that said, it is quite dry here, high pressure in control of much of china and mongolia as well as the korean peninsula. we'll keep things quite settled. there will be a little bit of precipitation as it will be light snow across mongolia and northeast northeastern china here. heading further, we get into japan and it looks quite unsettled here. we have one system pulling away, that will take away rain that has been affecting the pacific side of the country. what will be left with, though, is quite significant snowfall, particularly for the northwest. and that's due to, well, almost a normal pattern that we see in wintertime. we have got very strong wind coming across, picking up all the moisture from the sea of japan and it results in snow. so that's what we have got going on over here. down in towards southern portions of china, we have another area of precipitation here. actually some of this is going to be snow and then it quickly turns to rain as we reach those warmer climates down into parts of indochina. a little wet for you also in taiwan. and then we look down towards the phil

. >> when i heard there were yaks in mongolia, i said that would be the most exciting thing to have aeporter: we caught up with ashrita at the st. john's university track where he was practicing for the can run on a windy freezing afternoon. everybody must ask you, what's the point? >> you know what, the point is joy. the point is challenge. okay, it's something silly, but you're the best in the world in it. >> reporter: now 56 ashrita says when he was in high school he was actually a nerd who shunned sports but he had a deep fascination with one thing. >> you know, as a kid, i was always a fan of the guinness book. i practically memorized it. >> reporter: in his 20s he got into meditation and decided that setting a world record was one way to spiritual progress. he broke first one record then another and another and another. >> okay, my philosophy is this, other human beings have broken those records. i'm a human being. i know how to meditate. why can't i break that record? >> reporter: ashrita has no sponsors, and this will come as a surprise, he actually does have a day job managin

but when i had the opportunity back in 2005 -- '4, to go to mongolia for a u.n.ankly was not one of the more important conferences and if it was held in new york i probably wouldn't have bothered but the opportunity to go to mongolia was completely driven by my recollection of pablo's memoirs and after the conference when i had a day and a half to go out and explore the country and see the horses -- of course, the horse ran away with me and i road a camel and the one light, their latern on the top of the stop and the driver had driven off the -- off the road, up the step to meet this incredible family who talked about the challenge of modernity versus their traditional nomadic way of life. their oldest son would inherit the herd. the second son was going to go to school. he had been in school already. and he wanted to go and study in germany 'cause he had learned german, it was just an amazing opportunity to see close up what it means for people to face this kind of transition in their country. and then they gave me a whole bowl of fermented horse milk and said,

the twoides also agreed to start talks in april on an ec agreement between japan and mongolia. the japanese government plans to diversify its sources for rare earth metals to reduce t untry's heavyelnc o china. the move came after china effectively restricted rare earth exports to japolsion by a trawler with japanese patrol boats near the sengoku islands in early september. >>> china iooin i economic psence in europe and has promised financially troubled spain it will continue buying the european country's nd chinese vice premier lee k ke kyung met spanish prime minister jose luis rodriguez zaparo on wednesday. li arrived in spain the previous he told zapatero a strong and stable europe is important to inand they will continue to buy spanish bonds. china also signed $7.5 billion mprth of deals with spanish the agreements include investment by a chinese oil company and a spanish project to develop energy ibrazil. a spanish i.t. company also won a contract to develop air-conditioned systems in chinese airports. vice premier li will next visit rmy d itain, continuing china's effor

and the record of which he is perhaps proudest, fastest mile in a sack while racing a yak in mongolias practicing for the can run on a windy, freezing afternoon. everybody must ask you, what's the point? >> you know what, it's -- the point is joy. the point is challenge. okay, it's something silly, but you're the best in the world in it. >> reporter: now 56, ashrita says when he was in high school he was actually a nerd who shunned sports. he had a deep fascination with one thing. >> as a kid i was always a fan of the guinness book. i mean, i practically memorized it. >> reporter: in his 20s he got into meditation and decided setting a world record was one way to spiritual progress. he broke first one record, then another, and another, and another. >> okay, my philosophy is this. other human beings have broken those records. i'm a human being, i know how to meditate, why can't i break that record? >> reporter: ashrita has no sponsors. and, this will come as a surprise to a lot of people, he actually does have a day job managing a health food store. >> i have to say i'm always thinking

now, northern locations, northern china up into mongolia as well, just a frigid blast of arctic air is going to be coming down, bringing those temperatures down below average. japan will also be dealing with continued snow for the western coast and up into northern locations. friday into saturday gets a little bit weaker, but by saturday night it will become intense again. you need to watch out for avalanches when you have all that snow just continuing to, you know, accumulate, especially since it's been snowing like this for about a month. so do watch for that. down towards the south, the philippines continuing to see rain moving through. mostly showers, not quite as heavy as it was, but it will continue to rain and the wind will also be pretty intense into the weekend. here are your temperatures, 10 degrees in tokyo, partly cloudy skies. just about freezing in seoul and beijing. dry skies but cool for you. 6 degrees in shanghai, partly cloudy skies also. a few showers in chongqing, hong kong seeing a fine day. okay, into north america we go. it is going to continue to be fairly warm

>>reporter: inner mongolia's erdos (pronounced ar-doss) cashmere is 30 years old. powered by a huge ad spend over the years, it commands 40 percent of the domestic soft woollens market. >>reporter: but this sector, with its safe and comfortable image, is under pressure from the influx of aspirational, edgy, foreign fashion brands. so erdos is on a mission - not just to create new lines, but to revamp its entire corporate image >>zhang: we can make the changes to our products but our biggest hurdle is to make sure this product now is able to be sold at the right place where you can meet the right kind of consumer - so i think this project is probably the biggest hurdle we are overcoming. >>reporter: the project is branding - creating a clear, credible, emotional and motivational personality that differentiates a company from its competitors. the erdos overhaul - from visual identity, to store image and product range - is a huge undertaking as the company seeks international-style street-cred as a fashion house. >>mackie: in china, this is blue-sky thinking. for year

dry and cold, that's the forecast for much of mongolia and china but we are going to be seeing a bitmoisture moving into southwestern portions of china. now that's just going to blossom over the weekend. it doesn't look like much right now, but into next week for monday it will become quite widespread and it will be fairly chilly and some of this turning to a bit of snow. for the time being most of the snow will be found up over japan and quite severe winter storms raging over the past couple of days. into saturday, a lot of that is going to clear. we'll see good, sunny spells, but by sunday another low pressure system will form and we'll see a return of the heavier winter precipitation. speaking of heavy precipitation we go down to the south and this time we find rain and it just kept coming into the philippines and into the next 48 hours we'll see an additional 100 millimeters, of rain, up to 120 anywhere you're seeing in the orange there. and not good news and there is already a widespread flooding problem here. manila will see about 31 for the high on saturday. 18 for you in taip

now, as we look at our satellite shot, you can see not much going on across mongolia, northern china. but we do have a very strong area of high pressure and that's going to pour cold air across much of the region. maybe some of this precipitation in the southwest of china will be falling as sleet, maybe snow. let's talk about the system here near japan, though, very strong area of low pressure, just on the pacific. we have been dealing with incredibly heavy snows causing all kinds of problems, avalanches, blizzards, and it looks like more of this wet weather will continue for the next 24 hours. and not only that, we're looking at strong winds, winds up to 72 kilometers per hour in some places, waves across the sea of japan side of the country, getting up to perhaps nine meters high. and then, of course, that snow in the next 24 hours into new year's day, piling up in some places 80 centimeters additionally. very, very dangerous situation here in terms of that winter storm. and, of course, temperatures are going to be quite cold. tokyo seeing about 8 degrees for the high on saturday. m

dry and cold, that's the forecast for much of mongolia and china but we are going to be seeing a bitmoisture moving into southwestern portions of china. now that's just going to blossom over the weekend. it doesn't look like much right now, but into next week for monday it will become quite widespread and it will be fairly chilly and some of this turning to a bit of snow. for the time being most of the snow will be found up over japan and quite severe winter storms raging over the past couple of days. into saturday, a lot of that is going to clear. we'll see good, sunny spells, but by sunday another low pressure system will form and we'll see a return of the heavier winter precipitation. speaking of heavy precipitation we go down to the south and this time we find rain and it just kept coming into the philippines and into the next 48 hours we'll see an additional 100 millimeters, of rain, up to 120 anywhere you're seeing in the orange there. and not good news and there is already a widespread flooding problem here. manila will see about 31 for the high on saturday. 18 for you in taip

and in mongolia, he ran the fastest mile in a sack while racing a yak. >> the point is a challenge.s something silly, but you're the best in the world in it. >> reporter: he makes no money at this. he has no sponsors, no endorsements. he squeezes practice in when he's not at his day job, manager of a health food store in queens. later this month, he will go for the record for farthest distance walking while bouncing a golf ball on the held of a club. >> i don't play golf but it's a record. wow, that's kind of interesting. i didn't even know what a sand wedge was. >> reporter: ron claiborne, abc news, new york. >> you're pretty good at it, too. >> and that's going to do it for "world news" on this sunday. diane sawyer is right back here tomorrow night. thank you for watching tonight. and good night. >> alan: it spent four days adrift at sea without pour, hot food or flushing toilets. today the carnival splen doctor entersplen. >> here it is, off pier 70, and work has already begun. the carnival splen -- splendour arrived in san francisco. it will be getting a new diesel generator. al

states is a big corporations following the media leading many americans to look for the truth for mongolia still sits. a very warm welcome to this is r.t. live from moscow and alice had it russia has solved the case of the terrorist attack committed moscow's domodedovo airport last monday the investigators that will reveal the details into monday's suicide bomb blast the attack on the capital's busiest international airport left thirty five people dead more than one hundred still remain in hospital president to meet them a dead of his call for a march tough approach to tackling terrorism in an interview to bring back he said russian should stand closer together in the face of danger. to consider the situation only consolidating all public forces to weave languishes evil we have no right to get hysterical about terrorism and spread out through this we make terrorism stronger look at the way america. came together the events of nine eleven even those who are not very fond of president bush said which years he's got to be that he's got to be tough he's got to be the same country that serious

guest: mongolia has a checks and balance system in place. it is a huge country geographically and a small country in terms of population, but it does stand out in the region because it does have a system in place where officials are elected, or the media are independent and where activists are allowed to engage in whatever kind of activities and they want to without any pressure from authorities. host: sacramento, calif., our republican line. caller: yes, thank you for taking my call. i would like to ask you to questions. the first question is -- hello? the first question, we have a guy right now who lost an election. it has been more than a month. this guy is still in power. what we do to speed things up to get this guy out of there? he is creating problems for the region. second, we have a country like ghana. the people of the country have demonstrated they want to work, and yet do -- you do not see the west promoting the country. the west is [unintelligible] the same things you are preaching, you are not promoting. the west is not backing

>>reporter: inner mongolia's erdos (pronounced ar-doss) cashmere is 30 years old. powered by a huge ad spend over the years, it commands 40 percent of the domestic soft woollens market. >>reporter: but this sector, with its safe and comfortable image, is under pressure from the influx of aspirational, edgy, foreign fashion brands. so erdos is on a mission - not just to create new lines, but to revamp its entire corporate image >>zhang: we can make the changes to our products but our biggest hurdle is to make sure this product now is able to be sold at the right place where you can meet the right kind of consumer - so i think this project is probably the biggest hurdle we are overcoming. >>reporter: the project is branding - creating a clear, credible, emotional and motivational personality that differentiates a company from its competitors. the erdos overhaul - from visual identity, to store image and product range - is a huge undertaking as the company seeks international-style street-cred as a fashion house. >>mackie: in china, this is blue-sky thinking. for year

you can make a face like that but when i had an opportunity to go to mongolia, to go to a conferencewhich was not -- to go to mongolia was completely driven by my recollection and after of the conference a day and have to explore the country and to see the horses. the horse ran away with me. driving back to the city, visiting a family that i have not seen their lantern on the top of the step, the driver had driven off of the road to meet this incredible family to meet modernity the versus their traditional way of life. their oldest son would inherit the heard. in germany he learned german. an amazing opportunity, to meet this transition and their country. there was fermented or silk. i would not have made him embarrassed. he got through a third of it. >> host: would you drink it again? >> guest: deegan on the circumstances. is not as bad is it sounds but it sounds dramatic. >> guest: >> host: how did the girl from los angeles end up in santa barbara? >> guest: that is a good question. in high-school i was clean for genes. who was already feeling very engaged for the mccarthy campaign

mongolia, which is independent, used to be part of the manchu ch'in dynasty. some other areas that were part of previous dynasties are not a part of china, but more less china is as big as it has ever been and more secure on land than it has ever been. that gives china the luxury. at the same time china still has in its relatively recent memory in the 19th and early 20th century, you know, the terrible experience of having their territory violated by western nations through the treaties system, the extra test -- extra territoriality system where chinese cities were controlled by exxon -- nations. the japanese had taken the peninsula and made a puppet state. the russians controlled the rail link across manchuria. china is very nervous about sovereignty. at the same time its name is very big. so what this adds up to me is that china is motivated to kind of built out its sovereignty, not necessarily in an imperialists equate, but it sees that up to the first island chain and that first island chain is japan, the korean peninsula, right down to taiwan, the philipp

yes, mongolia is independent used to be part of the dynasty, and some other areas that were part of previous dynasties are not part of china, but more or less, china is big as its ever been and is more secure on land than its ever been, and that gives china the luxury to go to sea, but at the same time, china still has in its recent memory in the early 19th and 20th century, you know the terrible experience of having their territory violated by western nations through the treaty system, the extra territory system and where chinese cities were, in fact, controlled by western nations with the japanese taking the peninsula, made a puppet state and controlled the rail link and china is very nervous about sovereignty. at the same time, its map is very, very big, so with this adds up to me is china is motivated to kind of build out its sovereignty not necessarily in an impeeristic but, you it sees up to the first island chain, and that first island chain is the japan and half island of the korean peninsula down to taiwan, philippines, down to australia, that this is china's rightful sphere of infl

guest: mongolia has a checks and balance system in place. it is a huge country geographically and a small country in terms of population, but it does stand out in the region because it does have a system in place where officials are elected, or the media are independent and where activists are allowed to engage in whatever kind of activities and they want to without any pressure from authorities. host: sacramento, calif., our republican line. caller: yes, thank you for taking my call. i would like to ask you to questions. the first question is -- hello? the first question, we have a guy right now who lost an election. it has been more than a month. this guy is still in power. what we do to speed things up to get this guy out of there? he is creating problems for the region. second, we have a country like ghana. the people of the country have demonstrated they want to work, and yet do -- you do not see the west promoting the country. the west is [unintelligible] the same things you are preaching, you are not promoting. the west is not backing

guest: mongolia has a checks and balance system in place. it is a huge country geographically and a small country in terms of population, but it does stand out in the region because it does have a system in place whereicials are elected, or the media are independent and where activists are allowedo engage in whatever kind of activities and they want to without any pressure from authorities. host: sacramento, calif., our thank you fore. taking my call. i would like to ask you to questions. the first question is -- hello? the first question, we have a guy right now who lost an election. it has been more than a month. this guy is still in power. what we do to speed things up to get this guy outhe is creating e region. second, we have a country like ghana. the people of the country have demonstrated they want to work, and yet do -- you do not see the west promoting the country. the west is [unintelligible] the same things you are preaching, you are not promoting. the west is not backing them up. you have to promote the country's so you can see t