all shop who they damage the ground. bad choices in crop planting intense cattle pasturing and unfavorable weather conditions of all brought about an ecological catastrophe these dilly winds that blow over county contributed to the disaster they carry solid particles of dust and salt from the drying arabs see vast lush pastures have been all that robbed of their moisture. alexanders clad remembers all too well how it started thirty years ago. there was a master plan of countering desert invasion was put together. when an emergency state was introduced in the republic almost all farmers schoolchildren and students were involved in seed collection and subsequent sowing works in the region. the results achieved proved that it was possible not only to stop does it invasion but also to bring life back but. that it'll take fifteen to twenty years for this land

to become step again. we should remember that it's impossible to revive step in its original form on the open sea. the water our goal is not only to reinforce the sandy soil but also to create quality pastures that will foster the development of cattle breeding in kalmykia where. it's a tough task selecting which plants are fit for life in the desert and those that can help turn the desert back into step in the bush is was selected by way of trial and error which. was one of the first scientists who proved which plants are most likely to survive here. this is a killing them root one of the bushes planted to study the. it would be the roots can grow fifteen to twenty meters deep fifteen yet no one and it's a very convenient plant to use because it grows in the sand and doesn't require watering

by the. when you get in the world you know scientists recommend planting cuttings of killing you know much the same way grapes are planted. on what we were hesitant at first but it turns out that it grows well after all even on certain people can't help wondering they tell us what's the use of planting sticks but after three months the sticks start to blossom. today residents of the county village of pecans kate will start another round combating the desert we'll have is an old tractor with soviet era of quick mint attached to fight the invading sands the new agricultural technique of planting cuttings with just the working team is composed of three people two technicians who plant the cuttings and an assistant to stamps on the ground around the plants to make it flat one planting machine can cover up to twelve hectares of sand in

a single shift it is hard work especially considering temperatures often reach forty five degrees celsius one hundred thirteen fahrenheit in the shade in the first year the young plants will shoot out a strong and lengthy root system then every bush gradually gains a territory of about thirty square metres all to itself when the sand invasion is stopped the spaces between the bush rows will be filled with grass this is how a former desert is going to become a pasture. there is a great variety of deserts and some of them instead of being a hindrance can be a natural wonder six thousand kilometers east of moscow in the foothills of the kadar ridge behind lake baikal lies the chara desert it is a unique place siberia. tourists from all over russia visit there even though it's hard to reach the desert is surrounded by rivers and marshes every

july it hosts a festival the real. and things yes stay away from the proper roads for the trip to the festival location is an adventure in itself some travel across tighe on rivers and trucked off road vehicles others had through the marshes on foot one group of thrill seekers full by force has chosen an especially difficult route. dimitri balaban of the shy program from kazakhstan is the focus of attention his car is completely unfit for off road exploits yet he has travelled four thousand kilometers to join the band of adventurous. at u.b.s. i was of course i'd never dared to go to such a place on my own. but going with a group is a different thing. besides the experience guys took a look at the route beforehand and said we should be able to make a point but probably. dimitri ran into problems as soon as the cars left the

highway and the next five hours were very hard however his fellow travellers tell him it's the only way a rally across tigar is a real test but for the driver and for the vehicle. adrenalin is pumping the car is stuck the wheels are spinning and the terrain is getting more and more difficult now the participants will all experience the fun ships of traveling off road through the siberian tiger the crews will help each other out if not many of these cars will end up abandoned in the swamps forever by the time the convoy rives it is already late but the drivers for go exhaustion and start repairing their vehicles right away are the good without the news no i probably wouldn't want to come every year because you need some time off but the

most of those it's a very intense kind of experience because you. early in the morning while the campus's sleep is son of an experienced hiker well acquainted with the area sets off into the sands his task is to check how safe the route is before the new arrivals hit the road to explore the charred desert the short cut to the desert goes through a marshland and a pine forest we're going to explain landing in charge of flies over the desert. with the passengers are always but will do to actually see sanjay and hear. that legend has it that want there were two brothers who are younger. and older both were princes and they lived in peace and harmony really never was me until they came upon a treasure trove of gold they proceeded to divide it mostly but they could never come up with their hogs one always ended up shorter than the other and this led to fighting and civil war the gods were greatly displeased with it and turned one

prince into the kadar ridge and the other into the old become rich while the gold they were fighting over became a stretch of sand between them and the first groups of tourists are approaching the charas sands. each person has to improvise a way of walking over the difficult terrain where the tiger ends and the desert starts to walk ahead of them is fascinating yet tiring the key to success here is to ignore the burning sun and insect bites of the taiga. there is no complete explanation as to the deserts origin one theory is that it was produced by centuries of winds eroding the sediment of an ancient lake. the lake dried out about fifteen thousand years ago and its form of bed was walked on by packs of mammoths and woolly rhinoceros tusks keep turning up in the area to this day. landscape is a breathtaking combination of north and south brought together as if by magic.

there is no other desert like it anywhere else in the world these fabulous sights completed by the impressive skyline of the kadar mountain range the chara desert itself is quite small but just over fifty square kilometers. some members of the talkers who post stayed behind in the count there completing preparations for the relay competition on the festival's program it's going to be tough with over fifty experienced hiker's after the trophy. so that if i'm actually our goal in coming here was not to take some wild rides in off road vehicles or like bonfires balls that are both of the quite the opposite. we were trying to appreciate the beauty of the desert as it is and we'd like to make sure it stays this way for times to come . some countries a desert is considered disaster just the char is a place for us to get together and have a good time in

a friendly atmosphere. just like today's festival we were usually going to be in. the relay competition route is set a few kilometers away from the desert the chara desert itself is a protected nature reserves and visitors only allowed on foot this is no place to host a competition but the protection of the law and the deterrent provided by the sounds themselves make sure that this one of a kind natural treasure remains in its original state. in the evening visitors are treated to one last one and the sun setting over a quiet lake lights up low clouds and fog on the horizon creating an unforgettable beautiful picture. once the sun has set everyone gathers at a large meadow by the lake it is time for the awards ceremony and singing songs by the fire all just for listening to the music of the night forest by the slumbering

siberian desert.

partings around damascus russia proposes to host peace talks in moscow between the syrian government and the opposition. could stop supplying oil. sanctions against its nuclear program which is currently undergoing a un inspection. broken piece of glass is not the broken heads that the police are inflicting on the. heavy handed police response to protests in california echoed across the atlantic. also accused of excessive use of force. leaders meet in brussels for their first summit this year against the symbolic backdrop of protests and

a general strike in. international news and comment live from moscow this is. syria is staring at the real possibility of deadly violence taking hold of the very center of the nation's capital rebel fighters have been locked in intensive battles with government forces in the suburbs surrounding damascus and an invitation from russia to host peace talks between syria's authorities and the opposition has been accepted by the assad government. has the latest from damascus. but we've seen the situation escalating dramatically over the past couple of days now over the weekend the suburbs were embroiled in a heavy clashes between the two sides in fact in damascus people were waking up

yesterday to the sounds of gunfire and shelling in those areas very very alarming indeed some of the reports that were coming from those areas and certainly the response from the government to the free syrian army taking control of some of those suburbs has been a strong well we've had reports of tanks going into those areas and the death toll on both sides extremely high as well and of course this comes on the back of the arab league monitoring mission saying that they had halted that mission and for the time being those of the remaining observers that are here in the country they hadn't really seemed to recover from that decision last week of the gulf states to withdraw their monitors well it's hard to say really exactly what the future of the mission now is there's a little bit of a sense that it's dead in the water now what we saw at the end of the month of course as they presented their reports i was interesting is the details of that has

made note of abuses on both sides that was what had been mentioned and on the back of that it was then discussed possibly increasing the numbers on the ground and making the mission stronger as well instead of the happening what we saw was the decision for the goal say to withdraw them all this is not today russia's foreign ministry has said that it has put forward the offer of using moscow as a place to hold a reconciliation talks between the two sides pursuing some sort of resolution the situation through dialogue again because what we've seen with the arab league decision to go to the u.n. the fears are that there's a real close now international and variance the international involvement adding possibly we could see the conflict get even more violent even more militarized and that's not what. anyone wants to see if he said the last few days have been an escalating situation. political analyst from jordan dr his sham gussy believes that

some of syria's opposition groups are opposed to negotiation largely because of their foreign support. we have many oppositions as you know now the internal opposition i'm sure that they would ultimately welcome such an opportunity to open talks with the regime. the rest of the opposition especially those stationed outside syria i think they they would reject. not only day but those who back many of the opposition groups outside syria supported by gulf states or by turkey or by by western companies have two political reasons for. feeding the complication in syria i think they don't want that they're not interested in the form nor are they interested in democracy or freedom all they're interested in is to disturb the situation to weaken the iranian syrian lebanese alliance

i think that's what they're aiming at and i think that what they're aiming at is some sort of a new middle east that suits their purposes. still ahead for you on r.t. just over a month before russia's presidential vote. prime minister vladimir putin. painting himself as the presidential candidate for widespread economic reform. the occupy movement spills on to the streets of london with police accused of going over the top during a crackdown on protesters. their stories start a company first but first iran has vowed to halt oil exports to some e.u. countries for up to fifteen years despite its parliament despoiling a debate on a complete ban on crude supplies to europe it would be in retaliation to the e.u. imposed embargo on iranian oil due to come into full effect this summer russia's foreign minister says tehran stretch shows how you know natural sanctions can often backfire. to. russia has firmly held the opinion that in most cases

sanctions are not only ineffective but also counterproductive to the current situation yet again confirms the old law to every action there is an equal reaction iran's announcement was made in response to be european union's decision to ban the purchasing of iranian oil by even member states. we want to ron's nuclear program which is the target of e.u. sanctions is being scrutinized by u.n. inspectors to run as often i.a.e.a. officials the chance to extend their mission and said it was ready to answer any question to prove its atomic ambitions peaceful but some experts suggest the only report western states wants to see is one that justifies a military buildup in the region. is made up of inspectors they don't necessarily control politically but i think what the united states walls is some kind of a state but you know which then you balance on

a balanced way to sort of lead to the next stage i think what we are witnessing here is is a build up cause of military call for a generation we have a massive reply was of u.s. military hardware troops going into israel to be stationed in israel all troops going to wait. you know naval. naval forces in the. ocean go all of those i well i would describe as by the actual war the issue of nuclear weapons. weapons is a red herring but it is a red herring which could well be that aria. and later in the program we explore why some u.s. politicians are banging those drums for war louder and louder. and how calls to attack iran become calls to attack the american president himself to protect the interests of

a different country. the ongoing western attempts to call iran and iran's response of the topics up for debate to peter lavelle's cross talk now that's coming up in the next here on r.t. but in the meantime here's a quick taste of what lies ahead in the program. wants to bring the hidden even out of a well by doing something spectacularly destructive to enemies of islam and this is what motivates him right this guy it's not like the old soviet leadership who for all their misdeeds were at least atheist so they believe that a nuclear war and death was an end in failure and many thinks dying in a nuclear war for allah will get him to paradise what incentive do you have to bring to bear on him what carrot can you offer him to compare with that so you have to be prepared to stop his military efforts and he says i'm going to i don't know any sense doesn't it and you can involve why don't you marry him who is the only one who wants to wipe out israel which is what for a country that has a taboo only now we only drop to the most powerful nation this kind of rhetoric

this kind of rhetoric is not good for israel israel is a very strong country and it doesn't need this bibi netanyahu you know that is kind of information and rhetoric to get reelected he being here is a need now that people in you know want to get out then like you are going to get i'm sorry could you repeat this interesting to me. heated debate in cross talk a little later here. after surveying the damage from saturday's occupy protests in oakland california the mayor wants to kick activists out of the city the latest ronnie ended with police firing tear gas and flash bombs meanwhile in washington the national park service is given activists until noon today for a move to a point too. demonstrators are planned a peaceful protest in response so if lowndes for international action center told me that she believes the occupy movement continues to attract followers. it's very much achieving its goals in terms of waking up the youth in the us waking up

working people in the us to the reality the reality that poor and working people are losing more and more and that one percent actually one thousands of one percent is gaining enormous new wealth so that they are very successful in drawing attention to that again and again the media tries to bait this occupy movement as being violent the violence has come from the police and a broken piece of glass is not the broken heads that the police are inflicting on the occupy movement and that movement is very determined to continue and to find new tactics because asians of excessive force by police in the u.s. have been well documented since the occupy movement began more than five months ago and there's proof on our website you know washington seemingly innocent protesters corralled by police and tasered dozens of. this video and many others all.

by you tube channel alerts youtube dot com slash. police in london have also been accused of excessive force in the rivets to clear out occupy demonstrators protesters stood together last night as officers looked to take over their camps obviously or smith has more on the london based battle between occupiers and officers. what we've seen in the last twenty four hours is the first eviction of the occupy movement from a building that they were calling the bank of ideas it was a building that is owned by u.b.s. the bank and it was evicted by a group of bayless anyone who's been up a bit against a bailiff in this country would call them hired thugs basically and what you see on the video that we're showing now is a bailiff essentially driving into a group of protesters watched on by the police basically he allegedly before this

incident took place punched a photographer in the face the police apparently did nothing apart from briefly confiscate the keys of the car keys of the bailiffs in question they then gave back his car keys according to the occupy movement and then cleared the way for him to leave the scene so far they've received absolutely no response from the police to this incident to talk. on the remember you can always find more news comment and analysis on our web site is all to dot com all the time as for a quick look and see what's there right now secrets unlocked british intelligence has been ordered to declassify documents related to x. f.s.b. officer alexander litvinenko died of radioactive poisoning in london five years ago you can find out more on that online plus. the biggest drug in the world has crashed and exploded in israel during a test flight discover the cause of the accident but all three don't come.

the e.u. leaders may have gathered in brussels for talks on boosting growth and creating jobs but there's an elephant in the room that's hard to escape athens is still on the verge of bankruptcy as it struggles to agree a debt reduction deal and they're adults the country is even able to control its finances our correspondent cilia has more now from brussels. they're supposed to talk more about the fiscal compact they had agreed upon at the last e.u. summit as well as push for the e.s.m. european stability mechanism which is the permanent bailout fund we will put in place now in june instead of july these are the official informal topics but greece is still hanging over their heads especially since there have been war of words between greece and germany with the germans are calling for moving taxing and

spending power over to brussels and the german finance minister saying that the europeans are willing to support greece as long as greece actually implements the decisions instead of just talking about it all the greeks had responded to that with a lot of still be saying that this is definitely out of the question especially since this is a matter of national sovereignty and one former economist who's now the greek education minister had actually called it quote unquote a product of a sick imagination so you can you can tell that the greeks are definitely upset with the german suggestion now why did the chairman suggested this is because of that ongoing talks between the greeks and their creditors it's still dragging it's been stalling for some time now the greeks need to strike a deal with the private sector and their creditors asking the banks for example to write down some of the greek back to take some losses about fifty to sixty percent of losses and this is in order for greece to get the second tranche of its bailout which it needs to pay some debts in march because if they don't they will

technically default belgium is on a general strike a lot of walking and cycling today because all the metros down no buses and one of the airports is also closed the unions are protesting against the government cutting their benefits slashing retirement age and also raising the retirement age rather so they're complaining that the workers are bearing the brunt and the enterprises are not getting here at. mentioned and to push through these so-called fiscal union to toughen budget rules and punish those who don't to be pulled off a member of the european parliament has told me that the direction in which the is moving is on democratic. they're trying to put a lot of pressure on greece and this idea that the germans have that you can almost a budget commissioner nathanson who will oversee their budgets set taxes is quite frankly an affront to the markets a guild of democracy in the world and if i was in athens of the moment i'd be out on the streets demonstrating as well the scary thing here that you have is once you

start thinking with democracy and trying to change things i think you're on a very slippery slope in these and what's happening at the moment over here is that the e.u. is really showing its teeth that showing what it's all about it doesn't want to listen to the people what they're doing at the moment in the building behind me is they're talking about an intergovernmental agreement and this will go into primary e.u. law through secondary legislation which means that the people can be bypassed there will be referendums across the continent particularly in ireland where there should be a referendum on this and what will happen is they will bypass the people and it will go straight into review and they will get exactly what they want and it is a complete affront to marcus it only got to get worse i mean at the moment they are burning german flags on the streets of athens i predict it will be roll next and then there's been you never know it could be top loaders well the tensions between the countries and particularly between the north of europe and the south of europe is only going to get greater and what you've got is you've got protests in the south and what we're seeing in the north is a political revolution where new parties are springing or and euro skeptic parties are getting better results than ever before. a look now at some other major news

stories across the world and we start in. the star's was a terrorist organization is suspected of attacking a police station in the northern city of qana on the open fire and threw explosives killing two civilians in the assault over the weekend the organization distributed leaflets around the city warning residents of more attacks on security services ten days ago boko haram carried out multiple blasts in kernel which left almost two hundred dead. in the blank bangladeshi capital dhaka the head of the opposition and thousands of her supporters staged a demonstration calling for early elections next poll is not due for two years and other anti-government rallies across the country turned violent with three people killed in clashes between protesters and security forces activists also say over a thousand demonstrators were detained. a car pileup on a florida highway has left ten people dead and a dozen.