success. the first winners in the twenty fourteen winter games a slide on to the podium to claim that medal day one of competition. the equipment failure could have ruined dreams gold for some. already that is if their russian opponents hadn't put a rivalry aside to help them out. i. seems of. protesters clashed with police and said government buildings a blaze all of unemployment economic stagnation and corruption. a suicide bombing reportedly carried out by a british citizen in syria fresh fears that hundreds of western volunteers could

pose a threat when they return home from the war. it is just off to want to am here in moscow international with me will receive from the news team welcome to the program. and day one of the winter olympics in sochi was incredibly successful for the norwegians up in the mountains and the dutch down on the black sea coast. he found out exactly whose dreams of olympic gold actually came true today. for the only medals for russia on day one of the sochi twenty fourteen winter olympics but they are in a good position to pick up their medal of these games in the figure skating team event after five rounds they currently lead the overall standings meanwhile by.

athlete ole einar darling has created history he's become the joint record holder for the most amount of winter olympic medals he now has twelve to his name and seven of them a gold he's also become the oldest individual gold medal winner in winter olympics history this is after he claimed gold in the men's ten k. sprints event there was also a super display from the netherlands in the speed skating in the men's five thousand meters they claimed a one to three gold silver and bronze spend kramer successfully defending his title well let's take a look at the medals table then you can see that it's norway that lead the way at the moment but that fantastic display by the netherlands has put them right up amongst the leaders and we've seen the first awarding of the medals to the athletes it's going to happen daily at eight fourteen pm in the coastal cluster in the medals plaza there of course it happens eight fourteen pm because that's twenty fourteen representing the german athletes were going to be pretty much under prepared for there are vents now for the skiers and for the by athletes there's

a special machine that prepares their skis it gets them ready for competitions and the german machine it actually broke now the german federation was scratching around looking for support and seeking assistance from other teams here with the winter olympics they approach austria their rivals he refused to help but russia did decide to help they put the rivalry to one side and desisted their opposition spirit is shining through and we're all in our team have never experienced such special situation and such. fair play the russian friends were full of trust in us they gave us handed over the key and so it was possible that our team last night. prepared. mentioned a few moments ago the medals table let's find out a bit more about those medals here's my colleague andrew farmer.

it. was it was all actually some sort of shoot a dream podium finish and then take magill around. and they said good enough to get one that will be taking hiding something of these guns reflexive cheese landscape by the jacket the city president yana he just sandy beaches of the black sea is designed that will be useful even to some of our lympics with a curiously foreign influence will get new mexico for the exits. pick up up. an olympic gold medal weighs an average of five hundred twenty five hundred forty grams paralympic gold medal is about six hundred seventy just six hundred eighty grams but the reason for the weight difference between olympic gold medals it is because the titles of different sport disciplines vary in length if they have to be

engraved which means that along with the title of the disappointed the lighter the most. similar to what their weight each one takes a staggering eighteen hours to make it starts on the ladies and as those are cut to the right size a special machine creates that icy looking center and the game's trademark patchwork quilt pattern is engraved reflecting russia's cultural diversity all part of twenty five different manufacturing steps a record thirteen hundred medals have been minted in this way for the sochi games where twelve new events will make their intake debut has been a big undertaking for russian jewelry manufacturer adam ass they've needed two tons of silver which is the main ingredient and it does mean that when his medals are not with us they're waiting gold which is only used as a final casing in fact their rule value is just a few hundred dollars although any athlete will tell you they are facts. priceless

andrey r.t. . and the first medals in the twenty fourteen olympics were awarded for slopestyle snowboarding american rider and sporting legend shaun white he pulled out before the games began he said he was worried about the safety of the course so we had a chance to speak with billy morgan an athlete for team great britain to ask him what he thinks about the venues and such it's been amazing considering you know there wasn't much here before before they started building results here is absolutely ridiculous is you know everything you need it doesn't seem like it is miss in the villages the village is good it'll work the transports fine they would be so easy to have lots of problems like you know having something so new that you know there's always problems but they've got around to the few problems they have heard it is work really well i've enjoyed it a lot so if they had problems with. getting the machinery on the slope which is a common thing if it's too warm you can get the machines on the slopes but the next day it was cold enough and they got the machines on and it was it was super smooth

the problem was they couldn't smooth out properly but that was all gone the next day so people turned up you know it was a bit scary but it was all fixed said it's been brilliant ever since and all the sporting action was preceded of course by the glitz and gloss of the opening ceremony of the spectacular show gave the audience a journey through russia is unique and complicated history but the culmination of the ceremony was as ever the lighting of the olympic flame going to two of russia's most celebrated author leads a soviet cocky legend. and legendary figure skater. she shared with us what it's like to be the final torch bearer in the longest olympic relay ever. yes a willingness to let it come its call it seems is my destiny to do everything as a package but it's a fantastic experience it's so great that we've been entrusted with such an honor i have these games will be extremely exciting it's always exciting at the olympics everything is brand new here the weather is beautiful and it's creating

a festive mood for everyone especially the athletes and it's very important because the olympics has long been about so much more than just sports it's. among the olympic hopefuls in sochi is a familiar face from a very different discipline globally we're now in a violinist of an estimate has qualified for the women's slalom representing thailand and she's hoping to deliver a virtuous a performance on the slopes this time. so it may be that me here the day every day when it's flashback right away she and divine even if you know that it was paid to give me a day where i ended up late after a break and had i'm sure the next day i have to say that. we can meet a nice guy i mean we feel fine for me a.j. it was something that i was single minded that we eat i am serious man and i come in here it's easy but i gotta set myself on a passion shared the fact that he might be getting responses that nobody's thinking

of cleveland which way they could be if it is the case. now you can find out everything else that is happening from our twitter team in fact our feed has a lists section where the where all the sporting disciplines are split into categories it is alternately the simplest way to keep across all the tweets that are coming from the very people who are competing for gold and of course an army of fans willing to share their experience at sochi twenty fourteen for all of us on line. the g. twenty fourteen promised the week ultimate an exhilarating winter in our team a team join me and it's in no way i'm a criminal and the rest of our limited news team for sochi twenty four would say. all odds. and i we're coming to you live from moscow as both millions woke up on saturday to streets of broken windows and smoke rising from government buildings

the day before thousands of protesters across the country went on a rampage in clashed with police authorities have valid to prevent further violence after the worst rioting since the one nine hundred ninety s. . scenes of hundreds of people getting injured in three days of protests all in a state where forty percent of the population remains jobless in the capital such a year or thora he's fired rubber bullets water cannons and tear gas to disperse the crowds in other parts of the country protesters hurled the rocks at security forces and torched local government buildings and the unrest and initially erupted over the closure of several state owned companies that was sold off and then collapsed under private ownership political analyst dr mark mason he says the violence is growing into a full blown uprising. forty percent of the population of barton you know they are simply employed was out any work whatsoever so these conditions were like annoyed

at all surprising that we have a mass popular uprising some of the police may come over and that's one of the back doors that has been actually studied by thoughts will fly into the truth when about five percent of the population say they've had it with the government and they get some significant fraction of the police forces to say i'm through with this too i'm joining the protesters pretty much the end of it for the government so we want to watch that very closely. i just ahead of you here on the program on l.t. international an issue of immigration people in switzerland to decide whether the influx of foreign of work has should because critics say it's going to be a company economy that ultimately suffers in the end. it is don. control time in washington after a leaked recording of a phone conversation apparently involving the u.s.

assistant secretary of state revealed the depth of american involvement in ukraine's ongoing and government unrest so that would be great i think to help polluted thing and have the u.n. help glue it and you know be you the use of a strong language by victoria nuland was recorded while she was talking to the u.s. ambassador in kiev the remark caused outrage certainly from the german chancellor angela merkel who called newman's choice of words completely unacceptable and international affairs commentator rick ross off he says the conversation shows america's overall neglect of the sovereignty of other states. this story would not have gained traction it would not get cheap the exposure it had if that word had not come out i'm afraid that maybe obscured the actual content of the discussion which is all but you know presenting a blueprint for regime change the least significant word she it issued during the course of the conversation with the u.s. ambassador is the one that has gained it the notoriety for better or worse that it

has what you're really seeing is just casually and callous the u.s. state department plots political transformation and other countries outside the legitimate which is saving a lot of toral real you know zero is in effect engineers' regime change even going down into the most mind my new particulars as to who should and should not be a future prime minister. of the us state department didn't deny the authenticity of the recording saying that nuland has already apologized for her comments and washington's continued claim that it's not involved in ukraine's political process certainly left the state department spokesperson on the back foot. it shouldn't be a surprise that there are discussions about events on the ground it's more than discussions this is the us midwife in the process there's a difference between private discussions that happen and the interagency process in the building and what we convey publicly as a u.s. government that's what you do as i'm sorry my if you're saying privately behind the

scenes that you're cooking up a deal and then you're saying publicly that this isn't for you creating instead side those are two totally different things. while still also needs to come your way when all the international help you can stay with us for now a very short break. well. science technology innovation all the developments around russia we've got the future are covered. by marinating join me. in that in part and. commentary interview

and much much. only on bombast and. i'm i'm. i'm . joining us here on r.t. international a joint team of u.n. syrian red crescent workers delivered to the perceived city of homs despite the shelling. a cease fire and homes had been broken with a convoy coming under fire of the government and the rebels accused each other of

violating the armistice dozens of residents evacuated on friday as part of agreements reached at the geneva two conference the syrian government says it's now ready to continue talking with the opposition the u.n. mediator to summit the rebels do not enjoy popular support inside syria where radical islamists are now dominating the fight against assad and the militants have been bolstered by hundreds of european volunteers sparking fears they could bring terror. reports. british you heart is known as. tony is believed to be the first brit to have carried out a suicide attack in syria after a vehicle packed with explosives was taken to a prison allowing some three hundred prisoners to escape british citizens along with other europeans travelling to syria some as young as sixteen and fighting alongside jihad is groups along with a concern for authorities believe now that there are about three hundred fifty

britons over there making up the largest contingent of some one thousand westerners and this is a new development reinforces of the urgency expressed by governments here and having to deal with a specific group of jihad is carrying their country's passport. information has finally come out that was seeing this actually happen in syria however given the trends that we've seen in syria over the past few years it's not surprising that we're seeing british individuals or foreign individuals more generally becoming involved in on the ground i think if we compare this particular conflict in syria with the jihad that this is seen or. around the world there were people with which you see in large numbers of foreigners be true to the about to kill is from my perspective i'm president of the numbers certainly that would be they were hearing created about our new rich intelligence and it presents a very different cool picture for them to manage in sounding the alarm over this phenomenon authorities are regreasing be worried about what happens when these individuals return home how

a group of britons sub already threatened to carry out terrorist attacks in the u.k. and this is believed to be the first direct threat to come out of syria reporting from london i'm tester cilia. time here we go to turkey now where riot police fired water on the. demonstrators in istanbul where crowds of people who hold firecrackers and started have been protesting legislation which critics say will tighten government control of the internet others were calling on the leaders to resign twitter and facebook were widely used by anti-government protesters during demonstrations. a russian woman is being killed along with another person in a train derailment in the french alps that was traveling from the coastal city of nice officials say a boulder smashed into one of the cars injuring at least nine others of a swiss are preparing for a referendum on whether to cap immigration polls show increasing support for the

plan to limit the number of foreigners moving to switzerland there's some warn it will just end up backfiring on the economy we see capital for points. welcome to switzerland breathtaking views plentiful jobs and low taxes it's no surprise that the streets here are growing more crowded some eighty thousand new residents arrive each year a significant number for a country of just eight million our industry our economy meets immigration to a certain point but everybody under a mist under estimated the situation the number of people coming is much much higher than anywhere else in the world on sunday switzerland will ask its citizens whether to reintroduce quotas for immigration from abroad including e.u. members although itself not a part of the blog switzerland has signed on to the e.u. rules on freedom of movement if passed the initiative would pit the swiss against

an angry brussels but supporters aren't worried the swiss parties said this will save the political elite they were very enthusiastic about joining the european union came years ago. but people change they saw the disadvantages they saw the immigration is tremendous much bigger than we thought and so there's also a change of thinking and anti immigration slogans are gaining more traction here in switzerland at first about a third of voters supported the initiative now that figure is over forty percent so what's behind this push to keep outsiders out of switzerland or some experts say motions and a lot to do with that. there is competition in the housing market competition. in treasury. and there is competition in the legal market so citizens. it's populist politics this just anger in there in this field but as elsewhere

in europe anti immigration messages seem to be resonating and pollster say even voters without political affiliation may vent their frustration calm sunday voters like this. swiss businessman who owns a cosmetics factory the name as a manufacturer i profit from this the more people i sell my products to the better but i'm also a swiss citizen i don't want to live like a sardine in my country switzerland is tiny and we simply can't accommodate all the immigrants the country can't take anymore. but the proposed curbs also take aim at highly skilled workers there's no way to run the hells or education system. because there's no way to do modern business in particular financial services frankly without four years in there's no way to run to risk in this out wages and cooks from other countries switzerland is highly dependent on this for us for in ten

companies in switzerland including nestle are founded by foreigners last year they created around thirty thousand new jobs thought it's a bit weird that now they are against the foibles because they need them i mean we're not stealing the jobs we're just taking the job they don't want to do so that's why i figured so this this potentially lou i don't understand how this sunday's vote is likely to strain ties with brussels but the fear is that it could have more economic consequences than the country bargained for reporting for r.t.e. in switzerland and lucy catherine of the israeli army says the number of people willing to serve in combat units is falling forcing the government to look for new ways to try and fatten their ranks paula samir reports now on the sudden role of the media. these really army has a new fight on its hand numbers in combat units are down potential recruits are shying away from signing up fighting it seems has lost its glamour the i.d.f.

is concerned it's circulating videos like this online that celebrate the strength of the israeli fighter in this one a weight lifter put claims he's strong. as is the i.d.f. this elderly man is drinking strong coffee and this teenage girl is pounding strongly on drums both clips and with a catchphrase sound the idea is strong surely cause smiles when he watches the videos the twenty five year old served in golani one of israel's most prestigious fighting brigades he spent two and a half years in and out of gaza a close friend of his was killed there in the line of duty like others he's asking of serving in combat was the right decision as it is sure what i did is important and needs to be done but i don't think it helped me in the long run not for finding a job and not for my education i think i would do things differently if i have the chance again. and the stats seem to support him over the last three years

motivation among youngsters wanting to serve an idea of combat units has dropped by nine percent more noise where he's off thinking twice about whether they want to put their life on the line to serve their country you value a lambs also fighting the statistics the it for special unit veteran runs boot camps encouraging high schoolers to follow his footsteps into the i.d.f. each squads through the you can see that in certain places over in israel the parents. prefer that their kids will see in much more safer places like intelligence where you cannot be. the i.d.f. spokesman peter lerner insists the drop in number doesn't change things the i.d.f. . can still keep the country safe is part of the situation where the types of threats have also changed it's also the result of an atmosphere where there are

other units which also are substantial. in the talk of defense of supply for instance technological units. on the comb through this cyber. computer. you need the people that stand in front of the enemy and the save the board do all the glory it will come back you next may not be fighting the biggest bash from of the existence keeping themselves go in. tel aviv. it's also international law from moscow thanks so much for joining us oh my colleague lindsay france here in half an hour's time before lindsay though breaking the set with abby martin that's coming your way in just about.

an article at business insider brags for americans who feel insecure about their country in light of china's impressive achievements it may be reassuring to know that while the chinese would rather move to the united states or the stay at home yes rich chinese are getting green cards in record numbers do they love you for your freedom well not exactly for according to the headline china's wealthiest citizens are fleeing to the u.s. amid corruption crackdown yes you americans should feel so insecure because apparently america is the best place to flee if you are corrupt. the european union likes to think of itself as one of the brighter and fairer parts of the world a european commission report on corruption the first of its kind for treats a very different picture in every single member country there is corruption in some cases on a massive scale so what can the e.u. teach the world of corruption. to be jewish possible should be done.

we will. wait about. almost entirely in the olympic village. committees who will tell the i.o.c. where they are. what's up guys i'm abby martin and this is breaking the set of all assistant secretary of state victoria no one's taken flack this week after saying f. the european union and reference to the e.u. is an action on ukraine's political crisis while speaking of geoffrey pyatt u.s. ambassador to ukraine on the phone granted it was supposed to be off the record but actually the f. the part of a scandal the least interesting part of the conversation during that phone call the

two diplomats are overheard discussing what the role of ukraine's opposition leader should be and the need to solidify regime change in the country while talking about ukrainian opposition leader vitaly klitschko no one says i don't think that klitschko should go into government i don't think it's a good idea which hyatt later responds in terms of moving the process ahead we want to keep the moderate democrats together. so if there is any doubt before that the u.s. is looking for ways to meddle into a sovereign nations internal affairs this lead conversation should confirm that suspicion look there's a revolution going on in ukraine right now and the outcome should be the will of the people not the us europe russia or any other foreign state actor so good luck to the state department at the damage control on this one it's about that time to break the said. the butler was a really very hard to take the target on the line

he ever had sex with the terror threat there the. least. little. little. bit a little. bit. to. the us. yesterday i spoke with pulitzer prize winning journalist chris hedges about the notion of crisis cults in the collapse of complex societies but we also discuss the nature of the economic machine that's responsible for this collapse this system is fueled by profit and although its nature is so blatantly unsustainable humanity

appears bound to it the insatiable greed that drives the gears the machine has never been more evident than today with global inequality at a record high it's a topic i was able to explore with hedges more in depth. talk about that new oxfam study that recently came out that shows how eighty five people control their quote in the bottom half of the world's wealth what's your response to people who say that we just have to remove those eighty five people. it's a system of corporate power which is not necessarily driven by individuals so much as driven by corporate interests exxon mobil citibank goldman sachs so you can rest and imprison the head of goldman sachs lloyd blankfein which is where he belongs but somebody will take his place.