more than a fortnight with barely any food or water his survival stories coming up. is three pm in moscow this is r t coming to you live from nice now with our top story this hour and greece is closed for forty eight hours flights are grounded schools shops and factories all quiet as the country indoors was being called the mother of all strikes now in the last hundreds of thousands are making their feelings known and it's arguably the biggest protests since the financial turmoil that's crippled the country began but more cuts could becoming live now to our field where our teams sara firth joins us from dentist to garbage collectors the anger stretches throughout society here doesn't it. you can probably see behind me the heat's

number of people with it we just got this official police estimate of the moment is around seventy thousand people and on the streets the people from the unions and the touching out will say it's even larger than that and people are joining all the time i just tell you that these outside the call of the building here the amount of people and right now not me but it's day one of a lot of young people saying that might not just the country speech that they're going to this well that's a safe they absolutely must have been the largest we've seen so far since the financial crisis broke out the first day of the forty eight hour general strike the night comes ahead of the day to call them of the more star if the measure is the eve discussion of the weekend about the way the way it's being described as a make or break week as big decisions coming up as people in the usa needed to rogel to get the situation under control the doing now by. and economic analysts

make back thank you very much for joining i was there i didn't think they would be me waiting a bit about what happened i don't expect an awful lot of ugliness toward. the committee. there are always small groups that do like to drink and usually do not actually be quite all a terrible one might say they usually sons and daughters of very wealthy. zation usually at the moment i think this is a great example of how greece is a bit of the canary recalled by just how much a stereo anyone can cite quite frankly because we've been able to get the budget deficit by about fifty percent sixty percent right the second change you have just as well but all we have is quite a protest even if it's boise even if it's a bit rambunctious and still quite find admirable a society he's been afforded and he must also recall that which treasure only bodies very much because home plays only within living memory of the servants and

so people are much more likely than in other places of the world to actually come out and voice their disappointment have a decision and it will have anything i can repeat as i mean again and the measures they couldn't fathom and again. that i see now being the case law do you think it is they come up with to defend this no i don't think so i think he is there any measures that he will stay and i think this will probably be the final round because really there is no more room to impose any more story anywhere in greece there was probably some who will fight in the civil service but i don't think that's going to create something of this because many civil servants exactly have the full right. side as far as the eurozone goes well they've been dithering out to you we expect some sort of final decision this week but we've seen it all before they usually phrase that's behind i'm not. it's they could never quite decide what

they want to do what they mean by. sorry was my breaking point i think you'll. have something concrete for a new society really to say to some form of. the political system by actually putting itself up and show that there was a legitimate population although a good bit you're asking a pension is an average people taking here but a few of the people that have had their hand in places where they shouldn't have stolen money should be saying to avoid facing a jury of their peers of going to have a difficult case believe me i said i don't think it's actually closer but it probably wouldn't do was very much good in the middle of the chaos like this if you don't have liquidity from the a c b you are in a really tight spot there is enough on so here at the moment anyway so how are you actually getting origin around the meaning of this and of course going into

accounts a union is never easy and exiting is even more difficult we would me that when six months to be able to organize something like that let's face it we don't even have the printing presses of paper to actually create a printed drachma isn't something we should look at his superman and carefully over the next five years or so but really don't know what the euro will look like in a few start he could be a two year old we may see fundamental institutional reforms to change the landscape but right now it would be suicide very soon jhumpa thanks very much for joining us and everything is the message in athens a lot of uncertainty about exactly what you just told the people who have a very that's and if they can save any money on the status that. we can have. anything has me. have.

was. was and thank god i have. the right god was thinking like i had to do you know i'm a cynic and that's the way he had to be. because if we see these clashes break out a lot more people here than the police have dealt with the full was a very very tricky situation indeed the country holds between this this opposition here amongst the people and the impatience of the forward lended saying the case hasn't done enough to meet the demands that they said all these demands of pretty much what you're seeing at the moment is to take the ice they carry these people have face here is of austerity unemployment because tax hikes and they simply said

they've had enough to eat right so we're talking today with john say and the one way that they were saying is will they ever get this out will we have the stuff i say in their response with whomever that's less than the people here in athens today and we of course will continue to join you throughout the day our teams sara first reporting live from athens as the biggest protest yet takes place as the country's economic situation started spiraling out of control thanks for that update. well financial analyst patrick young says the situation in greece is so dire that more belt tightening won't help it shed its debt. i think we're actually coming close to the end because ultimately the greek economy is in such a mess there's simply nothing can be done i mean what we're trying to do here is change the world's most obese person and give them a crash diet so they're going to turn into i don't know cindy crawford by the end of next year i mean it's simply impossible you can't do the greek real ways for

example i mean the salary bill something like one hundred million euros the total amount of income is like a hundred million euros total it costs about seven hundred million euros i believe to run the railway system you cannot possibly manage to change those numbers in such a short period of time the simple truth is used greece has too much debt no matter of belt tightening is going to change it not only what's going to happen news we're going to have to take what we call in terms of a haircut on the debt and ultimately it's not going to be cutting of the hair a lot of people are going to be left somewhat bored tell us what you think greece is way out could be by voting on the r.t. dot com home page almost half of you so far have advised athens to follow america's footsteps invade some oil which regions just over a third say it's something the greeks to work harder and spend last ten percent believe greece needs to go cap in hand to the e.u.

and plead for help while a small few back the idea of the countries selling or marketing part of its territory to escape economic collapse tell us how do you sell greece's problem at our team. activists and to wall street activists i should say are turning some of their anger against new york police over what they see as an excessive use of force hundreds of people have been arrested during the five week long protest with police using pepper spray at rallies despite that the root cause of the campaign is still winning over hard pressed americans as artie's this economy explains. the popularity of the movement does seem to be growing not just among the demonstrators but with the regular americans as well in fact here in new york a recent poll that came out showed that seven in ten new yorkers support the movement of identify with the big frustrations the major frustrations that the demonstrators have expressed mainly what they see as corruption in wall street and of washington

undue influence by wall street over politicians and the political system in washington d.c. the nation's capital now we have seen unfortunately an increase in some ireland and heavy handed response by the police departments here in the new york city area we've seen of course in mass arrests over the weekend in times square as well as arrests that have spread across the country for example in seattle a total of nine protesters were arrested after failing to evacuate the camp after being asked by police to do so in chicago about one hundred seventy five protesters were arrested in arizona more than one hundred protesters were arrested after demonstrating and what they say is a nonviolent civil disobedience tactic we do know that several of the officers implicated on video with some of the violent tactics are being investigated now the movement does not seem to show any signs of giving up steam in fact that there's

a new global day of action that's being planned for what we're trying to unite not just here in new york but all of the country as well as across the world in different cities worldwide we also know that the financial situation for the protesters here in new york at least has improved protesters recently announced that they have earned some three hundred thousand dollars from donations both money that's dropped in box buckets throughout the park as well as to online donations what they will do with that money remains to be seen but they are getting more and more support it appears at least by the american people. marjorie is losing confidence. there and she's been reporting from the thick of the protests in new york since they began last month and she is constantly updating her twitter feed as a round song fault so you can follow her on line. and other news they on russ and golfing syria is the sending in to all out conflict with the growing violence claiming lives on both sides eleven soldiers were killed by our major factors this

week shortly after the u.n. warns there's a high chance of opposition forces taking up arms if the crackdown on protesters continues our taste tests are solely is in damascus. this is the office of the trader one of the messages on the wall these rail and the us were able to buy you with a thousand dollars says another. this is where several opposition leaders work like . he had been a vocal critic and had spent fourteen years in jail a very bad time he recalls like many opposition members he thinks there's really very little room for because alleviation under the current environment. because troops must be withdrawn to their backs he says she'd like no. yes listening to people. he insists peaceful protesters were forced to respond to attacks by security forces but he acknowledges that now it's simply not black and white responsibility for the

violence goes both ways. and. this killing civilians but we have some civilians killing. soldiers lay our son was one of the first soldiers killed since protests began in the country he was killed in on march twenty three. all foreign media acknowledge that too many of the army and national guards have lost their lives so how can some people say that on groups didn't exist he kidnapped these civilians and the members like my son the members killed other members this is impossible the media that says it is plain lying. and variant lies the problem the moment. there is confusion about what's really going on information is taken by each side and used to defend their position so if you're hearing the arguments from one side you'll likely believe them amid this atmosphere of confusion and misinformation the push for reforms continues what's enduring very

forms this is another question whenever a new legislation is made we see an escalation of the security situation in syria and the killing by the guns but we come up absolutely put the blame on the government as i mean some circles trying to propagate of voices from both sides are calling for dialogue to sit down and talk to the syrians themselves agree that if this crisis is to be resolved that foundation of trust should be first laid down but with each threat or death syria respond to rising an already widening political gap does are still your r.t. damascus. well there may be calls for talks in syria but across in libya the words are much tougher especially from washington wanted dead or alive and the sooner the better they were as the u.s. is keen to see gadhafi captured or killed we've got more on that for you next hour

plus. economic news russia. to the next level of economic integration all but three countries of the commonwealth have agreed to create a. more of those businesses in thirteen and. a russian woman accused of spying in the u.k. is fighting attempts to deport her from the country through their third tonight all tarred as it has been are said an appeal before a special immigration commission but she didn't met having an affair with an m.p. she used to work for parties ivor bennett is covering the case in london. the main point was focused on in the trial so far has been can live year to relationship with my can cause member of parliament she was working for as a researcher up until two thousand and ten choi before her arrest and you know it's always rumored after her arrest that she was conducting an inappropriate relationship with him because he's married and has merged as fact yesterday that

she was conducting an affair with him for four years from two thousand and six when they met to two thousand and ten shortly before her arrest now it also most yesterday in the trial that she was actually writing about this in her diary we heard an excerpt from that about the first night they met which is when she was working as a chaperone for foreign diplomats in moscow he approached her for sex that first night offering her a cd and money even to try and persuade her she said no but their relationship did blossom soon after that when she moved to england to study for a masters it was suggested yesterday by the representative for the government the home office which is trying to deport her suggesting that she was working as a spy that she was tasked to. by the russian intelligence services to work as a honeytrap targeting mike can call the m.p. because of his position it also emerged that. she was she had previously conducted other relationships with other senior government officials in diplomats one with

a thirty year old dutch diplomat when she was eighteen and also later an affair with nato representatives well she denies the claims that she was working as a spy she admits to the affairs but she says she's innocent that's why she's trying to fight her deportation cases expected to conclude in six days time. the world at your fingertips at r.t. dot com were across stories you might not find elsewhere including an alarming trend known as drunk or endangering the health and education of some american college girls who are skipping meals not to save money by to get drunk were easily . and star wars security plan for russia and nato to jointly develop a global guard not just against missiles but on steroids and other threats from space we've got the idea outlined online at r.t. dot com.

the u.s. says is ready to offer moscow written assurances that the anti-missile defense system being built in europe is not directed against russia but the kremlin has been anxious about the project insisting on a legally binding guarantees that the scheme won't be a threat to russian defenses a senior lawmaker in moscow told r.t. that washington's latest offer is welcome but not enough. the written declarations are to be issued and or to be withdrawn in case something changes in the leadership of the united states all the legal binding documents like agreements or conventions protocols is the only instrument which will satisfy the russian concerns the recent reaction of. this program was rather harsh and

court because the system is definitely meant not just against iran or north korea it is meant to compensate the russian nuclear strategic potential so i thing that the american politicians the people who work with the president of the united states now seek an option they want to propose something to russia in order to satisfy the russian concerns but written declarations are a good step forward but this is not enough. nato forces have given serbs another twenty four hours to work out a compromise over the road barricades in northern kosovo if not it will act there were built in protest at kosovo police and customs officials being placed at two border crossings with serbia but the situation is at a standstill with two previous nato deadlines to dismantle passing with no action

from either side or if a notional reports. the deadline set by the nato led peacekeepers in kosovo known as k four has already been postponed twice following demands from the serbian communities leaders here in kosovo the cost of an serbs and the ethnic minority in the mostly bed in populated kosovo have been protesting against the bad in custom and police officers walking in the northern part of course of a many are very skeptical there about possible way out of this conflict described the need as a dad lock and say that would either turn into another frozen territorial conflict or lead to more violence just days ago when some of the barricades and were taken away throughout the course of eight people were injured several days ago a french officer from k. four committed suicide at the checkpoint known as yog we haven't heard any official

statement about his death but this is clear that this situation this even pass both serbs and albanians as well as international going as ations functioning in kosovo found themselves is played its negative and possibly even level. wednesday is expected by many here on the ground to be the day when these long running dispute could finally get moving ahead of today's meeting between all the parties been involved in this conflict we have been able to speak to deputy serbian minister for costs over here and he told us that everybody is looking for compromise right now but at the same time no one is ready to yield much more. on the. that. we can bring the media to these two thousand five hundred five hundred you know more than enough. to be destroyed but no one can say for sure at this moment what the end of this is new will be taken today but expectations and hopes are

really high. more reaction on that on line right now on our team's facebook page you can watch our interview with serbia's t.v. goes here on the standoff will explain why belgrade is so upholsterer attempts to create a border between serbia and kosovo. now seventeen days alone scambling for food and water a real life robinson crusoe has been rescued from a remote island in russia's north and although he was a venture they found his discovery was only by chance grow out of house the shipwrecked sailors story. the moment of knows he saved these rescuers are the first people has seen for seventeen days they didn't search for him no one reported sergei's disappearance but found him by complete accident his chance of survival had been slim teacher i was here to collect the wheat the weather was bad and my boat capsized and crashed i swam to the island but

there was no one there my cell phone was wet and didn't work there was no food but . i survived by drinking rain water and eating kelp i was very scared. he made a shelter to hide from the rain but soon despair set in. for the first ten days i was looking out for boats and planes but over the last three days i had no hope. doctors say sergei has suffered physical and psychological trauma. he's suffering from hypothermia and nourishment he was psychologically damaged to me to try and he was on the verge of suicide. that he again you should recuperate in hospital for the next fortnight perhaps the most surprising aspect of the story isn't the third day was able to survive under spiny island or defied rescuers managed to locate him considering the hundreds of similar islands in the area but

the fact that for two weeks nobody not his friends or his family thought it necessary to report him missing. r.t. and that wraps up our main news block here in our team this hour business is next with dimitri stay with us. welcome to business r.t. russia and most of its c.i.s. partners have agreed to create a free trade zone simplified terms were achieved at a meeting of the commonwealth prime ministers on tuesday the move could significantly increase trade between the countries it's already risen fifty percent in the first half of the year to more than one hundred thirty billion dollars now things met in the course around the details. this comes after two decades of debate and even though it's not a done deal it's definitely head in there and causing a lot of stir in the process most of the c.i.s. countries have signed on and those include armenia valorous kazakhstan kyrgyzstan

moldova russia of course is ballasted chicken star and ukraine the country still thinking about it include i said by john respect the son answered the man assad and they're expected to make a decision by the end of the year now i plough syria in union with former states and has a lot of my putin's priority since announcing his candidacy in the upcoming presidential elections the prime minister says there will cancel export and import duties on certain groups of goods but at this as a raise concerns especially with the government considering creating a new regime you will some say is intended to compete with the european union and the fact that the e.u. started with free trade now has so why summers on alert internally it's seen as a precursor to russia's and tree into the w t o it's especially as some of the participants are already members and the word here is it's not about competing over placing anything it's all about providing

a better conditions for us that mission joins and surprises and increases the competitiveness of the economies involved. move to the markets quickly oil is mixed this hour in asian trading to posting again as the previous session brenda's correcting sixteen cents lights readers up thirty eight european stocks up positive after an unconfirmed report in the guardian newspaper that europe's key bailout fund may be significantly expanded however moody's has downgraded spanish for the ratings for the first time in a long while it's also given a negative for cost it's moved to russia now the indices they're all holding up now the u.s. is up one half percent minus six still above the previous level. point two percent there so take a look at what's moving in the markets energy shares are mixed lukoil i was one of the biggest losers down point nine percent as grads anti-monopoly watchdog looks into price fixing other companies local retail outlets bank and one of the biggest

gainers up two percent the company says the privatization of its the seven point six percent stake is unlikely to happen this year due to market uncertainty federal group company f s k usa raised earlier gains the company posted an almost two fold increase in off net profit. s.a.b. miller has agreed to transfer its beer operations in russia and ukraine to turkey's fs the value of the mers enterprises in the two countries as i stated to be worth one point nine billion dollars in return the london based company gets a quarter of the target be a make as a b. miller and fs will jointly become the second largest brewer in russia the synergy savings of about one hundred twenty million dollars a year. coming up next on our minds.

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reads like a cheap he would leave the script around is accused to have been behind a plot to assassinate the saudi ambassador to the us. here with r.t. lines from moscow words three thirty pm the headlines greece's enduring a massive forty eight hour all out strike that's expected to be the largest since the financial turmoil began hundreds of thousands are already outside parliament in athens as lawmakers prepare to vote on even more crippling cuts to avert national bankruptcy. is feared syria's unrest is turning into a full fledged civil war with soldiers reportedly turning on each other eleven troops were killed this week adding to the three thousand or more who died since the crackdown on anti-government protests began in march.