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at least three people been killed and over forty injured as a russian passenger plane with a row hundred on board fire taxiing for takeoff in western siberia. the world welcomed in the new year with over a million people venturing into a snowstorm to celebrate in the heart of the russian capital while the international space station crew sends a cosmic congratulations from high above. last the new year brings a new currency to estonia as the baltic state becomes the latest member of the euro zone but many think it's of course not the celebrating but for tightening belts.

a very warm welcome this is r.t. live from moscow with me alex had it at least three people have been killed a neighbor forty injured after a regional russian airliner caught fire and exploded at an airport in the western siberia and city. the latest developments first of all the incident happened around one moscow time in so good the plane was seconds away from takeoff it was ready to take off for more. one of the engines has caught fire and what happened afterwards actually was telling can chaos on. board among more than hundred passengers on board were members of one of russia's most famous pop groups and they have actually already spoken about what happened they were eyewitnesses of

course and they said that first black smoke filled the cabin sparks went flying everywhere people of course started targeting climbing literally over the heads of one another in order to get out of the passenger's cabin we were able to escape through only one exit so everyone was crawling on doing their stairs but some fell down and limped away we're now having to write down our belongings that burned in the plane to claim compensation authorities were of course very quick to evacuate the people after the vacation of the passengers was complete one of the fuel tanks has exploded in the plane has burned down now as i said more than hundred people on board at least three have been confirmed dead right now majority of hospitalized are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning but of course there also are suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning but of course there are also burns and all various sorts of other injuries at least four people are in very serious condition

including a small child who is in on life support right now for we understand a criminal investigation has been launched into the case there have been several versions of events of what could have happened one of the versions of what could have transpired in order for this horrific tragedy to happen on the first day of the new year is that something may have been caught into the engine off an airplane but that is just one of the probably many versions investigators are still working at the scene right now trying to determine what exactly happened of course there was also two you on fifty four which was carrying polish president kaczynski on board that plane crashed in april of last year but we have to distinguish between the various modifications of to you one fifty four the plane that was carrying the polish president was one of the newest models there was not a factor to unmask until two thousand and six. it was taken out of mass production afterwards but still some of those types of planes to you want fifty four m.

are still being produced so the plane that the polish president was on board it was a relatively new plane now this particular plane which weren't in so good earlier today is one of the older versions that was in production from one thousand nine hundred five it was at least twenty some years old so obviously some technical difficulties could have been the cause of this incident. now the wall tasted the new year with russia marking it nine times the celebrations began about of all spoke on the pacific coast. in the baltic sea. when millions to the streets to bid farewell to twenty ten with moscow traditionally at the center of the celebrations more exotic festivities took place in seoul than we do you mean in big city of salt sea where there is no snow but plenty of palm trees among the usual christmas variety but if you were lucky to have the most unique celebration on board the international space station tom barton shared it with. talk about

a prime seat the crew they are in a sense a watching not just one square city or even the country celebrates its new year they get to watch the whole planet spin into its next to some but here in mission control in moscow on a live link up i asked them just how they feel about it hello my name's tom barton from russia today television merry christmas and happy new year there are sixty. six billion of us down here what is your message. happy new year we wish everyone good health love happiness success in all their new beginnings and plenty of rewarding achievement in the upcoming year it was also a chance for others to send a cosmic congratulations for the frost was here greeting the cosmonauts children and praising their orbiting relatives but as much as the kids wanted to see the joy

read man their warmest words were saved the loved ones in space. hello daddy i love you so much you are the best dad in the world happy new year. the crew that i assess are the only ones to spend new year in splendid isolation in moscow those participating in the simulated trip to mars and back over five hundred days have already been in their modules for seven months. we would like to hug everybody to shake hands even to kiss and people if they ask but it won't be soon because we have a year of hard work ahead. the i.s.o.'s crew are spending new year in about the most exotic location possible and they also have the unique advantage of being able to share the strikes of midnight repeatedly. we have a chance to celebrate the new year several times we send our wishes to different control centers we start in the east and finish with houston we can celebrate all day but after the partying is over they'll still be watching over the planet. will

remain in space for quite a while after the new year suffice to say that today's little chat provided a human touch to an otherwise very technical life. to lead. playing out with a fire policy investigates how some revel in love of seeing the new year in with a bang might lead to tragic consequences. and the demise of india's golden spines find out what's threatening the payment saffron crowd and how local farmers and straw. going to preserve a few minutes time here on our side. now people in the stone you have not only seen in twenty eleven but also a new currency but baltic states become at the seventeenth member of the euro zone but while officials celebrate historians fear the single currency will make their

poor living standards even worse exam a boy who reports. chatting about the bad and the worse these to france italy will sions apart irina and her native the store near here are learned but they have one concern on their minds how to make it in this tough economic times march according to rena the definitions of hardship couldn't be more different if irish people had a chance to experience what life is like here in the stonier i think there would have been no rallies in dublin they simply don't appreciate what they have if you are on welfare when dystonia you simply can't make ends meet the gap in living standards within the european union is huge but it may get even bigger studio now has to contribute eight hundred million euros to the e.u. solidarity fund that will be partially used to mundine our lands lavish social programs and only three the arrangement will keep reach countries reacher and their

poorer members who are. fair to us tell me. this contributions. because. sixty three percent of. you know. something one hundred twenty or even more when a storm you join the european union in two thousand and four most of its residents some of the membership is their ticket to perspire ichy the country drastically cut social spending to. requirements a move that provoked little public discontent to means just tighten their belts and according to the country's finance minister they're ready to do it again this time to lead the irish continue wearing their cloth loose. to avoid obligation if you're. taken to the club with your summary fleer and inviting smile

this group has become a boost to child force twenty years inclusion into the euro zone but the reality of this move is proving far less alluring the average unemployment benefit in our loan is eight hundred euro's that's what joblessness thornier would get in the year and about policy makers are trying to portray this issue as a matter of solidarity in the european union some historians see it as a sign of discord in living standards of inequality ensuring the hardship of the work of art the tallinn estonia where you can always find more stories online at www dot com including stripping down the old american school and turning it into a strip club find out who wants to swap textbooks for pole dancing. find out why time's earrings are a must have a new year feast in russia and how the young republicans are proud the amount it is

to bring the citrus gold to festive table. russians are big on new year's celebrations but it doesn't always and p.s. fireworks have become something of a seasonal tradition but treating burns has become a seasonal sure hospitals as you can all get up in that explains cheap sub standard . need to have a record. two decades after consumer fireworks were first imported into russia they have become an essential part of the festive tradition this holiday season russians will be setting off nearly one hundred million dollars worth of fireworks in their backyards and many of them will

end up here in the burns unit but on the huge problem is that many of these fireworks do not work as advertised for example a firework doesn't quite ignite when it's meant to people pick it up and then it explodes burns damage blown off fingers we get it all here authorities say there isn't enough control over the quality of the fireworks which can be sold anywhere by anyone most don't find out they've bought at the fictive firework until it's too late the. really aren't. the pavers that the popular moscow store. with their colorful packaging these chinese made imports are aimed at casual part technics enthusiastic prices are dirt cheap less than ten dollars for an entire display i buy a few for testing by professionals. most of the do not comply with the russian legislation for example look at this parachute it's meant to go up st. it might

seem trivial but. in the wrong direction in hits you. authorities admit drug imports do get through but then says that it's up to people to at least try to buy from licensed suppliers still although some of the injuries will be from misuse of defective fireworks hospitals in moscow alone expect to receive around one hundred patients these holidays but all hope to avoid large scale mishaps emerge the firework induced fire in the lame horse nightclub just over a year ago that killed more than one hundred fifty people. well i've created a new worse warning. i'm enjoying the christmas spirit probably with some good quality fireworks. artsy moscow. and next hour the must go around team will take you on a tour of holiday hotspots from the us the capital here's a quick preview. moving on the moscow arts we were filming some incredible places

in it for instance and let's take a look at some of our favorite. place to enjoy high rate strings in the capital is the city space lounge located inside moscow switzer tell you it's most amazing views of the city the cultural menu the venue is impressive and you can also try special tricks each month created i guess the bomb and the world mix of. international experience of cocktail making and introduce the famous drink beer cheers. now rich aroma of sound from. an indian kashmir but as it turns out farmers are struggling to preserve the costliest in the world there's heavy industries and poor occasion facilities damaged crops charan singh explaining. saffron is

a spice synonymous with meat costing four thousand u.s. dollars a kilogram this prized ingredient is used in medicine and south asian cuisine. but the saffron farmers in. unhappy lot with their yield half what it was a decade ago they blamed a dozen cement factories that have been set up nearby. these factories don't use pollution control devices you can see them spewing out dust twenty four hours a day we are working hard to keep our fields for to increase the eels but the government doesn't take any action against the cement plant. the fall out is that every year sees less snow fall than the last affecting the crop many farmers see they're even thinking of selling their land the biggest problem is the adulteration asafa keep big brands of saffron sell briskly here on the streets or three know that and it is virtually impossible for you and me to distinguish between these and

the real thing this has dented saffron's image and resulted in a drop in prices the availability of cheaper saffron from iran and spain has added to the problem with credibility at stake traitors like. now refused to stock saffron. w. when one cannot be sure the quality why should a stalker hope that he can guarantee whether it's genuine so there isn't much demand if the government is ready authentic eight what is to mean suffering then i will stop it. but there are those who still swear by saffron houseboat on herbal she had done to her saffron every morning especially in winter. or from to milk who have been raised issues because it's very good for one's health in this cold weather that it helps reduce congestion in my back it also goes away that will bring some cheer to the saffron farmers who face

a second year of plummeting prices the government had pledged eighty million dollars six months ago to improve facilities but the farmers are yet to see any action do they do this cash crop could well continue its slow decline cut and seeing our t. bump or. and now for a brief look at the first major headlines of twenty eleven and at least twenty one people think killed and over seventy injured after a car bomb exploded outside a church in egypt the service has just ended and worshippers were leaving the building when the blast went off in the aftermath of the attack angry christians attacked police in the store nearby mosque sparking a clash with muslims no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack but some officials of the finger at al qaeda. do load also has been sworn in as brazil's first ever female president this exceed three role to exert

over the reins from litter the silver forward as his successor she comes to the helm at a time a sustained politically knew you could not make growth for the country and inaugural speech reserve call for the eradication of poverty and a great education and development. some forty in make that a low security prison in the u.k. began the new year by setting fire to the facility one hundred specialist police officers were called in to deal with the prisoners after they began to smash windows as the clock struck midnight the right broke out after the inmates refused to take alcohol breathalyzer tests the lack of security at open prisons in the u.k. has long been controversial and debate recently intensified after five convicted killers were found to be wandering in an atmosphere jail while serving their time in a park in moscow is offering a special holiday treat to children in the city a visit to father frost out the russian fans applause he and his granddaughter come

to their moscow residence for christmas and new year but as thomas discovered it's not all smiles in the winter wonderland. the snow maiden are true icons of the russian new year spreading the joy throughout the holiday season while their official address is. they have a seasonal state of the art home in the outskirts of moscow as well i believe that this place is of great importance for all parents and children then they can feel their real fairytale here at the moscow site kids can play around the new year's tree heart to heart talk to the main characters and even send a letter to dead motorists through the village post office through it all the children here can become a part of his magical world. would seem like into his bedroom and his dining hall and his guest room but aside from the fantasy of it all there is also a practical side to the village. helpers are part of a special college intern program some of them it's all about the smile you know

it's a joy to see a child smile we also learned how to make children believe our tale it is said that the land of the buildings in all of these that roshan's cost around thirty three and a half million dollars but it's not just for show the organizers say it's so that the people here can know the true meaning of the new year. high hopes hopes that we will accomplish more next year than we did this year hopes that we do more and correct the mistakes other people make politicians for instance we magicians have to correct the mistakes they make. but life in the village isn't one long fairy tale there are some grumblings the magic kingdom is costing too much and the money could have been better spent helping children directly despite that the city of moscow is pressing forward with plans to expand the project further in the coming years a move that is sure to continue to make the children who come here smile moment want it the new year as a holiday when children's wishes come true it's

a very fun holiday children get presents what i knocked about from the frost has is that it was magical i really did not did when we joined hands in a circle inside the house and made our wishes and then bubbles fell on us. and which was a bubbles of faith that the new year will be bright. mosco . and if you want more magic in your life don't go away isn't just a few moments he will be talking or they need to follow the frost the. scenes in movies and with the disney they stayed with us for.

thank you very much for this interview thank you very much for the invitation now more and more russian films take part in an international film festival so sexually mean that movies are becoming a full fledged business in russia all this new company came few years ago the russian market and since then the whole movie industry in russia picked up and now russian box office is one of the leading in the world for a lot of disney movies so i think with a lot of comfort i can say that. this is the really important and very fast growing

market in russia one of the most important trends which i would really like to specify during the last few years the amount of products that will be produced in russia for the russian audience tripled if you will get into products that will sell in russia for the russian audience most of them in russia are on the russian industrial enterprises for european main russian companies need to catch up with a standard itself their western production companies i would say catching up maybe not exactly the right word. in russia there is amazing story telling and for. russia for the country would like to get inspiration from the russian stories and make movies based on the russian heritage and culture but use some of the heritage that we have in the world this new company and tell them some how we tell stories how the characters develop and always have the happy ending of

the race that's really interesting to us actually of. a stable hollywood tradition here in russia or just a russian audience needs to be felt like a very specific context that it's used to strongly believe that russian audience has very distant tastes definitely a lot of our big blockbusters work in russia and russian audiences love. their love alice in wonderland but at the same time there are a lot of stories that can be told specifically for the russian audience and we believe without fairy tales that we started with masters we tapped into something that was not done in russia for a long time it's the quality family entertainment and family stories which we see can travel around the world because with book of masters we've got nine prizes in various field festivals around the world what we see i mean traditional russian stories can also travel just beyond the russian audience even though the book of masters was created for the russian origin specifically so what does this need to

do with its digital content what do you deal with it digital content and digitalization is one of the very important strategies for us in russian more and more content is being. used and distributed in digital form and one of the exciting tendencies that we see is that more content that we create in russia now travel abroad for example mobile games casual games and digital games after the success of avatar hollywood companies including this may have started to take advantage of the three d. format when you think there were companies will. to use this format to its full potential as we see right now some of the russian companies started producing three d. movies and we hope that in the near future there will be very successful examples of that most of the recent releases of war converged movies so now we're waiting for

a really true three d. movie when it would be short as a three d. movie because the production process requires very different cameras equipment post-production process that d.v.d.'s is one of the sources of your income's piracy is a huge problem in russia one of the annual losses for this name for your unit have to stay here in russia and how do you fight it how do you protect your intellectual property piracy is definitely a big issue for disney not only in russia but in a lot of countries what we see recently that people tried to buy quality content and then used to buying d.v.d.'s in retail we also developed a lot of programs for various price points and work with a lot of retail partners to make sure that we get a quality legal product to the audiences for very different price points and what we see our d.v.d. sales and brewery growing really really fast even though we know that now the market is changing and blu ray and digital distribution is really around the corner

but still a lot of families buy d.v.d.'s they want to watch movies together they buy it for their kids so would you say their losses in piracy are aren't considerable in numbers we don't really calculate that so we do calculate how much our revenues are growing and what we see especially recently that the pirated market might be decreasing because we sell more and more d.v.d.'s again not only very expensive ones but for a mess audience and do we believe that the piracy market is decreasing so many foreign competition actually say that's very difficult to make business in russia and they're citing corruption and bureaucracy as. main stumbling points would you say that the unit or your unit of the local corporation speccing may be same problems here all this new company. in two thousand and six. at that time there was nobody and we were able to build a very strong business and we're leaders in a lot of segments.