the olympic flame arrives in sochi after a historic relay covering more than sixty thousand kilometers livery of the prized merril medals there will be imminent start of the winter games. u.s. warns international firms against doing business with iran saying partial lifting of sanctions doesn't mean the iranian market is open for business yet. afghanistan reveals it's been trying to hammer out a hush hush deal with the taliban as the u.s. role in the country after twenty fourteen becomes less. midnight in moscow i met president very good to have you with us our top story this

hour the olympic flame has arrived in the host city of sochi for the final relay stage before the games begin and what a journey it's been thousands of kilometers across the vastness of russia all the way to orbit and the international space station among those welcoming the torch in sochi artie's martin and. with great anticipation as he said the olympic flame is finally here in the host city of sochi head of the opening ceremony on friday it made its way across sixty five thousand kilometers of russia the largest country in the world featuring eighty three regions fourteen thousand torchbearers and over one hundred cities through of course the very cold winter months recently regarding its journey well as you mentioned just before we went up to space i was there myself and in by can already lost it off in the soyuz rocket to the international space station and for first time in history they made a space for in the vacuum of space other areas it's included the largest freshwater lake in the world the sensational and beautiful lake by cal great took

a successful scuba dive there also went up to the policy circle it's been on a submarine it went to mt albertz the largest and smallest mountain in europe and finally it is here in sochi it 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 beach for mounting cluster of christ like pollyanna where various people could see the flame finally here is sort of recalling the people who carried the torch we had famous musicians famous actors sports men and women and the local people of sorts 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 earlier arty met up with the former olympic winner 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. degree with the president with your time stern ten years ago i couldn't imagine such as would host an event of such magnitude and it's very important for russian mother who. only been positive changes for soldier but it's not a world class resort it's a continuous training facility for winter athletes one that russia never really had been in the future so she will host world championships who will school to be friends it's an amazing period piece for such a city that no one had heard of just ten years ago of course it wasn't just the olympic flame that everyone's talking about the medals made the introduction to various journalists one thousand three hundred of them finally here in such as well that includes the paralympic medals that will be used after the main winter olympic event two they're made by a moscow jeweler and over thirty craftsmen and women actually made the medal successfully they're a very interesting design to their almost like

a mosaic of polish work quilt you could say featuring a posse 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 tell us 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 is feels like extremely safe i'm speaking to various sources it's 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 i don't know total regarding security we've. thousand army men security offices police men sniffer dogs

horses you name it we really do feel as if saatchi 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 sporting events throughout the whole world and this is what vladimir putin had to say when security is always of concern not only at large sporting events but also of political ones we can't forget the terrorist attacks that rooting venues the boston bombings for example which happened recently there have been similar attacks at liberty 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. but 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 now yesterday i sort of wanted to 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 certainly a lot to deal with when it comes to the subject over the next month. air defense missiles drones sophisticated sonar capable of detecting somebody's rains and high speed patrol boats a vast array of high tech gear is being deployed to make sochi 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 did know many of the athletes have been saying that back home they saw very negative media coverage about the olympic 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 place offices are into growing extra training for mounted patrols that have distinct advantages that such events over cannot by the threat level to were called here ahead of the games mounted police are more effective during mass the burns are as there's a tower over the people and have

a better view of the crowds and the beefed up security including assistance from the u.s. government is prime to keep a protective ilocos of this is 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 cossacks who've been guarding russian borders for centuries which traditionally based in southern russia and we know the region and its people very well. because it's job is to offer assistance spread safety culture and peace to various religions and people from different countries 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 sucks these businesses

. locals are certainly in good hands and with an estimated one hundred thousand police security services and troops here the aim is to ensure that these will be the safest a limb takes in the history of andrews he. meanwhile the president of the international olympic committee thomas bach has come out in no uncertain terms against those seeking to score political points at the expense of the athletes 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 remote on the pics of the athletes we have

continuing live updates for you from the host city where the olympic flame is just arrived check out our website to revisit the most exciting moments of its journey from greece to the russian black sea resort. investment dollars again flowing into iran but that has set off some alarm bells in washington with officials insisting the oil rich nation is not open for business yet tehran's prospects have been looking up since sanctions were partially lifted under a new nuclear deal my colleague marina kosar a discussion there is with r.t. business presenter katie. we've had a huge french delegation making their way to iran in anticipation of this post

sanction iran the oil majors are all looking forward to not as oil majors but car manufacturers including brand all with their telecoms are into the i was hoping the biggest delegation in two years and that one was business and of course comes after delegations one there from turkey so everyone is trying to get i really it's how i live and it's it's almost like everyone wants to get in the line now 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 they evade our sanctions we will sanction them surely they should have expected that international companies would move in as soon as they announced that 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 in 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 stagnant growth it's no wonder that they want to drum up business and product to these sanctions a lot of these countries including 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. too they also want to healthy business relationship with iran because it's going to be a force to be reckoned with when it's back up and running if these six months go well in the way it's country twenty two for the u.s. vs doesn't want to aggravate iran too much at the moment because then they stand to lose. anyway but iran's leader. is 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 in. he didn't like some i bought his ball from the u.s. and he basically said iran is a brand that they say is 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 with the oil industry and they do any other whether it be call pharmaceuticals all materials legal analyst and professor at the university of tehran mohammad marandi says the u.s. doesn't have the authority to dictate business guidelines to other nations 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 in this part of the world and therefore strengthening ties with iran is something that would be in the strategic interests of any country in abiding speech the u.k. prime minister sharply criticized the pace of syria's chemical disarmament calling for more haste david cameron cited missed deadlines and a lack of clarity from the assad regime is the most worrying developments charles sure bridges security analyst and former british counterterrorism officer though doesn't think the u.k. has much influence in the region. they organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons the i.c.c. thirty eight who is managing of course this process of removal of these weapons from syria has today or yesterday has come out and said that these deadlines are in

fact soft outlines that the the west shouldn't be too concerned about the deadlines being missed at this stage. in the last forty eight hours reiterated its satisfaction that its confidence that the june thirtieth deadline of complete eradication of these weapons should be met on all saw it's really the situation is dependent upon rebels not attacking this process of transport eradication of these chemical weapons and constituent ingredients but also of course they sat government perhaps with russian pressure continuing the momentum of the pace of the program. the days of u.s. surveillance flights 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 the big spirit travels with the flame from its place in greece. join james brown for an elemental and epic journey around russia and beyond.

seventeen minutes past the hour now afghanistan's government has admitted to holding secret talks with the taliban as president karzai steps up efforts to make peace with the militant group although negotiations have been largely fruitless so far the u.s. says it supports the push for reconciliation or marine important i reports. 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 television 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 shelley 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 put 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 an 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 porton i am r.t.

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 has 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 to mash into memory hole it takes with military action and they play this game an extremely well know what's happened is we're right at the end of it can pay the balance of power is already tipping the bottom of the taliban particularly in the south where of course most of the combat has taken place we say the time of an already proven to be vacated by the british and american forces extortions being applied political pressure making deals with the local drug cartels they've done bounce is already too big not russia

opening its arms to syrian refugees granting asylum to a more than one thousand displaced people fleeing the country that's been torn by nearly three years of conflict all the details on our website. and fire raging from the wagons of a train that derailed near the euro mountains in russia forcing four hundred people to be evacuated from a nearby town. u.s. has military installations dotted across the british isles and senior u.k. politicians calling for an overhaul of the rules governing the network and it's thought some of the sites may have really been secret data to control strada drone strikes in yemen or carry a dragnet spying ali 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 and 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 balls dozens of people working at the scale of it should have told us that something was going on beyond simply missile defense so perelman terrence 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 did 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 big 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 law. r.t. london when does percy from the campaign for the accountability of american bases is the concern is that many facilities are beyond the control of the u.k. government there are about twenty american bases in this country we are concerned with what is going on on all these bases there is no accountability seem. very secretive. of the british government so it's really encouraging as this debate is happening tonight we want them to come back take their goods and chattels back to the united states to within their borders we should not be having foreign forces on this. american there's not any force you. know it's

we trace the spectacular journey of the olympic torch as it comes to the ends of its odyssey and if you're watching from the u.k. going underground is next. recently an online poll by the liberal doe's t.v. channel that's rain in english has caused quite a storm of rage across the country how could a stupid online poll cause russia white anger well they posed the question was defending living grad from the nazis worth it because retreat in their opinion could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives what is offensive from culture to culture differs a lot but from a russian perspective fighting to the bitter end to stop the german genocide machine was worth it this is basically like if a somewhat popular news outlet had a poll on martin luther king's birthday asking was slavery really that bad it was a poem for the economy but why would someone create this poll is because the people

who wrote it are sick with the disease are types total self infatuation egoism and greed in other words we're a generation mean me me these people could never imagine sacrificing the great and wonderful me for any cause sacrificed me to the less for me i'd rather kiss their boots and learn german but it wasn't for millions of russians put their self-interest as a distant second then all those great and wonderful me as would have been worked to death and shot a nazi death camp it pays to make a few sacrifices for society the fascist my opinion. i marinate join me. in part and. very

intricate and much. only the best and. our guests should know. so that we too can precedented measures to ensure their safety is but it's about this will not get in the way of their comfort for the ticket but i can say for sure that they won't even know a soul that they will feel welcome with us where they needed just such a residence are very hospitable people.

good. science technology innovation all the latest developments from around russia we've got the future covered. 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 a limpia 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. temple of.

home. from.

well that was all rather surreal. definitely the way to stream i've had for a while. there was a memorable ceremony. was one pretty sure the high priestess never spoke to me. what was it she said. full of the flame or something. you have a lot more of course of base. from which the top story this morning than the still g. twenty pulteney olympic flame as of right in moscow seven days after it was first late in the ancient greek city of elim carried by russia's deputy prime minister dimitri cool with ak the flame traveled in a small amount into red square where president vladimir putin spoke of its meaning for the russian people in the olympic torch the symbol of the world's primary sports competition of peace and of friendship.