the news of the world and the chief executive of one of rupert murdoch's companies this is about a man who has over the decades perhaps promoted the wars of that have killed hundreds of thousands something millions of people and here he is reacting to a story story's really about about very powerless people like

a murdered thirteen year old girl and it's so ironic that that something about a murder of thirteen year old girl could have annoyed him so much to close down britain's best selling newspaper so you saying that those who work for the newspaper of being sacrificed. while those at the top really should be held accountable you know some of the activities of rupert murdoch are quite good the skybox upon which this channel and some channels i work for a being broadcast but there's very little sympathy with a lot of those journalists who work on rupert murdoch's tabloid newspapers they are the very antithesis of what most people would see as journalism they work against the power less for the powerful and then losing their jobs this newspaper going down i think will be a lot of cheering around britain but maybe the best selling newspaper in britain a lot of people don't buy that newspaper those that have been hurt by those assurance all the diety would be vicious campaigns by that newspaper against working people in this country for decades there are some i say this could be a p.r.

trick in fact another newspaper could just simply be rebranded it just comes back but under another name. i mean my understanding is i mean we must remember that the british prime minister who's a press secretary it's just been announced will be arrested by the police here he took free flights to meet rupert murdoch like all british prime ministers they have to and i think some are saying that rupert murdoch was just annoyed about the b. sky b. issue there's a referral to the competition commission which certainly i think must be on the cards it's certainly been delayed it was supposed to be due this week and my sources in parliament are telling me that he's not going to get b. sky b. which will really engage even more off even more citizen kane wrote for murdoch in which case this isn't this p.r. ploy may mean he's just giving up this country and going to china and india for the future so you're saying that in fact by dropping the news of the world that would be a damage limitation exercise in that deal to go through that simply wouldn't work that

way well a hundred sixty or a year or old newspaper with such a brand brand recognition it seems a crazy decision many people have remarked how poorly managed the papers have been under well titular head his son james murdoch we mustn't forget i mean the on the wall street journal the new york post a newspaper in turkey was just bored they may be getting the australian international news channel this is a this is a big player but when the decisions come up to rupert murdoch perhaps he just gets irascible and says i will close it down then but if he thought the british prime minister who he must have thought he had some favors do i was going to. let his a b. sky b. is want to take complete control of this station over here to go through my sources telling me not but you never know i mean we've got to remember the kennedys had to facilitate a meeting between president obama in two thousand and eight between the fox news head and rupert murdoch and president obama everyone has to meet him it seems

politics and here the police and the press well let's talk about politics the implications this could have on the prime minister you mentioned a little earlier than a mountie course in which it won't be that familiar to international viewers but of course it's well known the links between david cameron rupert murdoch news corps heavily supported the cameron's leadership bed and also of course the news of the world editor became his media chief just how could this impact affect the prime minister now there in britain. he repeatedly the british prime minister david cameron repeatedly denies that he knew that any course it was up to any sort of tricks at all most people would see this is absurd there are two sides to this story the moment in this country everyone is going for the chief executive of news international or the company that is owned by the parent company which is chaired by rupert murdoch but it's rupert murdoch that has sidestepped all of these issues and now i think he has left the course and to basically rule murdoch is annoyed with david cameron has now got the media chief that cameron selected into deep

water. if cameron thinks the rupert murdoch is just going to lay off the british prime minister now i think you'd be being naive we can expect some pretty serious stories in coming weeks that will try and upset the british government here but this isn't just about politics this is also about as you mentioned earlier the links with the british police force with british law now this is this is going far deeper than a journalist. a journalist scandal isn't it this is going far deeper i mean some say that rupert murdoch has debased civil life for so many decades but now we have scotland yard a name that is internationally recognised routinely it seems take bribes they initially were supposed to inquire into this phone hacking scandal where you hack into a phone for a celebrity or a dead british soldier or a murder victim and here we are hearing that the police botched up the first

inquiry now we're hearing that money changed hands in bills in envelopes scotland yard's position is now in such a position that people here are calling for outside police forces because the police force that polices this city is no longer trusted we have to leave it there thanks very much indeed afshin rattansi joining us live there from london good to hear what you have to say thank you. you're with still to come in the program the last of the it's a blockade of gaza while the u.n. is expected to publish a long awaited report on israel's deadly assault on last year's also still to come this hour. this is inexcusable it's careless it's negligent it's criminal anger at nato campaign in libya is growing with criticism it's coming too high a price of stalemate and civilian deaths. those stories still to come but first unjustified and unfair but with the power to

determine the fate of entire countries that's the verdict of germany's finance minister on the world's big three credit rating agencies after portugal had its debt downgraded to junk status the move is having a disastrous effect on the e.u. ripping apart the relative calm by a second greek bailout panic is proving contagious with fresh fears emerging that may also need another cash injection it comes as germany the biggest economy debates the very legality of the bailouts but the only fault of the ratings agencies is that they didn't downgrade portugal in greece any sooner that's according to writer and editor patrick young. the european union to three years ago said the problem with credit ratings where their their ratings couldn't be trusted then all of a sudden when they actually come up with plausible ratings against the european union suddenly the finance ministers such as mr shaw are saying that oh these are discreet small companies because actually they're trying to get at the truth but actually one of the biggest things that they got wrong was the fact that they weren't being pragmatic enough when it came to the debt and the debt problems of the european union not of their being almost strikes and suddenly the politicians

want to shut them up realistically i think the question the ratings agencies must ask themselves because they were faulty or was why they didn't give better returns a couple of years ago when it was absolutely clear to a large number of us that the european union had really significant problems and they were caught up in the way of the euro euphoria that was going on at that stage and actually the e.u. itself has been dragging its feet for eighteen months over problems in portugal and greece and the difficulty therefore is that the e.u. hasn't acted fast enough and hasn't tried to cure the situation and i think greece well you know what i mean everyone ultimately gets fed up with someone who just keeps passing the begging bowl back in their face with comprehensibly doing something to try and help the situation and i think that it would be a very very neat thing if greece were willing to sell their gold reserves because at least that would choose some willing to write their economy to deal with their taxation problems and to do with the fundamental problem of the public services.

anti russian hysteria that's how georgia's opposition is described thursday's arrest of four people suspected of spying among them leading photographers including the president's personal snap and this comes after nine russians and georgians were handed lengthy prison sentences for anti government activity earlier this week parties even to speak piskun off reports now on what might be behind the arrests. the arrests started late on wednesday and went on until early thursday and some really high profile photographers have been detained including the personal photographer off president mikheil saakashvili the official photographer off the georgian foreign ministry and according to the worst this man has gone on a hunger strike in protest to his detention also a photographer from the european press agency was detained as well and one from the associated press although we did receive word that he was released after having been questions via relatives of the detained see that they could be charged with

espionage their homes have been searched their computers and cameras have been seized and now human rights groups in georgia say that this is a direct violation of the freedom of press and are demanding their immediate release on wednesday nine people were found guilty by georgia north or east of being a part of a spy ring and supplying secret information to the russian intelligence service and they were given some really heavy jail sentences ranging from eleven to fourteen years of imprisonment the longest one was given to our russian citizen u.-t. street legal who is believed to by the georgian authorities to be the head of all for this aspiring and also its connection with the russian intelligence service but a lawyer say that this man is grievously ill and his relatives say that they can't even picture of him being a spy because this man could hardly use more wealth. but in general various

spying scandals and controversy conspiracy theories are not new in georgia they've been happening quite often since president mikhail saakashvili came to power one of the biggest scandals was probably years ago when georgian authorities announced that he prevented a coup at one of the country's military bases but the opposition says that these are probably being conducted by. the public's attention away from a real economic and political problems and they do exist just remember the recent violence clashes between anti-government protesters and police in d.c. . you're reporting now one of georgia's main opposition leaders says that the arrests are a way for the country's president to hang on to his job. for some truly writes novels the continuation of. see the main

basis for peace don't wish to. be is the way the wind he she. power because this is the second care which really. is going to. be done. for europe you know why georgia democratic why do. you always. keep in georgia and he should but he's going to get. an agent. well still ahead for you this hour an r.t. why seeing the light could be deadly. pilots passenger ally now arriving from istanbul were dazzled by paul paul green light aimed at the aircraft by someone on the ground nothing but. time before that

deadly accident occurs. still to come for you this hour but first rebel fighters in libya have blamed a lack of ammunition and a lack of nato support for their failure to advance towards the capital tripoli while nato claims it targets only military facilities dr franklin lamb a director of americans concerned for middle east peace told me earlier that that doesn't match what he's seen for himself in tripoli. but i can give you five examples one is the down's syndrome children center which was completely demolished by bombs that serves all over five hundred thousand children around this country their headquarters was bombed as you know secondly as you know the killing of eleven shakes up in breakdown of who were on a peace mission they were bombed the micro bus that was bombed two weeks ago that killed nine people you know they are hitting civilians we had

a report this afternoon from a fellow from human rights watch who estimated that for every one military person that was supposedly a casualty there were ten civilians is not excusable however many collateral damage arguments we have with the kind of precision weaponry and the laser targeting this is inexcusable it's careless is negligent it's criminal i spent the last week visiting neighborhood committees think of them as neighborhood watch over a million have been armed i've seen women he is some as old as in their sixty's a woman and her seventy training i think we're going to see a popular militia popular army. emerge from the neighborhoods if there's an invasion a french ship bound for gaza with aid has been stopped in critic comes as the u.n. is due to report on last year's israeli raid on the humanitarian front to know which killed nine turkish activists report has been held back because of the round

between his run in turkey which funded the attack on the cyc and agree on the wording of an apology has poured a sliver now explains. well at the heart of the dispute is the whole question of an apology and here is temple is insisting that tel aviv apologized for its role in the events so far the israelis have refused to do this the israeli foreign minister particular avigdor lieberman insisting that israel will not apologize presumably because the israelis are fearful that it will open the floodgates for whole photos of legal claims to be made against the jewish state instead israel says it will express its were great for the loss of life now for the last few days almost round the clock israeli and turkish representatives have been meeting in new york to try and hammer out some kind of agreement that is acceptable to both sides we understand that the sticking point is over the wording of the document now no doubt both sides want to reach some kind of agreement quiet to the u.n. issuing this report because it will help in terms of the conciliation it will be much harder for every conciliation to be made after the report is issued but we do

understand at this stage is that the view is that the u.n. report says that the blockade is not illegal but it does criticize israel for excessive use of force and you need to remember that that excessive use of force to lift turkish citizens on board the largest ship them of the mamma did athens has imposed a blanket ban preventing any ship from sitting sail if it plans to sail to gaza what we do know is that one of the ships the french boat which is called the dignity that has some eighty twelve people on board it's a sail used to date wednesday but today when it stopped to refueling crete there it was stopped by the greek all foreign seas and now the ship known as the audacity of hope its american captain was booted detained the charges were that he was in danger and the safety of passengers he has been released but that is not necessarily a good sign at all because another ship the canadian ship that is known is there to heena that ship did sit sail it's also been full steam and turned to greece and

made all the passengers and crew on board have been detained at the same time there is something happening. it's being called a flight and that is an expectation of some six hundred activists from fifty thousand european destinations flying into israel's largest equal thing going in tomorrow friday. he says you can well imagine are on high and this is maybe place is reporting that they have the names of some three hundred people who plan to fly in the israeli police are not confirming that but no doubt they will be a lot of attention tomorrow on the airport where people plan to show their support not only for the tiller but for the people of gaza and palestinians in general. where we have more on the stories we're covering here dot com here's a quick look at what's there for you now on the web site. itself out of a grave to take revenge on the man who tried to kill him. cause a huge traffic jams on one of moscow's busiest roads as drivers rush to pick up

a fake money more that's. at their most vulnerable during takeoff and landing and now there's an increasing threat from the ground with a beam of light of reports on the police hunt for the who begins with laser pointers which blind pilots of the worst possible moment. very clear proof that the does a love a laser in the eye can be a major distraction for food bill or christian right now do it mount and. the consequences could be catastrophic if some want to stop get it while flying an aircraft with hundreds of passengers on board blinding pilots by laser beams has become an increasing musa's in russia over fifty attacks registered since the

beginning of the year. the latest incident was that the small port when the pilots of a tupolev passenger allied arriving from istanbul were done as old by possible green light aimed at the aircraft by someone on the ground just minutes later and not that probably. but i think what but yet it's only a matter of time before that that accident occurs to me we were blinded during landing just one hundred meters above the ground when we were only a kilometer away from the runway as a result we were in danger of losing control the crew was dazzled in a catastrophe could have happened. in the worst case scenario pilots can land automatically but not whole aircraft can land on autopilot and even if they do those in the cold feet need to remain in control and be able to see. the

effect of a laser beam on a pilot can be compared to that of lightning a blind you. potentially lethal laser guns imported from china can be bought in russia for as little as a hundred dollars firing a laser beam as far as five kilometers they can burn through paper and even plastic . in the u.s. sales of such devices are banned russian legislators are also considering outlawing them and toughening punishment for this offense though some are shining a spotlight on the police calling for more action the question was in court of everyone's waiting for new laws there's no excuse for police and action on the grounds of our current legislation is good enough is allows for the arrest and imprisonment of such fools for up to ten years in prison as of now there has been only one arrest in russia for intentionally targeting an aircraft with a laser with this suspect still under investigation attempting to down a plane by other means would be classed as terrorism public concern in russia is

rising about the potentially equally serious risk from laser louts and their high tech hooliganism it's in a grouch over our team still. twenty four minutes past the hour on the russian capital about with the summer home a new stories in six minutes from now until korea is next with business news. how to welcome to business here now t russia's gas from has an els that will merge a select electricity generating business with another national energy major as holding by the end of the year the joint company could control twenty five percent of the country's generating capacity and will be worth around fifteen billion dollars every nova group controlling the i s holding will hold a blocking stake in the combined utility and gas from will hold the rest of the company say they may sell shares of the new giant through an i.p.o.

david hearn from investment consultancy helicon advisors explains the payoffs for the parties involved. for gas pump clearly it's a way to expand to leverage off of the team that they've spent some time building up for renault but it's a way to basically stop messing around with these assets dealing with operational company use anywhere in the world is complicated and it's even more complicated here for them it's probably a good a good deal for you it's a way to to stop operationally having to deal with all the household and retain the upside broadly speaking we've been thinking about that exit for years right it's a question of getting at the right person. let's have a look at the markets while prices are climbing after two new reports offered some positive news about jobs is trading at around ninety nine dollars per barrel while brant is one hundred s. at one hundred eighteen dollars per barrel stocks in the us and bonds all the

encouraging news about us and clients also retail sales suggest the economy recovery might be on more stable ground banking stocks are leading on the down j.p. morgan chase and gaining is gaining two point two percent after its private investment arm agreed to by outsourcing service company customer services for four hundred seventy million dollars and bank of america is also up over a percent the sound. stocks in europe were high on thursday led by portugal after the european central bank suspended collateral rules on the nation's debt strong u.s. employment data also contributing to gains the bank of england has kept its key interest rate unchanged as worries about the economy's recovery outweighed concerns about above target inflation and russian stocks surged the most in two months on thursday boosted by high all prices also after the bank of america increased prices to miss for some metal and mining companies the r.t.s. ended one point nine percent in the black while the six and it over two percent.

let's have a look at some individual moves on the my xix gains in the energy sector is obvious on stronger crude who quote rose over two percent gained over three percent and bad bank was also up supported by news it may see i recognize profit in the first half of the year. that's all from me in the business team here join us tomorrow for a long. stay with us. on. the.

wealthy british style. sometimes facebook's prize money. market why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike's cancer for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune in to come as a report on r g. movies.