his.

how would. you ever. in just a few moments. maybe back on it one of these. thousands of passengers are still stranded.

around the world around the clock this is. criticism from the west over the. trial has been met with. the international community should stay out of. the. waiting to hear what sentence he'll have to serve after being found guilty of embezzling billions of dollars. well washington said that such a verdict will horn russia's image when it comes to human rights germany has said that this will be a step back for russia in terms of modernization what according to the russian foreign ministry this is an attempt to apply pressure on the court and moscow is

now calling on the united states and on the european union not to intervene this issue rests with the competence of the british il system of the russian federation . any attempt to exert pressure upon the process are unacceptable. in his recent interview with the heads of the only the russian t.v. channel. the russian president has underscored but nobody has the right to interfere with the powers of the poor the foreign ministry has also outlines is that the crimes that mean that of course and only different already been found guilty off are considered to be severe or fences in many western countries including the united states where people found guilty of these crimes and even fees a life in prison but it would seem unusual in this you know receive allies contrary

cool decides whether a person is guilty or innocent not public opinion on my smita the verdict says that's had a course and live it if i guilty so there should be no other opinion unless it's overruled by the supreme authority whatever the west is saying russia is a legal state so there's no reason to suggest the court's decision was carried out on depression the defense says that it does not agree with the verdict they're ready to appeal it in russia if they all succeed here they say that they're ready to take this case to the european court they're also preparing to make a public appeal to the president after the sentence is announced the judge says that the prosecution has provided more than enough evidence and claims the. so far the trial has been going by the book the second day of the hearing of the verdict is now over but it was still haven't heard the actual sentence the time was that of course again his former associate plot to leave egypt will have to serve in jail

they were found guilty on monday also are stealing oil from so-called companies and also off embezzling billions of u.s. dollars he was already involved in another case and back then it took two weeks for the sentence to be else but this time the defense seems optimistic that we may hear the sentence in the near future go through. the judge's reading as what the court considers to be the evidence against because according to live again from the information we've got we understand that the court plans to finish reading the verdict this year it was just a reminder you can see used to be one of the world's biggest private oil companies headed back then. at that time russia's richest men and all this makes this trial in this case one of the most controversial in russia and for more on this here's this report. once russia's richest men he's now

russia's most prominent prisoner coming to the end of it a few sentence for the biggest tax food in the country's history he and his partner plan to give you a charge to stealing two hundred and eighteen million cans of oil seven down from succeeding the company you can see that it has been announced. khodorkovsky 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 and them. rose to great wealth thanks to one of the world's largest. non-state oil companies ucas the company grew from a state selloff in the one nine hundred ninety s. when government assets were being hived off in often chidi circumstances it soon became russia's fastest growing oil producer but the path to success had

a dark side to offer that these associates were later found guilty of a number of murders. the thieves place is in prison for the cost is accused of stealing tax evasion and fraud with the new charges he faces it's about stealing hundreds of billions his company security chief is in prison for murder. at their core 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 operative on the part of many in the media in the russian liberal media and definitely in the west to to politicize it as much as possible there is no

question that. carter koskie 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 or accused so in that sense i think very few people would fatha khodorkovsky is persecuted for nothing yes there is a very strong case i thing against him being in is dividing i think that most of russia probably smaller recollect if you are all those people. and that's why i don't think that i'm on russian broad public unlike liberals for whom. i come here and find compassion for the prosecutors had asked of her that he was forty seven at least six years on top of this current sentence how is it illegal obviously though it is expected to last several days and the sentencing has yet to

come down marty mask and. thousands of passengers stranded in moscow's main airports are growing increasingly frustrated bad weather over the weekend temporarily shut down doma the out of airport delay of some flights on the cancellation of others has left many struggling to get onto their planes some travelers unable to complete their journey have reportedly been staging protests and even fighting airport personnel. in the crunch over reports from. this is one of most easy is tops looks like power is back on and flies are getting back on should you like that the my idea that the airport which was worst hit by bad weather conditions over the weekend when a snow storm disrupted pala lines in the area as a result of that some one hundred feet to flights were delayed and over eight thousand passengers were forced to sleep on the app ports 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 god's people how long they've been waiting for their flights inside ho long have you been waiting for the flight. i was due to leave for terms of even the twenty seventh they've promised a flight will depart today but i don't know yet there's no information on the screens with cooley office and television and they said the plane at two o'clock today. all the passengers have spent more than two days inside the airport complained they were not given hotel bats and there was not enough food and drinks though the press service of the airport says they regularly hand out lunch boxes and also provide stranded passengers with drinking water the situation adama denver airport is gradually improving we've called in extra staff to help resolve the problems are handing out water as well as hot and cold meals we hope the situation

will be completely resolved by tomorrow some of the passengers even kalash with the representatives of companies and complain that the airport is full of passengers but no representative so companies are inside and largely people complain on the lack of information on their flights for the hardest abilities for parents traveling with their kids many of them have been at the airport for a whole and long hours close to usenet. 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. the consul to be there and that we're booked on to a flight yesterday which is counsel 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 i mean your point deals are very well with these problems as we're seeing across europe and other up moskos bees 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 kalash with the representatives of companies and with police they tried to stall impossible to control zones they blocked log each areas and try to stage a protest insisting to meet they had to be apples people mostly complained that they were denied hotel baths and they ended up sleeping on the floor so so far what payola taken rushes to law just add ports. that was. reporting that where you are with all it so you it's good to have your company that's today still ahead for you on the program our very close up team uncovers the mysterious past of russia which. if i was his three hundred years ago i

may have dissipated my local lot and i have does this is from the army for a variety of other crimes the result was the same what my fellow prisoners around me i've got a long and very cold walk ahead into exile in siberia and you get more about this treacherous walk as well as i look at what the creature has to offer that's coming up a little bit like the. palestinians are marking. two years since israel began a devastating offensive into gaza with protests now across the strip israel launched a massive air and ground strikes on hamas targets in two thousand and eight killing more than a thousand people that came in response to rocket attacks by palestinians and the conflict drew worldwide condemnation because of the number of civilian casualties israel's blockade of the strip after it came under the control of hamas in two thousand and seven a group it regards as

a terrorist organization since then has been rigorously restricted most rarely reaches its destination as artie's policy has been finding out. israelis insist their economic siege on gaza is easing but they can't deny the border and international condemnation is heating up and 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 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 aid flotilla 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 each moment

but gazans complain life is still unbearable a lot of israel has limited the number of trucks clothes and shoes coming into gaza and this causes problems with called a nation 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 our good. have already been detained in israel for three years but the fines that we paid already equaled the costs of the goods so even if we receive the goods back now we can't sell them 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 you know fuel for vehicles spare parts inevitably result that it's kind of transportation to donkeys 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 aren't 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. r.t. is coming to you live from the heart of the russian capital where it's now about quarter past the hour let's get some other world news in brief now and a third suspect the u.s. missile strike has hit pakistan's northwestern tribal area near the afghan border killing nine official say it hit vehicles carrying alleged members of

a well known militant group two other strikes in the north waziristan region on tuesday killed eight the area is a stronghold for pakistani taliban and al qaeda militants who carry out cross border attacks against u.s. their nato forces in afghanistan. three west african leaders have given an ultimatum to ivory coast's incumbent president step down or face removal by force of law backbone is unlikely to agree to make a way for. me to be an internationally record. ised as the president elect shortly before he met the trio government warned it would not tolerate any meddling in its affairs the standoff turned violent since last month's election with over one hundred seventy people killed. and bad weather is just causing chaos in australia's northeastern states with the government declaring some towns disaster zones severe floods have shut down around three hundred roads across queensland including two major highways to the state capital brisbane hundreds of people had to leave their

homes after the dawson river reached a record level of almost fifteen metres it's the worst flooding in the area in decades and damage is expected to exceed one billion u.s. dollars. for a time now to explore another lesser known part of the biggest country in the world . and this time the close up team are in the region in southwestern siberia it might be located more than two thousand kilometers away from moscow but it shares more the capital than you may think uncovers the checkered past of the. 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 it comes years to go there is some ice winters in say yes a lot of people died on the way this group in the western siberian region of omsk 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. you have 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 when 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 rushes cruellest chapters. one of the more notable traditions and also his military professionalism practiced tear at the city's cadets college for nearly two hundred years. in. 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 and alms. giving a book it's strange to be away from home unusual but when you get used to it you feel like home. military personalities are dotted throughout history is city served

as the capital of anticommunist white russian leader admiral culture in the civil war from one thousand nine hundred to nine hundred nineteen 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 dissipated my local lot i may have deserted from the army or a variety of other crimes the result was the same what my fellow prisoners around me i've got a long and very cold walk ahead into exile in siberia tom watson r.t.

on the screen and. you are with r.t. it's good to have your company today that russia's deputy foreign minister has a recently returned from a visit to the middle east next he tells r.t. it's time for the world community to step up and get the peace process between israelis and palestinians back on track to stay with us.

mr sultan of you recently visited syria and lebanon where you met the leaders of these two countries you also met how it must show in damascus when you said that israel's settlement policy in the occupied arab lands was the main stumbling point to the resumption of palestinian israeli talks does russia have a clear vision of how to get out of this situation. that. it's true that israel's settlement policy in the occupied out of balance has become an obstacle to the resumption of direct palestinian israeli talks. i should say that the present situation has shown the need for the international community to step up its participation and assistance in the solution of the palestinian problem it has become obvious that the way this problem used to be solved until recently and the means in the methods that we have turned out to be insufficient that is why russia is calling for a more active international effort or does it all

a bad it's about increasing a collective contribution to the peace process first and foremost it's necessary to increase the significance and raise the effectiveness of the international quartet of peace brokers. that's exactly why we've called for the earliest convocation of a new ministerial meeting of the international quartet with the aim of not only discussing the start of school but also for pondering jointly and profoundly on what we should do to prevent the peace process from entering a critical stage we should see how we can make the quartet are more effectively in what ways and to what means. to overcome the arising obstacles and prevent the settlement from being frustrated i think this meets the interests of all sides of israel and the palestinians in particular in the long run we are talking about the final settlement a settlement that would lead to the creation of an independent palestinian state

naturally the security of israel and all the other countries in the region should be provided but time is requiring this type of mobilization process if the aspirations of the palestinian people are to come true. that if the how effective and you have you have been the recent calls of the russian leadership on the international community to unilaterally recognize a palestinian state within the boundaries of nine hundred sixty seven. first of all the main objection of the middle east settlement is to create an independent palestinian state within the boundaries of one nine hundred sixty seven with possible territorial swaps. this is a solution a formula which is accepted by the entire international community but the fact that calls for the recognition of such a state have recently become more active is on the one hand indicative that

a number of countries are dissatisfied with the current situation. on the other hand it underscores the inevitability of this ultimate goal of achieving peace and resuming the negotiating process. as you know shortly after the palestinians are names the creation of a palestinian state russia recognize the fact of this announcement and the palestinian state itself. the embassy of the state of palestine is located in moscow the russian embassy operates in the palestinian territories this makes it evident that russia and the palestinian side have a common view of the fight the palestinian people should have their own state which should be recognized by the international community. but. israeli prime minister netanyahu issued instructions to all israeli diplomatic missions to exert pressure on all countries that are planning to recognize the palestinian state do you think that this will further aggravate the situation the nation with the. you

know every state has a sovereign right to make its own decisions of a country to say as to recognize a palestinian state it's a reality that should be reckoned with. as far as i know president medvedev is planning to visit israel and the palestinian territories in the near future many think it's going to be a historic visit to the palestinian lands will the russian president make any proposals to the middle east region. but if they should visit definitely he will dimitri medvedev is forthcoming visit to palestine israel and jordan is a major political event. it will have great importance both for the region and for producing a positive impact on the current extremely complex situation in the middle east and certainly it will be important for our relations with palestine israel and jordan with one of the visits main goals is undoubtedly to contribute to the creation of

favorable conditions for the resumption of movement towards peace comprehensive peace in the middle east and an atmosphere that would make this peace process irreversible. the second vital aspect of this visit will naturally consist in strengthening our bilateral relations. russia has formed and developed friendly relations with the palestinians the israelis and the jordanians cooperation in various fears is developing and we hope that the visit will give new impetus to this project. that mr sultan of is anything going to change in the middle east and russia's view. but 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 scrutinizing book of the problems and care.