in russia's far east. and now let's take a look at some other world news in brief turks are voting in a referendum on controversial amendments to the country's constitution the government says that the changes will strengthen democracy and bring the nation more in line with norms turkey is currently working to gain membership of the european union critics claim that the changes will give the government too much control over the judicial system. dozens of people have clashed with police during a march on the anniversary of the country's one thousand nine hundred seventy three coup thousands turned out to members of the military turned over led by general pinochet at least twenty demonstrators were arrested more than three thousand people were killed during pinochet's dictatorship. an american woman run last year could be freed on five hundred thousand dollars bail a senior iranian prosecutor said shorty is likely to be released because of health problems and two

of her friends was arrested and accused of espionage after crossing into the islamic republic from. might be back with the headlines in just a few moments. wealthy british. it's time to.

go. these are the images. today. from the heart of. the. republic of north.

over plans for a mosque near ground zero facing. global policy forum. playing the video of a u.s. soldier. as a result. as a. special report on the. troops.

this is no ordinary tram it's a rare sight on the streets of st petersburg historians the economy of a remembers what it was like writing these trams nearly seventy years ago in nine hundred forty one german troops encircled the city then cold leningrad to isolate it from the rest of the country the siege lasted for nine hundred days.

leningrad was the country's second most important city off to moscow at the time. nazi leader outof it to his troops to capture the soviet union's european territories by november nine hundred forty one leningrad was a priority objective in that plan a. million strong german army hundreds of tanks and thousands of back office were massed against the city. at the same time finish troops advanced from the notice the nazi advance was halted in september nineteenth. then enemy troops are already inserted. a massive bombing campaign was unleashed on leningrad in the ultimate nine hundred forty one. the giants warehouses one of the first time. the gates of the german

asteroids. they housed most of the city's food supplies. all of the warehouses were destroyed. and all their modern facilities here. have smoke because she looked out of the window of her flat. and. at first trees caught fire. and then the flames spread to the wooden buildings. acts that file wiped out government supplied sugar reserves. for those us the most distressing thing with the city's population idea still a tell going to come here along with many other beatles together earth and make tea out of it to change leningrad residence all the destroyed warehouses as a terrible omen soon after the air raids food in leningrad was worth more than its

weight in gold. was introduced in the city the front line lay just a few hundred meters from makeshift checkpoints people believed they would be able to hold out hoping that help would soon be on its way everyone was trying to survive as best they could. and the sound of a metronome was broadcast through loudspeakers in the streets and it became a symbol of the leningrad siege a fast rhythm and. if it slowed it signaled a retreat. by the first one to leningrad had no heating power to abandon trams stood motionless in the streets the water supply system froze on the pipes inside apartment. people had to get water from a hole in the nirvanas ice and this is what the air in the water was a big problem let alone to the sixth floor where i lived the staircase was the

slippery because of spilt water. they couldn't make it and had to go back. and anything they could to try and. books and furniture went into the firewood was very expensive. there were food shortages to residents were issued with rations affixed. the russians were just a fifth. of the. citizen was entitled to two lumps of bread a day weighing just one hundred twenty five grams each the bread was made from chemicals. in order to survive. and cookies made from wood glue fried with pine tar oil based paint. and. dressed up his jacket with his medals and goes to a nearby school. to talk to schoolchildren who are

the same age he was during the siege. everyone their piece of bread the siege survivors bring a few loaves of bread for the children to see exactly what a daily ration look like. bread weighing one hundred twenty five like schoolchildren everywhere. and have a million questions to ask. difficult how did to send letters to the front where were the young children considering all the preschool. that did zick their homes warm the. houses people used. to all the. residents burned furniture. and newspaper what. they made the rounds of

basements. to pick up whatever he could find what. three. people. give them when they didn't. they kept the faith. and he really does change is good i wonder how people could survive on such a tiny piece of. the parents gave it to their kids they could have children. this is a fascist took the life of my father desperate to vengeance death and the destruction of leningrad and m.p. i swear i will fight the nazis and help our troops at the front to be fed and i will defend our city. at the time he says if people wanted to survive in the besieged city they had to

force themselves to stay. here. instead of lying in bed. because the time lying in bed by drinking a lot of water. they were too weak to. survive cost them their lives. by november one thousand nine hundred people were dying in increasing numbers. anyway. many people. around. you couldn't. because if you tried to do so. somehow you yours

out will whittle down the toilet. but life in the city never came to a standstill the composer dmitri shostakovich was putting the finishing touches to his seventh symphony due to be performed at the heavily damaged concert hall of the leningrad for the moment society. historians or economy ever was in the audience. she recalls that many people defied the bombings and went to the concert hall to listen to the classical music. people were everywhere. but they were in a quiet the cool in the south and they were on the balcony as you know just a day some people were even the stand in behind this chants those they added that's how my band leader who wanted to he is now using that is the symbolized so

we will one of the first of victories is some one by leningrad to address it and they all get out of. the symphony was heard not only in the concert a radio broadcast carried it to the front line of the leningrad. and. germans in the trenches heard it too. late and german soldiers wrote in their diary and they've been amazed by the steadfastness of the people of leningrad. please please. please. please and. my view is that just as many of the musicians locust were some months from the front it's for that they sell that's what it. litho washed them but marcus trunk is full nature there's just a coach saying with any officer only if you rehearsals is what they say that it

gives the music was in harmony allows on them would need to send. for them with a cut. this route was known as the lead of lines and became the only the six p.p. . come up since because presumably makes not a good choice of supplies to the city in november one thousand four hundred. this and subsequent complaints called send them to communicate. and. they're out of a directed traffic on this vital road. yes because that was the starting point of the road. again on november twenty second two that's nine hundred forty one. a monument. where the lifeline that saved so many lives began they often comes here to pay tribute to those who died during the tragedy is. the broken

ring road of life kept that ring from ever becoming a used car from. the tragic. order to ensure a safe passage for the tribe. she says that each time she visits this place she recalls the horror of the first winter spent time to siege. the ice people looking off to the road while enemy troops attempted to cut. the road of life with several times occasionally the ice cracked sending trucks and that precious cargo to the bottom of the light. this ingle it will mushroom the driver couldn't see the cracks because it was covered with snow the truck and its driver went down beneath. the tracks headlights were shining beneath the water for

a long time after. such parties have been scouring the lake bed in the past year they found schools of trucks. lifted from the lake go to the appropriately named road of life museum. for these tires were produced in germany in january of one thousand nine hundred thirty four . or sixty three or sixty four years under the water. the museum's director alexander. expeditions. he says lifting many of the objects found takes time. one of the trucks sank with a load of skis for aircraft to land in snow. skis are scattered within a radius of one and a half metres. from the water and they'll be one of the museum's most

valuable exhibits. the road of life remained operational for eighteen months during that time over a million people were evacuated from leningrad some four hundred thousand tons of food and other supplies will brought in. this. good at twenty thousand people work hard. to move food supply. trucks through this and to evacuate children the first since the middle besieged city country's interior. despite the selfless efforts of those who helped deliver them the food supplies that reach the blockaded city were not enough to meet the needs of all of its residents. the nazis persisted with the bombardment of. together these leaflets saying.

you better get. lost. every month we give you the future we help you understand. and to bring the best in science and technology from across russia and around the world. join us. on our g. hungry for the full story we've got it first hand the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news makers. in one hundred forty three million people called leningrad home. by the start of nine hundred forty three one in five residents have died of starvation exposure. and. the people of leningrad suffered most during the first winter of the blockade

but even then. continue to. institute. since it was impossible to evacuate the institute's vast collection of. scientists to protect the unique collection from. the collection was stored in boxes like these. there is a hole right here. on the other side of the same one. one of the institute's. scientists

on the verge of. the collection. there was a lot of around we. barley. lots of. starving people. that's why. they never thought they might be from the seeds.

of the very. r.t. was given to paintings and objects from the collection of antiques to wagons with paintings and sculptures was sent to the urals but another wagon was left behind as the city became encircled the museum's valuables was stored in its basements. just empty frames hung on the walls of the empty hermitage holes. despite the hardships of the blockade hermitage workers organized lectures and signs conferences to inspire the people remaining in the city. and. the. museum director. says that quite often participants were brought in on stretches unable to walk themselves because they were too weak from severe hunger is. the disco it's translators and scientists were brought in

from the front for that was a formidable task conditions were difficult here two people here were sick but if need be you could carry them in your arm imagine people coming from the front line though where the city's fate was being decided that's a whole different story. of a historian and a blockade survivor as vivid memories of those events. in the spring of one nine hundred forty two leningrad so far it is announce the start of a seed sowing season they said leningrad residents would have to supply themselves with food so that and they allotted plots of land to be used as vegetable gardens as well as providing grain people in the city center were given plots in the main square just outside saying tied six cathedral. ceiling yes but it's a return for the ask of the service units and they were brought in. but i was there

. because nothing could you grow that the full out that was it would be over the. these greens. where we grew can bitch. about it south is a good reminder. of how it used to be. the crop lived up to people's expectations people down to reap the harvest in nine hundred forty two somewhat easing the food problem even in such harsh conditions people never lost hope and helped one another to survive during the siege. on the verge of death from starvation when a friend. saved. a little my dear how are you still done see you i could hardly get here to go didn't i get here on food. sixty. min a for help to survive.

using crutches. goodness nina still touring with this little. girl it's my truck you know this is can't you walk without using or you might true but i'm driving on. the rope each time they sit at this table they talk about how many folk were saved but the women recall every single event of the day when nino came to visit only to find that her friend was dying here. it was too weak to go to the shop to collect. their goods you very good advice is given they put on my coat and filled the boots gotten too good to covered myself with a couple of blankets and was ready to die when suddenly i heard somebody watching down the corridor it was lena i know you covered you sold the small and landed here and when they go away to the cures that is where we are born holding on to the chances. well eve only a few weeks later found

a job. i. most of leningrad industrial plants turned out weapons even during the siege. this yes they yell and the buzz is this is where i stood guard with the rifle we patronize the saw no one could pass when they were as they did. when she started the young man a full blood on the legs as she stands at one of the factory shops where she used to but she says production was never halted journey begins of struggle the plant tanks shells and mines at a rate of three million items a month people work for sixteen to twenty hours a day despite the cold and hunger. says he is slipped in fact to his

shell close to the war will it if it was like living in barracks and never went home because if the children don't bargain it is just that many workers lived at the factory is doing it's. occasionally some of the perceived city's inhabitants mustered enough strength to go to the theatre after their excruciating day. in. the musical comedy field take up performances going to they always play to a full house until a shell hit the building. but it didn't bring the cut down completely they just moved buildings and carried on. all over it. all over.

the theater's oldest actress is one hundred years old this year. they say used to be a beautiful girl it's a series of these photographs speak naturally i should have seen how beautiful i was. when the phantom was bombed she moved to the front line to a pedophile soviet troops giving more than four performances during. the voice was so powerful that sometimes the soldiers even asked her to sing more quietly in case the enemy. get the records it was somebody who visited this theater to ask me to come to. the hospital any wounded in sick people there with mind you says no applause for you i know what i said when you know how. it was a truly festive occasion in the spring of nine hundred forty two when the

electricity was restored in leningrad and trams one small run along its streets and . that. share a friendship dating back to the blockade. of the tragedy by writing. this is all true and all the blockade to good. for the tram is a symbol of the siege stirring up many memorable stories. at one time i was on board a train when the shelling started i jumped out and fell to the ground. a shell hit the trail. into pieces i was incredibly lucky i just made it out of the tram. trams on the street signalled to people

living under siege. we said to each other the trim is running again. this must mean we are still alive despite the blockade. we will live on it will survive all of us but confident of victory but another winter came along. and. by the end of nine hundred forty two the germans realized they were unlikely to capture leningrad and stepped up their artillery assault on the besieged city. to carry the soviet army broke through a small section of the insert and the corridors immediately used for sending supplies to the same city by rail. operation in january from the storm got underway the soviet army pool.