the operation to free the remaining captives in algeria and gas plan continues as a military operation that sparked the hostage crisis intensifies with france helping retake central towns in neighboring mali. the u.k. could be drifting towards an exit from the european union according to the excerpts of david cameron's speech by the prime minister remains shaky i'm calling it a referendum on the issue and. it looks like it's uncool to your the ridiculous and . i can tell you. it's so good right now. cans of thousands of people in russia including are very young people all over take the plunge for the feast of

a to fanny. watching r t coming to life from moscow i'm marina joshua come to the program algerian armed forces are continuing efforts to free a group of international hostages from libyan militants at a gas plant as many as six hundred fifty captives have reportedly been rescued with an unknown number of civilian deaths as many still missing the insurgents claim their advantage in french intervention and in mali which is putting president francois hollande into an increasingly tough political situation parties fully boyko explains. these are peaceful civilians from all around the world that were working at the facility they've suddenly found themselves in the middle of this very dangerous situation where the algerian military have apparently been

criticized for going in guns blazing you know the u.k. and the u.s. have already complained that they weren't really warned in advance that this rescue operation was taking place david cameron over in the u.k. has already warned britons to brace themselves for multiple casualties and for more bad news potentially on the way so many were very surprised at how quickly francois hollande jumped into this intervention just one week ago when he asked strikes in the north of mali began with the crisis in algeria the stakes are really getting much higher we've got a number of civilian casualties from the u.k. from britain from japan all in this very dangerous situation and a lot of political analysts saying that yes other terrorist attacks in retaliation for the french military offensive in mali of very much a possibility now we've also got critics over in the u.k. and in the u.s.

saying that this is the place that the allies of france are now paying for supporting this intervention that was quite a hastily planned and a bit of surprise announcement last week so of course france while london needs to spin the crisis to suit his own needs and he said that the behavior of these militants justifies he says the french military intervention in mali up until a few days ago almost two thirds of the french public supported this military intervention in mali but for francois hollande that could change very very quickly as we're seeing these civilian casualties pile up this is turning into a very sticky and difficult situation for all loans and of course this is a man who was very today in los. in france first on the peaceful credentials he actually said that he wanted to cut his paternalistic ties with the former french colonies but we've seen him jump into this conflict very very quickly and

a lot of political analysts are also saying that it could turn into a real quagmire and that these islamist groups these al qaida linked groups could actually be much stronger in the region than the french previously anticipated so it could turn into a much longer conflict than anybody thought france has meanwhile helped them alll you know army retake the strategic towns of qana and from al qaeda linked militants conducting air strikes to support its troops on the ground the french contingent in the west african nation has now increased to eighteen hundred troops with more on the way french and u.n. officials have admitted that they islamist are better trained and equipped than initially anticipated fears of a drawn out conflict nigeria has meanwhile agreed to up its military presence to over a thousand troops as part of west african led support forces the un meanwhile says that up to seven hundred thousand people could be displaced by the fighting with

one hundred fifty thousand already having fled the country columbia university researcher dr yunus of a huge says about the french intervention is primarily sparked by the economic interests of the west. the konami crisis has shown that the western developed countries have. lost the economic competition against the new. players china russia south africa the brics countries basically and now that tending to militarize this competition trying to expel the chinese from the region the natural resources are very important especially rainy and because it's very necessary elements and resourceful france this is basically a new fight and competition over the resources of the african countries this is going most probably to spread into the region it's going to affect definitely libya because this is the largest border between mali and libya this and i see drug

dealers jihadists and fighters going back and hordes we know that the two are a who would khadafi are not back with heavy weapons this could affect the whole west and north africa this is for sure we're not going to stop here but of course at the end of the day it's the population who pay the price and a farmer has been looking into what could potentially drive economic interests of western countries to the region. marty potentially has a wealth of minerals that can be exploited as far as oil is concerned there is zero proven reserves however it is believed major oil fields have been discovered in the north of the country although that still has to be mapped on top of that mali is africa's third largest exporter of gold beaten only by south africa and ghana and there are also some five thousand tons of uranium deposits the french have two major mines in the country already and extract extensive amounts from neighboring niger and would not want that jeopardized in many ways they rely almost entirely on

uranium for their nuclear energy all this has led some analysts to think that big economic incentives are also fueling the u.s. backed french intervention here's what the author eth william angle had to say the critical strategical goal of u.s. foreign policy so you meet all of us here present is to prevent the core he's expanding your region of. russia or china to iran to northern africa and the rest of africa that could leave the united states has been just. so according to him the u.s. is fearful of china's increasing economic presence in africa in the figures seem to back up that argument china has increased its investment in africa exponentially over the last decade and they are catching america fast despite the u.s. investing over one hundred billion dollars over the last two years mali it can't be denied does have significant geo political importance now the u.k.

could leave the e.u. this is the prediction of prime minister david cameron revealed in a preview of his delayed speech on britain's status within the block meanwhile he has been wavering about the idea of an in out referendum saying it could be howard after the next general election and twenty fifteen now jill farrar the leader of the u.k. panel's party told r.t. sarah further that the vote should be held right now. key to the ongoing hostage crisis in algeria involving a number of british nationals amongst others the prime minister had to postpone that long awaited for speech on europe but nonetheless some extracts of what he was expected to say in that speech have been revealed to us more about that we're outside you are a powerhouse in london to talk to the leader of the u.k. independence party nigel farage the party that says we're better off out the. some of the excerpts that reveal quite a positive thing to that did that surprise you well positive in the sense of you know he's using euro skeptic language to pursue

a euro agenda she exactly what harold wilson did forty years ago this speech is happening because of the rise of using it on the rise of you could has led to massive discontent on the back benches in the house of commons and amongst the conservative party in the whole country that's what he's responding to so that's why he talked tough and says we was renegotiate but the reality of what he says if you read the subtext is that the e.u. is very good for us but it serves our interests and i promise i promise god to do my best over the next five years to do everything i can to keep britain a member of that unions this issue is a key constitutional issue it isn't even about economics it's about who governs britain it's about are we dependent nation as a democracy and determines our own future or not and i want to referendum now more of a promise ok i want to ask there's a lot of concern that if a person left the that this would massively affect our relationships our trade relationships certainly have a hit on the economy as

a result of that what do you say to those concerns a classic scare tactics always employed by the status quo whether they're defending slavery all the called laws or e.u. membership you know transparently body with a whole series of shocks you know three million british jobs would be lost if we left the european union really really we import massively more from the e.u. than we sell to them would mislead is stop selling cars. it would have the what i think we all know. when you think the person should be looking to trade outside the well you know what i'm saying is this that europe is aging europe as a percentage of the world economy is now below a fifth and falling quite sharply it is gripped by eurozone crisis which is likely because of their fanaticism to keep it together to last for up to a decade and yeah ok europe is thirty percent of our overseas exports and it's an important market place but the rest of the world is more important to us. because we're stuck inside this old fashioned nineteenth century concept of

a customs union we cannot make our own trade deals anywhere else in the world let's have a free trade deal with europe like the swiss do and let's reengage with the rest of the world we've obviously this latest postponement to take understandable reasons i don't see you seen a number of delays already what do you think about that the fact that this is such a huge issue and we just had. you know i've been waiting for years for this speech another couple weeks doesn't matter too much thank you very much for joining us nigel for us and the clear information about when exactly that big speech in europe will be delivered there something is that it could be as early as next week and of course the latest postponement making that big speech on europe no less controversial. human trafficking is on the rise in the u.k. once smuggled into britain mannie become victims of sexual and domestic slavery we're reporting that later in the program. and braving the winter waters russian state could dip to celebrate epiphany and wash away sins while many do it just for

the buzz the stories coming up shortly after the break. we'll look at. science technology innovation all the lives developments from around russia we've got this huge earth covered. what makes life complete. and a happy family. or self-expression. public option. that seems so trivial. when it's a major. challenge. the mission of free accreditation free zones for judges free. arrangement

free. three stooges free. zone free blogs just plug in video for your media projects and free media and on the r.t. dot com. comes .

welcome back you're watching r.t. live from moscow now human trafficking one of the fastest growing forms of international crime is flourishing in the u.k. many smuggled into britain become victims of sexual domestic and labor exploitation was the number of people trafficked into the u.k. rapidly rising laura smith looks into what's behind this modern day slave trade. it wasn't allowed to do and i was the one doing the plane more cooking looking after the children. the kids to school i was locked inside the house when i was nowhere and open the door side it sounds like something from an eighteenth century work house but it's britain today so it was trafficked to this country aged twelve now nineteen she's still too afraid to talk about her experience but the fact that

she's played here by an actor doesn't make her horrific story any less real i was getting bitten by that. i was slapped and right i kept getting right. things i was like a slave never a time i kept playing i kept trying to clean myself up and i kept getting called and she was shouting asking me to keep playing even in the house as clane i still have to keep playing. eventually sarah's female employer threw her out of the house aged just fourteen with no way of contacting relatives at home she lived on the streets for nine months begging until she eventually found help through pat an international group campaigning against child trafficking it's a story that all too common and it's not just about domestic slavery according to experts many people are trafficked to work on cannabis farms in the u.k. and they're often kept in a perpetual cycle of debt or through fear of repercussions for their families but

another sector that says is rife with trafficking victims particularly from asia is high street nail bars so next time you go for a manicure pedicure ask yourself who serving you and is the seller on their cell figures from the into departmental ministerial group on human trafficking show it's risen by thirty three percent compared to last year and victims come from all over the world africa europe and the far east. more than two thousand two thousand victims there's a retreat. victims say they were just ten percent. or twenty thousand. trafficked into this country huge business. first for organized criminal gangs this is the second most profitable thing to drugs and a lot less chance of getting caught that rise could be because more cases of being reported but chloe seta who works with trafficking victims including sara says it's

partly down to a lack of police awareness only eight cases of trafficking were successfully prosecuted last year trafficking is seen not just in the u.k. but worldwide as a low risk high profit crime those criminals who have previously been smuggling drugs arms. may now be looking to also work with children and people because a child can be recycled a human can be recycled the trucks once there so that they have a one off price so there's a number of ways to control them and once that happens they are literally sort of assigned to the task for a hospital time unless the authorities do something to intervene antony steen founder of the parliamentary group a trafficking is leading the biggest ever conference on the subject held in britain slavery it's a modern day slavery is alive and well and ten times the size of what it was when it was abolished two hundred years ago but prosecution relies heavily on his say

evidence and testimony and huge numbers of victims like sarah never want to talk about their experiences again laura smith r.t. london now take a look at some other stories from around the world pakistan is planning to free all afghan taliban prisoners held in detention that's according to a senior pakistani diplomat the releases are expected to bolster peace efforts with insurgents as a western military withdrawal from afghanistan draws closer the diplomats didn't specify the exact time of the move and whether the prisoners are to be transferred to afghan custody or freedom pakistan the u.s. walk come to decision despite its long lasting operation against him battling insurgents who are now to walk free. while in president hugo chavez has reportedly been moved from the cuban hospital where he was receiving treatment to a secret location that's according to the univision t.v. channel is rumored to have been taken to

a bunker specially built for former cuban leader fidel castro the move was reportedly made to avoid constant leaks about the state of health of the president and to prepare him for his return to venezuela the ailing leader has not been seen since his latest cancer surgery in madison amber and missed his own inauguration ceremony. ukraine's jailed former premier you could be put behind bars for life the opposition leader is now being accused of ordering the murder of a prominent political figure and her business rival sixteen years ago tymoshenko is already serving a seven year sentence for abuse of office she denies the allegations and says she is the victim of a witch hunt by president speak to her young a copy of. the u.s. has vowed to back japan and iran are with china over a string of disputed islands about the pledge came from american secretary of state hillary clinton during a meeting with japan's foreign minister on friday meanwhile three chinese patrol

vessels have answered the waters around the islands in the east china sea claimed by both countries less than twenty four hours after the statement tension in the region has flared in recent months as washington demonstrates a shift in its security focus in the asia pacific region tens of thousands in russia celebrated the feast of a penny taking part in traditional bathing by immersing themselves in icy waters the celebration commemorates the baptism of jesus christ it's also believed to wash away the sins with many saying it keeps them healthy for the rest of the year largely speed all over braved the icy plunge. winter temperatures commonly fall below minus fifteen celsius in the russian capital perfect conditions for a swim say this lot they are part of a group who refer to themselves as a walrus club and they believe in the health benefits of taking a few subzero laps yet i shouldn't lose quite prange colds all my life until i

turned sixty when i took up i swimming and i've never had any kind of a cold since then who knows i was acquitted i used to have terrible back pain but it's gone now i'm healed and there were sure a natural part after i took up my swimming i regain my flexibility i could even do a proper like split and that's how it works i recommended to everyone it's the only existing cure to all illnesses and maybe this isn't a new activity in the tradition of the russian orthodox church will ship his mark the feast of the hit with a late night submergence into the icy waters symbolizing the baptism of jesus to anyone thinking that they would like to give it a go i do have these woods from my own experience the stove and calls. that somebody provided that the first day people go out of the way road mission so the russian legs aren't girl tell you you're there exerting well i could say i'm

feeling very exhilarated right now. the head walrus at this swimming hole is bloody me a good a being can he's the chairman of the russian i swimming and cold water treatment federation and insists that there are genuine medical benefits if you're the main way i swimming works for you is through blood circulation driven by cold and struggling to stay warm your body contracts its blood vessels so there's less blood pumped around the system so where does the excess blood go it goes to the vital organs that is why it's good for the kidneys and liver they are constantly cleansed . blood in me has also trained thrill seekers who want to push the abilities of the human body to the limits. day of holds the record for time spent in icy water yeah i mean could. spend sixty minutes in there and i helped him get out of that condition when he could hardly talk he couldn't even say mama he couldn't walk his arms wouldn't move but thirty five minutes later he was recovered and could talk to

the press. the russian ice swimming federation has one and a half million members across the country and blood to me it does his best to drum up more support with his own personal guarantee for years for the little i jumped into a nice hole for the first time thirty four years ago i saw that people who did it are never sick and so i decided to give it a try now look at me fit as a butcher's dog. well it might not be everybody's idea of a good time but be it for health reasons or for spiritual reasons there's no shortage of people willing to take the plunge. the most go. now to the stories israelis sharing democracy will report on our website at thousands of israelis are donating their right to vote in the upcoming parliamentary balloting they are palestinian neighbors via facebook. and russia's

snowy tsunami the country's wait to see relentless snowfall with streets cars and buildings buried under a drift in siberia thousands are battling a life threatening blizzards find out more at r.t. dot com. the artistic director of the ballet company of russia's bolshoi theatre is being treated in hospital for severe burns following an acid attack sergei filin was assaulted on thursday night outside his home in central moscow and. discovered fillin had spoken to colleagues of other incidents that had happened to him prior to the attack. well the bolshoi theater the pride and joy of the russian culture is celebrating exactly one hundred eighty eight years since it was created but definitely this birthday celebration has been marred by this gruesome attack on a statistic director so gay feeling was returning from work on thursday night when and not notified man called him out by his name sygate turned around to respond and

the man reportedly threw a ball of acid into his face we know that's a good feeling was taken to a hospital and the doctors have been battling to save his eyesight a prosecutor's office has launched an investigation a criminal case to determine who stands behind this attack at the bolshoi press office so sad that city gate was intimidated for several months his car tires were slashed human seed threatening phone calls and his facebook page was hacked as as we saw in the hollywood movie the black swan definitely the big stage is certainly a rather conflict zone and there is some infighting happening behind the scenes the bolshoi theatre has never been an exception to that there have been stories of some serious infighting to get roles to get a prima ballerina positions we had heard many revelations from former artists of the bolshoi on that still we talked to the colleagues and employees of sygate feeling they were all shell shocked at what happened. and that it's an incredibly

difficult day for us the dons companies an enormous shock it's really hot speak as with always went told to shoulder it's a brutal crime and i hope says responsible will be found and punished. to circle with a bit of a good look the police should look into people who would potentially benefit from creating that sort of scandal and compromised the reputation of the theater just today surrogate was telling me how a couple of days ago he got into his car with his children and realized two things car tires were pierced he told me i feel as if i'm living on the frontline despite all the infighting and despite the fact. sygate was the one who was assigning all the roles in the bolshoi theatre still the bolshoi never made criminal headlines and this attack is something completely outrageous for other bullishly theatre of a definitely everyone is waiting for the results of the best occasion for some of these preliminary data from the security authorities to see whether this could have

been inside job and whether somebody inside the bush with you to could have been responsible for this terrible attack. and just a few minutes find out about the trials of a russian man left to care for his children after the death of his wife even to dad is right after the break here on r.t. . yet another tragic shooting right on the streets of the capital is again cause to open the gun debate across the nation now all the talking heads are saying that you got to take away the guns to be safe well the problem is that the shooting happened right on the streets of the capital of a country where the guns have already been taken away paris france three kurdish women one of whom was a kurdish separatist party co-founder were shot dead at the scene of the crime was

right outside of a cursed institute which leads the police to think that it was an assassination you see when it comes to terrorism drug cartels the mafia you can make all the gun laws that you want but the bad guys will still have plenty of guns because they live outside the law al qaeda and mexican drug cartels don't go to the stores and patiently wait for their background checks to be done before they buy their gods taking away all the guns through legal means won't matter there will still be murder and there will still be armed thugs and terrorists but that's just my opinion.

there's a family start with morning exercises no matter what the type of yeah or whether. you do you. know if you want to sleep. in the morning to walk and run winter a start of. the snow. they haven't been ages i can't remember the last time they were sick. little. kids makes them different from their peers is the fact that they live with only one parent their father. single mothers are no longer an unusual phenomenon a father devoting himself to his children is a rare occurrence for many. however in russia there are thousands.