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former russian tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky awaits his sentence after being convicted of stealing billions of dollars worth well. for more on one of the most controversial cases in russia join me right from school board in just a few moments. flying into frustration moscow's freezing rain grounds hundreds of flights leaving thousands of angry passengers feeling abandoned. power may be back on at bottom moskos biggest shops but thousands of passengers remain stranded join me because it is a great show for a while that battling to clear the backlog. and two years after israel's deadly offensive people in gaza are still struggling to cope with life under siege which they say hasn't eads. and in business the head of russia's biggest lenders

says he expects the country's inflation to rise to over nine percent next year more in twenty minutes. this is r t coming to you live from moscow i'm marina josh welcome a former russian tycoon mikhail had a cough is awaiting sentence after being found guilty of and dazzling billions of dollars it's the second trial for the ex head of the oil giant yukos who was once russia's richest man he's already serving time over tax evasion and fraud is going off as outside the court in moscow where the judge is continuing to give his ruling today. at the moment it's hard to say when we'll hear the actual sentence meaning the time the. former associate bottle maybe they will have to serve in jail the

judge is continuing to read the verdict and it is expected that this may take several days and as you said this is not the first case involving nicole for the last time it took two weeks for the entire verdict for the entire verdict to be elfs at this time we already know that it's out of course. guilty of stealing all from you because the subsidiaries and investing billions of us dollars just to remind you you guys used to be one of the biggest oil companies in the world at the time headed by make of the local thief who was the richest men in russia at the time as well very controversial case for the most controversial cases in russia at the moment and my colleague has prepared this report for more for you on this. once russia's richest men he's now russia's most prominent prisoner coming to the end of it eighteen sentenced for the biggest tax fraud in the country's history he and his partner played on

a belief which charged to stealing two hundred and eighteen million tons of oil worth twenty seven billion u.s. dollars from a subsidiary company if you can see the verdict has been announced guilty of the supporters say he didn't break any laws. or was not to blame because he had a whole team of very experienced lawyers who used to tell him that. everything he did was within the law it was the blame of the laws that had dissolved loopholes in them. rose to great wealth thanks to one of the world's largest non-state oil companies you can see the company grew from a state selloff in the one nine hundred ninety s. when government assets would be hived off in often cittie circumstances it soon became the. yes fastest growing producer but the path to success headed outside too often associates were later found guilty. as. the thieves place

is in prison of course he's accused of stealing tax evasion and fraud with the new charges he faces it's about stealing hundreds of billions of his company security chief is in prison for murder. but there has always insisted he is innocent of the full charges which put him behind bars and the since his arrest in two thousand and three ignoring his past many in the west believe that he was singled out for prosecution among the billionaire businessmen because of his political ambitions the russian authorities say you can is purely a victim to the economic crimes of its management i think there's a strong upper edge on the part of many in the media and the russian liberal media and definitely in the west to to politicize it as much as possible there is no question that. our cause and the rest of the crowd who participated initiated

and was very active in the criminal privatization of the ninety's are guilty of the crimes they're accused of so in that sense i think very few people would fatha khodorkovsky is persecuted for for nothing yes there is a very strong case i think against him keeping him is dividing i think that most of the russian public smeller recollected if you're all of those people. and that's why i don't think that a man. brought public unlike liberals for whom he really is an icon he can find compassion the prosecutors had asked of her that he was forty seven served at least six years on top of this kind sentence however the reading of the film is expected to last several days and the sentencing has yet to come down marty masco well the defense does not agree with the verdict they claim that it repeats word by

word what the prosecution has been saying and they say. that they're planning to appeal the course decision and they're even ready to take this case outside of russia to be european court if they're not if they don't succeed here are they also planning to. make a public appeal to the president of russia after the sentence is according to the judge everything was done by the book and the prosecution has managed to provide more than enough evidence of course we'll continue watching everything that happens in the courtroom on tuesday and we'll report on this case as the day goes on. and two of moscow's largest airports are working hard to send people on their way after thousands were stranded by bad weather at one hub frustrated passengers have reportedly been staging protests and even trying to break through passport control president is ordering a complete investigation into the conduct of moscow's main airports. as

a lot of the capital's major terminals for r t. power is back on and flights are getting back on should you let them idea the boy is one of the country's busiest tops but it was the worst affected airport due to bad weather conditions over the weekend a snowstorm disrupted electricity lines same the area as a result of that one hundred fifty flights were delayed and over eight thousand passengers. were forced to sleep on the hapless promises from what we saw we've been inside just a couple of minutes ago thousands of people are still waiting for their flies sitting on the floors and they are all so many of them on the bridge over the area complaining there is not food no drinks despite the press service promised that they'll be provided without beverages and lunchbox says to get a coupon for this free lunch out to queue for some four to five hours which is a pose unacceptable for them and they are for stayed at the expense of bad news inside the airport but largely of course they're complaining on the lack of any

information any updates on the status of their flights and we sold that people for this storm to the transpire we were just rationed desk and law enforcement agents were inside there to stop the crowds it's very hard for me here i have a broken leg and there are new facilities here to bureaucracy and new ones hoping there's no service the worst thing is that no one says when the flights will be resumed there are flights that have been delayed for two days already. again here in atlanta six to fly to a menu but first the flight was cancelled there which in turn again it was delayed and they put us on a bus and sent us to the planes but we were turned back we had no idea where our luggage is and no one has seen anything. i don't know. i'll get into and from the airport has also become a problem there is a huge traffic jam leading to the outdoors and the area the square opposite the

building reminds a giant parking lot and taxi driver. also capitalize on the passengers why they charge some three hundred dollars to get them to the city center which is actually six times the regular fare most of the flights which is the idea that the airport could not service over the weekend were directed to nuke of ensure inmates about the letter is the country's largest airport and the bs is top it was not affected by any tricity black olives but the face cavity lacewell some seven thousand passengers and again they're complaining that there is lack of any information on the status of their flights many of them are muscovites with children and they spent hours and hours inside yeah i would say they could have left home and come back but because of. that provided with no information on the apple screens they are forced to stay there and those who post with control checks are also said they have to stay inside their not to let out otherwise their tickets will be cancelled

very chaotic inside there and people even tried to storm foss but controls those police had to intervene they also blocked log each areas and tried to stage protests insisting to meet they had they'll be apples. as your child reporting there and no there are a vicious traveling conditions of a very different kind in a few minutes here in our team. if i was his three hundred years ago i moved to support my local lord i may have deserted from the army for a variety of other crimes the result was the same. the rush closer team vols the czarist exult trail in southwestern siberia. two years on from israel's deadly offensive in gaza which killed more than a thousand people palestinians there say they're still suffering in two thousand and eight israel launched massive air and ground strikes on hamas targets in response to rocket attacks the bloody conflict drew worldwide condemnation over the

huge numbers of palestinian civilian casualties israel's blockade of the strip after the control of hamas in two thousand and seven a group it regards as a terrorist organization since then aid has been rigorously restricted and most rarely reaches its destination falsely or reports in the relief effort which palestinians say can't come soon else. israelis insist their economic siege on gaza is easing but they can't deny the border and international condemnation is heating up an asian aid convoy with politicians and activists from eighteen countries is on its way to gaza i'm border one hundred eighty people food and medical supplies and a determined core to reach gaza on the second anniversary of the last israel gaza wall the convoy dubbed asia to gaza solidarity caravan sits sail from new delhi at the beginning of december it's trying to do what an aide for turner failed to do in may break the israeli blockade on the coastal strip that earlier attempt left nine

activists did since then israel insists things have gotten better there is a humanitarian analysis that we are making on a daily basis which allow us to see a broad picture about the humanitarian conditions and the situation in the goes to each moment but gazans complain life is still unbearable. and israel has limited the number of trucks clothes and shoes coming into gaza and this causes problems with coordination in gaza. last month twenty two international organizations issued a report claiming the easing of the blockade has helped bring in materials only for the u.n. and international building projects ordinary goods they say are still not getting in. goods have already been detained in israel for three years but the foreign origin called the cost of goods and even if they receive our goods back now they are not for sale there are spoiled and those goods that are getting in there are too expensive for most people here. the goods that we receive are not of

a high quality but we have to buy them because we don't have an alternative. cars have also become a luxury two thousand dollars for an engine while just two hundred dollars for a rather simplistic alternative what can we do there's no fuel for vehicles spare parts inevitably result of this kind of transportation the donkey's this is one of the largest cattle markets in gaza and as the economy here plummets it too is struggling to survive. we have no animals and no barley today and even when we have barley people are always here to buy it's been four years since israel imposed siege on gaza to try and break a massive support and with no sign that life will get better any time soon most gazans have the eyes on the sea and their hope on the next. policy are to israel. russia's deputy foreign minister spoke to r.t. after his recent visit to the middle east and alexander says bridging the chasm

between israelis and arabs can only be solved with a clear had it everyone on board. put out an idea is doing that as the saying goes hope dies last we should have an objective view of the situation and we shouldn't fall into despair but we shouldn't be too optimistic the most important thing is to take a scrutinising to the problems and came to the peace process and work together including the parties considered by israel and the others towards the solution of these problems and even achieving our common goal which is i repeat a comprehensive palestinian israeli settlement of this deep. i will bring you the full interview in around fifteen minutes time or you can watch it online right now at r.t. dot com. here's what else is lined up for you today on our web site china's eastern promise for europe as big g. offers to buy in to struggling countries to keep them financially speaking over.

the band and out of this world new year party is on the cards and the international space station several of them in fact of the details are at archie dot com. let's take a look at some other stories from around the world and airports on the east coast of the united states are struggling to return to normal after severe blizzards caused thousands of flights to be called off authorities have declared emergencies in five states with officials warning people to stay off the roads as the snow deepens in drips and drifts forecasters say more is on the way and freezing temperatures will continue. nine men have been remanded in britain accused of plotting a christmas terror campaign in the capital it's alleged they were planning explosions and coordinated attacks bangs government buildings in a busy shopping areas around central london twelve were arrested in nationwide dawn raids last week but three were released without charge it comes at a time of heightened security over terrorism across europe. west african leaders

are expected to arrive in iraq coast to persuade the incumbent president to step down the wrong babo refuses to leave office since last month's election despite international pressure his rival is satara is recognized by the un as the new leader babo warns that any attempt to oust him could throw the country back into civil war. living in fear of the person you love and feeling too shame to speak out it's the reality for millions of women around the world and later we'll look at how victims of domestic violence can break the vicious circle of abuse. you can hear dr swines policeman's wives ministers why i just pray to god. if you didn't find me if i could slip through the night that i would get my kids out of here because i knew that what was going to happen was that he was going to kill me many victims don't understand that domestic

violence includes verbal abuse psychological abuse physical abuse and sexual abuse at least four million women are affected by abuse every year. two options that i saw at that moment either i'm going to kill him i'm in jail or he's going to kill it. and we investigate more about the abuse going on behind closed doors in just over an hour. and the russia close it now takes us to explore more of the country this time heading to south western siberia. and we are in their arms region located more than two thousand lamas from moscow the main city which shares

a name briefly became russia's capital after the nine hundred seventeen revolution and also held the imperial gold reserves but it's got a checkered reputation as. two things in particular it is famous for those are the fate of exiles sent here by the czarist regime along a difficult and dangerous road to get here and prison and forced labor once they arrived the other is a rich military tradition that the city has a military academy established here two hundred years ago has provided very famous officers and generals for the russian and the red armies and it's those themes of examining. on the march under guard these men and women are walking one of the longest and probably the loneliest road in the world they're reacting the march into exile made by thousands and czarist russia. it's a game here is to go there some ways winterreise in thirty years a lot of people died on the way this group in the western siberian region of alms

discovered their living on the only surviving stretch of the original nine thousand kilometers of the siberian exiles track that's had no modern changes made to it. when you come to the track you can vividly picture the convicts on their walk and hear the clinking of their chains you can smell russian history here the story is going to discover that he's descended from some of these exiles and decided to build a museum telling a story he and his reactors now receivers to us from all over the world to show them what it was like with these bodies it's scary to put the shackles on of course but it's interesting if we don't remember. history will have no future. it's a monument to one of the wrist russia's coolest chapters. one of the more noble traditions and always has military professionalism practiced

here at the city's cadets college for nearly two hundred years. what was an officer school now gives boys a general education but with the military emphasis. here they created siberia's first cadet corps to prepare officers to protect the territory before that was a course like a military college that's why i think with the successes of those old times. young hopefuls have to pass tough exams to get in here for those that do it's a very different school to the others in arms. giving a book and it's strange to be away from home unusual but when you get used to it it feels like home. military personalities are dotted throughout on six history the city served as the capital of anticommunist white russian leader admiral kolchak in the civil war from one thousand nine hundred to nine hundred ninety whilst in residence he lived here though the study of the man like the maintenance of this

building has remained a taboo right up until the present day or we still receive hate mail saying that he hanged a lot of people and was famous for severe punishment it's all true but it was at a time of civil war both sides were monstrously cruel. it is sadly the theme of cruelty which links so much of our history to the rest of russia's particularly of exile where they were an apple or a criminal. if i was here three hundred years ago i may have disappeared my local lord i may have deserted from the army or a variety of other crimes the result was the same like my fellow prisoners around. me i've got a long and very cold walk ahead into exile in siberia. with this talk of it more about this place in history and its place in russia is alexander you detail all your life so just start with trying wonders through

basically how. developed as a city the history because it's a pretty amazing because it was first established as a fortress to fight over the nomads but then during this regime it's used as a place for the political exile and you probably know that's the famous russian writer dostoyevsky was an exile here for quite some time. also our city was a capital of russia for for a short period of time for a year under the are called chalk and it's sometimes called a third capitals the third one after moscow moscow st petersburg and then also sometimes and it's also one of the biggest cities of siberia and one of the most important important ones ok having lived to all your life you obviously are quite proud of the city oh so i would you say why would you say it makes you proud and how would you say almost fits in to siberia and in the why of russia well. if you

can so i'm scott i should say maybe fifteen years ago you would have you you would have been sonny's but it's really developed in the last fifteen years they've both stayed repurposed the buildings and right now we have a very rich aspects of you know social life and cultural life we have famous theorist comment on you know we have festivals going on the world and i should say . i really am proud of living here yes. ok from one of the people who's lived all the life that we get a picture of almost right from its beginnings off until it's modern day. and all of his years going our way was to stay with us. hungry for the full story we've got it for. the biggest issues get a human voice face to face with the news make us.

feel. me. have are well welcome time to get the latest from the world of business the head of russia's biggest lenders burbank says he expects the country isn't place to rise to over nine percent next year that's a third more than the central banks predicted six and a half percent next year. graph says there'll be no chances to cut inflation down from its current level of ageing to help the cent he also believes russian banks may revise their current credit and deposit rates because of accelerating inflation

and the potential tightening of monetary policy by the central bank. a look at the markets european stock markets opened as markets attempted to bounce back from losses in the private session with gains led by banks and what stocks the german dax is flat to positive on the fourth series close for a public holiday. let's check their russian stock markets in russia the poll says off let the solid with the arch gas up about two tenths of a cent on the mice it's just finally made it into positive territory gaining less than a tenth of a percent this hour. and most of the blue chips up trading in the right after vases among the top losers for the second consecutive day in toronto is on the rise on reports the utility launches a new joint venture with industrial holding russian to troll juice and general electric jerry feet used to produce gas five months with a project worth around one hundred million euros. that's time ticks away until the

end of the year of those investors still in the market appear to be left with fall few opportunities investment. she added trading volumes fell sharply days before the long new year break. movement i think it will be pretty much the same percent. increase maybe but as i told the market is really even active for the rest of the week i would most probably look at bringing sector. overall positive for the big. sensitive sector on the economy recovery and we'll split the next year and maybe for the rest of you could be a look. better than the market the world that will rally which sort prices hit a two year high on monday is being weighed down by china's second interest rate hike sensex fears rose that the manufacturing powerhouse and the world's second biggest oil consumer could slow its economic growth as the country tries to rein in

inflation even so prices at the pump are taking a course with their own floating me year round record levels. and most analysts agree that the oil price will remain between eighty and ninety dollars per barrel next year while this would have a remarkably positive effect on the russian budget in a pre-election year if chalk it up from merrill lynch structural reforms are the ones to suffer i think that there are a number of critics i think that actually from the reform agenda i think that the key least for russia is that returning to the pre-crisis time when all prices were increasing by double digits i think that we have seen a number of reforms structural industry quality recently and i'm afraid that if we turn to the pre-crisis you have double digit increase in oil prices dispositive element that we have seen in the structural reform agenda my diary that wraps up the business bulletin for this hour but you can get more store small website.