one day on till a world of winter sports wonder excitement is building in sochi while the olympic torch edges closer to officially launch the games. and amid the snowy peaks and sway we get the opinions about the it's on the heat location for the winter games. because of war british citizens that went to fight among the syrian rebels and trained in the camps are threatening to come home bringing terror and violence with them. couple of say they'd rather a kill themselves and be forced to go to the united states t.-y. the fear of being extradited from britain to face u.s. justice. like this from the flying. state for the first opportunity because.

three pm in russian capital you're watching r.t. international i'm marina joshing welcome to the program now seventy years in the making there is just one day to go before sorts of fires up the winter olympics as the city welcomes its thousands of extra visitors many have been quick to show the world what they're experiencing for meeting the mascot's to literally getting into the olympic spirit they are posting pictures online about how they are making the most of their trip to russia's black sea coast now most athletes have already arrived in the russian resort as well as that iconic symbol of the games and as the olympic flame its on its final leg of its epic journey that's covered tens of thousands of kilometers from the bottom of the world's deepest lake to the top of

europe's highest peak to the olympic capital now an r.t.s. paul scott. well spirits are high in and around sochi right now no doubt at the moment being aided by the fantastic weather conditions you can probably see. glistening in the sunshine behind me temperatures are well in the double figures at the moment and the atmosphere the party atmosphere is also no doubt being boosted by the presence of the olympic torch which is in the final stages of its journey across the region over the next twenty four hours or so is going to be carried by a number of high profile public figures russia's foreign minister sergey lavrov the highly respected diplomat he's taken time out of his busy schedule to pick up the baton and a little bit later on it's the turn of u.n. secretary general ban ki moon he's here for the opening ceremony on friday evening of course it's the climax of a journey that started in moscow. sixty five thousand kilometers the torch has traveled to the bottom of lake baikal it's gone to the top of mt it's even been to

the north pole and even to space and it's also been in the mountains which is just a short train ride from here and where my colleague andrew farmer is well yesterday . came up paid to the mountains and to the ski resort of rose a. very only in peak hero the bobsled. was one of the torchbearers nine were in the foothills of the caucasus and despite that was still only a very short tele cabin ride away where most of the sporting events are going to take place everything is very compact and that's also the case down at the black sea in the coastal class today and that's something the math lease i've been impressed with everything is small you know luda village and everything it's close . close to do. we can go by war look and there is not a big security so we feel free and we're fairly confident the russian tennis

star maria sharapova is also in town and she has links to this part of the world too and in her opinion she says sochi is the. perfect place to host the winter olympics. swim in the black sea the same day as you can drive up and out to the mountains inside the best slopes in the world. no one really believed me and i am i hope that everyone be able to experience this and finally we should note that even though the opening ceremony is tomorrow some advance have already started the qualification in the men's and women's slight style snowboarding has begun and the figure skating team event would also get on the way so even though we're still waiting for the colder to be lit for some athletes she twenty fourteen is already up and running. well he says the sport finally got under way off the months if not years of talking although at this early stage nobody knows exactly what the medals table will look like come the end of the games. believe that they have one animal.

they believe that in their midst is a psychic seal. this is the moment to see his life changed forever abandoned by his mother in russia's far east the seal pup was weak with hunger and vulnerable to predators his chances of survival was slim. fast forward three years and his life is now transformed. of course the rather shy seal now stuff say he was abandoned as a pup was rescued and then back to health care the dolphinarium and for the course of the winter olympics he's going to be one of the animals who are going to be predicting sporting outcomes. he's now fighting fit and hoping to make a splash with spectators during these winter olympics. he's already predicted a few football matches however he's not always correct only ninety nine percent of

the time. to post was the first of his kind he made international headlines join his career as a sporting psychic correctly predicting eleven out of thirteen football matches staff in sochi who. will have a similar success rate and also believe that after a difficult start in life could become a favorite with the public. for your boy. alone. isn't a life style fair also hoping that a number of dolphins and even alters display psychic tendencies. sochi. you know how many western newspapers are featuring pictures of less than satisfactory conditions in sochi mostly posted by a handful of journalists but the athletes tell a different story from admiring their views to talking about hotels and services

and here are some of the tweets that foreign guests have been posting from sochi now around the clock on air and online can stay with artie's olympic coverage from sochi we're bringing you the highs and lows from the slopes and rinks of the winter games on our team national and our dedicated website twenty fourteen dot r.-t. dot com. the g twenty four team promises the ultimate in the exhilarating we just for. you see no way to make it out on the first of all the fake news team for sochi twenty four take. on it. now there is a call for the spirit of the games to call global conflicts already we've seen pictures of american and iranian skiers hugging each other something you won't see in the world of big politics the syrian government claims it's ready to join a so-called olympic truce and hold the fighting while the games are on but the

situation in the conflict zone worsens daily and its consequences for our felt far and wide. now a steady as she move european citizens into the ranks of syrian rebels is threatening to bring jihad back home with them a group of extremist with british citizenship who are fighting in the middle eastern war zone are threatening to carry out terror attacks and the u.k. well the group has even issued a number of supposedly motivational posters urging people to join the jihad among the targets public transport and financial centers excuse me and not just in the u.k. one of the pictures shows a militant and front of the white house in washington now let's cross live to a correspondent laura smith for more on this story. laura so it looks like serious violence is threatening to get closer to home for britain what more can you tell us. it does it does and these are the first direct threats as far as we know

that we have seen that have come out of syria and as you say there are threats to attack public transport to attack financial centers and there's an estimated hundreds of britons that have joined the hottest rebel groups in syria according to a couple of studies that have been done it's not just britons although they are the most numerous there are around three hundred fifty according to these couple of studies that we've found but there are also three hundred belgians more than two hundred each from france and germany and around about one hundred fifty fighters who've gone from the netherlands to syria this group that we're talking about in britain is a group called riot how we which is a british jihadist group faction in syria they've got this facebook page and they've issued these threats online mainly if you take a look at their facebook page which is quite a shocking thing actually that the post is that they have posted these motivational

posters that we're talking about are accompanied by likes on facebook requests to be tagged by various people now this is coming a. number of other developments for example u.s. intelligence saying is saying that it's received reports that al qaida has set up training camps in syria specifically to train fighters to return home to their own countries to perpetrate terror attacks in their own countries and u.k. intelligence authorities say they're taking these threats very seriously indeed. and thank you so much for bringing us this of the lauriston is reporting from london. well as the jazz britain that's got concerned america's counterterrorism departments are also raising the alarm after dozens of u.s. citizens moved to join the fight in syria alongside the rebels some have since returned from the war torn country trained by al qaida and now the fear is they could use that experience to launch terror attacks on american soil anti-war

activists richard backer believes it's an inevitable result of washington's rebel supporting policies on syria. i think that we have to see that it's the the us unrelenting campaign against the syrian government that has led people many people to to go to syria to fight on the side of the opposition and it's not just the united states but it's france and britain and other nato allies that have taken this position and this happens over and over again in regards to the big powers and particularly the united states that while they feel they can control all situations what really ends up happening is that they cannot and they end up having these kind of. that they had not anticipated at all. and the french government plans shaking up its policies on integrating immigrants

but the french fear the new proposals could undermine the country's way of life more in doubt coming up shortly here in r t plus. ukraine's of v.i.p. visitors from america and europe give the authorities tips on forming a new government will look out why they are so keen to be seen amid protests down more in just a few minutes. i marinate join me. in that impartial and financial reporting. interview and much much. only on bombast and on.

our guests should know 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 tippett you know i can say for sure that. they will feel welcome i would never say what they mean to distort such a residents are very hospitable people. or london. the whole world is. the true hero of the original one but the one on the end for their father to hang up the coins that building at the end of the street another one the more transparent society gets the money or the pot the tears become we see military and state and police forces mobilized against people who blend into the city to mean hobbit the city the more people

trust electronic devices the more defenseless they are the fear that it is a thousand. on our key. welcome back you're watching r t international and u.s. state department representative is in ukraine for consultations on forming a new government there kiev struggling to overcome political deadlock and victoriano and is planning to meet the country's leadership and its opposition it's not the first time the high profile western guests have engaged in someone else's politics as maria now explains in less than two months u.s. assistant secretary of state and victoria nuland is making her second visit to

ukraine where anti-government protesters have received the full support and backing of washington a u.s. official. say this trip is aimed toward words aiding the country in forming a new government and helping ukrainians fulfill their democratic aspirations now back in december it was the stomachs of protesters that ms nuland helped fill as she walked around heaves independence square handing out now now for many this seemed to put an entirely new twist on international meddling in recent years the u.s. has cemented its reputation in siding with anti-government opposition movements taking place in sovereign countries such as tunisia egypt libya and syria. put in the case of ukraine u.s. officials are actually flying over the atlantic to visit and possibly strategize with pro european union protesters a power play that critics say washington would condemn if the roles were reversed

china or russia or any other great power or even a regional power like iran came to the u.s. and was encouraging the protesters there would be a hue and cry from the american media like you'd never hear of before they would say why are these people interfering in our internal affairs but of course the united states sort of has a double standard because it often interferes in the affairs of other countries and thanks nothing about it in all fairness critics say the u.s. does sometimes show restraint when it comes to foreign conflicts for example in bahrain as brutal and deadly crackdowns against peaceful unarmed protesters have taken place the u.s. has in mind its own business america has also respected its right to remain silent as saudi arabia recently enacted a new law allowing the kingdom to prosecute in jail anyone who exposes corruption

or demands reform reporting from new york marina r.t. well here's one popular guest of protests around the world u.s. senator john mccain he is now. known to the ukrainian public since his first appearance at the revolution there decade ago and it seems he has barely skipped a single episode of unrest around the world getting no welcoming haag from a then opposition leader mikhail saakashvili in georgia now here he is among the crowds in egypt also experience expressing his point of view on libya and this one and that's his visit to a syrian refugee camp in turkey. so when it comes to tracking hacking it seems that if you can't beat them just employ them online we tell you how british intelligence is resorting to its own hacker subdivisions to balad rubes like anonymous which are always one step ahead online. also argued on fracking for shale

gas has already been blamed for polluting water but a rising number off communities in the united states say they are at risk of being left without water at all. it's such. a family caught in the legal round say they would rather kill themselves and be extradited from the u.k. to endure u.s. justice they've been telling to us are still your y.b. forced to go there is for them a fate worse than death. one morning fourteen months ago a life changing knock on the door with two policeman from scotland yard and i said i was sorry miss dunham with come to arrest you and your husband since then they've

been out on bail and are fighting extradition to the united states to await trial after claims from the dunham's former company in the u.s. that they embezzled more than one million dollars in illegitimate expense claims something the couple say are without merit showing as evidence that they've gathered that some say they're not afraid of trial but their worst fear and be sent to the states is the possibility of being denied bail and spending years behind bars apart from one another simply waiting for their day in court if we were away from this country so it's. for a very good chance he would have. we're confident we would win. because we are innocent but we would then be shipped but the u.k. there's no compensation and. wrongful act for the ocean. can you imagine coming back to this country you know three or four years later no harm no money no job and you are now in you know sixty two sixty three years. and trying to rebuild your

life controversy has long surrounded the u.s. u.k. extradition act of two thousand and three signed in the wake of nine eleven critics claim the agreement is biased against the u.k. if you are a u.s. citizen wanted by the u.k. government you have a higher standard of evidence that you need to provide in the u.s. and also as a u.s. citizen you have the opportunity to go to a u.s. court to plink your case and unfortunate for british that since there is no such opportunity to have your evidence tested in the u.k. court before you were extradited and that's a basic unfairness to an independent review and twenty eleven found at the treaty quote does not operate in an unbalanced manner but this contradicts findings of the parliament's joint committee in human rights which called for a renegotiation to ensure british citizens get the same protections as americans conservative m.p. who sits on the committee looked at nationalities of those extradited and found at

thirty five britons have been sent to the us and steve thousand and four versus just five u.s. nationals who made the opposite journey that's seven times more two thousand and twelve david cameron told us president barack obama that he wanted a review of the treaty that is little comfort to the don imus and others like them who teeter on the edge of desperation knowing it's very lives at stake from the moment they put us on the plane. first opportunity rick and. jess are cilia r t london. and other world news now for you police haven't been engaged in street battles with. stone throwing protesters in istanbul demonstrators were riled by a recent court ruling that delayed a hearing over the death of a protester in the gas park rallies last summer the twenty year old became the first victim of weeks long violence over urban regeneration which swelled into anti-government protests. israel has approved plans for over five

hundred houses in east jerusalem in territory occupied since nine hundred sixty seven construction is expected to start next week palestinian leaders say it violates international law and is accusing israel of destroying the peace negotiations which began last july in the united states jerusalem is bitterly fought over by both israelis and palestinians as their capital. and a warehouse fire in argentina's killed nine firefighters and civil to fans were verse twenty seven meter wall collapsed into them as they battled the flames seven others were injured in the incident at a storage facility for banking documents and data and wednesday was the cause of fire is being investigated bot authorities say that arson might have taken place. france is planning to overhaul its immigration policies after the prime minister admitted the system is failing a government report says the state should become more arab orientated but that's

drawing fire from the opposition which believes it could put an answer to french culture as we know it you are going off reports from paris what could be a seismic shift for society. the bar salute has been living in pairs for new you three decades step by step she's gone from getting a worker's permits to building a family business she changed her life to become a part of french society a long time ago but agrees that the time for it to change has now come as well. this is normal it's the evolution of society the french prime minister recently published a government report proposing a shift in the country's migration policy specifically on integration cancelling the two thousand and four ban on muslims wearing veils in state schools proposing to start teaching immigrant children their language of origin and other measures that many find controversial. the report has parts about upholding people's roots and promoting the values of the republic not only is it contradictory but it

undermines the secular nature of french society. the report has sparked a wave of criticism with political rivals accusing the prime minister of undermining national values instead of promoting them or calling it a dangerous provocation that threatens the country's decades long migration policies it's estimated france officially received around two million immigrants over the past ten years and one of around two hundred thousand new. figures are continuing to grow with despite this things like immigration and integration for a long time weren't always something for a society found tough to discuss they were almost. anyone with a french passport no matter where they came from originally as a citizen of the republic and even mentioning someone's foreign roots could be enough for discrimination case in court friendship a big. doesn't like groups of men or it is we are not in the same position of the. us they used to deal with

cultural ethnic communities in france we don't like this we want every citizen to be a part of the friendship oblique and not a part of his community clearly it will take a lot of debate before any of the proposals are put into action and with such strong opposition it's possible none of them will make it into the legal court but the report may be opening a pandora's box with signs of a growing desire to meet changes to migration policy that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago you were just one of the bearers mammo wages and inflation are taking their toll and thousands of americans are these boom bust asks if there is a way out x. just.

recently in our line poll by the liberal dodge 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 wide anger while they pose 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 well slavery really that bad it was a poem from 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 and other words were a generation mean mean mean. these people could never imagine sacrificing the great and wonderful me for any cause sacrificed me to the dog seems

a plus 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 s. would have been worked to death and shot a nazi death camp at pace to make a few sacrifices for society the fascist my opinion. dramas the truth be ignored. stories others the few still no. faces changing the world right now. to picture a suitcase leaves. home to me from around the globe. look to me don't get me.

there i marinated and this is boston these are the stories that we're tracking for you today. first up investment adviser and financial blogger mike shed locked discusses minimum wage inflation and the overall health of the u.s. economy you won't want to miss our interview that's coming right up then film director jim bruce is back on the show today he is joining us live from los angeles to discuss his latest documentary money for nothing plus he's giving us his take on

the regime change over the fed and finally in today's big deal ed harrison and i are talking wall bucks water wall bucks you might be asking you've got to stay tuned to find out it's all coming up and it all starts right now. our lead story today cigarette now for those of you out there addicted to tobacco you know full well that when you need a nicotine fix you just got to have it however one place you're not going to find it is that c.v.s. no not anymore now the country's largest drugstore c.v.s. caremark has announced that starting october first they will no longer sell cigarettes and other tobacco products the move will cost the chain an estimated two

billion dollars per year however that loss of sale actually accounts for just a small fraction of the company's total revenue which topped one hundred twenty three billion dollars last year now c.v.s. is the first major pharmacy to ban tobacco sales though many smaller independently owned pharmacies have already done so c.v.s. medical officer dr troy brennan said quote this action may not lead many people to stop smoking smokers world probably simply go elsewhere to buy cigarettes but if other retailers follow this lead to battle products will become much more difficult to obtain so how do smokers feel about all this we hit the streets to find out. people like me who want to stop smoking we have to go a little bit further to get the pack of cigarettes you know and for me to get up at midnight or some way that or ten o'clock at night to go to c.v.s. when they're only have twenty four hours i can run in and grab a packs of cigarettes but if.