in the. italian senate approves its harshest new austerity law yet hoping to stem a growing consensus that the euro zone's third largest economy is falling to the ravages of the euro crisis. palestine is expected to push for a vote on a un statehood even if it loses it wants the bids opponents to justify that decision which it believes will be dictated by the u. s. . and western corporations the centerpoint rich may be seeking to exploit the riches left following nato's bombing mission our top stories this hour.

internationally coming live from moscow this is r.t. with you twenty four hours a day the traumas of the euro crisis have been echoing loudly inside israelis government sparing it senate to push through the country's harshest sturdy package in the nation's president has promised once the law is passed prime minister silvio berlusconi will resign with his possible successor being a former commissioner of course one sort of first is in rome with more from there. a lot of the people a lot of the m.p.'s we've been speaking to here over the last couple of days they want to send a very clear message to the markets to the international community that they can take decisive action now at a very critical moment and it's lead history now we saw that they pass reasonably easily today hundred fifty six face to twelve that is expected tomorrow that everything's going to happen in the final approval will be given in the lower house and not of course with them pave the way the prime minister berlusconi says that

decided see the once a response had been passed and at that point his thought that the italian president will try to appoint new hairs and the stumps to the technocrat government will be formed things happen very quickly from what we've been hearing is he said the emphasis really here now is on decisive action and the front runner that's emerged recently is a man named mary muncie he's a former economic and he says they've noticed amongst politicians here that a month here is a leader says well he's got very close links with brussels he's thought to be the man he can lead the way it's really this crisis situation is leigh now finds itself and by no means is any government going to be a quick fix to all the problems that is essential at this moment there's some form of action is taken to stand a strong message next week to try and stem a lot of that uncertainty mistrust and the political guidance here in the country that we've seen from the markets and from the international community and as he

said mary muncie is a safe release so the italian president making quite a clever chesney when he points to the standards of the life now that's made him a much more appealing candidate the m.p.'s much more politically viable to take the top spot i do we've also seen the top spot increase taken by a former e.c.b. official you've now got married monti possibly carrying out state the top spot he served for me. there is there any concern amongst the public in these countries that what you're saying. as an extension of crosses into some fish you really that is what's happening again b m p's that we're speaking he was saying that this technocratic government now is really good it is pushing three these harsh measures just getting them off the ground because they've been long promised and have failed to materialize and that's really what's needed to be seen now from the years and leaders and of course notice actually that the entire year is a feature right now looking extremely uncertain but the public very concerned about

the losses the credit say about whether the new governments are going to be acting in their country's interest here in italy is due to this very harsh reforms that not only have to be passed but they don't have to be influenced say is one thing to put in place these euro cats who are going to appease brussels at the quite another to gain up public support we've seen in the past can hurt italy and countries like great a loss of public support the really have a very significant impact in d.c. by no means it is leading to be out of the worst if the when that new government is formed it's expected to happen as early as saturday not out of the with still a long way to get funds us at a very critical point in the feature and there's a lot that needs to be done we've been taking a closer look at these economies. the italian brand has always seemed to be going strong. land investors and expresses. it in fashion as

a country that commie why is this east getting is best. recently at least in its economy stagnating has now become the latest country to be dragged into the center of the eurozone crisis. basically has a strong economy and is only good has. been far better than it is now italy could now face a similar fate these countries having to seek emergency parallels despite being one of the year isn't largest economies we're not greece we're not greece because we have a lot of savings we are not greece because we have been very prudent in this recession we haven't done big deficits in this recession might not be greece that with a mammoth that and soaring borrowing costs just how did italy and in this situation right now nobody is spending nobody spending in all or all of europe consumers are not spending they are saving they're scared to death of what's going to happen

meeting here is into miles to jesus that tough reforms in a large part was made repeating growth in the country so difficult hopes are now pinned on a new government being able to bring about positive change we have had so many years of the leadership that was not credible outside and very divisive inside i don't think it's only an apparent problem i mean there's quite some support for saying that mr berlusconi was not able to deliver what he promised i think there might be a transfer or somebody else would do better on him but that's not going to be enough. we need support from europe otherwise everybody on its own and that's the scariest part of the situation in italy right now the u.a.e. think its biggest challenge yet it's unclear whether they like gales of the peaceful and culturally united europe can sit by the failure to adapt and to find the five new leadership at this point and they've ideals could be in ruins.

within the last the new greek prime minister. has been sworn in as the head of a unity government the makeup of his new cabinet was also state television after the ceremony the former banker and european central bank vice presidents immediate task will be to implement. the measures in return for continued e.u. payments mr president to do all he can to bring greece's finances under control and promise to keep the country in the euro zone and to laughlin the director of studies at the paris institute of democracy incorporation believes brussels has escaped much of the blame for the blocks that crisis. these people who have taken power in greece and shortage of our in italy have never been elected these are men who have made their entire careers through garnering an important part of parliament in case like the european commission or the european central bank they have no democratic mandate at all and precisely what is so frightening about what

is really not that has the european union and the euro enters its death agonies because that's what i think it is is the way in which the european union really is showing and i say this without any eight hundred it's true nature as a dictatorship after all it is europe which has effectively command it these two prime ministers to leave office andrew had to leave office the moment he suggested a referendum on the debt package and berlusconi had to leave office the moment he said that italians would become poorer under the euro so we're seeing really a very ugly development now you are of course the governments are responsible for the crisis but and there is a code responsible element and that is the euro itself and they only need bailouts from the european union because they don't have the option of devaluation they don't have the option of managing their own economic and monetary affairs i am absolutely convinced that the euro project is at an end i can't say when it's going to break down but it is at an end yes there's been financial irresponsibility in

greece and italy but the situation has been made worse well catastrophic by their membership of the euro. with europe's debt burden growing ever harder for the block to shoulder all eyes are turning to the east and hope china will commit its vast cash reserves to say the e.u. but so far its reluctance has been all too well p.s. the reasons why one of the things being discussed in today's crosstalk that's coming your way at seven thirty g.m.t. . the chinese have been very hesitant because they see that the europeans just can't get their house in order we've created such a mess of their economies with nowhere near is coming and strategic as china does and we've got to be clear the funding our moral hazard keeping us behaving badly either in europe or the united states is not in china's long term best interest it's. going to see the west continue to harm itself are we really in the polls. given all the problems we have to cast talk top down to china and say what we've

decided scored and what we think is good and what you would do is. that's coming your way at nineteen thirty g.m.t. that's cross talk for you know nato may have finished its bombing mission in libya but now there's a full scale western invasion and the g. corporations are queuing up to do business with the new government which is rewarding the military victory with lucrative oil and gas contracts smith looks at how the harvest of war is being reached. first british poms tourists apart now british companies will get paid to put it back together libya is open for business and u.k. firms are being encouraged to join the gold rush is a relatively wealthy country with oil reserves and i expect that there will be opportunities for british and indeed other countries companies to get involved in

the reconstruction of libya philip hammond is urging c.e.o.'s and sales directors to pack their suitcases and head to the north african country the u.k.'s bill for its part in the nato intervention in libya is estimated at just under five hundred million dollars but according to the u.k. department of trade and investment the value of contracts to rebuild libya in areas ranging from electricity and water supplies to health care and education could amount to upwards of three hundred billion dollars over the next ten years and the british government will make sure it takes in leading role in that just as it did in the war and that's raising more questions about the u.k.'s motives in playing such a big role in the recent conflict john hillery of war and once says it has shades of post-war iraq when companies from countries involved in the allied invasion were awarded all the best gigs. destroying.

journalist john pilger says there was evidence of battering before nato even got involved in a transitional council told the french. on. the change in the arab world in which they were given total of eighty five percent. the figure. but u.k. department for trade and investment already has star on the ground in libya ready to welcome british companies. awarded contracts wanting to get in on the action or oil firm shell and b.p. shares rose on the news they were talking to the transitional government's engineering firms and mark macdonald also reportedly keen but if the latter refused to put up spokesman when asked preferring instead to send basic statements which critics say is a new tactic to avoid defending their ethics and that's enough of them.

for the packers question of why you're around the world. so far the conflict in libya looks like an excellent investment half a billion dollars to oust a dictator with a return of three hundred billion in business contracts when it's all over now the humanitarian goals no longer need to be touted wall suddenly makes great business sense norah smith r.t. london. plenty more still to come here on this hour including to the team syrian authorities ringing the alarm bells over an increased amount of weapons being smuggled into the country to boost the extremist factions fighting the regime. still to come but first a senior cause of a politician has gone on trial for atrocities carried out against prisoners during the course of a war at the end of the ninety's it comes at

a time of heightened tension in the region a lengthy standoff has developed between nato peacekeepers and the local minority playful troops used tear gas and opened fire protestors and as they try to dismantle one of the roadblocks and i'm joined live from belgrade by christian cause he's a former nato journalist and author who's written a book apologizing to the serbian people and i understand he's just returned from the barricades there thanks very much indeed for being with us here on our team now before we talk about your experience the impact it's had on you during that time during the course of a conflict all those years ago first tell us what is the situation in north course about right now. well below the situation is relatively calm it was expected there for was the demolishing the barricades but of course there is no way the government in pristina is going to have any kind of governance of these foreign minister is irrelevant cardinal serbs will continue to get into north cattle.

prods and it does not matter how many roadblocks. or how much caper he's doing there because there are always going to be new roads that will be opened to thirty let's not talk about the situation when you took part in the yugoslavia war as i said those many years ago back in one thousand nine hundred nine as a nato officer law i understand that now you're apologizing to the serbian people for what happened what are you sorrier about and who was to blame. well bill i have to correct you i have not yet written a book i am in the process of writing a book. on march twenty fourth. here i went public on serbia national t.v. and apologized to the serbian people. as a poor man a two hour for not being able to protect serbs and albanians in.

the for many years i had felt a collective responsibility. we were not able to. protect the minorities but it became very close up and personal when i met cost of a third. my country had sent back. so i think we lost the line here why do you think no to everything you're saying just tell us why do you think briefly you failed in that mission to protect serbs and albanians during that time. can you hear me their cards can you hear me well i'm sorry it looks as if we have actually lost the line there policies for that bill great let me just try once more can you hear me there laws or not no i believe that we have lost that line hopefully we'll be able to get back to him a little later apologies for that. in the meantime russia is calling on the syrian opposition to stop aligning itself with extremist gangs which are smuggling weapons

into the country and only triggering more violence this comes amid an increase in illegal shipments of arms ammunition and military supplies from neighboring lebanon over the last few months professor of international relations mark colvin has been telling r.t. that he thinks that syria is falling victim to lebanese political games. the people doing the smuggling may be doing it for money but of course somebody is paid and i think there is a ground in humility in lebanon for instance the explosive situation there is being made worse by the fact that one faction of politics the sunni muslim factions mr hariri also backed by the saudis would. see the fall of the syrian regime because its its rival and it supports its rivals has alarmed the christians in lebanon who don't wish to see a revolution in syria bring to power a sunny fundamentalist regime which will likely be hostile to the religious minorities and so we are seen as a cynical people who are going in the money we're also seeing people who say the

way to paris for. the u.n. security council is reviewing palestine the u.n. membership in new york the motion was filed in september to not euphoria in the west bank and the deciding vote may come as soon as next week but he's always up palestine's chances. palestinians have resigned themselves to the fact that it's unlikely they going to get the two thirds majority they need in the united nations security council for the statehood good what this means is that they will not become full members of the united nations and the united states will not be forced to exercise its veto rights there are eight countries amongst the security council who have indicated that they will vote in favor of the palestinian bid these include russia china india south africa brazil levanon nigeria and gabon both the british and the french have announced that they will abstain from the vote there they will abstain alongside portugal and bosnia while germany and colombia

might either abstain or vote against it alongside the united states now this really leaves the palestinians with two options the one is that they can still next week demand that the security council vote on the statehood bid this will force those countries who are not supporting it to publicly to justify their position and the palestinians michael are here with us although they know that they're not going to get their mission into the security council the other option and that seems likely is that they still take the bird to the general assembly what this will give them is at graded observer status or though they will not become full members of the international body it seems a lot of pressure going on behind the scenes the palestinians have accused the united states of meddling and putting pressure on other countries not to support the statehood but you just need to look at the united kingdom as one example and here the foreign secretary william hague has said that it is to quote him tactical judgment why the u.k. is abstaining from the bird now the palestinians were relying on the british to

support the bird and the foreign secretary has now been accused of being hypocritical and abdicating responsibility when you mention the go ahead mission to the palestinians in need. the following that be united states canada and israel withdrew all stops giving funding to the bodies so much so that can escape has had to suspend temporarily its activities now that kind of pressure comes while israel continues to build settlements in occupied east jerusalem and the occupied territories are certainly one of the palestinians a short time ago had a lot of euphoria that the international community would that they did for statehood this kind of pressure going on behind the scenes seems to be paying off. the russian close up team continues its journey now across the biggest country on earth and about to join them right now.

today is another chance to discover more of the black sea coast of the southern cross and our region where people's love of nature is reflected in all walks of life from saving animals who become street photographers slaves to turning rubbish into the bottom has been put. on here and now have no need to find construction materials. now a bit of paint and they'll turn this bio into something beautiful. some critics might call me a complete rubbish totally write everything you see and gallery is made from little margin emotions that we are covering over

a living space with litter we need to have contributed to was good for me to use this ways creatively. a friend alexei provided some creative accompaniment also using rubbish as instruments but was i started with just one barrel when i was invited to a festival before i even had time to work on my instruments so i just experimented but just walk around listening to things and what sound they can make and you know collects her rubbish from the coastline the winter and spring storms bring her greatest harvest. i come to the seashore every day no matter where the weather or the time of year it's all the same to me creation inspiration conservation but it's not just pieces of rubbish but get a second life one month old leon they're here i've just been rescued from captivity but shall have to spend the rest of our life here recovering a bit special center whereas nina rescues pieces of rubbish and staff at this park

rescue far more vulnerable things most of these animals are formally kept post street photographers who let people pose with them for money. big kept on drugs so they remain tranquil have their teeth pulled out so they can't hurt people and starved so they remain a small business with the government if we take said as players who have finished their usual life it's not a secret that they could well be made into sausages many of the animals we receive we just can't save they've been treated as just a commodity. big caps like rameses mord are at home or here make up most of the parts residence there isn't the money to get them as much space as they would have in the wild at least here they have some exercise a good diet and the veterinary care they so often need there is about the clerical workers try to do something to save the situation so do i try to save the earth from the savagery of people so we are colleagues really. from plastic bottles to

lion cubs saving the planet can come in many shapes and sizes here on the black sea coast they might be rubbish to some but not to everyone. from bottom r.t. . love with the summer on a new stories about six months from now the mean time business is next with you. thanks bill and a very warm welcome to the business update russia's entry to the world trade organization would obligate the united states to establish normal trade relations but more scope for a couple has called for a cold war era provision which restricts american business men from working with certain countries to be able assist the jets the vatican moment is suspended every year with russia but it's still formal remains on the statutes. basically u.s. companies don't benefit from the exception of russia from the lower tariffs and the

improved ministry of procedures until the u.s. congress repeals tax advantage so it creates a lot interest for appealing jackson valid in the us but it's a matter for congress not lead ministrations obama can't promise it but i think that do are very likely to see a repeal of tax and violent following russia's deputy accession. president richard vedder says russia's economy is in a stable position compared to other g. twenty nations he made the statement while visiting the thai eastern city of. supports national. economic situation in our country looks better than many european countries disappoint recent difficulties we have managed to achieve fairly rapid g.d.p. growth this year it will reach four to fall a half a cent all in europe and the us g.d.p. growth will range from zero to one percent this year we will also have the lowest inflation in the last twenty years of around seven percent but i cannot say we are

protected from danger we need to cut our dependence on fluctuations in commodity prices and develop the industrial sector. and a look at the markets now u.s. stocks are rallying and trade is american consumer confidence topped estimates and italy's prove all of that production used concern about europe's debt crisis. and stocks are rising across europe after the talent senate approves an austerity package raising optimism that the euro area second most indebted country will change the tax. cuts here in moscow the markets were mixed at the closed out us was such a positive and the markets was going through a descent here's a look at some of the individual share moves on the my six energy majors and banking stocks while we're world giants look for a job translate collation it failed to find all of the gas of the to be was also a world where about one percent for natural gas and the trend again commented on

higher gold price. the russian market has mainly followed on. cue from our europe and you know have. you know the focus from greece to italy. and here's on friday the market. has been a better weaker than europe i guess europe and u.s. futures have a had an uptick. you know it always seems to have. us focused on a new prime minister candidate russia has a trader to do a week or you know on the whole you know it's been the in a bit of a disappointing week for russia. a russian court has handed all major be aware and its legal battle with minority shareholders and its russian oil paint chip g m k b.p. the court rejected two claims for around sixteen billion dollars on or to shareholders

say they suffered financial losses by being excluded from the strategic alliance between ross nets and b.p. to explore the arctic for oil that deal was blocked by b.p.'s russian partners and change the on the grounds it breached their shareholders cream and the minority shareholders say they will appeal before object. and call make a rainbow is setting up its own bank in russia the french companies will enter rayno credits international is opening a subsidiary in moscow with funding of four hundred million euros the bank will provide colos and underwrite dealerships raynal credit international operates and twenty seven conference sun seven hundred million euro is year choice owner. but perhaps not the business program for more stories you can log onto our website r g dot com slash business or join me in less than ten minutes time.