it's only a matter of hours now before the official start of the twenty fourth games anticipation is growing with the entry surrounding the opening ceremony just adding to the excitement plus he says the competition is just about ice and snow now that all the athletes have gathered here in sochi will be giving out the first of the winter olympics from the we had a wonderful costumes to the overly bright and just downright bizarre. and embarrassed us diplomats tried to laugh off an apparently hacked explicit phone chat over how they could sailor the next ukrainian government's.

you're watching r t ensor national with marina welcome to the program well as you can see from the olympic countdown clock in the heart of moscow there are seven hours twelve minutes and fifty two seconds to go and that's before the flame of the winter games is let's at the olympic stadium and some of the competitions have already kicked off the world is holding its breath for the official opening ceremony and organizers promise that it will be mind blowing artie's paul scott is in the olympic capital for us. it's been seven years since sochi was awarded the winter olympics and in a few hours time we're going to see the culmination the climax of all that hard work and old out planning the opening ceremony gets underway at eight fourteen pm local time in the fish stadium that you can probably make out behind me well i was fortunate enough to get

a ticket for the final dress rehearsal on choose david and i can tell you that the forty thousand plus spectators who were going to be inside that stadium are going to be treated to a high tech pyrotechnic display a condensed journey through russian history and although the ending ceremony hasn't begun in the olympic cauldron hasn't been lit we still don't know the identity of the person tossed without despite those things the sport has started the events began on thursday and the continuing to run throughout friday and also has spoken to a couple of athletes who have tested their venues ahead of their events and they say that sochi is ready to welcome the school ting world first impressions having good we've been riding every day and i'm happy. like states we don't have this much success or that good so easily. cut off to live. right in the sun every day. so yes.

i think the russians are very enthusiastic about sport and about the olympics so i expect them to play great hosts to the world and so far what i've seen has been very impressive and i can't wait to get down to the venues and see the called again well tonight's opening ceremony will also see the climax of the journey for the olympic torch it's on its record breaking sixty five thousand kilometer journey around the world's largest country it's in the final stages of that journey of course is going to the bottom of the world's deepest lake lake by kalas going to the top of the highest peak in europe mt elbrus and has even been into outer space on the north pole and in the. last twenty four hours it's been carried by a number of high profile figures as well including russia's foreign minister sergei lavrov he's taken time out of his busy schedule to pick up the baton as has u.n. secretary general ban ki moon who is here for tonight's opening ceremony and organizers say the fool the olympic torch relay it is almost a case of mission accomplished it's of course the. biggest torch relay in time and

history so it's been a huge logistical effort to make this happen in the show in winter time but it's been a fantastic journey and i mean every dream we are going to school we had before we started has really come through so it's it's been an amazing journey really showing the first verse of everybody over the next few hours the olympic torch is going to snake its way through such a before arriving here in the fish stadium for the opening ceremony and atmosphere is building because the such the twenty fourteen winter olympics are now just hours away. and we've got it same of correspondents working in all the venues across the olympic city of saatchi we heard the report from paul scott's while he's actually right here which is the coastal cluster this is where the olympic park is and where the opening ceremony will take place this evening now there'll be athletes in five different kinds of sports who will be competing there and there as that will happen up there in the mountains now in points and up there that looks quite far but it's

actually just half an hour ride away and invite there is when you can find art scenes and reformer bringing us the latest. when russia won the right to host these olympics there wasn't even a paved road leading to the roads or who tour never mind a tally cabin but now look at it it is a fully fledged european style ski village there are hotel chains here is what is restaurants and cafes and there's even a nightclub around the corner but this place is in it for the long haul because long after the olympics have packed up and gone home it's hoped that many thousands of tourists will come here for decades to come to something like sixty kilometers worth of ski runs and three ski areas around this place and that is set to be expanded so this little tour even though it's been short does show that there's much more to these olympics than just sporting venues it's all about the overhaul and the entire regeneration of a region. and before the medal count begins let's take a look at some basic numbers determine in these games so we have the twenty second

when so lympics and they are definitely record breaking almost three thousand athletes from the largest ever number of countries eighty eight its will be competing and saatchi in a record number of sporting events ninety eight and that's twelve competitions more than in vancouver four years ago now another record so much it has broken as the cost these are officially the most expensive winter games in history but these olympics are not just about sportsmanship and counts and medals there's one more competition and despite no war it's still going to cash is now top designers worldwide have put all their efforts and to making the teams the gold standard of an impact fashion who better to tell us about the outcome of all this than our teams martin enters course all the eyes will be on the procession tonight at the opening ceremony and indeed what people are wearing their uniforms are they costumes all of the political statements so let's give you

a wrap of what you can expect tonight let's go straight to the german team they'll certainly stand out from the crowd we have been designed by. that total coats in what could be described as a rainbow childish garish effect with that bright colors of pink yellow blue green a few people have said that it's a nod towards the anti gay attitudes and subjects running the controversy of the games but personally i think it's just a throwback to the cab as a my little pony so that's the german team for you expect them to be that in lights set the setting out in the procession let's move on to my opinion and what i think are the most stylish and chic uniforms that will be showing tonight they are of course america some say new york is the fashion capital of the world and the costumes uniforms are designed by ralph lauren they were unveiled last year and of course. all here in the pico says that cool with a slim sweatpants with

a floppy hats with a star design in the colors red white and blue sky personal thumbs up to the american team now let's go from something quite acceptable to the weird and wonderful let's take a look at the scandinavian country of norway and the curling team in the zigzag efforts of what you can see now in the colors also in red white and blue they want to to feel at ease on the ice with what they're wearing and they certainly will be wearing those outfits so fingers crossed that costume will work for them because personally i would not want to wear that outfit living also a great guy he's been in the papers and covered by lots of the media it's the mexican ski championship herbert's von holzen who and he's actually just one eighth mexican he's actually descendants of german royalty people say he's a prince of the people that don't he'll be wearing the lair oh outfits and you certainly won't miss him in his truffled ruffled succeeded with his red tie and come a band that's the prince hubertus von holzen who are moving on to the russian bombshell

that is arena sidr over recently she posed for a glossy magazine wearing just lingerie with her curling stone she's got lots of tongues wagging lots people are looking forward to seeing her tonight of course she isn't just a pretty face but she is a celebrity here and russian of course tonight will also be seeing other teams from around the world including great britain and the rest of the russian team so while three billion people might be watching the opening ceremony for the famous torch pairing other people will see it as a fashion and somewhat political statement regarding what people are wearing let's look forward to an excitement here is just incredible. and besides sports and fashion the social impact games also promised to be about and retain that more than five thousand performers from russia and around the globe will be delighting athletes and tourists throughout the course of the games and we can now actually go live to talk to one of the artists all strip hopes of

a tourist be performing there today thank you so much for taking some time hello there i know you're probably go for a last minute preparations rehearsal soundtrack so thank you for taking some time out of your busy schedule to talk to us the first question i have for you is what does it feel like to be performing mightily doing the limpid games you're welcome. amazing i mean i'm so blessed and i'm so happy to perform you tonight it's super nice it's so impressive what rush so she put up here and i'm just in front of the olympic park and it's amazing i am very excited seed and i'm going to have a great show so i hope a lot of people going to come and look at it yet we will talk about your show and your outfit in a little bit i want to find out over sleep we're not at the attention will be mostly on the flat sick of it and what do you know about what's happening answer attainment wise in salcha right now what's happening there now and perhaps what's

coming up. right now a lot of people are hers of course and i just heard that new jackboots new truck goes going to see you know the big big oprah saying. i'm not sure but that's what people say and of course a lot of people trying for soul because i'm on stage from folks bobbing through and favorite verse all the time i've reverse all the time and we are very very excited. because let's hear a little bit about your first impressions of the city saw what the think about the accommodation the services the surroundings and i'm asking you this big. as we have had some conflict than twenty seven reports we have journalists saying for example that they're not too happy with that we have athletes from around the world saying that they love the news what's your personal take. well we came here two days ago and the fatality it's not finished not really

finished but still people are amazing they're lovely they're so kind and they give their best and i really really really like it and i'm very blessed and very thankful that they're so nice to us ok i can say about that but now let's talk about the fashion but before you came on we had our correspondents telling us about some of the unique fashion trends the scene here at the olympics now we know that you will be wearing quite a unique and sparkly if i may say so outfits later on when you're performing can you tell us a little bit about that because you look lovely but i'm sure this is not how you'll be performing yeah. this that's true i'm going to wear a cat suit and it's going to be crystallised from from down to top it's fourteen thousand crystals and it's like it's got a little have beat but it's going to be great and i going to clear out from from there today so i'm very excited with the people that's going to say so but i'm

thankful thank you so much on the company sponsored keep if a made for me would do hope that you break a leg as they say in the show biz that everything goes well in your performance what will you be doing the site from work what what's there for entertainment. value me except except my four guests yes i won't be having what on that form and c.b.s. tonight what borders are to do in salt. well there is actually a lot to do there is coca-cola who has their house and there are big big screens you can watch as. and they have a lot to do there also like for example yesterday i wasn't that austrian house it's really nice going up you can talk to all the school to sports man so it's it's cool it's a real sports event and it's great i've never been on one so it's my first time and i'm i'm actually very yeah impressed their breasts and excited it seems and again

i hope everything goes well and your performance than not yes we can we can thank you very much that was of course that was sitting here who will be performing later on in the evening victoria. now to stay with us as we begin our special coverage of the games from our olympic studio and saw to this evening. the g twenty four dean promises the ultimate in the exhilarating winter it's an honor to be here to meet you so no way i'm a clever know and i'm the worst of all the hate news team for sochi twenty four take. on. the league phone call of washington speak on the scenes casting for ukraine's next leader calls red faces at the state department's that's especially after the conversation the pier to talk up a special role for the e.u.

so that would be great i think to help glue this thing and have the u.n. help glue it and you know the e.u. in the parents' conversation with the ambassador in kiev the u.s. is top diplomats for europe victoria nuland outlined a failsafe scheme to forge a new government here's our new york correspondence with more on the leak as well as the role. well what you hear during this four minute conversation is basically two top u.s. officials strategizing about how to form ukraine's new government it sounds like they're playing a game of chess with the opposition leaders as the pieces on that chess board they're trying to determine which opposition leader has the best economic and governing experience to work inside ukraine's new government and which opposition leaders should remain on the outside it's a bit shocking to actually hear i had to listen to it a few times to really grasp the fact that there are strategizing on how to put

together the government of another country instead of paraphrasing everything let's let our viewers actually take a listen for themselves. the piece was obviously that complicated electronics you're. going to miss deputy prime minister and you've seen some of our notes on the troubles in the marriage right now so we're trying to get her read really fast and work here on this stuff i'm glad you sort of put it on the spot on where he fits in your scenario so i don't think leetch should go into the government i don't think it's necessary i don't think it's a good idea in terms of her not going to the government just let him sort of stay out in doofus tradable homework and stuff i think he is the guy who's got the economic experience the governing experience he's the he's the guy you know what he needs his cleats in tiny book on the outside he needs to be talking to them four times a week well clearly this is a highly embarrassing situation for the united states particularly because we've

been here u.s. officials insist for so long that they're not involving themselves in into ukraine's internal circumstance. for for the spokesperson for the for the u.s. state department she had a pretty difficult day on thursday jen psaki was put in the hot seat by journalists one after another reporters kept asking her why u.s. officials are interfering in ukraine's internal problems at one point corresponded said point blank that the leaked conversation was she's attempting to construct a new government in a sovereign country and actually bring officials in from the u.n. to seal the deal one thing u.s. officials had not spin their way out of it is the profanity and dismissive tone victoria nuland used when referring to the european union and its involvement in ukraine for that an apology was issued she's been in close contact with a representative ashton also let me convey that she has been in contact with the

e.u. counterparts and and of course has apologized but. for these reported comments of course you're not confirming because you're accurate under snow going to speak. to a private diplomatic conversation but i'm obviously speaking to the content of the reports. misaki also tried to make somewhat of a joke when she was in damage control mode when she was referring to the use of profanity when it came to victoria nuland the assistant secretary of state let's take a listen you may know the story of how she lived on the russian boat for about eight months when she was twenty three in she learned how to perfect perhaps certain words in a couple of languages so perhaps it speaks to that more than a pervasive viewpoint you know suggesting that she is a predisposition against russian no i was suggesting that she learned russian curse words and curse words on the diseases of the shooting. i was making

a joke about her learning the curse words on a fishing boat there you see a us folks person trying to make a joke out of a situation that is quite scandalous quite embarrassing not sure of any high official officials in ukraine are laughing at this moment after their hearing this leaked conversation on you tube about you know the united states strategizing on how to build a new government in a sovereign country foreign policy export bowshot mileage points out the u.s. may be trying to divert public attention away from this book of political tricks. we have a situation where a high ranking official of the u.s. government who's even been to kiev an issue you know what was distributing cookies to the demonstrators back when they were still relatively peaceful is referring to these guys as you know glitz yacht sea in tiny book i would i would seriously be upset i would i would consider this an insult she's apologized for a comment to she's not admitting she made which is itself

a confirmation that the comment was made but will she hasn't apologized for is the plans to midwife a new government in ukraine in other words she's she's apologizing for cussing out the e.u. but she's not apologizing for trying to overthrow a government in kiev and calling that popular democracy obviously there's more to it than that i don't think anybody in the us establishment to sorry for what they're trying to do i think they're very proud of it and i think they're going to pursue it and if you want more our web site has got all the link to the link itself as well as the reaction of the u.s. state department it's all there for you online at art si dot com now more news after a short break. well

. technology innovation all the developments around russia we've got this huge area covered. dramas that can't be ignored. stories others use in the same. places change the world right. to pictures. from around the globe. look.

welcome back now later this year scotland holds a referendum on independence by the politicians in london are going to do whatever they can to prevent a yes vote from happening prime minister david cameron will give a speech today urging the scots to remain within the union he will argue a breakaway will undermine the position of britain but as far as his war smith reports the ranks of the independent supporters are slowly but steadily growing. keeping up the pressure is the name of the game in the race for the scottish referendum on independence david cameron's speech on fridays the latest in the fight and it comes as polls show a jump in support for separation since the scottish national party produced its white paper in november with details of how an independent scotland would work

there's been a small number of people who want scotland to break away a january poll of more than a thousand respondents twenty nine percent in favor from twenty six percent in november the campaign also appears to be convincing those south of the border support for scottish independence in england and wales has risen to twenty four percent from twenty one in november but it's certainly not all plain sailing for the pro independence cup they will. be he is the most prominent businessman yet to criticize the thinking behind it dependence but others have the head of a leading north sea investment bank has said separation would be a threat to prosperity both those opinions are pretty important because the economic case for independence rests largely on how much money scotland would be able to get for north sea oil and gas and westminster is sure to use that to its

advantage in the next stage of what's being project. more stories for you online including an ugly moment for c.n.n. after it released its list of the world's ugliest morning minutes after the broadcaster found space to call an important world war two memorial unsightly triggering the furious reaction from veterans who fought the nazis. lost religious police in saudi arabia have formed a special task force to find and tract what's her user suspected of being witches more and that's at r.t. dot com. there is lights really for inhabitants of the syrian city of homs after the government's reached an agreement with a while so evacuate thousands of civilians from the besieged city there will be joining the stream of refugees driven out of their homes by the civil war that numbers already estimated at three and a half million people artie's possibly or has the story of one such family too high

but mark live is a refugee in her own country forced from a home by civil war she and her daughters are hiding some two hundred kilometers from the village in a three room apartment they share with another family their crime supporting president bashar assad. the terrorists want to kill me they broke into my house to find me they looted everything they kidnapped six members of my family all because they are looking for me a lot has been seared about the desperate situation facing refugees who fled across the border to neighboring countries but most of those forced from their homes by the spiraling violence are displaced within syria to solve these internally displaced people remain extremely vulnerable and their numbers continue to swell. i've been told many times to stop supporting assad and everything will be fine but i won't change my principles mil when we will fighters first got hold of through high birth she was eight months pregnant they keep her so badly she lost the baby

but she refused to change her politics. i ran away with my children my mother is very dear to me it is now the second aide first of all that has passed without me being with her my mother has god by her side he will not abandon her. they are kidnapping young people sixteen year olds and they're cutting them into pieces when asked if she'll give herself up for family sake through high bank in fact pieces know. if i die i want my daughters to continue in the same way everybody is going to die my mother may die but she won't be their last victim i may die to. syria's death toll stands at more than one hundred thousand with no sign of fighting a base for many internal the future home remains a distant dream for those who high back it's only their ideals that gives them the

strength to carry on. damascus syria. more news for you and life and our coming up though a look at the highlights of the spectacular events watch for the late. recently in our line poll by the liberal dawlish t.v. channel that's rein 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 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 and 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 last one. 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 it pays to make a few sacrifices for society fashion just my opinion.

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 the 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.

no. well that was a rather surreal. definitely the weirdest dream i've had for a while. it wasn't.