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former russian tycoon we know how to cost you weight his sentence after being convicted of stealing billions of dollars worth of oil. for more and one of the most controversial cases in russia join me go to preschool for right from the more school board room in just a few moments. flying into frustration moscow's freezing rain ground to hundreds of flights leaving thousands of angry passengers feeling abandoned. power may be back on at the bottom moskos biggest tops but thousands of passengers remain stranded joining me consider the groucho program that battling to clear the backlog. and two years after israel's deadly offensive people in gaza are still struggling to cope with a wife under siege which they say hasn't eased. watching

r.t. coming to live from moscow with me marina josh a former russian tycoon mikhail holocaust is awaiting sentence after being found guilty of embezzling billions of dollars it's the second trial for the acts head of the oil giant yukos who was once russia's richest man he's already serving time over tax evasion and fraud he is going off as outside the court of moscow where the judge is continuing to give his ruling. at the moment it's hard to say when we'll hear the actual sentence meaning the time. his former associate bottle maybe he 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 recall for that of course the last time it took two weeks for the entire verdict for the entire verdict to be enough so this time we already know that. were

found guilty of stealing all from you consists of securities and investing billions of u.s. dollars just to remind you you used to be one of the biggest oil companies in the world at the time headed by. who was the richest men in russia at the time as well very controversial case one of the most controversial cases in russia at the moment my colleague who has prepared this report for more for you on this. once russia's richest man he's now russia's most prominent prisoner coming to the end of it eighteen a sentence for the biggest tax food in the country's history he and his partner platon live which charged to stealing two hundred and eighteen million tons of oil were twenty seven billion u.s. dollars from a subsidiary company you can see in that it has been announced guilty khodorkovsky supporters say he didn't break any laws khodorkovsky 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 and them. rose to great wealth thanks to one of the world's largest non-state oil companies you can see the company grew from the state selloff in the one nine hundred ninety s. when government assets would be hived off in often cittie circumstances it soon became russia's. fastest growing oil producer but the path to success headed outside to offer that associates were later found guilty of a number of murders. the thieves place is in prison. is accused of stealing tax evasion and fraud with the new charges he faces it's about stealing hundreds of billions his company's security chief is in prison for murder. that cough ski has

always insisted he's innocent of the fraud 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 is a strong effort on the part of many in the media and in 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 privatisation of the ninety's are guilty of the crimes they're accused of so in that sense i think very few people would fatha carter koskie is persecuted for for nothing yes there is

a very strong case i thing against him public opinion is divided i think that most of the russian public smeller recollected if you are all those people i called them and that's why i don't think that i'm on russian broad public unlike liberals for whom. i can he can find compassion the prosecutors had asked of her that who is forty seven served at least six years on top of this current sentence however the reading of the verdict 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 what the prosecution has been saying and they say. that they're planning to appeal the court's 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 announced 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 san people on their way after thousands were stranded by bad weather and what have frustrated passengers have reportedly been staging protests and even trying to break through passport control president medvedev has ordering a complete investigation into the conduct of moscow's main airports because one of the charges at one of the capital's major terminals for r.t. . oh this is how i want to moskos beezus tops looks like this hour power is back on and flights are getting back on should you add that the might via the airports one

of the country's largest and worst hit by bad weather conditions over the weekend a snowstorm disrupted pa lines in the area as a result of that some one hundred fifty flights were delayed and over eight thousand passengers were forced to sleep on the app or its premises well now we can see that information is getting back on the screens of the app or before people had been complaining that they were receiving no updates on the flights whatsoever and even muscovites had to spend hours and hours here inside the airport having no information on whether to leave home on keep waiting for their flights well that's gossipy for how long they've been waiting for their flights inside how long have you been waiting for a flight. i was due to leave for terms of even the twenty seventh promised a flight will depart today but i don't know yet there's no information on the screens with cooley office in television and they said the plane at two o'clock today just says all the passengers have spent more than two days inside the airport

complained they were not given hotel butts and there was not enough food and drinks so the press service of the airport says they regularly hand out lunch boxes and also provide stranded passengers with drinking water it's going to hold long have you been waiting at the airport since we've been waiting for the plane. on the counter promise anything have you been given food speech. been given out food your goods and stuff it's very difficult to be here people have sleeping on the floor and control is. some of the passengers kalash with the representatives of companies and complain that the airport is full of passengers but no representatives so companies are inside and largely people complain on the lack of information on their flights. well the hardest abilities for parents traveling with their keets many of them have been at the airports for a long and long hours close scuse me how long have you been waiting for your flight

where are you going to we're recommitted says the twenty six boxing day and we're going to northern ireland to belfast to buy a heathrow so we have so we were at the airport when their electricity went off. for consultation we then were booked onto a flight yesterday which is council we're on a flight this morning which is counsel them are we being put onto the ten o'clock flight which is obviously being delayed so honestly what do you think about how the airport has been dealing with the problem. actually not very well but i don't think any your port deals are very well with these problems as we're seeing across europe . i mean i think it's just a lack of information as well which stuff we're here this morning that night disappeared so nobody knows we can only hope that there's a period on at three o'clock that's what we've been told but nothing official and other local schools bs is top three minutes of an airport which didn't have any electricity blackouts also faces how to delay suppose some seven thousand

passengers many of them have been clashed with the representatives up and companies and with police they try to stall and possibly control zones they block blog each areas and try to stage protests and system to meet to handle have people mostly complain that they were denied hotel baths and they ended up sleeping on the floors of so far whitetail were taken rushes to law just add ports. what does a really great job they're talking us through the plight of so many travelers who are stuck at the airport here in moscow and there are vicious traveling conditions of a very different kind in a few minutes here on r t. if i was here three hundred years ago i moved to support my local lord mayor does this is from the army or a variety of other crimes the results from the same. russia closer team follows a sorry trail in south western 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 blockade of the strip after it came under the control mosque in two thousand and seven a group it regards as a terrorist organization says that aid has been where you recently restricted and most warily reaches its destination falsely or reports on a relief effort which palestinians say can't come soon enough. 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 m border one hundred eighty people food and medical supplies and

a determined call to reach gaza on the second anniversary of the last israel gaza wall the convoy dubbed asia to gaza solidarity caravan sits south from new delhi at the beginning of december it's trying to do what an aide for to fail 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. which allow us to see a broader picture about the humanitarian conditions and the situation in the. moment but gazans complain life is still unbearable. and that 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 un and international building projects ordinary goods they say are still not

getting in. our goods have already been detained in israel for three years but the fines are already called the cost of goods and even if the receiver goods back know they are not for sale they 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 well just two hundred dollars for a rather simplistic alternative what can we do there's no fuel for vehicles spare parts inevitably you resort to 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. and russia's deputy foreign minister spoke to r.t. after his recent visit to the middle east alexander celtel out of says bridging the chasm between israelis and arabs can only be solved with a clear had everyone on board. good out can i just do that as the saying goes hope dies last we should have an objective view of the situation 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 concerned 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.

and we'll bring you the full interview in just over an hour's time here in our two you are can watch it online right now at our t dot com and here is what else is lined up for you today on our web site. china's he's from promise for you work as beijing offers to buy into struggling countries to keep them financially you know we're. out of this world knew your party is on the cards but you're a national space station and several of them in fact the details are at our t.v. dot com. now let's take a look at some other stories from around the world in airports on the east coast of the united states is going to return to normal after a severe a blizzard it's 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 and drifts forecasters say more is on the way of freezing temperatures continue. nine man 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 on banks government buildings and 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 of a son of tar is recognized by the un as a new leader bob warns that any attempt to oust him throw the country back into civil war. hundreds of people have been forced to flee their homes due to flooding and heavy rain across northeastern australia severe floods have shut down around three. across queensland including two major highways to the state capital brisbane

the authorities have declared towns as disaster zones it's predicted that there are several days of rainfall still to come. the russia close of now takes us to explore more of the country this time heading to south western siberia. now we're in the arm screen general kate of more than two thousand kilometers from moscow the main city which shares the name briefly became russia's capital after the one nine hundred seventeen revolution it also held the imperial gold reserves but it's got a checkered reputation as tom barton discovers. two things in particular it is famous for those are the fate of exiles sent here by the czarist regime along a difficult at a 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. the march under god these men and women are walking one of the longest and probably the loneliest road in the world they reenacting the march into exile made by thousands of czarist russia. it's a game here is to go there some ways when three years a lot of people died on the way this group in the western siberian region of almost discovered they're living on the only surviving stretch of the original nine thousand kilometers of the siberian exiles truck 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. if gainey discovered that he's descended from some of these exiles and decided to

build a museum telling a story he and his reactors now receivers 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 restructures cruelest chapters. one of the more noble traditions and always has military professionalism practiced tear 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 but 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 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 last and residents who 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 history to the rest of rushes particularly of exile where they were not. if i was his three hundred years ago

i may have dissipated 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 the 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 twenty one years through basically how scouse developed as a city while the history was cautious a freemason because it was first established as a fortress to fight off the nomads but then during the czar regime 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 and also our city was a capital of russia for for a short period of time for a year under the i dunno

a culture shock and it's sometimes called a third capital the third one after moscow moscow st petersburg and then also sometimes and it's also one of the biggest cities of siberia as one of the most important important ones ok but having lived here all your life you obviously quite proud of the city yourself i how 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 wouldn't you would have been so nice but it's really developed in the last fifteen years that both sides the purpose of the buildings and right now we have a very rich aspects of you know social life and cultural life we have famous theorist. and on we are festivals going on the world here and i should say. i really am proud of living here yes. ok from one of the people who's lived all the

life there we go picture of all rise from its beginnings off until it's modern day . and time now for business update with the way. that's right time to have a look at what's happening in the world of business the head of russia's biggest lenders burbank's says he expects the country's inflation to rise to over nine percent next year that's a third more than the central bank's predicts such rate of six and a half percent from next year spare bank also graph says there will be no chances to cause inflation down from its current level of eight and a half percent he also believes russian banks may refines their current credit and deposit trades because it's celebrating inflation and the potential time monetary

policy by the central bank. clerk at the indices european stock markets opened as markers attempted to bounce back from losses in the price session of gains led by banks and while stocks the german texas flood deposits are found the footsie remains closed to the public holiday. let's check the stocks and russian forces that flooded the sol with the r.c.s. of about two times the percent in the my sense has made it into positive territory gaining about a tenth of a percent that's out. most of the group tripped up trading in the rut after boston is among the top losers for the second consecutive day into raw is on the rise on reports the utility launches a new joint venture with industrial hosiery russian technologist and general electric jay feaster produced counts five months with the project for the wrong one hundred million euros. as time ticks away until the end of the year of those

investors still on the market to pay it to build a lift with far fewer opportunities investment manager alex saunders shooting says trading volumes fell sharply days before the long yet right. i don't anticipate any movement i think it will be pretty much the same percent. maybe but as i told the market is really even active for the rest of the week i would most probably look at being 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 a bit better than the market the world will rally which saw prices hit a two year high on monday is being weighed down by china's second interest rate hike since october fears rose 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 of their own floating around record levels. 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 here if chaka from merrill lynch says 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 these positive elements that we have seen in the structural reform agenda my diary and all the business news an hour join me in less than fifteen minutes and get more stories

from a website r.t. dot com slash business. welcome to the. what makes a big splash in the world of high tech business what turns events science into i can cheap products they've gone down.