the rush of loads of team vols a sorry six all trailing in southwestern siberia. and two years on from israel's deadly offensive in gaza which killed more than a thousand people palestinians their say they're still suffering in two thousand and eight israel launched massive air and ground strikes on hamas targets in response to rocket attacks but what it calls for drew worldwide condemnation over the huge numbers of palestinian civilian casualties israel's blockade of the strip after it came under the control of hamas in two thousand and seven a group it regards as a terrorist organization says that aid has been rigorously restricted and most rarely reaches its destination reports on the relief efforts which palestinians say can't come soon enough. israelis insist their economic siege on gaza is easing but they can't deny the border and international condemnation is heating up an asian aid convoy with politicians and activists from eighteen countries is on its way to gaza m border one hundred eighty people food and medical supplies and a determined call to reach g

here they created siberia's first cadet corps to prepare officers to protect the territory before that was a course like a military college that's why i think with the successes of those old times. young hopefuls have to pass tough exams to get in here and those that do it's a very different school to the others in arms. giving a book a computer it's strange to be away from home unusual but when you get used to it it feels like home. military personalities are dotted throughout history the city served as the capital of anticommunist white russian leader admiral kolchak in the civil war from one thousand nine hundred to nine hundred ninety last in residence he lived here though the study of the man like the maintenance of this building has remained a taboo right up until the present day or we still receive hate mail saying that he hanged a lot of people and was famous for severe punishment it's all true but it was at a time of civil war both sides were monstrously cruel. it is sadly the theme of cruelty which links so much of amps history to the rest of russia's particularly of exile wh

the russian close up team follows the czarist exotic rail and south western siberia. palestinians in gaza are marking two years since a deadly israeli offensive in the territory which killed more than a thousand people in two thousand and eight israel launched a massive air and ground strikes and hamas targets in response to rocket attacks abbas to control the region two thousand and six but television regards it as a terrorist group going israeli blockade means many people living there are struggling to get basic necessities really goods as archie's fall asleep reports palestinians in the region say huge relief can't come soon enough. israelis insist their economic siege on gaza is easing but they can't deny the border and international condemnation is heating up an asian aid convoy but politicians and activists from eighteen countries is on its way to gaza i'm border one hundred eighty people food and medical supplies and a determined core to reach gaza on the second anniversary of the last israel gaza war the convoy dubbed asia to gaza solidarity caravan sits sail

walk ahead into exile in siberia. with a still could it more about this place in history on its place in russia is alexander you tell all your life so just start with one wonders through basically how. developed as a city the history was because it's a pretty amazing because it was first established as a fortress to fight over the nomads but then during this regime it's used as a place for the political exile and you probably know that's the famous russian writer dostoyevsky was an exile here for quite some time. also our city was a capital of russia for for a short period of time for a year under the our culture shock and it's sometimes called a third capitals the third one after moscow moscow st petersburg and then also sometimes and it's also one of the biggest cities of siberia and one of the most important important ones ok having lived to all your life you obviously are quite proud of the city yourself i would you say why would you say it makes you proud and how would you say almost fits in to siberia and in the

this time the russian close up team is in the omes screen in south western siberia it may be located more than two thousand kilometers away from moscow but it shares more with the capital than you might think parties tabard and uncovers the checkered past of the region. two things in particular it is famous for those are the fate of exiles sent here by the czarist regime along a difficult and dangerous road to get here and prison and forced labor once they arrived the other is a rich military to dish and the city has a military academy established here two hundred years ago has provided very famous officers and generals for the russian and the red armies and it's those themes of examining. on the march under guard these men and women are walking one of the longest and probably the loneliest road in the world they reenacting the march into exile made by thousands and czarist russia. it's a come here is to go there some ways winces in say yes a lot of people died on the way this group in the western siberian region of omsk discovered they're living on the only surviving stretch of the

for us now still ahead for you this hour our team uncovers a mysterious past of russians southern siberia. if i was his three hundred years ago i may have disappointed my local and i have deserted from the army for a variety of other crimes the result was the same what my fellow prisoners around me but i've got a long and very cold walk ahead into exile in siberia more about this a treacherous walk on and history are close report coming your way in a few minutes. two years after israel's major affair. gaza which killed over a thousand people many palestinians and say they feel imprisoned back in two thousand and eight israel launched massive air and ground strikes on hamas targets in response to rocket attacks the conflict drew worldwide condemnation over the huge numbers of palestinian civilian casualties israel blockaded the strip after it came under the control of a mosque in two thousand and seven which it considers a terrorist organization now as artie's parsley or reports aid is restricted and rarely reaches its destination. israelis insist their economic siege on gaza is easing but

explorers will find far more interesting sites in siberia and. the fact that the nature reserve is adjacent to siberia is largest city has resulted in a place with. devotion for six generations of people who take an immense pride in calling themselves. wealthy british stock. market. what's really happening to the global economy with. the global financial headlines kaiser reports. fifty. five. ft. preview of the week washington gives start the green light throwing the ball to russia. given its initial approval to a treaty which will see nuclear. accusations between north and south korea souls all going war games close to the border provoked into threats of a sacred nuclear war. reported to be a full crash that killed the polish president and ninety five others poland refuses to accept the finding. russia's president to. find out what he had to say to the program. developing story. major delays and cancellations many passengers are still stranded. this is nothing like. mean that people are still being affected. with our top stories in our view of t

could possibly come as a historically people from siberia have been very strong and made great soldiers i think they greatly contributed to our victory in world war two conditions here make people learn how to survive it's their money strong indeed in fact you could hardly describe these lot as being in survival mode. if it looks lift a ball or movable these guys will try and muscle it around need a tire moving. need some giant weights lifting. or perhaps even me. it's not a problem for the men with the muscles tom barton r.t. . good relief they didn't drop him just under ten minutes time tonight artie talks an executive director of u.n. watch a group which believes the u.n. security council is struggling right now to deal with israel that's to come after thursday night business update. for the feel we've got. the biggest issues get voice face to face with the news makers. right. from. the. don't. follow welcome to business program here on r.t. with me. now russia's investment climate has been one key issue this week forty billion dollars of direct foreign investment came to the country

to have a few moments reveal the secrets of staying strong in siberia. pulling minibuses is the only way this way they have to show their strength they can also find many other ways to flex some siberian muscles join up to close up to the city to see what else people are capable of where their astonishing power comes from. the south korea's ramped up the rhetoric against its northern neighbor officially labeling it an enemy it comes as tensions in the region remain high following north korea's shelling of an island in response to war games on its border patrol officer lecturer in korean studies at the university of sydney he told us it's part of the south's new approach to relations with the north. from north korean side it's a very provocative hostile step from south korea which. is supplementing its. not just rhetoric but also military and logistical preparations for the invasion of north korea looks at the but for south koreans it's just a return to the original stance the hostile anticommunist very heavy handed and very sort of. relations with north

that's a bit of russia close up now as we discover the hidden treasures of siberia. we're almost as you can see on the map now it's the largest region one of them anyway in southwestern siberia people here are known for their considerable strength and true siberian spirit that's exactly what makes the best hockey players in the country would tell and it turns out it's not the only way to show some siberian muscle. couple. i and almost goes wild the local hockey team album god puts another goal in the net they may look like other teams from around russia or in the world but they know their special i their side they're. just as in my list since we were little we've practiced outside in the cold weather so we're used to hard conditions it's women north america so we're the toughest players. and it's not just seasoned players enthusiasm for the test of courage and strength comes young. and. i like the way they play hockey the pillow fights the strikes and the opportunity to become a still life. ice hockey isn't the only had kilian and dev attracting attention here how ab

prisoners around me go to long and very cold heads into exile in siberia. more about this treacherous journey as well as a look at what else the only region has to offer in our close up report coming up a little later. first though palestinians are marking two years since israel started devastating offensive into gaza with protests across the strip israel launched massive air and ground strikes on hamas targets in two thousand and eight killing more than a thousand people that came in response to rocket attacks launched by the palestinians the conflict through worldwide attention and condemnation because of the huge number of civilian casualties israel blockaded the strip after it came under the control of hamas in two thousand and seven a mosque is a group that israel regards as a terrorist organization since then aid has been rigorously restricted and most rarely reaches its destination as artie's policy or found out. israelis insist their economic siege on gaza is easing but they can't deny the border and international condemnation is heating up and asia

siberia's largest city and a major industrial center. a unique nature reserve called. the pillars can be found only four kilometers away from the city here thousands of rocky cliffs lie scattered in the siberian tiger people in central siberia centuries ago.

this is article of just a few moments would reveal the secrets of staying strong in siberia. pulling minibuses isn't the only way these weightlifters show their strength it can also find many other ways to flex some time period. closer in the city of ormskirk to see what else people there are capable of and where their power comes from. their one of moscow's main airports most reportedly being fired for failing to deal with the chaos caused by flight delays earlier this week severe disruptions in several air hubs across the capital left thousands of people stranded freezing rain ruptured power cables leaving domodedovo without electricity for hours at another airport i stop runways meant that many planes couldn't take off for straight and passengers said they weren't given any information about their flights they also complained of a lack of food and water as well as the hotel beds they were promised flights are now getting back to normal but many people saw the holiday plans ruined. worldviews in brief the former president of israel has been convicted of rape and could go to

in southwestern siberia it might be located more than two thousand kilometers away from moscow but it is more the capital than you might think uncovers the so-called checkered past of the. on the march under guard these men and women are walking one of the longest one probably the loneliest road in the world they're reacting the march into exile made by thousands and czarist russia turkey it succumbs years to go back some ways winterreise in say yes a lot of people died on the way this group in the western siberian region of omsk discovered their living on the only surviving stretch of the original nine thousand kilometers of the siberian exiles track that's had no modern changes made to it. when you come to the track you can vividly picture the convicts on their walk and hear the clinking of their chains you can smell russian history here. you have going to discover that he's descended from some of these exiles and decided to build a museum telling a story he and his reenact has now received as it has from all over the world to show them what it was like with the body it's scary to p

coming up in a few minutes here on r t tonight we reveal the secrets of staying strong in siberia. pulling minibuses isn't the only way these weightlifters show their strength it can also find many other ways to flex some siberian muscles analyses closeups even the city of all skills to see what else people there are capable of doing and where they get their power from. the head of one of moscow's main airports delmar dead of has reportedly been fired for failing to deal with the chaos caused by flight delays earlier this week severe disruptions at several hundreds of cross the capital f. thousands of people stranded freezing rain ruptured power cables leaving domodedovo without electricity for hours at another airport meantime iced up runways meant that many planes couldn't take off for straight passengers said they weren't given any information about their flights they also complained of a lack of food and water as well as the hotel beds there were promised flights are now getting back to normal but many people saw their holiday plans really. well news in brief the former preside

people in central siberia centuries ago revered the place with special devotion. here the hardy braves very low temperatures to try to climb cliffs without safety equipment. alexander is a master photographer with thirty years of experience a brief workout and a glass of hot tea helping keep warm in the wind the temperature here is twenty degrees celsius below zero or minus four degrees fahrenheit alexander has everything he needs in his tent a bottle of water a gas burner and a kettle he also has access to the internet and even a solar battery he needs them for his work. since i was a child i live by them. i love them so much i see nothing extreme about being here i don't feel the rigors of fly from this place here i've got electricity a notebook and everything i need it's like. this is the right place for alexander's tent this vantage point opens up a breathtaking view of the surrounding rocks alexander takes pictures of sunrises and sunsets he's about to start a new book about the. nature reserve to be illustrated with amazing pictures taken from the mountainto

>> next time you think it's too cold, think siberia. the high will be 40 below zero. >> thank you, tom. >> don't you feel better? >> i do feel better. >> it's balmy, almost tropical 26 degrees compared to siberia. but don't go to the beach. the december record so far there the temperature at reagan national makes this the coldest december since 2,000. right now in the subur, near 20 degrees. montgomery, arlington and fairfax and points west, many locations in the upperteens to near 20. weather watchers reporting this morning. south and east of washington, southern maryland and northern neck of virginia, low to mid-20s there. on the eastern shore away from the waters, many locations there are just near 20 degrees. so this is another cold morning comparatively for us anyway. out in western maryland, west virginia, many locations there in the low and mid-20s. there are a few flurries coming from the west and the disturbance passes to the east out of the ohio valley. over the last 12 hours we have seen this activity off to the east. general

and this time or in the southwest an obscure region which was once the capital of siberia today we focuson his sporting prowess now the people of arms can know how to make the most of the ice they're very proud of that we're now in professional hockey team up on guard but as tom bottom explains it's not the only example of siberia strong i. and almost goes wild the local hockey team album guard puts another goal in the net they may look like other teams from around rush or in the world but they know their special i saw you i know your stuff was in my list and since we were little we've practiced outside in the cold weather so we're used to hot conditions it's room i know america so we're the toughest players. and it's not just seasoned on school players enthusiasm for the test of courage and strength comes young. and. i like the way they play hockey the pillow fights the strikes and the opportunity to become the still guys. ice hockey isn't the only have kilian and dev attracting attention here how about the why don't know towing a minibus. those boys even save bierria in winter with sle

close up team is on the on screen which is in southwest siberia in the second part of our series we take a look at how locals live there and learn about their customs and traditions our guide tom barton shows us how people survive the cold and what they do for fun. excepting soviet times has always been on the frontier of russia it required people to come here and build it from scratch and then to defend the front both people with the cossacks and it's their strong and self-sufficient local culture that i'm examining in my report. the view from the end of a cossacks fear but not to worry the young corsican the other end knows what he's doing he's part of a tough cruel tradition which has lasted for centuries. and it's now good to see media they start teaching us riding on which in servant to trickle at the age of thirteen depending on chance abilities or as for me i was a very good do i do horse eleventh as well as i can handle a spear and a saber progress that's got to be on our tom and the others have a demanding daily schedule and horse riding is the glamorous part of the youngsters i

from lands far to the west of here but they proved a useful militia force conquering and securing siberia for the czars in return for grants of land. the idea was to create villages along the country's border so that people are bound to the land they're living on. the cossacks strong independent traditions were disliked by the communists they were suppressed and marginalized since the end of the soviet union they've been trying to rebuild our self-sufficient way of life especially when it comes to resisting the bad habits of the city. it's no easy matter living in the country of course but on the other hand we're protected from the harm of the city from drugs alcohol smoking. but tonight at least the elders of the village were allowing themselves a few liberties. with me to talk more about life in the siberian villages is alex jud you've been here for a while now in russia and in arms and you've also traveled outside the big city so how would you compare life within the cities of russia and outside of. well i'd say the obs is quite a lot more provincial than some peers were before. the vo

is close our team is in the almost granger which is in southwest siberia and the second part of this series we take a look at how locals live that i love about their customs and traditions our guide to the region bartle shows us how people survive the cold and also what they do when to time and. the view from the end of a cossacks spear but not to worry the young corsican the other end knows what he's doing he's part of a tough cruel tradition which has lasted for centuries. they started when we turned servant and to trick ride at the age of thirteen depending on chance abilities and as for me i was very good at do i do horse at eleven as well as i can handle a spear and a saber that's got your. arm and the others have a demanding daily schedule and horse riding is the glamorous part the youngsters in the village built this gym themselves and now the training in it will have a lot to do to prove themselves as hunters and horsemen the training communally fosters a team spirit to fill in this cossacks society. a team spirit necessary for the cossacks noblest pursuit hunting on the shar

join us in our exploration of russia of siberia only find out how young cossacks are preserving ancient traditions and keeping team spirit alive. but first out of favor out of office and now in trouble with the law moscow's deposed mayor yuri luzhkov could face charges of corruption money laundering and fraud as our visa catarina grouch over reports russian investigators suspect lou's cause alleged murky dealings may have been a family affair. why i call the workers at one of moscow's banks are facing jail for lending too much credit and trust to the city's former mayor your english cough and his wife russia's richest woman in a find themselves of the central yet another scandal prosecutors suspect them of laundering some thirteen billion rubles almost half a billion dollars in a somewhat primitive but simming really effective fraught the bank of moscow owned by a friend of is accused of approving a whopping great loan to dummy company which then use the money to buy land from the mayor's wife was here. the scam was carried out under the control of city hall and luzhkov personally in th

when next we travel to the halls of siberia to discover some natural wonders. siberia's largest city and a major industrial center. a unique nature reserve. the pillars can be found only four kilometers away from the city here thousands of rocky cliffs lie scattered in the siberian tiger people in central siberia centuries ago revered the place with special devotion. here the hardy braves very low temperatures to try to climb cliffs without safety equipment.

yes there would be simply comes as a historically people from siberia have been very strong and made great soldiers i think they greatly contributed to our victory in world war two conditions here make people learn how to survive it takes the money strong indeed in fact you could hardly describe these lot as being in survival mode. if it looks lift a ball or movable these guys will try and muscle it around me to tire moving. me some joined weights lifting. or perhaps even me. it's not a problem for the men with the muscles tom watson artie. going to say don't drop it all right in twenty minutes not the talisay with a sport she's got news of and a limpid gold medal winning tennis stars embarking on a new career in the boardroom now that said there are no shortly tonight this thursday but it is business before that in a few moments. great for the feel we've got. the biggest issues get voice face to face with the news makers. the latest in. the future. but i welcome to the business program here on our today with me was folly russia's investment climate has been one key issue this week f

still i have for you this hour siberia military might close team take to the land of the cossacks test the bravery of the marshall man. and of us a geisha is underway into how moscow airports dealt was bad weather conditions which stranded thousands of people flights are slowly getting back on schedule after days of delays and cancellations airports are working hard to clear the backlog but many people are still waiting for their flights freezing rain ruptured power cables leaving the largest airport somebody had about without electricity for hours at another hop i stopped runways and many planes couldn't take off frustrated passengers said they had received no information about their flights reportedly tried to break through passport control and many people in both airports complained they weren't given enough food and water or hotel beds that they were promised. almost seven and a half billion dollars were regularly spend on construction in the capital and these are the preliminary findings by russian government auditors on how state funds were used over the past two years while your

closeout series as we discover the hidden treasures of siberia. so we are in normal school one of the largest regions in south western siberia people who are none for the considerable strength and trees siberians parrot that's exactly what makes them best hockey player in the country and it turns out it's not the only way they show some say their own muscle tone boss explained. i and almost goes wild the local hockey team album god puts another goal in the net they may look like other teams from around russia or in the world but they know they're special i their side they're. all your soul most of them honest since we were little we've practiced outside in the cold weather so we're used to hot conditions it's room i know that america so we have the toughest players. and it's not just seasoned players enthusiasm for the test of courage and strength comes young. and. i like the way they play hockey the pull of joints the strikes and the opportunity to become a still life. ice hockey isn't the only had chilean and dev attracting attention here how ab