no models yet for the host nation of sultry twenty four team but hopes are high that will change on sunday night but aside from the celebration of winter olympic sports. the threat of something how to get stage the western media dishes out an avalanche of criticism raising questions about whether the hype and panic on justified plus in the weeks other headlines this hour. and you know e.u. . the message reportedly coming from the u.s. assistant secretary of state as a leaked phone call reveals the depth so washington's involvement in ukraine's political turmoil. the words are being counted in switzerland following a referendum on a controversial plan to put

a limit on immigration back. his stories and the week's top stories the latest news i should say and the week's top stories we're watching the we can all see international with me. and welcome to the program and in the wintry conditions of sultry realistic competition is now really heating up with eight affects of medals up for grabs on sunday and all season isa now is keeping across all the developments in how such a studio. it's the second day of the games of course and there's a very vibrant spirit here in the winter olympic capital there certainly and out most fear of rivalry first and foremost a very festive. mood with everyone enjoying the spectacle as for the competition so

far norway tops the medal table but it's a russian out fleet who stole the show last night ten figure skater youths in her downswing performance in the ladies short program the fifteen year old showed she has the goods to win the gold and whether she takes the podium or not she's already picked our party's andrew farmer who is in the olympic class sir andrew a busy schedule there for athletes russia does have a couple of hopes today for medal but. sits second at the halfway stage in the league that people use today as does the figure skating event in russia currently leads not so fingers crossed to be some medals on the board by the end of tonight also today we will get off first glimpse of russia's only hope the women's team they play that humans incidentally and expect to game this is toughest the men's we've been catching up to very good with the russian you katherina sentiments of.

well not all the girls and models some of the tough you know what women are like i think any team sport is interesting in hockey you also have ice and hockey sticks so you can do some pushing and striking with your stick and it's very interesting that you choose a sport that are pending on your disposition you have to be a feisty girl to play to a few girls in women's hockey assault and tend of course when we're not wearing our uniforms no one can tell we're hokey planets but when we're out there on the ring and we have to be tough. but winter games held in the war zone under the threat of terror with shutting go tells and stray dogs roaming around well that's how soldier twenty fourteen is big by many western media outlets but will the criticism die down now that the torch is lit and the games have opened and institute takes a look. hundreds

of world class competitions involving thousands of top notch athletes but sports fans all over the world rejoice it's time for a limping game fun again some of them pretty distressed but why feed the excitement word of a possible new terror threat character a terrorist threat terrorist threat and her world champion and multiple gold medalist for buzz kill the western mainstream media and the olympics is a wonderful time for a contrast to get together in order to despise each other and or treat each other like crap it's only happens once every two four years you know there's not a lot of time you've got to come together and hate each other and not a second has gone to waste from picking any little thing that might be off to fifty toilets but not one that could be flushed to toilets i buy that i have two toilets right next to each other just spells party that doesn't spell bad conditions three

million years to be exact one very tiny room left if that paint there trashing things the problems that that come up in every olympic games as these were unique to sochi olympic stadium has always been accused of being an overpriced boondoggle that was constructed shoddily not ready until the very last second every single one that i can remember a media war against the saatchi olympics taken to a ridiculous extreme but my impression of fox news is that they're just sitting around the office and they go hey it looks like no one's russian to get to sochi and i write i'm going to go eat lunch. there that is fine there's definitely who are spinning tiny flaws into viral sensations facts or actual sports reporting be damned. it's really kind of unpleasant to watch more to the point it's pretty counterfactual as well going so far as to say that the games are be.

held in the war zone as opposed to what's really a black sea resort. even though plenty of work went into security hysteria remains the airwaves the threat of something bad happening in sochi well it's increasing by the day taking the fear of yes toothpaste to an extreme toothpaste containing explosive material it is terrifying all right did you hear all the tooth paste is going to explode it was even staging tests on hiding explosives and tubes were c.n.n. commissioned this changed i've stopped brushing my teeth i've stopped flossing i think that might help solve the problem no matter how much the media act as the doomsayers of the games toothpaste will be toothpaste and nonsense will be nonsense in the end the olympics will celebrate joy excitement and victory there will be winners and there will be losers hopefully able to move on with at least some snippets of dignity you're not concerned at all you're really really truly can

we piece about why and especially if you're going to r.t. new york and our correspondent paul sconce park to amman responsible for your ring american tourists he says his job has been made much more difficult by the negative coverage in the media. we've had some people back out because of what they've heard on the news do you think the i mean why do you think there is such negativity in some parts of american media around such even if a year and a half is unjustified i think because of what they call the ring of steel i think this is a very secure place i think i would be more on secure in an american classroom but i would be in sochi itself just because of the security here when some of those great jim summers tourists decided to back out would you try to convince them how do you sell stocks into them which will say well we told them that the place where we we would be staying would be in

a very secure location. and one of the major parts here of the sochi have lurked at us like a lot and so i think those are about as secure as you're going to get let's talk about the infrastructure that has sprung up around this so she region is sochi set to become a tourist hot spot off to the games you think is going to be a legacy of tourism here while they're in better position certainly because they build new highways they've got a great train transportation now. in there they're more up to date with their electricity grid and stuff like that so i think they're prepared but as with any city that's going to give birth to a modern resort you're going to have labor pains and you were up in the mountains i believe last night watching this right of course is the name because it is about the sport what about the venues how they look how they holding up to the beautiful of the ski jump we saw men's short short jump last night and i was incredible when you're going up the gondola and overworking the ski jump there is just it's quite magnificent it was awesome i got a great time. so the r.c.

team is in sochi for all of us of course to closely follow all the events that's going on in the olympic capital and you can cater up to date anytime by logging on top official instagram page we've got videos and footage from the olympic caliber so join us on instagram dot com slash r c and we're keeping a close eye as well on salter in slopes trying stadium as an ox counting the battles that are following the reaction and bring you all the latest updates on our air and on our website and that's our seat belt. the g. twenty four team promises the goal to meet in the exhilarating winter and. join me and you say no way i'm a criminal and the rest of our look at news team for sochi twenty four taking. on art. this week a massive gown by a top u.s. diplomat revealed washington's true ambitions for the antigovernment protests that

has played here great as well as its answer to towards other european partners. reports in ukraine we stand for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves freely in peaceful way. and they have a say in their country's future as it turns out washington isn't just cheering from the sidelines. in this video posted anonymously on you tube my understanding from that u.s. assistant secretary of state victoria nuland and the u.s. ambassador in the kieve are heard orchestrating ukraine's political future playing a game of verbal chess with ukraine's opposition leaders 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 is clear on a book on the outside he needs to be talking to them four times a week the embarrassingly conversation goes from bad to worse when washington senior diplomat drops the f.

bomb while dismissing the european union's role in ukraine 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. the state department has shifted into damage control refusing to confirm the authenticity of the audio while admitting that victoria nuland has apologized to her european allies for the profanity she's apologized for a comment to she's not admitting she made which is itself a confirmation that the comment wasn't indeed made but will she hasn't apologized for the plans to mid-wife incoming trade you know the which she's a she's apologizing for cussing out you but she's not apologizing for trying to overthrow a government in kiev and calling it popular democracy the diplomatic scandal here as nuland arrived in ukraine for her second visit in less than two months back in december she was walking around independence square handing out snacks to protesters this time around the assistant secretary of state promised to feed the

country with financial support if necessary political reforms are implemented at a press conference nuland refused to comment on what she called a private diplomatic conversation this is a devastating revelation and a very important revelation because it shows. that washington is not only manipulating but washington is dictating who shall be in the government and they have taken the power away from the people. you know put my own party. retore noonan's newlands you so strong language has caused outrage from germany's chancellor angela merkel has dismissed the commons as an acceptable and load of unused former deputy speaker of the belgian parliament says the conversation is a clear demonstration of how america really regards other state. ok you do real good think the diplomacy behind closed doors this confirms

a long stance of united states and the you by the way towards a new country of dili's dana to show floor for democracy you do so with the old logic countries this once more undermines the whole claim of transparency and democracy building and but to do building of political institutions these are all ideological efforts to into ones politics in other countries and also by the way shows how casual these people can talk about the do politics of another country. coming up later this hour the corruption a seen a way of painting annual report reveals a huge levels of money being lost leading some to wonder why they wonderings and europe's financial institutions are not being made public on that just ahead.

this is a media lead us so we leave the media. by the scene closest to in the play your party years ago. this is that no one is asking with the guests that you deserve answers from it's all on politicking only of our t.v. . i. think i. do we speak your language as i think about the war not a day in. the news programs and documentaries and spanish what matters to you. a little turn it if angle is stories. here.

in the spanish to find out more visit actuality that. will combine this is that we can all see what others have been counted in switzerland following a referendum on proposals to limit the number of immigrants allowed to come and walk in the country the bill could pits was amended at all as would be easy on free movement with critics a warning the measure might also might also harm country's economy as all he's in this account for enough reports. well today is the day that swiss voters decide whether to put up new immigration barriers to their european neighbors a vote that could trigger the country's exit from the single european market the nationwide referendum could count the number of e.u. citizens who get residency permits here which would undo a longstanding deal that let's listen to you nationals move really essentially an

open borders agreement now to understand what's really behind us the mission of you do have to look at the numbers switzerland has a population of just eight million people but it's seen a massive rise in immigration over the past decade in fact an estimated eighty. comes here each year one fifth of the population is born born or that's simply too much according to the right wing swiss peoples party which has pushed this referendum forward we think we have to respond to tell the people we have to change our constitution we have to write each that's what sort of controls to immigration and that's what we're going to do now critics of the initiative say that it sends a message that foreigners aren't welcome they also warn that it could cripple businesses this economy is actually. percent unemployment here and experts believe that's because of not just going to foreign labor especially folks who have skills to work in fields like health care or internet technology and if you look at the

arrivals from the e.u. between for example twenty ten and twenty twelve a large majority sixty nine percent in fact were highly skilled now there is also the issue of brussels switzerland isn't a member of the european union but it has signed on to a lot of the blocks policy in order to gain access to that single market i mentioned earlier where switzerland sells half of everything that it produces that access of course could all be at risk. in terms of labor recruitment. there will be erosion of the relationship. since this is initiative is not compatible with the treaties which are signed between switzerland and the european union so this will lead to. the erosion of the existing treaties they will be. there finish and then switzerland

is in is very very and. because it depends highly on the european market for now upon and of immigration are still a minority but opinion polls have shown the initiative gaining traction there could of course always be a surprise at the ballot box and will simply have to wait and see what is evening's results to find out we're putting in zurich switzerland i'm lucy captain of. a man and a charge grower have been killed on russia's an island in the far east of the country after a shooting inside a cathedral a gunman on to with a rifle opened fire injuring six other parishioners the suspect who was detained right after the incident was an employee of a private security company investigators are trying to determine the motives of the twenty four year old. more international news in brief this hour two owners of a bunker there should clothing factory have been denied bail after they surrendered to the authorities on sunday the husband and wife are facing homicide charges for

a massive fire that killed one hundred twelve workers two years ago the couple could be sent to prison for life if found guilty the five is considered the deadliest to a nation that uses cheap labor and we're liars and government exports to the you are sent you are. around three thousand protesters weighed flares and fires during a rally against what they call state question in the spanish capital madrid demonstrators are unhappy with the government's recent legislation allowing them to be fined for filming police and joining unauthorized riot is spain suffers regular protests because of austerity measures and twenty six percent unemployment one of the highest in europe. and an airstrike who garza has critically wounded a palestinian who according to the israeli military was behind multiple rocket attacks the man who's said to be in a critical condition has been identified as a member of a small militant group in gaza and was headed while riding

a motorcycle according to israel's army searcher three rockets have been launched into the countries of the start of the year. into your riot police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators in istanbul's main square offices use water cannon and tear gas to break up riles protesting against government moves to tighten control on the internet the draft bill allows the blocking of websites with a hard order but it's criticized as an attempt to disguise the opposite. i. a new e.u. report this week pointed to a wave of corruption sweeping through the glock russel's estimates that losses thanks to shady deals amount to billions of you. there are estimation that corruption costs in the european union is no less than one hundred twenty billion euros each year and that is the equivalent of an e.u.

annual budget so it's a lot of money we're talking about the figures were revealed by the e.u.'s home affairs commission and its fast annual report on the subject the agency's chief called the problem breathtaking and warned the writing trafton democracy and a free to play is and the people the flemish nationalist party says while highlighting bribery on a national level the reporter knows brussels overall complexity. problems in some member states are huge and widespread and the problem within the european union is that all the member states are in danger of being contaminated the by this problem because when you are in the euro zone for instance and when one of these member states in the eurozone has a big corruption problem world this problem will be felt by the other member states within the eurozone that's a problem with greece for instance so the problems in one country are becoming more

and more the problems of the other member states would i find surprising them with i found interesting at the same time is that the european commission has made this report on corruption in the european union but didn't make a survey of corruption within its own institutions and didn't have any specific information about corruption with e.u. funded projects a british camp or fighting extradition of the uighurs have accused the government of kowtow into washington the dunham's face live behind bars in america on charges of fraud which they vehemently deny and the power claimed british officials are refusing to stand up for their rights as decisively a ripple. one morning fourteen months ago a life changing knock on the door with two policemen from scotland yard and i said i was sorry mr dunham would 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 us 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 the dumb say they're not afraid of trial but their worst fears be sent to the states as the possibility of being denied bail and spending hears behind bars apart from one another simply waiting for their day in court if we were away from this country 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're now in you know sixty to 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 dream and 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 plead your case and unfortunate for british citizens there is no such opportunity to have your evidence tested in the u.k. court before you are expected and that's a basic unfairness to an independent review in two thousand and eleven found at the treaty quote does not operate in an unbalanced manner but this contradicts findings of the parliament's joint committee and 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 but for every argument on this side of the atlantic a counter is thrown back the united states has never denied a request under the treaty whereas the united kingdom has denied multiple requests from the united states if the relationship is in balance i would say it's imbalanced against the united states but that is little comfort to the dunham's 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 a plane. the first opportunity we can and many. more tests are cilia r t london. antidrug is higher than finding themselves and of course across the u.s. for protesting against the use of the deadly machines made a media silence about the scale of america's drone warfare according to until

activist and david swanson but yes people certainly know the six month prison sentences we've had people facing horrendous charges for exercising their first amendment rights this is an ongoing activity across the country and it's noticed in the local media that there's a virtual blackout in the national media in the united states you would have no idea this was happening it's that there's an extensive protest resistance movement against these drone murders and unfortunately most americans don't even know it's apathy don't even know what the drones are being used for much less that they're being protested when these missiles girl and kill innocent men women children infants in pakistan afghanistan yemen somalia there is no discussion there's no debate it just happens under the radar so the drone program was no interest on the george w. bush but it's barack obama's administration that's seen and blossom the country is most affected by

a trance try excited yemen and pakistan and the civilian population has been had the hardest and the right estimates suggest that in the last five years more than three hundred have become victims of drone warfare however washington has so far shown no intention of putting a hold. and up next here nancy international a special report on big city life under they watch while eyes on big brother. told me.

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says he is other a culmination of globalization. nowhere else in the world a conflict so strongly concentrated as here. cities are a bit ebus and design via bustling with possibilities yet vulnerable. those wanting to hama society ambushed the city and its daily life a. city is a defenseless against this form of terrorism. their inhabitants vulnerable. how do cities respond to this threat. and how does fit change our open lifestyle.

is. going. to. bring a little. city they're excited it's incredible cities all of human life. sediment patients of all of human history they all landscapes of power. london once the heart of the british. along with new york and home culture still the center of the global financial industry a. symbol and driving force behind the international monetary flow. twelve million inhabitants over three hundred languages countless ethnicities and cultures london is a prototype of a global networked mega.