aerial strikes with some allegedly targeting pakistani civilians and funeral services chris woods senior reporter the bureau of investigative journalism thinks it won't be long until the legality of these strikes is tried in court the does seem to be an indication there that these drone strikes are happening despite what pakistan wants not because of what pakistan wants because of causing huge problems within pakistan we are showing and others of that civilians are being killed in these attacks there is an issue with the united states about the strategic achievement of these drones versus the military achievement they may be killing militants but the long term consequences i suspect for the united states could be really problematic here no united states court has ever looked at the legality of these drone strikes and there's a reason for that every time a case has been brought in the united states that is attempted to look at what that these strikes are legal or not the united states is claiming something called state secrets privilege that that's where they say actually this is

a covert operation and we can't discuss it we can neither confirm nor deny that this operation even exists really does need to be an accounting here and an examination by the u.s. courts about the legality of these drone strikes at that time i suspect is coming quite close given the pressure in the u.s. right now. nearly twenty minutes past the hour here in moscow this is r t european leaders are nervously looking to greece as it keeps delaying the decision on a new austerity package athens needs to accept another painful set of cost cutting measures to get a second cash lifeline from its international creditors greece has until march to secure the funding or face default it already agreed to cut fifteen thousand jobs a move that met with fierce resistance from the greek people thousands gathered in front of the parliament building on choose dates of protest the layoffs investment adviser patrick young says hopes for a positive outcome a fading fast even in brussels. this is truly finally the brink we are on the

cusp of the great eurostar and of the troika are the group of people the world by the european union people they're all at the point where they know there is total exasperate in the rest of the world as to why they should be paying for a greek economy and the greek state that is totally completely and utterly bankrupt has been completely and utterly mismanaged for decades and ultimately tragically the greek people themselves are going to end up suffering as they already are the problem is that all went wrong because a group of rather well rather hands in the sky kind of dreaming pie eyed individuals saw that there could be one single europe and they rushed to compress everybody into a single currency and ultimately none of the countries were actually remotely compatible economically in order to make that giant leap that's where it's going wrong and this is a tragedy for europe and the european union. or before we get to katie in the business i search out some other international news for you in brief in the r.t.

world update them all deaves in new president has called for a unity government to be formed a day after the previous owner stepped down the ousting of mohamed nasheed was triggered by a police mutiny and popular protest over his controversial decision to arrest a top judge of the new her. the state has pledged to protect not shoot from retribution but added he would not need he would not interfere rather with any police or court action against his predecessor. a man has been pulled from the devery of a factory in eastern pakistan two days after it collapsed the number of the dead in the incident currently stands at eighteen with most of the victims women and children the building was reportedly destroyed when several gas cylinders exploded the factory was set up illegally but continue to operate even though with ortiz had to close it down three times. argentina's president cristina fernandez has to lodge a formal complaint with the un security council accusing britain of militarizing

the falkland islands the u.k. has sent a navy destroyer to patrol the south atlantic aki publico it's thought a nuclear submarine is about to be deployed there as well tensions have been high in the run up to the thirtieth anniversary of the deadly one nine hundred eighty two conflict over the disputed territory of the falkland islands. well caught in a cold snap eastern europe is suffering severe weather conditions as ukraine is smothered with snow it's enduring its harshest winter in recent history a bitter subzero temperatures have claimed more than one hundred lives in the last week alone in artie's alexy going to show scale. when the thermometer hit minus twenty seven degrees celsius last week got very frightened homeless and with a child to care for she feared they would both freeze to death until she found a public eating center in a key of park look at the school is

a clearly schools were closed because of the trees and i had no way to take my eyes out it i was scared at first when to train station to get but we were kicked out we found this heated tent but there were many ukrainians who were not so lucky at least one hundred thirty five people are reported to have died because of freeze related injuries within only a week several thousand were hospitalized and have been on high alert upgrading the weather conditions to natural disaster status. the situation is serious but it is controllable the emergency ministry has set up thirty two hundred heating centers nationwide for homeless and pensioners that come here in ten days more than ninety five thousand people turned. this strong siberian cycle on hit many countries on the continent reaching as far as a telly of course with such extreme conditions ukraine is not the only country to experience casualties but why so many dead experts say the reason for that lies not

in the climate but rather in kiev social and economic policies with more and more homeless people on the streets the majority of the deaths were in eastern ukraine the region with the highest unemployment rate is a bad thing. government hasn't created any jobs has no social programs and doesn't replenish the state but more people are finding themselves in the streets that's where there are so many did. heating centers help will save some people's lives but they won't solve the issue of deepening poverty such a figure there are moments that would not scare anybody. in this part of the world however meteorologists say that they expect at least minus thirty degrees centigrade over the coming weekend they already serious situation may be even more difficult with at least eighty five thousand homeless people roaming the streets of ukrainian cities. r.t.

reporting from kiev in ukraine just turning out twenty five minutes past the hour here now time for katie and the business. thank you very and welcome to the program the world renowned scientists futurist and entrepreneurs are in moscow discussing the russian economy and its prospects of becoming a global financial hub most of them believe russia has a result as it says it say about a culture of reports not without reform. the auditorium was jam packed with business owners and experts hungry to get an outside view on russia's investment climate a walk can be done to improve it all the foreign specialists agreed on the one thing and that is that russia has a lot of potential but the problem is how to realize that more investors are online emerging economies like russia right now because they're seen as the best place to support cash given the economic uncertainty in europe in the u.s.

at the moment of russia lark's the global competitive edge and many of the russian experts here today said that the country has many internal problems which need to be fixed and a symbol of the government should join forces with the business elite to make the changes required that believe that it's important to convince local businessmen to invest in russia rather than abroad and keep specialists in the country as well as create an atmosphere where on supreme yours are appreciated another one of the main points they will see in the vacation russian state companies have significantly increased investments in wards that's the foreign specialists here say that russia has all the potential to produce the next generation of entrepreneurs and become the next silicon valley but it needs to act fast and start implementing the changes required now. russia's standing domestic debt grew in twenty eleven of the fall of just rage in fifteen years the money the state of the population has tripled over

the last three is in two thousand and eleven domestic debt was forty two percent. one hundred forty billion dollars that's on top of a thirty percent advance the year before despite the increases the government plans to continue raising the debt burden and it has plenty of room to do so russia's debt to g.d.p. ratio is around ten percent one of the lowest among industrialized countries. it was going in in the world of markets now we're going to start off with the exchange rates here is high against both the dollar and the ruble investors are keeping an eye on the greek debt talks agreement from athens to impose new spending cuts will allow it to receive the next allotment of rescue funds other very well has advanced to its highest level in five months against the dollar that's on the back of strong oil prices. and european stock markets are higher as greek

officials prepare to finalize that date on a sturdy measures now if all goes to plan then an agreement between the country's euro zone partners and the i.m.f. will mean an extra one hundred thirty breeding years in aid without the aid greece is expected to default as you can see the foot seawall in london they're not too confident it's flat but the dax is more optimistic about the deals over half a percent in positive territory here in moscow the markets are gaining with banking and energy stocks lifting the indices on high oil prices as a yes is up over one percent while the my sense is over half a percent. let's have a look at the individual on the my sex those blue chips are gaining this hour with sperm bank almost two percent up now lou call is also higher supported by those stronger crude bucking the trend though is food retailer seven continents the company says it will buy back shares with a discount to the market price in negative territory there. ok then i'll be back

here fifty five minutes joining me now from a market is. worth area. leon there's no way to get there among. if you want to have sex go and have sex.

now five thirty pm here in moscow you're watching on t.v. the headlines now russia insists that only by urging both the syrian government and opposition to lay down their arms can an end to the bloody conflict be found that's while western and gulf countries keep up the regime change rhetoric and recall their ambassadors from damascus. if you were in the u.k. as a notorious terror suspect dubbed the al qaeda spiritual leader in europe is bailed and allowed to roam the streets of london that's after his deportation to jordan

where he's sentenced to life in prison has been forbidden by the european court of human rights. and growing tensions between egypt and the u.s. triggered by cairo's crackdown on western n.g.o.s lead it to an egyptian military tele cation cutting short a visit to washington nineteen americans are among the activists banned from leaving egypt and accused of illegally using foreign cash to fuel the recent revolution. those are the headlines on r.t. an hour to get comfy as we take you all the way up to cloud nine next our special report on the wonderful world of hot air ballooning. people couldn't fly for a long time i don't think because they didn't think it was possible we can learn how to do that without machines anywhere if we want to.

destroy your arm while people here are remand ticks but they have generous souls like sunni's is something out of this world enchanting experience disease of the skies would brings these people together so they come here from all over russia and the world are. always people stick together because of both their love of ballooning and that none of them will be able to do it singlehanded each person is a zone of responsibility those on the ground are responsible for the ones in the sky together they are a close knit team. it all started in the late eighteenth century a balloon with two passengers in the basket was launched from a paris suburb one pm and fifty four minutes on november the twenty first seventeen eighty three was piloted by collateral. and marquis de long after flying across the french capital they landed safely in another suburb twenty minutes later the king

of france for stowed them the title of count being the first humans to fly in the air and granted them the right to hand it down to successive generations of balloonists. since then anyone going up in a balloon for the first time has to pass an initiation ritual to be awarded the title of count by the pilots. that she was killed which elements do you know count. really earth years water stick fire. what else in the. the air. we're going through all of them today from earth and filling the air. of it on the ground and in the air and it's taken off without flying.

fire is the main driving force of any hot air balloons the first timers have their hair ends burnt as a sign of respect for fire champagne then comes into play as a symbol of water that is used to extinguish the flaming has finally the initiated have their head sprinkled with earth as a good luck charm for future flights. the first balloon launch in russia came exactly twenty years after the french debut in eighteen zero three a balloonist from paris flew a russian balloon passenger over moscow according to one theory emperor alexander the first but ordered the launch he wanted to know what such aircraft putting those designed for warfare were capable of doing in the mid twentieth century ballooning

was no longer popular in russia almost no military balloons have been in use after world war two yet ballooning today remains a recreational activity for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. p.s.e. gorse russia's oldest spa resort today it is popular among both russian and foreign balloonists a you find both mountains and lowlands the city is just over one thousand five hundred kilometers south of moscow mt elbrus europe's highest point is only seventy kilometers away the mountain stands nearly five thousand five hundred meters above sea level. the first ballooning competitions in the caucasus were held here russia's southern most region that was in the mid one nine hundred ninety s. a pilot had to be a professional to stay. the balloon and keep it at the right altitude you can never

tell how the air currents are going to behave. only nine pilots turned up for the inaugural event thirteen years ago nowadays it is an international festival that attracts both russian and foreign balloonists the aim is to restore the to former glory. vitale. is a former air force pilot on the first balloonist in the caucasus the crew holds him in high respect he was the first russian take the risk of launching a balloon in the antarctic. were made a sectional bosco's and a balloon that featured the colors of the russian flag for most a we went to paris. from there on to sun charges. finally reached told us the nation terrorists in chile was a well southernmost city with. the

usual pollution as the self-will is host to a number of stations belonging to the united states but very many people in high places outside our country from the presence of russian blueness they're extremely objectionable and we paid up before we arrived in chile. we were able to fly to king george island but only after two failed attempts. to get in the end with winds of eighty meters a second we did manage to launch a balloon but not before everything that could be broken was broken. and all of you know about. as far as i know only four men in the world including myself have ever launched balloons in the antarctic. vitaly was trained by alex some of one of the first balloonists in the former soviet union has been chief referee at every blue competition in russia found he. and to the country's first balloon on

a factoring company russia has a total of forty professional balloonists that make frequent flights. that are jewels each exercise is performed within a radius of two hundred fifty meters other balloon star trailing behind the hair a minute later. before each launch the referee tells contestants what they're supposed to do just like with passenger aircraft balloons a check for any technical folks prussia taking off alexander's wife vera shares his passion for flying she was six years old when she first saw a balloon and since then her cherished dream must been to pilot one. addressing the scene come on everyone can bridge is the payson critically gifted with no matter how old you are there and how welcome to come here with children very many men bring their wives along their money but they don't come here is simply to look

around and go far right they help a lot. now there are a lot of a monitor's the building in competitions she recalls them a new verse wind speeds and alternative flight paths and schools them accordingly. the admission the first balloon to go up for stubber pole it is a heads as soon as it touches down the pilot will allow to cross on the ground the job of other pilots is to hit the mark as precisely as possible. the first building to go up is called the heading balloonist lingo it is piloted by the judge then the other contestants need to mimic kids maneuvers by approaching it all moving away. only few partners can cope with such difficult competition the professionalism of the talan also has earned the couple the title of aerobic. rumors of russia but

alone us founded russia's first company manufactures balloons aleksandr to learn off made his first pollution in the late one nine hundred eighty s. it's lining born inscription saying the first soviet made mungo feel. ballooning has gained enormous popularity in russia in the past two years this can be seen from the growing number of orders for balloons placed with our company. itself i don't think the shape of balloons or even the wicker baskets is going to change the balloons of the future will offer a more comfort to inflate pilots or that. things like better navigation smoother knobs and delicate thin cords instead of course ropes tools void getting entangled . sensors will give way to radio signals reporting temperatures inside the envelope

with dust and all that will be mainly intended for the spectators at the balloons are most likely to look like the ones built by the brothers montgolfier for a long time to come. all it had was a basket and a burner. one tank costs full two minutes after that it should be changed to me i believe it should be two tanks at all times one of them an active duty and the other as a backup. to just meet up with us that will much of this right here is where the baskets are born these tubs are filled with water. the liquid is used to soak willow.

canes are here. but we are using rattan pam to make of this particular basket today on the bundle and dream us a call fused to give school children physical education classes he was a teacher by calling and dre even held a scientific degree for fun one day he decided to weave a small wicker basket today he's head of a company which makes much larger baskets. in the old days we used to make balloon baskets in russia today the firm's top of the tropical rattan poly used it's more popular because it's more practical it's imported from europe and southeast asia. process takes three or four hours the material is not put to any particular test to see whether it is ready for processing but then i don't need any i just bend it to

see whether breaks or not if. it's a simple as that doesn't if you've just ok your let's get down to work with your work is a handy craft with a long history it was all the rage in nineteenth century russia where there was used to make all sorts of things from furniture prams and suitcases to hand bags and toys the traditional craft somewhat faded in the twentieth century but it is being revived today although this is a slow process only a few workshops can handle major deals involving wickerwork. family but a human nowadays basket wickerwork barely differs from its french origins yet the same technique has been used for hundreds of years i have seen how they do it in the czech republic and in germany which their methods are very much alike. andrei shares his team's motto there is no place for an important things in aviation busk it's

a made in strict conformity with blueprints the job takes three days on average every small detail is important from the ropes to the framework few women of found in this trade men's hands a stronger. our products retain the warmth of our hands the. i'm sure that if you are in a good mood while waving a basket the result is a good product. the

closer she has been to the whole bar of scripture where the country's literal wealth starts its way across the ocean. now archie goes to the area. once named dr len in good looking to a different character to represent itself. for local businesses are striving to build the aviation capital of russia. for the four by fours are made and can be tested to the limit. welcome to the union of screeching. russia close up

on r t from los angeles to chicago to birmingham twenty trauma centers have closed since two thousand severe problem is not enough inpatient beds not enough urgency department beds and not enough nurses commandos to take care of all the people who are here the only real health care system that we have in the city of los angeles is the los angeles fire department in fact when i started my venture is a firefighter i didn't want to do so i started out going to just do fire fighting it's about eighty two percent of what we do the florida problem is medical i've had a rescue couple weeks ago waited four hours for i've waited sometimes three hours but i wouldn't say same francis in lynnwood for four hours and fifty minutes standing against a wall with patients and we have a federal law that mandates that you can't turn no one away who seeks care in an emergency room. we have the most expensive health care system in the world and it's probably valued

the least. the envelope is the most important part of the balloon the safety of all those on board depends on its quality designers make a computer model of the balloon envelope once the blueprint is finished they use it to cut out a pattern of material these are used to make parts of the balloon. is a seamstress by trade twenty years ago she worked as a tailor's making dresses and overcoat.