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because of course he is here by sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment a moscow courts announced the sentence for russia's most famous prisoner. for more oil tycoon convicted of money laundering an embezzlement to spend six more years in prison. terror target europe's wary of the threat of islamic extremism but the recent arrests over a suspected attack on a danish newspaper along with other incidents fueling fears the problems escalating and. true. some desperate measures to confront consumerism in the u.s.

as the country's financial troubles don't seem to cuba's america's credit card. hello this is r t it's now midnight here in moscow my name is kevin owen and our top story for more oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky and his business partner have been sentenced to fourteen years in prison for oil embezzlement and money laundering both men were coming to the end of their previous jail terms for tax evasion and fraud. reports. four days that's how long it took the judge to read the verdict six more years that's how long we feel who will have to spend behind bars the forty seven year old is in the final stretch of an eight year prison term and sentence after being convicted for tax evasion. because. if you're

by sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment the sentence will be served in the correctional colony of a medium security prison in this second trial just partner but believe it if i were convicted of stealing two hundred eighteen million tons of oil worth twenty seven billion u.s. dollars from a subsidiary company out of course he was known as the very worst corporate governance abuser in russia i myself was that you question how the meeting where i had a power of attorney from one of their minority investors to attend them was thrown out at gunpoint meeting went on to dilute the investor i'm an american called. his state than to actually nothing and the company voted to sell oil to an independent trade company for one dollar twenty five a barrel at a time when the international price was thirty dollars he made his fortune through what was then one of the world's largest non-state oil companies it began from the

states so off in the one nine hundred ninety s. and became russia's fastest growing only producer at that time in the business was risky and ucas was no exception to could have caused his associates were found guilty of a number of murders even so their supporters insist the two men are innocent khodorkovsky was not to blame because he had a whole team of very experienced lawyers who are used to tell him that. everything he did was within the law it was the blame of the laws that had those loopholes and them because he has maintained his innocence of the fraud charges ever since his arrest in two thousand and three in the west many believe horse. prosecution not so much for financial reasons as for his political ambitions so why do his supporters in russia tend to view him as a sort of a martyr figure we're all humans and feel compassion for people who. are behind the bars for a very long trial here already eight years in prison and he has to spend many years

more a person can be smart he can be a particular it can be sold spoken but it doesn't mean that necessarily this is a finish off non-guilt and that might be a case of course the prosecutors had asked for at least six more years on top of his current sentence they got what they wanted because his lawyers see deal appeal meaning we may not have heard the last of russia's trial of the decade it even goes quality go. next three men arrested for planning denmark's was serious gun attack have been charged over a terror plot earlier danish police released one of the five suspects and another one is to face hearings in sweden the suspects allegedly planned an attack on the office of a newspaper in copenhagen which printed cartoons of the prophet muhammad five years ago the drawing sparked outrage among muslims across the world officials say those arrested intended to kill as many people as possible in the paper's newsroom it is the latest in

a series of arrests throughout the year which have put european nations on high alert over the spread of islamic radicalism got piskun off points. over a year of investigations and a massive police raid in the end brought results twenty six people have been arrested in belgium germany the netherlands belgium dutch moroccans and churchill's all are suspected of recruiting so-called jihad is candidates and financing terrorist organizations right from the whole of europe police mission a success absolutely but is the battle over it's just a visible part of the iceberg it's hugh. there is a whole machine behind this redo on a ruse was born in belgium in a family of christians and converted to islam when he was plenty he says he did it on his own will because it simply provided the answers he couldn't find in other religions according to him islam teaches peace and tolerance but unfortunately due

to generally poor knowledge about it it can be used to teach the exact opposite. there are really extremely moms acting in europe and the problem is people who don't know erotic and don't understand the muslim philosophy they end up in the arms of busy moms who come from saudi arabia or egypt a former french intelligence officer claude when he can now has a company advising governments and corporations on health to deal with terrorism and extremism related threats based in brussels he claims the spread of islamic extremism is happening right in front of the authorities veiled from their attention by its privacy they will say you are not a good mystery and because you don't practice five times the price five times a day you are not a good mystery because you are drinking you are not a good muslim because your wife is not there and you are not a good mystery because you don't do nothing for your brother. in palestine in iraq and so on which oppressed and are killed it begins in the families it begins in the

quietest in the streets and in the must this is one of the immigrant quarters of brussels lawfully populated by muslims signs in arabic specialist shops and cafes and of course to be we were not one top european union official around a quarter of the local active working age population from eighteen to thirty is unemployed officially this figure is even higher which makes it prime ground for recruitment. the lack of education about islam and little work in many european muslim communities seem to have become the driving force behind the spread of extremist belgium's added to towards asylum on the most relaxed in the european you . the flow of newcomers is likely to continue and many experts believe less more effort is made to hope muslims integrate into a multicultural society the extremism threat will remain no matter how many arrests or meet you go to school of brussels. danish journalist and writer helen redbrick

spoke to her she says it's the politicians who have let the situation get out of control i think what has been a wrong is simply that very many politicians underestimate the interests of radical preachers speaking in mosques all over europe or in campuses at universities or of course spreading the message it's on the internet and when you have radical preachers doing this and not sort of petitions being aware of it then you have the situation that you have today a couple stories to tell about online tonight in our new look web site our team dot com that you might be interested in parts of the chernobyl nuclear disaster sites are being opened up to tourists as authorities say no longer poses a radioactive threat but a place you've found see visiting things good idea let us know you can put all the stories you see by hitting the comment but you see on our website by all the stories next to them also wiki leaks wasn't the first in the secret diplomatic

cables cryptome top all was published classified documents long before and we've told the web sites co-founder john young about his online spying his interview for you at our team dot com tonight. with winter holiday season in full swing it's buying presents that most russians these days but for many in the united states shopping is an all season addiction which thrives despite the faltering economy artie's honest to say a church could have met one man now who is fighting what he believes has become a religion. true. you should. stop.

her. but styles and new must have items of the fashion world changes fast as the seasons but one thing that never goes out of style in the us is shopping america is the birthplace of modern consumerism nowhere else in the world do people buy more than here with officially more shopping malls in the us than high schools if i didn't spend enough money on sunglasses i could probably save for college and things like bad very few actually admit to an addiction is a dora does exactly what. the. robbers waited twenty five things with a daily need for a new dose of jackets sweaters and skirts she considers herself

a shopaholic how many pairs of shoes do you have. so hundreds the urge to possess has taken over men to statistics say young men and women compulsively shop equally in the us nowadays i'm actually excited about expensive runs during the last couple of years i've spent i think of a one hundred thousand dollars a well while these numbers are simply unimaginable for millions of americans only a few are putting up a very loud fight against consumerism. reverend billy says a credit card exorcism on the entire nation is what can cure america fifteen million americans are addicted to shopping but many more americans than fifteen million shop too much state shape is mean life mission is to chase away. a the shopping devil by putting on acts in churches and shopping malls around the country the credit crunch the purpose of the exaggerations is to make americans see their flaws

. this plastic you spend too much money. a consumer. it's a church but controls us it's a fundamentalist church like the roman catholic church in the fourteen hundreds these desperate times normally accept my credit card limit every month could be calling for desperate measures like spells and exorcisms the things that letter in the way does all the appeal to you since more often than not in the us legally the majority of people have too much month left at the end of the money the average american is said to generate over fifty tons of garbage by the time they are a senior with millions buzzing around new york stores this holiday season it's hard to tell who is doing it responsibly and who is completely out of control because of shopping not considered a mental disorder there are dozens of there are people and clinics in the big apple for those who are willing to admit they have a problem or an indication of no lessons learned even after the big crash of

a recession and they see true can see. however just a few moments here tonight we reveal the secrets of staying strong in the siberia. pulling minibuses is the only way these weightlifters show their strength it can also find many other ways to flex some sign period not so clever if you can do it join our team closer to the city of sc to see what else people there are capable of and where power. more serious matters before that now though south korea has ramped up the rhetoric against its northern neighbor officially labeling it an enemy it comes as tensions in the region remain high following north korea's shelling of an island in response to war games on its border patrol officer lecturer in korean studies at the university of sydney he told us that it's part of the south's new approach to relations with the north. from north korean side it's

a very provocative hostile step from career which. is supplementing its. not just rhetoric but also military and logistical preparations for the invasion of north korea looks at that but for south koreans it's just a return to the original stance of the hostile anticommunist very heavy handed and very sort of. relations with north korea no concessions no cooperation no talks with south korea expects north korea to change north korea does not want to change and of course prepare is doing everything possible to avoid this change because it simply cannot sustain any economic or political change so resides on that of four north korean nerd agreements a survival south korea is doing everything possible to destabilize the situation either militarily or using to provide the traditional usual for the sunshine policy south korea is a security ally of the united states and united states is presence in the region

and states really wants to influence its control over the group and you through the united states are stationed for the station in the southern part of the korean peninsula china is next door from the korean peninsula and of course if the united states loses control or influence over korea korean peninsula north korea if it's a unified korea becomes a new dependent state well the certain interests of the united states' national interests might be jeopardized. couple of top will do stories in brief the former president of israel moshe katsav has been because of rain from could go to jail a three judge panel labeled his defense as quote riddled with lies in its ruling but it's not yet sentenced him women's rights groups who've long complained that israeli authorities struggle off sexual harassment workplaces welcome the very way he was found guilty of raping an employee as tourism minister and nine hundred ninety s. and other sexual offenses when head of state between two thousand and two thousand and seven. days of torrential rain of left eastern australia facing its worst

flooding in decades thousands of people have been evacuated from affected areas but many remote communities remain cut off by the high waters of the government's declared much of the northeast disaster zone and deployed army helicopters to assist with rescue efforts we are just a warning that even though rains have eased off a little runoff from higher areas could still lead to more flooding. with russia's new year holiday just around the corner of the capital seen the grand opening of its biggest ever ice rink it's called gorky city it's named after a ski resort near saatchi and that's enough space apparently on it for a thousand people at a time well the revives the vision of skating at an historic sport loved by some of russia's most famous writers and artists are very one of a bennett got to skate so on to check it out. new year in moscow really wouldn't be complete without a bit of ice skating so i've done the patriarchs call this historic place in the sense of the city's appalled by the sound and i stream by winter this is the first year they've actually opened an official ice rink here.

i. i. i. play just songs to play this place and also tell a story here over a hundred years ago there is ice skating and it's a famous place with muscovites. called bulldogs noble emotion all great so for this year's the first is actually made an official i think in the sense of go to this this is the law school up around the place. this is not unlike getting off the classes for the children. i might say like they're giving lessons. but i think the four flew over all believe in that video merry christmas you know how do you think it was. very festive and i

see a bit more of russia and i show a close up this time as we discover the hidden treasures tonight of siberia. in fact is going to be more local i'm not look at the map there we were no one of the largest regions in southwestern siberia as it is people there are no for the considerable strength and true siberian spirit and that's exactly we're told what makes the best hockey players in the country and then it also turns out it's not the only way they show some siberian muscle either. to find out more. and don'ts. goes wild the local hockey team album god puts another goal in the net they may look like other teams from around russia or in the world but they know their special their side there is. no us missing monies since we were little we've

practiced outside in the cold weather so a used to hard conditions it's woman in north america so we're the toughest players . and it's not just seasoned players enthusiasm for the test of courage and strength comes young. and. i like the way they play hockey the pillow fights the strikes and the opportunity to become a stone like. ice hockey isn't the only have kilian endevor attracting attention here how about the why don't know towing a minibus. but those boys even say bierria in winter with sleeper roads he's pretty hard. pulling many buses are the only way these why they have to show their strength they can also find many other ways to flex some siberian muscle. he regional local gym the team lifts bends and pulls anything they can lay their hands on for competitions across russia they also put on public shows to entertain

the crowds but then some extra money. but day in day out it's about heaving that little bit more. moon knight says it's different i just like it that's all i like wrestling against these pieces of equipment i like to achieve high results. the team only formed a few years ago so they haven't won any major titles yet but again the siberian spirit infuses them and they have a strong sense that special qualities. could possibly come historically people from siberia have been very strong and made great soldiers i think they greatly contributed to our victory in world war two conditions here make people learn how to survive he thinks the money strong indeed in fact you could hardly describe these lot as being in survival mode. if it looks lift

a ball or movable these guys will try and muscle it around me to tire moving. me some joined weights lifting. or perhaps even me. it's not a problem for the men with the muscles tom watson artie. going to say don't drop him next palestinian officials say well ask the un security council to approve a resolution condemning israeli settlements in the west bank while r.t. here is now from a human rights group which believes the world body is struggling to deal with israel.

with me i have the executive director of human watch a human white scoop based in switzerland mr miller thank you very much for joining us here on r.t. your group basically the united nations but why does the u.n. even need monitoring he would watch as a non-governmental organization whose mandate is to monitor the united nations according to the principles of its charter essentially to hold the un accountable and to measure it by the artistic of its own charter many israelis complain that israel does not get a fair deal or fair hearing by the united nations would you agree it's one of our issues that's important to us is fighting anti-semitism and also the discriminatory

treatment of israel the un's obsession with israel doesn't only harm israel it doesn't only harm the peace process but it harms the u.n. as a whole it prevents the u.n. from being effective for human rights victims who never get their day of international attention why is the u.n. to use your words. u.n. has been strong champion of the p.l.o. since the early one nine hundred seventy s. this was largely a function of the soviet union together with the arab states started a campaign to attack israel and hijack many un bodies so you have an enormous amount of the un's attention is a stance simply devoted to helping the palestinians. and have the palestinians been helped and the palestinians have not been helped and it was coffee and on himself the secretary general the united nations in his parting speech to the security council said what have all the special agenda items and special reports and special sessions on the palestinian situation ever done to help the palestinians and the

reality is very little if you look at the past thirty years of all the resolutions and at the un human rights council in geneva it's something like seventy five percent of all the resolutions are condemning israel a stance simply helping the palestinians the reality is the only thing they've done for the palestinians is encourage a sense that no matter what happens whatever mistakes they make whatever terrorism they may support the u.n. will always be there to encourage them make them believe that no matter what they will prevail and it's only encouraged the most extreme forces in the palestinian camp it has not helped the moderates so why has the u.n. failed to hope the palestinians in any meaningful way the u.n. is a large organization and has many agencies that do good work unfortunately a number of them are highly politicized in new york the general assembly is highly politicized the human rights council is the same they're mostly dominated by third world countries from asia and africa many of whom are not democracies and who have

their own agendas which have very little to do with human rights for example the dictator of libya murderous regime was elected to the human rights council that's that's a sad joke for the cause of human rights do you sense that the u.n. is in touch with what's going on here on the ground between israelis and palestinians which would you have really are two separate things and it's something that i've been able to see at the human rights council you have the real situation on the ground where you have israelis and palestinians that need help and they could have help of international interlocutors a bit and i did states the european union or other countries or the or the un which could. come in and help them and try to bring them together and bridge their differences you have a real situation with real problems what happens at the u.n. too often is something on a on a level that is almost mythological that is entirely divorced from reality and i saw that once a couple of years ago it was in the june two thousand and seven when hamas was

waging a bloody coup against v. against the palestinian authority and during that time it was a very nasty hamas was throwing people off of rooftops they were shooting people in hospital beds and all this was happening israel of course had already withdrawn in the unilateral withdrawal from gaza there were no israeli troops not a single one in gaza had no involvement whatsoever with this this conflict and in my earpiece listening what was happening in the un route plenary was they were attacking israel condemning israel for human rights violations so i think this this example captures what happens at the u.n. but there are real problems real people suffering but the u.n. is sort of locked into an automatic mode where all they're doing is condemning israel but despite what you've said at times they always seem to sense that all possed that support israel for example the resolution on the commemoration of the holocaust that was overwhelmingly passed with theory it could happen one day that israel would submit its candidacy and it would be elected the security council the

reality today is that the islamic states are so. opposed to anything that favors israel even in the most benign way that you would have almost fifty six states determined to oppose israel and many dictatorships at the u.n. automatically oppose israel countries like zimbabwe north korea and so forth vote with the islamic states in their campaign and so even if israel were to submit it's kind of see it's not clear that it would be elected do you still support the existence of the u.n. is it still relevant in our world today we believe the u.n. could be something else we believe that the u.n. has an indispensable role in this world there's there's no replacement for the u.n. if the u.n. didn't exist we would have to create it. and the when when it started in the early years it was very well respected by all countries. and its its mission was respected by israelis as it was by arabs but in.