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mikhail khodorkovsky is here by sentenced to fourteen years in prison and two of russia's most famous prisoner and former oil tycoon is convicted of the have to end the money laundering and get his sternum extended by six more. terror target three men are charged with planning a terror attack on the danish newspaper behind controversial cartoons of the prophet muhammad five years ago. you shout. from the holiday season brings america's credit card addiction into the spotlight as millions applauded the shopping malls across the country despite the nation's financial troubles.

news from russia on the around the world this is one see was may give their survival of thanks for joining us former oil tycoon mikhail khodorkovsky and his business partner platon lebedev have been convicted and sentenced to seven to fourteen years in prison for stealing hundreds of tons of oil and money laundering but men were approaching the end of their previous jail terms for tax evasion and fraud you know going to report. for days that's how long it took the judge to read the verdict six more years that's how long we feel one of course 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 which. is here by sentenced to fourteen years imprisonment the sentence will be served in the

correctional colony of a medium security prison in this second trial could just partner but believe it if i were convicted of stealing two hundred eighteen. million tonnes of oil worth twenty seven billion dollars from a subsidiary company out of course he was known as the very worst corporate governance abuse in russia i myself was that you question how the meeting where i had a power of attorney from one of the minority investors to attend was thrown out at gunpoint meeting went on to dilute the investor a man called 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 could have his fortune through what was then one of the world's largest non-state oil companies you close it began from the states so off in the one nine hundred ninety s. and became russia's fastest growing oil producer at that time in the business was

risky. 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 he 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 those those loopholes and them because he has maintained he's innocent of the fraud charges ever since his arrest in two thousand and three in the west many believe he was singled out for 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 are all humans and we feel compassion for people who. are behind the bars for a very long time here already eight years in prison and he has to spend many years

more the president can be smart he can be a particular he can be sold sport spoken but it doesn't mean that necessarily this is a sin or guilty and that might be crossed. the prosecutors had asked for at least six more years on top of his current sentence they got what they wanted but his lawyers say they'll appeal meaning we may not have heard the last of russia's trial of the decade it is. moscow. three men arrested for planning denmark's most serious have been charged over a terror plot danish police released while the five suspects and another one is to face hearing in sweden the suspects allegedly planned an attack on the office of a newspaper in copenhagen which printed cartoons of the prophet mohammad five years ago drawing sparked outrage among muslims across the world officials say those arrested intended to kill as many people as possible in the papers newsroom and it's the latest in a series of arrests throughout the year which have put european nations on high

alert have a spread of islamic radicalism has gone off. 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 churchills all are suspected of recruiting so-called jihadist candidates and financing terrorist organizations right from the heart of europe police mission a success absolutely but is the battle over it's just a visible part of the iceberg it's huge there is a whole machine behind this. was born in belgium in a family of christians and converted to islam when he was nineteen 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 extreme arms acting in europe and the problem is people who don't . understand the muslim philosophy they end up in the arms of busy moms who come. so the arabia egypt a former french intelligence officer claude money care now has a company advising governments and corporations on hell 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 vielka from their attention its privacy they will say you are not a good missed him because you don't practice five times the prior five times a day you are not a good muslim because you are drinking you are not a good muslim because your wife is not and you are not a good mystery because you don't do nothing for your brothers. in palestine in iraq and so on which oppressed and are killed it begins in the families it begins. in the streets in damascus this is one of the immigrant quarters of brussels populated

by muslims signs in arabic specialist shops and cafes and of course to believe 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 a little work in many european muslim communities seem to have become the driving force behind the spread of extremist belgium's to towards the most relaxed in the european union the flow of newcomers is likely to continue and many experts believe . it is need to hope muslims integrate into a multicultural society the extremism threat will remain no matter how many arrests or me you go to school of brussels. and danish analyst and writer helen merritt brick says politicians are failing to take action against radical. i think what has

gone turkey wrong is simply that very many politicians underestimate the influence 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 positions being aware of it then you have the situation that you have today coming up in just a few moments here and i'll see reveal the secrets of staying strong in siberia. pulling minibuses are the only way these what you have to show their strength they can also find many other ways to flex some siberian muscles so join on trees close up to win the city of almost deceive bortles people that take people out and where that power comes from. with the new year celebrations just hours

away it's last minute shopping that's occupying many russians but for many in the u.s. consumerism is an all season addiction wish to thrive despite the fortune economy the situation i met one man is fighting what he believes has become a really. truth. you should. stop. her. heart 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. that was 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 see 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 on clothes 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 stuff is mean life mission is to chase away. this 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 use of the splash trick. too much money consumer 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 by normally exit my credit card limit every mom could be calling for desperate measures like spells and exorcisms the things that no one knows will tell 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 and there are people and clinics in the big apple for those who are willing to admit they have a problem with an indication of no lessons learned even after the big crash of a recession and this is true can see new york. and online at all t. doc homayoon the website so you will be turned noble nuclear disaster sites are being opened up to tourists as authorities say no longer poses of radioactive threat. and the wiki leaks was not the first to leak secret diplomatic cables krypton talked tough all right and was publishing classified documents long

before he told the website's co-founder toned down the bottom line is plame thing to me is that the title. south korea has ramped up the rhetoric against its northern neighbor this year labeling it and then to me it comes as tensions in the region remain high following north korea's shelling of an island in response to walk games on its border and lenny betroth lecturer in korean studies at the university of sydney so that it's part of these starts a new approach to relations. from north korean side it's a very provocative hostile step from south korea 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 or talks to south korea expects north korea to change north korea does not want to change north korea's prepared is doing everything possible to avoid this change because it simply cannot sustain any economic or political change so resides on the four north korean regime it's a survival south korea's 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 when you throw united states aspasia station in the southern part of the korean peninsula china's next door from the korean peninsula and of course if the united states loses

control or influence over korea korean peninsula north korea if so unified korea becomes a new dependent state well the certain interests of the united states' national interests might be jeopardized. let's not check some world news and brief the president of the markets out has been convicted of rape and could go to jail a three judge panel labeled his defense as riddled with lies in its ruling but has not yet sentenced him women's rights groups have long complained that israeli authorities are sexual harassment at workplaces welcome to the bad act he was found guilty of raping an employee as tourism minister in the one nine hundred ninety s. and other sexual offenses the one head of state between two thousand and two thousand and seven. two people have been killed in a series of blasts targeting the christian minority in the iraqi capital baghdad forty eight others were wounded the worst of that time was came in the district of the city sounds of christians have fled to the north of the country since an

upsurge in violence in october. and days of torrential rain have left eastern australia facing its worst flooding in decades thousands of people have been evacuated from a back to the areas but many remote communities were made cut off by high water as the government has declared much of the north east the disaster zone deployed on the helicopters to assist with rescue efforts which will just so warm that evil rains have these dolls wrong all from the areas because to lead to more nothing. more from our close up series as we discover the hidden treasures of siberia. and the stars were enormous school one of the largest region of the south western siberia people here are known for their considerable strength and true siberian spirit that's exactly what makes them best hockey players in the country only turns

out it's small the only way they show some very muscle to boston. looky here. 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 they're. just as in my list since we were little we've practiced outside in the cold weather so a used to hot conditions it's women 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 store like. ice hockey isn't the only had kilian and dev attracting attention here how about the why don't know turning a minibus. of those boys even say bierria in winter with slippery roads it's pretty

hard. pulling many buses are the only way this is why you have to show their strength they can also find many other ways to flex some siberian muscle. here originally called 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 earn some extra money. but day in day out it's about heaving that little bit more. moon that 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 a major titles yet but again the siberian spirit infuses them and they have a strong sense of its special qualities. i stole it could possibly comes as

a 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 he a make people learn how to survive he thinks they might strong indeed in fact you could hardly describe these lot as being in survival mode. if it looks lift a bold move all these guys will try and muscle it around me to tire moving. me some giant weights lifting. or perhaps even me. it's not a problem for the men with the muscles. and with new year holiday is just around the corner hundreds of ice rinks have opened their doors for most of our lives all across the russian capital and one of them is in the pond made famous by vices and also i have about it.

new year in moscow really wouldn't be complete without a bit of ice skating so i've done the patriarch's palms historic place in the sense of the cities appalled by the song and i stream by winter this is the first year they've actually been official here. i. told you should play was nice enough to tell the story here over a hundred years ago there is ice skating and there's a famous place with musket balls that is called bulldog bulls noble them all from all groups so this year is the first that you made the fish. go to this this is your show up around the place. there's nothin like that in my house across is that

children. i'm honestly not going to give me lessons. but i think the four of blue i love i'll leave it that merry christmas to you how do you. put the official say they will last the u.n. security council to approve resolution condemning israeli settlements in the west bank next hears from a human rights group which brittney's the wall bought a struggling to deal with.

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 monitors 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 yardstick of its own charter many israelis complain that israel does not get a fair deal or a 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 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 hijacked many u.n. bodies so you have an enormous amount of the un's attention is a stand simply devoted to helping the palestinians and have the palestinians been helped and the palestinians have not been helped and it was coffee in on him self 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 if at the un human rights council in geneva it's something like seventy five percent of all the resolutions are condemning israel stand 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 un 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 u.n. 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 when 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 a 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 one 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 it's its mission was respected by israelis.