classic referendum on a new constitution intended to pave the way the multi-party of all meanwhile a determined coalition led by the us piled even more pressure on damascus refusing to negotiate with president assad. thousands of cash strapped students in spain have again united in and get education spending cuts similar protests earlier this week been led to police being accused of having hundred that's when dispersing demonstrators. more u.s. officers are killed in afghanistan i made a fifth day of violent protests over copies of the code run being banned at an american military base dozens of people have been killed and wounded across the country in clashes since tuesday and those are the headlines my colleague carrie johnson is here at the top of the hour next hour our special report from russia's fourth largest city need to be no good it's home to a huge number of traditional some of ours and the guys car factory where you can even pay a visit so stay with us for. for

almost eight hundred years news has stood along the banks of the volga river and it's one of european russia's most picturesque cities is the fourth largest in the country an important economic and cultural center and home to one point three million people. steadily one of the better waterfront views of nice name you can see where the river meets the volga and also take a good look at the city's famous market and some of its churches. streets are filled with echoes of its past from the statues that line the promenade to the city's beautiful range of architecture but it's also home to a modern business community and one of the biggest markets here is transport. so this is a. minibus they're everywhere in russia cheap reliable and if you're very lucky

really comfy. and seventy percent of them are made. and they're made by gas one of the city's most famous brands they've been producing automobiles since the nine hundred thirty s. and all the classics are on display in the company music. so you can see that used to produce some pretty snazzy family vehicles including the famous boulder which every soviet citizen wanted to own but it's commercial vehicles that have always been the company's. this old. back in. this very first thing that rolled off the production line. the guy has a. they still make trucks today. of course alongside the

mission because. gas is seen some tough times production is now on the increase and it's all overseen by swedish c.e.o. bohem dessen who previously worked for general motors for more than twenty years. grab among the big smoke if that. excuse me strengthens james brown the company thank you very much for how it's have you got a minute to tell us your brought up a bunch of them. have been looking at the museum so you can already see there's a long history with sweetness and you know the road on gas how important do you think this factory and company offer the city begins extremely important i mean

first next year we're turning eighteen year. cycle only to go through been anything noble old love the seventy five without the whole nation building we have three plants here of frequent lexus is a lot of business three thousand hectares of land. and there's fifteen thousand employees are expecting a busy time ahead churning out one of the most popular minibuses the gas micro bus on this line and each component is fitted in a matter of seconds they each cost around fourteen thousand dollars and they can produce four hundred every day. then once the puzzles been put together there's just a few final checks to take care of. sort of the last test that they do. make so in stock cars waterproof see. with my fingers firmly crossed we enter the college. ok as you can see i was

prepared for the spots but i can safely say these are very very good job. dr. point or of gas was almost over but unfortunately my new minibus wasn't taking me home but at least in a commercial vehicles company you can always hitch a lift in something. i started with a very modern factory but now i want to get a feel from this nice cultural life well you might not think it to look around here but when it is almost over there's a few buds up here on the trees i'll always come to this old village to have a look at a very traditional. rite of spring new right. to be light on your feet for the celebration. of the wrong season discuss.

this because. sadly my tank spills on. much of the break to join only to find out a little more about what was going on. for. some time. too old for this previous who don't know so what's going on here then there is a bit of marrow making going on here spring has come the snow is melting away when you call those with tradition it's a festive occasion. and it's been celebrated for well over a century mothers would bake shaped biscuits and when everyone how to treat it was time for the procession. everybody sings in books around the village leaving a biscuit on the door of every house. the idea of putting these little birds here

is that they're supposed to attract the real who will then fly down and bring spring with. the nesting locks were regarded as a good omen meant to protect the villages homes from fire and disease and finally when the biscuits are thrown into the air it's believed they become part of spring itself. but if you're taking part in this ritual you might want to keep an eye on your new friends. the way so far no i've got some spring inside. and this snow is also supposed to be good for your health. go right down my neck. now that spring had officially

sprung i was eager to continue my sightseeing and all got pointed me in the direction of one of the area's most popular tourist spots this has got to get it literally means little town in russian and it's one of the most picturesque places in the nation in of growed region originally though it was founded as a front here outpost and it's the place where the most famous russian warrior principal time i was on the ski died. over the centuries gora jets gained an enviable reputation renowned for its painting architecture and woodwork and down by the riverside there's a house where the old arts are still practiced nowadays the artists make souvenirs and entertain the hundreds of visitors who pass through here every week. well i think. these guys tackle the brushwork today but i'm still going to take on something birch additional and very russian but it's much more up my street.

burst back in the day having a couple was a very elaborate affair in all my time in russia i'd never had tea from a some of our and i was garrett jets post the largest exhibition in the country it seemed like a good place to break the habit there are some of us here that date back to the seventeenth century from single person pops to ones that can hold more than fifty liters of water but always talking really was making me thirsty. but i've got to have a drink so. let's go ok. but there was still some serious preparations to take care of. there's a good. getting the sum of all going takes time once you've added your water you need to put in plenty of kindling light it up. or go on. more pile on the charcoal well now we give it some air.

you have done only way you. can put on the chimney. and now we wait. it was pretty cold outside and i was getting a little impatient yes i mean it's long yeah. ok let's take this off ok now i'm lost for each. to get on top but apparently the russians had an ingenious method to turn up the heat you just needed to give it a good showing ok that's. over it too i. pointed. it doesn't taste i'm. going to be very tired and i've heard of. the wellington.

boots did the job admirably and with all some of our steaming we headed into the dining room to be greeted by a fantastic spread. saw through all that effort i think this is a cup or the deserves a bit of ceremony and they definitely do afternoon tea here and there are deaths. it was a very civilized way to end my trip together and yet but sadly i hadn't come to the news me region for tea and cakes. the time for relaxation was over ok well it wouldn't be discovering russia show if i didn't do something bizarre and potentially dangerous outdoors so i've come here to

a place called extreme land to see what they've got. in certain several hectares of land around an hour's drive from but they promise it's worth the trip ok well this looks interesting it seems that one of the most popular activities here involves inflatable fruits going very fast ok so i need to cry out i think if i fall off the extreme but on a. this is a. band attached to another snowmobile but was given a tour of the complex. even gripping on for dear life one save you on the stage. so this is going to. take two. zero. zero zero to several more crashes and might be around a rest but here is extremely they make you put up or shut up.

those who are still. growing. so i thought i was going to break the harmony it's time. to show that a little bit intends. to put. it what i'm going to royce. people with this royal. it seems that if i wanted my lumps i was going to have to fight for my food and he's a watching a celebrity gladiator programmes would eventually come in handy. maybe launch filled cubes but believe me you still want to get smacked in the wrong place for. the bottle went back and forth but i knew in the end brain even highly tactical assault on the red team would seem very.

well. so. if. there's one important. that they can be quite a come down once the adrenaline ways off. who ever thought inflatable things could be so dangerous. in this case of ducking when are a good boy. i had suffered enough for one day when i was ready to head back to the safety of the city it was time to explore more of nizhny novgorod itself i just needed to find someone to give me her around. we have

a cult of war lords located him and oates we have a lot of illegal groups of the be called citizens who says all our views in the home or rights in africa just my mouth it was like many of that knowledge it wasn't forced marriage it's just maddy when i was fifteen yes you can liberate their win and you certainly can't do it through the barrel of a gun only effective social changes can be the afghans themselves afghan men and women we believe are going to spawn not to cross paths without the part of the patient it's coming up on the shelf and that it comes to actually stop people in the obama administration talking about how much they care about the women of afghanistan it's not true they don't care about the women of afghanistan.

happiness and tragedy. dear oh should. be true. family. and a leash. on the bottom of a coffee swamp. i'd only seen plenty of the outskirts of newsmen of girls but it was time to get out and take a proper look at the region's capital. so it's good to get a bit of local knowledge on these trips saw him off to meet a man who's going to help me get to know this you know good a little bit better. nice

to meet you. beautiful me a little bit of news me i want to show the crime of bad taste. siegfried moved here from germany back in two thousand and six within a few months he was married getting regular work as a translator and he's lived here ever since so what would you say some of your favorite things are about the city it just the russian are should take this all of the houses i will show you some of them and you will visit one of these. right in the cradle this huge stone citadel was built from fifteen hundred to fifteen eleven but most of its original buildings were destroyed during the soviet union nowadays it houses news news local government but it's still an imposing place to walk right in the heart of the city. these monuments an architecture have earned it a place on unesco's one hundred cities of the world of great cultural and historical

value and secret had one more striking example for me. please have a look at this beautiful old building it was built in the nineteenth century and it was the house of. tradesmen rise. successful to the regional museum what do you think visitors to nizhni novgorod can expect. they can expect. a very friendly. with much. and that's hospitality also applies to one of ms knees most cutting edge attractions. so finally i could back up corner and turn with complete precision and the moment i was ready to head to a brand new just the landmark. so i think we've probably got the worst conditions

you could possibly have the driving it's a day to be inside or at the very least but here in the road there is a place where you can burn rubber. whatever the weather. you're looking for me and i think. i meant let's check this place else. i feel ok. so he works at the end ring the country's only f.i.f.a. approved motor sport circuit. all right gents you're at the major model sports event here in russia entering the start as yeah so you've got your eyes and frank how they're all right here to the riot building the main building so there's going to be a lot of people there yes through last summer. openings though and you've still got things to build some wintry techniques. ok and now while they're after practicing

here the driving away safer on the roads and the sort of thing you'll you'll be teaching me a few tricks as well as. rates. were. for the first term is the most challenging one of the biggest number of precious understand that really this place could. barely see a thing that was looping going just be able to get a feel for the journey bus again was able to give me a few good tips because your brain here and you try to slow the shortest possible distance here you're going to break with this little girl left over for the next we'll just do is try to get both refused. time down which was useful because i had a different type of challenge ahead of you you know apex bridesmaid so if you can do it the way that's right it's ok. the rest of them i think we do.

know it's a busy month. we decided to find lumps was getting the better of things on the streets of those corners was still pretty tricky. point and draw. like you know he's. safe and secure in jamestown as a tenant. wasn't going to win me any races so i have the accelerator. that still photo hauling squeeze cost on this. member coming over to take the chicken. ok i'm probably not going to make the championships but if i ever get into

a wintry car chase i'm source it. but my need for speed was still unfulfilled fortunately down by the banks of the volga there's plenty more where that came from now ever the chance to try out some pretty focused machines on discovering russia but here in the region they've created a monster piece of marital home and avionic design and she's a record breaker. these are a crown a plane it's a cross between a ship and an airplane and they're the fastest commercial amphibious vehicle on the planet. they're designed to effectively fly on a cushion of air just above the water's surface and were originally developed under a cloak of secrecy in the one nine hundred sixty s. but after the soviet union collapsed so did the project and it's only recently that small of versions have been built here in the news new region by rubin and his company and the aqua glowing five is their pride and joy motion picture of

a star in. the body of the. see how light this is going to be. takes a five liter miss a diesel engine runs on petrol and she's designed as an art market water taxi. so here we have it a fully functional i could glide for life because. the fact that this river is frozen won't matter a jot we're still going to be able to fly. and he can see even looks like a plane cockpit inside here as well so i think for a change i'm going to take a break from driving and just relax for this one. once my pilot was in it was time to sit back enjoy the ride and wait for the speedometer to reach the magic number. so we just crossed the one hundred kilometer an hour

barrier and now we have liftoff. literally we're flying across the ice now. and that was just the start we moved post one hundred seventy kilometers an hour and despite the speed it was still an incredibly smooth trip if you do happen to have a spare half million dollars lying around when highly recommend. called believe i was already flying just a couple of centimeters above this river. that is a pretty special taxi right sadly i was going to have to hit the roads again if i wanted to get back to moscow. but i still wanted to pick up some authentic news new souvenirs and for those there's really only one place to go. sadly i haven't been elevated to the aristocracy but i think the grandest gift shop that i've ever seen because this region is the birthplace of one of russia's most famous and lavish painting styles and it has souvenir is fit for

a king. this is home folk arts it was developed here in the seventeenth century and almost four hundred years on the industry is still thriving. takes simple items then paints them to give them an appearance of great value and my going oksana was ready to show me how it was done. so this is actually would involve me to live like clay but then it has this special oil applied to it which shines it up and then the ladies here it's on this album in the outer and then almost ready to be fired. but first to go through one more process. this. base method to go. is a serious business the factory employs nearly sixteen hundred people and customers will pay a high price for their work and there's almost no limit to what they'll paint. some

great custom jobs that goes well i think i'd be afraid to click that one of damage if i wasn't in the market for a laptop but i did want something original to take home so it's on offer to help me in a little d.i.y. project. some. tips i was working with the traditional colors of red and black but i don't really go in for broad strokes here . and then suddenly it just all came together. and see this news amazing how your artistic abilities can develop just a little concentration. one trip to the region has been

a roller coaster ride on scene modern business is business historical monuments and tried my hand at the delicate and dainty to just plain dangerous secret was right whether you're a culture buff an adrenaline junkie or just passing through. will welcome you in with open arms.

the syrians have their say people in the war torn country are set to choose their new constitution ending five decades of one party rule. no bomb in a row.