. >> welcome to the news hour. more financial bane for palestinians. israel keeps its tax bonds after the palestinian leadership bids for membership of the international criminal court. indonesia says that airasia

should not have been in the air when it crashed. and anas al-liby dies just days before his trial. now israel has besided to with old $127 million of tax revenue from the palestinian authority. palestinians rely on this money to run their government and pay their civil workers' salaries. palestinian leadership wants the icc to hold israel to account for the war crimes during the war last year. >> the taxes withheld from us

constitute 70% of our money. they will not be able to pay the schools, the hospitals the whole nation. it shows that this when it comes to israel and exercising political punishment, they're putting 4 million palestinians starving them, because they want to act with impunity. they want to act with impunity. they want to kill, destroy gaza, destroy our way of life. this shows the legitimacy of what we are doing and we know that the international community will stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

that's what the administration must understand. if we fight back we must fight unjust and unfairness in this region. >> a professor of international law, and former legal adviser to israel's former ministry. he joins us now from jerusalem. thank you for speaking to us. we're just hearing about the financial backlash will have a painful effect on the palestinians. what measures do you expect israel to take in response to the icc bid? >> israel was reluctant to take this measure. we need some leverage to prevent the derailing of a chance of reaching a peaceful settlement. settlements can be reached by negotiating, not by mutual complaints to the international criminal court. of course, the palestinians make complaints, the israelis will make complaints about the

palestinians. this is not going to advance us or help create a palestinian state. >> to be fair haven't the chances to reach a peaceful settlement already been derailed. >> no, they have not been arailed. we have not achieved it yet. we have reached peace with egypt, jordan, plo it can be done with the pa, however it has to be done with us. we have to sit down with the palestinians. the palestinians have to sit down with us. this is about sitting and solving the political problems. they go to the court and complain about us. we'll complain about us. it will not help reach an agreement. >> what does israel have to fear from the icc? >> obviously each side can make complaints about the other. israel has not committed war crimes however we have no desire to have investigations by

the international criminal court. if there are we'll make complaints of terrorism against the palestinians. it may give satisfaction and revenge, but negotiations have to be reached. we're neighbors. this is the point that i would love to make. >> the palestinians, they don't see it that way. they don't see it as a desire for revenge. they're trying to seek justice. they argue at the moment when you have palestinians attacking israelis there is at least a chance that they will be pursued by israeli security forces and imprisoned, but when it's the reverse, the israelis acting with a level of impunity there is lack of accountability there and they're trying to change that. >> both sides want justice. we want justice against those who have committed acts of terrorism against us in cafes

and buses. but is this going to bring--the tragedy of the palestinians is they some how hope that somebody else will produce a palestinian state for them. they've got to sit with us. >> but is it partly a move out of desperation because there was an unity government formed, which israel rejected. there was no diplomacy or dialogue to speak of. this is almost a last-ditch attempt to get accountability for the people, if you like. they really have nothing to lose by doing this, do they? >> they do have something to lose. this is one of the things that israel suspended the tax. by the way it could be renewed again. it is reversal. to pursue this issue with the icc there may be further actions. we'll be issuing complaints. we have the dos siers prepared

against the palestinians leaders. this is leading us up a false path. >> in terms of the response from the israeli government withholding tax revenues they collect on behalf of the palestinian authority ordinary people are going to be affected by this, they won't have access to funds. they won't receive their salary it's, pay their bills be able to buy food for their families. >> i agree and therefore the solution is that they shouldn't be going to the icc. they should be sitting with us, negotiating. the funds would be immediately released as they have been in the past, and we can sit together. but there is a price to pay and they must be aware of this. they can't pursue israel and complain and then hope that nothing will happen. there will be a price to be paid, and they have to take that in account. >> palestinians, i suppose in many ways feel that they've

already paid a very heavy price notwithstanding the last war in gaza. there have been several wars in gaza over the past few years. but you have the issue of continued israeli settlement building. it has changed the facts on the ground beyond recognition. some people say it has made a two-state solution virtually impossible. >> the settlement issue is tied to what will be the borders between us and a failure palestinian state. i'm one of those israeli who is hope to see a prosperous prosperous palestinian state next to us. once there are borders and clearly no israeli would be able to live in the palestinian state without permission, and vice versa, but we must sit down and decide what will the border arrangements be, and it won't be produced by u.n. resolutions and complaining. complaining may give a sense of satisfaction. it's a shame. we don't need satisfaction. we need to reach agreement.

this so far has evaded us. >> thank you. >> moving to our other top stories, indonesia authorities are threatening to ground airasia planes. it says the airline was not permitted to fly that route on that day. so march rescuers have found four parts of the wreckage in the java sea. 30 bodies have been recovered so far. 162 people were on the flight which took off from indonesia and was about a third of its destination in singapore. we have more from jakarta. >> usual developments in the seas south of borneo in the airasia plane that fatally crashed last sunday. four big chunks of the plane has been detected on the bottom of the ocean not far from the place where earlier bodies were

found. the biggest part is around 18 meters long, so it seems to be a significant part of the plane, and the challenge now is to find the plaque box on the bottom of the ocean and tomorrow divers and also sophisticated equipment will go down to the bottom of the ocean to try to find the blacks box so we will know what will be the reason of the fatal crash last week. but before we know the real reason of the crash the minister of transportation has already made very bold statements about the airasia flight, which apparently was flying without a proper license. airasia has a license to fly to singapore only four times a week during weekdays but not on sundays. it's now confirmed that actually they have been flying every supplied and the minister made really bold statements in an interview earlier with al jazeera. >> if any airlines does the same thing, we will cancel their

license. if everybody doing it, we will cancel everything. >> meaning all the flights in indonesia? >> if they breach the rules we will cancel. >> many questions have to be answered. this comes at a time when the whole airline industry in indonesia is under scrutiny with bold measures. he said in a they need to change the whole culture. >> 20 coptic christians were kidnapped according to their

priest. the christians had been working in libya to support their families in egypt. it sirte has become a haven for armed groups since the fall of muammar qaddafi. ansa al-liby died while in custody in u.s. he was due to stand trial for attacks that killed 120 people. we're joined live now by rob how significant of a figure was an as al-liby with al-qaeda? >> he was not in the top ranks but he was indicted for his role in the east african embassy bombings. he allegedly did some surveillance, he did some photographic scouting and so forth to find the right

approaches to the bombers to attack the embassies and so forth and so on. in the aftermath of those bombings in 1998, the the u.s. libyan worked together to get the people involved, and there were 21 people indicted for the bombings including osama bin laden and anas al-liby. of those ten are now dead and six are serving life terms in u.s. prisons. >> what do we know about legal proceedings driven by the bomb administration when it comes to trying suspected terror suspects suspects. >> well, the aftermath of the bombings of the eastern african

embassy bombings shows that it is possible to treat terrorism suspects as criminals and try them in the criminal courts. rather than as the the former president bush did was to create new system of legal procedures under tribunals, which are held offshore in the u.s. military base in guantanamo, cuba. the bomb administration has been keen from the very beginning to clear out guantanamo. they have not been able to do that, but they've been trying the suspects as they get them in criminal courts rather than putting them before tribunals. some of the tribunals already under way were started under the former president bush, and those

are continuing. by the way there are still two suspects in the eastern african embassy bombings who are now in u.s. custody and still awaiting trial. this is a long long process that has really been a relentless pursuit of these suspects. >> the case continues. rob reynolds in washington, d.c. thank you. lots more still to come on the al jazeera news hour, including: >> we're dealing with an incredibly dangerous fire. >> lives at risk in south australia and two other states. the bush fires are out of control. we speak with syrian refugees who escaped war but fell victim to turkey's landmine. and in sport we look ahead to one of the world's most exciting jet dangerous motorsports.

>> er. >> gunmen in nigeria suspected to be part of boko haram have kidnapped 40 boys in borne know state. residents say that the gunmen gathered men outside of the home of their village chief and preached to them, they then singled out boys and took them away. boko haram had kidnapped over 200 girls in april and are suspected to kidnapping another 192 women and children. it aims to impose sharia law across nigeria. the u.n. said that the ebola outbreak could be over by the end of this year. so far 8,000 have died. the u.n. missed its target to stop the the virus but it remains optimistic. >> it's going to go on not just weeks but some months more. i believe we'll do it in 2015.

i believe we'll end ebola in 2015, and we're going to do it by working very closely not just with the governments of the countries, but the communities. >> in the u.k. doctors treating the scottish nurse with ebola say her condition has deteriorated in the recent days and she is now in critical condition. she was diagnosed with the virus after returning from sierra leone after work with ebola sufferers. she is the first person to be diagnosed with the virus on british soil. italian investors have surveyed the ship that drifted off the italian coast with 450 migrants on board.

it seems to be the new trend of the cold-blooded traffickers. >> the team began their search of the ship. it's passengers are now safely ashore. they found gang ways still littered with possessions. suit cases stuffed with all that they could bring on the voyage left abandoned. they were too great of a surrey to escape from the vessel that promised them freedom that had become their prison. this was a ship for transporting animals. the blankets lafayette with the debris left behind. it was finally brought into port. waiting to bring them to shore an italian medical team, one of their number giving voice to the mixture of frustration and compassion and frustration towards this trade of human

trafficking. >> we needs to create humanitarian corridors to allow these people to arrive in europe that is free from the greedy human traffickers that speculate on desperate people. >> reporter: the italian coast guard was forced to board the ship by helicopter in rough seas after it became clear that the traffickers and their crew simply abandoned the ship to the mercy of the sea. it was just the second after another vessel with nearly a thousand on board was rescued close to the italian coast. the commander of the coast guard here told al jazeera he believed the crew had deliberately disabled the ship before deserting it, and the knowledge that the italian navy would perform a rescue. >> do they have no respect to human life? >> do you think they might do more like this? >> we expect that there can be

other there could be new cases. we worry that there will be new cases. >> the fear that voyages like that present a new strategy for people smugglers is one that is increasingly concerning the authorities. this boat load of migrants is safe for new but others may not be so lucky. >> three armed opposition factions in southern syria have announced a merger to form what they call the first army. the opposition has been weakened by in-fighting. >> three rebel groups join forces they hope they'll have more success in regaining control of provinces opposition

groups emerged in the past with limited success. in 2013 several groups united with a force called the islamic front. the islamic front joined forces with other rebel groups but fighters say that the integration was limited and it remains a city besieged by opposition forces. in damascus, rebel groups say they're on the offensive. syrian state tea said that they bashar al-assad visited this area recently. but they say that's untrue because they control the area. >> we dismiss the false report perpetrated by the lying media machine that bashar al-assad has been to this area. an as you can see that is the parliament square and the hospital.

>> near the lebanese border al nusra front has attacked hezbollah positions around the town. assad forces have the backing of the military wing of hezbollah a lebanese shia organization. there are many groups and many allegiances. but what is clear that whoever side syrians are on, the fighting and the chaos show no sign of ending. al jazeera. >> the father of a jordanian pilot captured by the islamic state in iraq and the levant have again appealed to them to release their son. he was captured after his fighter jet crashed in northern syria. he is the first to be held captive by the group since the u.s.-led coalition began their airstrikes in september. most syrians fleeing from isil and other dangers of the civil war crossing the border does not always mean safety. many escaped to turkey have been

killed or maimed by landmines. humanitarian activists blame the government who promised to remove those mines. >> reporter: at 13 years old he should be out playing with the other children. but he can't. running for their lives from isil advancing through syria his family headed to the border fence with turkey. straight into the minefield. turkish minefield. >> someone told us to cross under the border, he says. as we did a mine explodeed under my brother and me. my brother was killed. i lost my legs. there are more than 600,000 mines along turkey's 900-kilometer border with syria. they were planted decades ago to prevent illegal border crossings, according to the

government. >> behind me where you can see the cars in the distance is the buffer zone between syria and turkey. that is a minefield and there are perhaps as many as 2,000 people there but they're unwilling to come in to turkey because they're not allowed to bring their cars or their cattle with them. >> turkey joined the landmine banned treaty in 2003. but it was slow to start clearing and fencing off mine areas. then the war in syria started. >> i find what happened to this boy heartbreaking but because of the fighting it was not possible to clear the mind field. i would like to add on september 19th i was at the border all day. if i only opened one corridor from kobane, we would have had hundreds of casualties. but as a responsible governor i opened two corridors. >> reporter: the governor is talking about the chaotic

initial days of isil's advancement on kobane. since then three people have been killed by the mines and another dozen injured according to human rights watch. >> my son has no future. what future can you expect for a 13-year-old-boy who has lost his legs. we all have no future. we lost all of our property. >> after seeing this video the governor has promised to make sure he gets further treatment and is fitted with prosthetic legs. we will keep an eye on his progress. bernard smith al jazeera, turkey. >> police in india have arrested five men over the alleged kidnapping and gang rape of a japanese tourist. two of the then who have been taken into judicial custody police say the 23-year-old victim was held hostage and

repeatedly raped. the authorities believe that it was part of an organized gang who have been targeted japanese tourist. a pakistani girl and india woman were killed in kashmir. india said that seven civilians have been killed in the region. each side is charging the other for starting the fighting, which began on new year's eve. we have much more coming this hour. including 83% of italian police call in sick on new year's eve. >> reporter: at the tsi research center in germany are scientists are using beams of highly charged particles to treat cancer. >> and in sport andy murray wins the. he did it the easy way.

>> from stage to screen oscar nominated actor ethan hawk >> the theatre has always bee my first love... >> separating art & politics >> if you have an agenda with people... you sometimes don't see the truth >> and the lifelong influence of his mother >> she was worried i was gonna be a spoiled brat and not see how complicated the world was >> every monday, join us for exclusive... revealing... and surprising talks with the most interesting people of our time... talk to al jazeera only on al jazeera america >> welcome back to the news hour. let's take you to our opposite

stories. israel is holding $127 million of tax revenue from the palestinian authority in its response for its bid to join the international criminal court. palestinians rely on this money to pay for its government and salaries. officials say that airasia did not have permission to fly its route on sunday. anas al-liby has died in while in custody in u.s. just days before his trial. >> in yemen let's take a close look at the situation. while there are no official statistics yemen's population is believed to be 65% soony and 35%

shia. the shia houthi rebel groups say that it's fighting for the rights of yemen's religious minority. since september of last year thousands of houthi members converged on the it's capitol. >> houthi celebrations began people woke up to tight security measures. it's clear who is in charge here. more than 2,000 she fighters have been deployed. some with heavy weapons. they have set up check points to prevent suicide attacks. >> people are cooperative and there is coordination between all security forces and us. >> death to america. death to israel is the message

and these fighters want it heard. >> people were forced to take other routes during the celebrations. the houthies are taking it very seriously. >> the houthies seized this military camp, organizers say that thousands of supporters and fighters have showed up. this is a religious celebration mixed with politics. and then in the northern province the group's leader said that the houthi revolution will continue. >> we will carry on revolutionary actions to end the political tyranny of the traditional political forces. >> anti-houthi sentiment is rising. hundreds of protesters took to

the streets of the province south of the capital. they are calling on the houthi militias to withdraw, and sanaa there are group activists. >> houthi rebels want to flex their muscles by imposing their will and their banners. >> reporter: the houthies have taken control of nine provinces since july largely because of political fighting shifting alliances and the turmoil that followed the 2011 protest. alliances could change, and mouths could end up with more enemies than friends. 83% of the city's police force did not show up for work.

they called in sick. the city police said that the no-show is not because of new year festivities but because of a labor dispute. tell us a little bit more about why so many of rome's police officers chose not to show up on new year's eve. >> sure, first let me give you the big picture. imagine new year's eve in rome, 600,000 revelers on the streets. some setting off illegal fireworks this was the situation. fortunately, nothing extremely dangerous happened but it could have. the whole point as you said, this is not a strike. so what are the reasons? mainly the reasons are that they've been claiming they're

under staffed for years. but the whole point seems to be the mayor of rome, his intention to review the paying system for public workers trying to introduce what he designed as a more merit-based system, basically giving pay raises to those who were productive, and less productive would get cuts. this is mainly the reason for the protest. public workers have been called the untouchables by italians. this is not just a local issue but rather a national one because also prime minister attempting to notify the labor laws also for the public sector and it's proving to be a very difficult situation. obviously right after this event he tweeted right away, and i quote, i read that 83% of police do not work because of illness on december 31st. this is why we will change the

rules of the public sector in. >> and this is very much a symptom, it's not officially a strike, but they're voicing their discontent by not showing up for work. how much--how do other people feel in perhaps other industries, other civil servant workers has this been a year of ongoing protest and a public backlash to reforms in italy? >> we had protests and strikes called out. we surely will see more of this in the spring, especially since these venezuela are definitely butting a great deal of pressure on the government not only to review the labor laws but also

to enforce those laws to check on people calling in sick, not justifying their absence or justifying it with medical certificates. it's not just about changing the laws but about enforcing the laws that are all right there. >> thank you. we'll stay with pay in 2015. let's go to the host of new laws coming in to effect, including changes to salaries. let's take a comparative look of what australia offer. australia mandates $17 per hour, that's the highest in the world. france offers among the highest earnings at $12 an hour.

germany's minimum wage is $10.50. and the u.s. federal wage of $7.25. but the minimum wage in uganda has been frozen since 1948 at just $2 a month not an hour. workers in one city will see their pay rise significantly this month. andy gallagher reports from santa fe new mexico. >> forked hard working staff here there is an advantage. a decade ago santa fe became one of the first cities in the west to put in place it's own image wage. it means that salaries are linked to food and accommodation, what officials like to call a living wage. julia castro said it's a policy she's happy to follow. >> paying a living wage to my

employees does not effect my life at all. i'm very proud to live in santa fe the way it's run and the way it treats people. >> in santa fe, a city that depends heavily on tourism. many thought it was a risky move. but the city's mayor said it's now part of a proud legacy but also not a solution to all problems. >> it's not the silver bullet. this is not going to help us regrow our middle class. we have to do so much more for the working people not only of our community but the people across this country. >> but some in the business community are wary of local authorities setting their own minimum wage. a businessman who recently sold a restaurant in part because of santa fe's wage laws. >> we have to stop the government taking over business, telling us what to do, what to pay in order to sustain the free society that we have. >> santa fe refers to itself as

the city different. it's wage policy is now being copied across the u.s. the lessons learned are not radical but nonetheless mourn. the economy did not offer over all. santa fe's problems were not solved either. many can now afford more for their families, which is the steps of a living wage. >> lawyers for jailed al jazeera journalists have filed request that they be deported from egypt. they have been in prison for more than a year. they were wrongly convicted of broadcasting false news and helping the outlawed muslim brotherhood, which al jazeera denies. on thursday an appeals court in cairo ordered a retrial that could begin within a month. al jazeera continues the demand for their immediate release.

thousands of australians have had to leave their homes as wildfires burn across the country. several houses have been destroyed. many others are threatened. firefighters are struggling because of strong winds and dry conditions. >> reporter: it's summer in australia, and that means bush fire season. a heatwave has hit the eastern states sending temperatures soaring to over 40 degrees celsius. it's a lethal combination searing heat, strong winds and dry grass. the worst fires are in the state of south australia and the hills near the city of adelaide. >> the son of the roar over the hills is almost like a jet engine of an airport. it's just getting louder and louder. >> thousands of people have fled from their homes. there are fears that dozens of homes have been lost in the fires. five have burned to the ground so far. >> we are losing properties. we don't know how many

properties they have lost. >> the police have declared the fire's a major emergency. this forces people to leave their homes. >> we're dealing with an incredibly dangerous fire. your life is at risk. officials are calling on other states to help, but they have their own problems. in the neighboring state of victoria bush fires have hit the peninsula and farming areas in the west. >> we came back to get a couple of things. they said, look, i think yours and your neighbors they're going to be part of them for some bringing back memories of the greatest bush fire disaster where 75 people were killed, it became known as ash wednesday.

everyone is opening these fires won't end up rivaling that one but australia has a long summer ahead of it, and fires have become a dangerous part of it. >> still ahead for you on the al jazeera news hour. whatwhat a journey. the russian railway line that nearly went extinct proves that life really does begin at 40. and where liverpool's captain may be heading next.

>> welcome back. a new improved cancer treatment is being researched in germany that is showing positive signs. the technique of using precise beams of high energy particles to destroy cancer cells has been around for many years. but it's-limited to tumors that can be kept perfectly still. scientists are finding ways to treat moving tumors in the heart and lungs. >> reporter: this is the tumor the patient. >> he has spent his life developing a technique known as iron beam cancer therapy. usingthe technique proved so effective that 90% of patients with deep-seated brain tumors fully recovered. >> the reaction with the tissue

and material around in general although you can go somewhere in and do something at the end it's like a knife, which is at the end very sharp. >> particle beams work exceptionally well when treating tumors in parts of the body like the brain which can be held absolutely still. but many tumors appear in the areas of the lung and liver, and they're continuously moving inside the patient. that's why scientists have developed a technique that tracks the movement of the tumor the therapy. >> a particle beam tracks the movement of the cancer and continues to deliver a precise and targeted dose of radiation where it's needed. >> going in to the real patient everything is more difficult. like in the setup here, for example, you can see from the outside, you could just follow

the robot movement and you can see what has happened. of course, for the patients the tumor is on the inside, so you can't really see what is going on. >> using motion-tracking technology the researchers are matching the movement of internal organs like the lungs while continuously checking that the beam is on target the researchers say the technique once perfected will lost less than the third of price of chemotherapy with little or no side-effects and will be much more effective. >> if this technology would be more common in the rich countries. it will be cheaper and it can spread through the much less rich countries. >> it could be used in treating other conditions and in some conditions replace traditional surgery. it shows how advances in physics

and technology can improve the fight against cancer. >> we're here now with all your sports. >> drivers and riders of the 36th in one of the toughest challenges in motor sport. 567 competitors will set off from the starting point in buenos aires. they'll fight it out over 13 weeks and covering all types of terrain. it includes a steep 200 kilometer down hill sprint into chile. from there the drivers take on the bolivian stage of the race. they'll see sand do you knows salt flats and tough mountainous

trails. well let's get more from andrew simmons who is live for us from buenos aires. the race does not begin until sunday. tell us what is happening there. >> the official start although, it is not entirely the run simply the clock does not start ticking until sunday. the drivers, all of them, the bikes, the trucks, the cars, they all go over a start. it is purely ceremonial, as you can see there. everyone being applauded in an amazing atmosphere here.

but the real business starts on sunday as you said more than 9,000 kilometers of grueling driving ahead, 14 stages. three countries. it really is the most extraordinary and dangerous motor sport event in the calendar. >> what is new in this year's race? >> well, it is an amazing large entry list, and i think certainly the cars proved most interesting. it's been very successful in the past and it will take on the winners last year as well. the mini is very dominant in this event recently with romo winning the last rally and now

we have persia on the scene who has won 11 dakar's in his career. and as far as the bikes go, it's a forgone conclusion, many believe, that the kgm will win again. who knows. they've had 13 successes consecutively. we'll see what happens there. >> okay, enjoy the race. andrew simmons reporting live. thank you so much. >> defending champions at atletico madrid are now within one point of spanish league leaders.

atletico is now third on the table with barcelona. stephen gerard will be joining a team in the united states when he leaves the end of the season. he has yet decide to decide on a club. he announced that he would be leaving anfield. liverpool manager brandon rogers feels finding a replacement is going to be nearly impossible. >> walking in here i see his influence with the players. the football club. and of course, you always have in the back of your mind there is a time when you will move on, and you're bringing in the next one. that's something that has to, you know, has to be looked at from the football perspective.

it's nearly impossible to find a replacement. >> andy murray has won his first title of the season. the world number one is set to face andy murray. earlier on saturday he said he was suffering from a fever and could in the play. the title goes to murray for his first win of 2015. >> yes, i was obviously unfortunate. i heard earlier that nowak was not feeling well. it happens. it's one of the tough things about an individual sport that you can't just substitute players as obviously in team events. it's an unfortunate way to end the week. >> rafael nadal bounced back from his flashing thrashing by murray. the world number three had a shaky start but eventually

overpowed his swiss opponent, 76-63 the score. history made between sri lanka and new zealand by becoming the fastest player to match 12,000 runs in test cricket. they will need to score a few more to get out of trouble after bowling the kiwis out they slept to slipped to 77-5. we have much more sports on our website. go to www.aljazeera.com/sport. that's it from me for now. back to you. >> thank you. now russia's second greatest railway line is celebrating 40 years. built in the 1970's by young communists and under utilized after the fall of the soviet union.

the main line is now getting a new lease on life transporting mineral resources through siberia. >> reporter: 4,000 kilometers of hardened steel through 4,000 kilometers of deepest winter. the main line slices from the pacific coast to the heart of siberia, passing several mountain ranges and crossing 11 alpine rivers on its route. this is the late soviet era hero projects that's currently enjoying a second life. er. >> changes are very visible and they are good changes. there is more work. >> freight is what it was built for. but this level of activity is a fairly recent boom. in the early 1990est it was judged uncheckcal, mines that

had never been properly exploited, and it looked like in the chaos of post self yet russia that it would die a sorry death. after a six-hour shift coal miners surface into the half light of the minus 40-degree dusk. deep underground the next shift is already working. these days extraction companies are exploiting siberia's mineral deposits as fast as they can. >> we have huge reserves of coal that we need to get to consumers. without it, we can't given anything. can't move anything. >> a co-al-liby colossal

project, union young communists answered the call to grab a pickaxe and head east. >> they say here there are 12 months of winter, and the rest is summer. there were many difficulties. there were motor vehicles, cold, and frost. they say that birds would freeze in midair. and for us veterans it is nice to see that it's not a road to nowhere, but a road for the development of the country. >> it has been promised billions of dollars of government investment for modernization and increasing capacity. whether that fully materializes as russia's economy worsens and whether it could thrive in an era of declining commodity prices the future will reveal. but for how the train keeps rolling. al jazeera, in russia's far east. >> that's it from me. stay with us in al jazeera. another full bulletin of news coming up from london.

>> palestine's bid to join the international criminal court. >> hello, this is al jazeera live from london. also coming up. more bodies and wreckage from airasia's crashed plane indonesia threatens to revoke the company's operating license for violating it's flying violations. and