the access to opportunity. the olympic flame arrives in sochi after a historic relay covering more than sixty thousand kilometers while delivery the prize winning medals carol the imminent start of the winter games. the u.s. warning international firms against doing business with iran saying the partial lifting of sanctions doesn't mean the iranian market is up for grabs yet. afghanistan reveals it's been trying to hammer out a deal with the taliban as the u.s. role in the country the past twenty four teams becomes less certain. ten pm in moscow i'm going to have you with us our top story the olympic flame has

arrived in the host city of sochi for the final stage before the games kick off and what a journey it's been thousands of kilometers across the vastness of russia pardon me last night of russia and into orbit up to the international space station among those welcoming the flame in sochi our own martin andrews who joins us live with the latest martin so the journey has been a long one to say the least how was it received in the host city. well with great anticipation as she said the olympic flame is finally here in the host city of sochi ahead of the opening ceremony on friday it made its way across sixty five thousand columbus's of russia the largest country in the featuring eighty three regions fourteen thousand and twelve spare is over one hundred cities through of course the very cold winter months recently regarding its journey when as you mentioned just before we went up to space i was there myself in by can all

read lawsuit from the soyuz rocket to the international space station and for the first time in history it made a space walk in the vacuum of space. the areas it's included are the the largest freshwater lake in the world the sensational and beautiful lake bike how gret took a successful scuba dive there also went up to the policy circle it's been on a submarine it went two months our bus the largest and smallest mountain in europe and finally it is here in sochi in arrives at three thirty today not by land or by air but actually by sea and the black sea that you can see behind me that it's made its way to adler actually very very close to the olympic park which you can see behind me but it didn't stop here it went straight away to the before mounting cluster of cross like pollyanna where various people could see the flame finally here is sort of regarding the people who carried the torch we had famous musicians famous actors sports men and women and the local people of such you managed to carry that flame of course the torch being in sochi everyone seeing how

much the area has changed i was here myself seven years ago and really it's almost unrecognizable and r.t. met it with a former olympic when he won bronze and silver before in various olympics is there was a volley of water and this is what he had to say about the changing face of such a. pretty good movie it was in the midst of its time stern. ten years ago i couldn't imagine such as would host an event of such magnitude and it's very important for russia to have only been positive changes for searchers that is now a world class resort which is a cutting edge training facility for winter athletes one that russia never really had to slip in the future so she will host world championships global sporting events it's an amazing p.r. push for such a city that no one had heard of it just ten years ago. of course it wasn't just the olympic flame everyone's talking about the medals made their introduction to various journalists one thousand three hundred of them are

finally here in such as well that includes the paralympic medals that will be used after the main. winter olympic event two there made by a moscow jeweler and over thirty craftsmen and women actually made the medal successfully two tons of silver seven hundred kilograms of bronze and six kilograms of gold there a very interesting design to their almost like a mosaic of patchwork quilt you could say featuring a part see through design with the emblems and ethnic groups of russia with english russian and french writing on the sides. and martin i understand those medals were delivered under very heavy security security in general something that is very. prominent in the preparation for these games i understand the whole area encircled by a virtual metaphorical ring of iron they're calling it tells more about that. that's

right people calling it the ring of steel but reed i've been here for four or five days myself now and it feels really just like any other european or american city it feels extremely safe i'm speaking to various forces the first time here in russia and they just agree that it really does feel as if you're under great protection we've got six thousand athletes arriving this week ahead of the games we've got twenty five thousand volunteers and in a total regarding security we've got one hundred thousand army men security offices police men sniffer dogs horses you name it we really feel as if sochi is one of the most secure places on the planet but it's also important to note that this isn't just typical for such indeed security issues are important for olympic games in the past two years ago for example in london they were talking about the issues of having missiles on apartment blocks so this isn't just an issue for the olympics it's an issue for indeed conferences and sports. and this is what vladimir putin had to say about the subject of security not just here in sochi but other events

around the world. you know looking at a period where the security is always of concern not only at large sporting events but also of political ones we can't forget the terrorist attacks it's a good thing venue's the boston bombings for example which happened recently there have been similar attacks at libby games and the bombings suring the g. eight summit in london but i'd like to thank our partners from almost every nation who are actively working to ensure the game security together with our own security specialists there and judy twenty poor hours a day. because you know she's. now of course security is the main concern here at the games but it really does not take away the fun of it the excitement is still here and it's nothing like sort of a concentration camp or blockade at all people are still having a wonderful time and there's great excitement in the air because now yesterday i sort of want to just speak more about the subject of security and from from the

wonderful cossacks in that crazy costume to the horses which are helping out the security there's certainly a lot to deal with when it comes to the subject over the next month. air defense missiles drones sophisticated saddles capable of detecting some bereans and high speed patrol boats a vast array of high tech gear is being deployed to make such one of the safest places on earth with any global event security is the number one priority and no expense is being spared to achieve that end at the twenty fourteen winter olympics a ring of steel is in place around the city and no one from residence to workers can enter without an official pass but it's a case of high visibility and minimal fuss was that you didn't know many. the athletes have been saying that back home they saw very negative media coverage

about the four children because village some are even afraid to come here but monday arrived this started wondering what all the bad press was about and were very impressed by what's going on here they say there is much less hassle and discomfort is specially when it comes to security checks compared to previous gain but it's not just about tighter controls and manpower police officers are into growing extra training for mounted patrols that have distinct advantages at such events over on a pile of rubble were called here ahead of the games mounted police are more effective during mass the burns officers tower over the people and have a better view of the crowds the beefed up security including assistance from the u.s. government is primed to keep a protective i'll locals and visitors more than ever before almost five hundred cossacks warriors of russian law will also be on duty at various olympic locations with their traditional black hats and coats with apple lets they will be on standby

to assist the police have been guarding russian borders for centuries were traditionally based in southern russia we know the region and its people very well . because x. job is to offer assistance spread safety culture and peace to various religions and people from different countries because like normally patrols without any weapons they can only stop a crime in progress and they can only call the police and wait for the authorities to arrive so as the population of this black sea resort swells by the thousand whether it's sniffer dogs or horses patrol boats or cossacks sox's businesses and locals are certainly in good hands and with an estimated one hundred thousand police security services and armed troops here the aim is to ensure that these will be the safest lympics in history martin andrews r.t. . meanwhile the president of the international olympic committee thomas bach has

kemo no uncertain terms against those seeking to score political points at the expense of the athletes take a listen we are grateful to those who respect the fact that sports can only contribute to development and peace if it's not used as a stage for political dissent or for trying to score points in internal or external political contests to other political leaders we say have the courage to address your disagreements in a peaceful direct political dialogue and not on the pics of the athletes. we have live continuing updates from sochi where the olympic flame has arrived post go to our website to visit the most exciting moments of the journey from ancient greece to the russian black sea resort.

investment dollars once again flowing into iran but that set off alarm bells and washington with some officials insisting the oil origination is still not open for business tehran's prospects have been looking brighter since sanctions were partially lifted under a new nuclear deal my colleague reena kosar even discussed this with artie's business presenter katie pilbeam. we've had a huge french delegation making their way to iran in anticipation of this post sanction iran or mages are all looking forward to not is oil majors but car manufacturers including rand all with that telecoms are into the i was talking the biggest delegation in two years and little one was business comes after some of the locations where they're from turkey so everyone is trying to get out early. and it's almost like everyone wants to get in the line out in reaction to this the u.s.

is saying whoa hold on a minute ok hold your horses we've got wendy sherman she was quite still in her was as to what she had to say we're going to have a quick listen iran is not open for business because our sanctions relief is quite temporary quite limited and quite targeted doesn't matter whether the countries are friend or foe if a evade our sanctions we will sanction them but surely they should have expected that international companies would move within as soon as they announced exactly where it is margin so wouldn't you because we know the reserves in iran are huge incredibly vast one if not one of the biggest oil and gas reserves in the world are talking about the top a terms of both oil and gas world exactly right so people want to drum into that and also you gotta remember europe is still dealing with stagnate grows it's no wonder that they want to drum up business and not have to these sanctions a lot of these countries including tell what active in the region and they want to get in those oil fields and get them likely again i think that stands to reason so

you know it's no surprise that the u.s. to they also want to healthy business relationship with iran because it's going to be forced to be reckoned with when it's back up and running if these six months go well in the way it's conscious wanted to for the u.s.p.s. doesn't want to aggravate iran too much at the moment because then they stand to lose. anywhere but iran's leader just trying to drum up some publicity and also some investment so you know i was in davos just just the other week he was there he was talking to oil majors. included acts on my blog as well from the u.s. and he basically said iran is i from the business to go completely different story ahead the reason why he's saying this is because his economy has been crippled by the sanctions we're talking forty percent inflation five percent recession asked if he's undepressed to himself to get relations kickstarted oil industry and they do use any other whether it be call pharmaceuticals all materials political analyst and professor at the university of tehran mohammad marandi things the u.s. doesn't have year thirty to dictate business guidelines to other countries there

are no international sanctions being violated the sanctions that have been imposed are american sanctions they've sanctioned the iranian central bank and they've threatened other countries and warn other countries from doing business with iran so the united states is basically dictating to. third party third countries how to behave and who to trade with and how to trade the world will benefit a great deal because the world needs iranian oil and gas iran is either the first or second richest country. with regards to energy combined oil and gas when you combine the two ironically despite american pressure against iran iran is the rock in this region it is the only stable. energy rich country in this part of the world and therefore strengthening ties with iran is something that would be in

the strategic interests of any country. the days of u.s. surveillance flights dating dotting the british countryside could be limited coming up find out how senior u.k. politicians are trying to put the u.s. spy genie back in the bottle. the playing. field and big spirit travels with the flame from its place in greece. james brown elemental and. russian and beyond.

seventeen minutes past the hour now afghanistan's government has admitted to holding secret talks with the taliban behind the u.s. back as president karzai steps up efforts to make peace with the militant group although the talks have been largely fruitless so far the u.s. says it supports the push for reconciliation are reports from new york. one of

america's longest and most expensive foreign investments is turning into one of its greatest obstacles the u.s. intervention in afghanistan has essentially created a new taliban movement far more powerful you know no comparison really with the taliban that existed before nine eleven or before the u.s. intervention in afghanistan matter of fact as the taliban and afghan president reportedly remain in secret talks about reaching a peace deal washington's future in the country after twenty fourteen remains in limbo president hamid karzai still refuses to sign a long term bilateral agreement with washington last week that the afghan leader cited poet percy shelly when describing the painfully strained relations with america i believe the best way to summarize this is to put it in the words of shelley the great british port i met murder on the way the whole twelve years was

one of constant pleading with america please treat our civilians respectfully and treat their lives as the lives of people. the u.s. has reportedly spent more than ninety billion dollars on reconstruction and relief in afghanistan i just it for inflation that's more than any european country received after the second world war however journalist gareth porter says in this case no amount of money can buy love what the united states has accomplished in its escalation of the war in afghanistan is a exacerbation a tremendous increase in anti-american sentiment and a large part of that of course was the use of night raids of on people's homes knocking down doors in the middle of the night and antagonizing hundreds of thousands of people who who was channel a friends neighbors were affected by this tactic and it's tremendously antagonized

the afghan population and that is going to be a problem that will affect u.s. national security for many decades to come in the year to come picture a for the u.s. may turn out to mean leaving afghanistan in the same circumstance it was when it was invaded marina porter niamh our. new york frank ledwidge a former british army officer who served in afghanistan thinks this is a sign that the u.s. decade long war achieved little. all this is testament to the total strategic illiteracy of the whole campaign from the start we've had a military campaign really quite some big brutality over the last twelve years completely on the kid and i'm connected to any political process now the taliban they're very very conversant with the need to link up to bash and to moderate all it takes with military action and they play this game an extremely well you know

what's happened is we're right at the end of it come pay the balance of power is already tipping the back of the taliban particularly in the south where of course most of the combat has taken place we say the time of the ready to move into vacated by the british and american forces extortions being applied political pressure making deals with the local drug cartels dumbfounds is already too big not russia opening its arms to syrian refugees granting asylum more than a thousand displaced people fleeing the country that's been torn apart by nearly three years of civil conflict all the details on our website plus fire ranging from the wagon of a train that derailed near all mountains in russia forcing four hundred people to be evacuated from a nearby town. u.s. military has installations dotted across the british isles and senior u.k. politicians calling for an overhaul of the rules governing the network it's thought some of the sites may have early in secret data to control drone strikes in yemen

and carry out dragnet spying by boyko reports. well they arrived during world war two and they stayed throughout the cold war and now there are some ten thousand u.s. military servicemen working here in britain in dozens of facilities but what are they still doing here well it's alleged that one of the u.s. military bases here in the u.k. was relaying data back from a network of spy posts alleged to have been monitoring the phone calls of german chancellor angela merkel so now three senior peers from all three major political parties here in the u.k. say they want to see greater transparency in relation to u.s. military bases and they want to know exactly what the u.s. military servicemen are getting up to on british soil well to talk about this i'm joined by one of the authors of the proposed amendments to defense legislation lib dems baron s. miller barnett's miller thank you very much for joining us the u.s.

and the u.k. have a special relationship they're both part of nato what does it matter what they're getting up to on these bases. where you are quite right we do have a special relationship but the global surveillance program that the american national security agency has been up to has gone well beyond what we think is acceptable in terms of security are you saying that these bases have basically become a lauren to themselves within the u.k. what we're really talking particularly about menwith hill anyone living in new york should be familiar with it huge goals pulls dozens of people working at the scale of it should have told us that something was going on beyond simply missile defense so perelman terence like myself have been asking questions over the last couple of decades but we've received a brushoff a not very good answer now either our ministers didn't know what was going on which

that would be pretty appalling or they didn't know what was going on and were quite comfortable with it but either way i think we need. no to see these bases become far more accountable to the british parliament it really does need to be something that we do knowingly and not just wandering into what we've got now which is a. state run from the states proposed amendments to defense legislation are currently being revised but certainly here in the british government there are those that say while they are on british soil u.s. bases should be added herring to british. azzi london finally in the japan where love is definitely not in the air more people there shunning personal contact in favor of a solitary life on the line for a country with one of the world's lowest birth rates a demographic disaster could be looming or dislikes airshow ski reports from tokyo . thanks but no sex says this japanese woman in her mid thirty's she's no on her

second marriage but intimacy with her husband is off the marital menu. after i had a child with my first husband i lost interest in sex we divorced i remarried but my second husband lost interest in having sex with me so i have actually got used to having no sense at all this is becoming a trend which now has its own name in japan sexless according to recent polls more than sixty percent of unmarried man and near half of women aged eighteen to thirty four are not in relationships more over forty five percent of women and a quarter of men aged sixteen to twenty four were not interested in having sex at all for the country with one of the world's lowest birth rates this spells huge demographic trouble we used to have a very large population but now we're rapidly shrinking if things carry on as they are japan's population will be half of what it is now by the year twenty fifty that would be seventy point eight million we have indeed struggled to find many couples

openly showing their affection in the multi-million capital of tokyo and what makes the situation even more bizarre is that japan has always been a world heavyweight when it comes to the matters of sex but your show our area in tokyo is one of the oldest red light districts in the world for centuries it has been thriving now its streets are practically empty for almost four hundred years it has been restricted to the locals now with japanese people having less sex the businesses here had to open their doors to foreigners mother to home ok now here she used to be called queen love and worked in one of those brothers now runs a special course called sex counseling she helps people resuscitate their basic instinct sometimes through hypnosis she even urges men to dress as women to make them understand what the opposite sex feels like she says the government is partly to blame for the situation taking on. the government puts. to regulations i'm sexually constant even sixty commercials disappeared from t.v.

these forced young people to go there show in their sex lives that now they have more interest in social media and dating becomes annoying to them. not only social networking but also high unemployment among the youth generates this widespread celibacy and sexual reclusion say researchers many simply have no money to date and get married young amount of just to help up to one hundred people every month but with growing numbers of those are interested in intimacy in population of one hundred sixty million this is just a drop in the ocean alexi rush of c.r.t. reporting from tokyo in japan. charlie r.j. the spectacular journey of the olympic torch as it ends its odyssey stay with us after this short break.

is there a new cold war brewing pitting the west against russia what is being called a reset relations at the start of the obama presidency today is in tatters western media and politicians are determined to between russia and the worst possible light even to the point of undermining the sochi games one of these new cold warriors hoping to achieve. is obviously more for the ladies because it's pink.

women wanted to avoid rate they really need to buy guns and burn how to use them. this is the one that i want to go with them once again it's the fear of. women definitely the target of the gun lobby one you don't kill them when you're killing money but if somebody would you would piss with her. i've noticed that more and more is this really scary marketing tactics which implies that women have some sort of moral obligation to guns to protect their family and young girls shoot out here too so we do have a pink or. more kids young kids choke on food than are killed by firearms if being armed made us safer in america we should be the safest nation on earth were clearly not the safest.

right on the scene. first for you and i think the church. reforest twitter. and instagram. to be in. on. it was supposed to be just another news or of course although admittedly for a special occasion it was one hundred twenty three days before the start of the winter olympic games in sochi and i was in greece for the lighting of the olympic flame the ruins of elim p.-l. one of the most famous monuments of ancient greece the site of the very first olympic games where stones like this would have been part of the temple. the temple of the. temple of those.

damn.