to. go. gold on i russian athletes skate away from their rivals in soft cheek grabbing first place in the team figure skating event with a sublime performance from a teenage rocky artes on standby for all the games highlights from arm arse hockey studio. switzerland moves to keep foreigners out as voters narrowly narrowly back a bill limiting immigration but it puts a free movement deal with the e.u. into question plus. there's a lot of us that have been forgotten they were just collateral damage americans living in central arkansas are struggling to get their lives back to normal after an oil spill disaster almost a year ago. you're

watching r t international live from moscow i'm lindsey frank thanks for joining me . russia has bagged its first gold at the olympics with a series of breathtaking performances by its figure skating team the victory was secured by veteran skater you getting push and go and a teenage prodigy half his age on top of that russia's astley scored so far and bronze and other disciplines are to his pole scott has more from saatchi. force gold came in the figure skating team event they sort of challenges from canada and the united states to take top spot and they were helped along the way by a foolish display from one of russia's most famous sporting sons if gagne pushed blowing the competition away in the men's free program a magnificent display when you consider in recent years he's been plagued by injury and has undergone surgery twelve times meanwhile a new star has been born

a fifteen year old beauty impressed in the ladies free on short programs with peerless performances i mean the procession has become the youngest ever winner of the winter olympics gold medals in the figure skating she is six days younger than the previous record holder american tara lipinski elsewhere on day two there were three other medal successes for russia forty two year old veteran lucia. competing in a record breaking seven i'm following a winter olympics he missed out on a first big gold medal but he did claim silva. olga beluga in the women's biathlon seven and a half k. sprint the more they all know for the first medal for russia in these sorts of twenty fourteen winter olympics when to all good graf early on sunday she claimed bronze in the women's three thousand meter speed skating event in the arena let's go back now to their russian team's success in figure skating where the gold had

been already guaranteed even before the event concluded artes and is the now i was lucky enough to witness the competition at the iceberg skating palace she talked to kevin owen in our such a studio to share a unique experience. it was huge i think we can say that playing on the home field as they say really benefited russia tonight there were tons of russians in the audience we were quite high up and our whole section was it was full of russians and everyone had a good skate but i think this is where we're going to say that russia's back and they'd. actually put in the soviets. in the huge stadium when it when it kicks off it's buzzing it's buzzing of course the russians when they came on to the ice and i'm sure anyone who's watching it at home felt the advantage of having the home support in the crowd was going wild and i think that helped them mad a lot of confidence. of course he's a veteran only thirty one one of the old. great show just phenomenal and of course he's been having horrible back trouble and injuries and then young you did just

phenomenal i hadn't seen fifteen years old i hadn't seen her skate and this is her of course olympic debut i think personally she is a great chance at the gold and then the pairs as well they didn't score as high as some of the russians sitting next to me thought they scored because i thought they were quite phenomenal but as a team the russian skating team is just really really strong even for a little while back in vancouver and so this olympics of course at home is about taking it back for them meanwhile lawmakers in washington are issuing security warnings over the winter games one republican congressional leader went to far as claiming he's never seen any greater threat in his life time we spoke to actually didn't stop you don't exactly share the view. so i thought everything's going to mazing it's running like clockwork and everything's just going really really well there hasn't been any problems as of as of today my parents have been a little bit worried they just like to just be careful what you do and really wear the uniform when you have you know you don't need to just be a bit careful but this it kerry is like it's better than we thought it would be i

had a really great time here and i have nothing bad to say so far well organized and people are really friendly here having a good time. well so caught up with the russian ice hockey legend ladislaw tretiak who is enjoying the games in sochi he left the olympic cauldron along with iconic figure skater irina rodnina in the opening ceremony and we asked him just how that felt. the limping flame go down in history for many years to come because it's a task is only given to the most popular the most worthy sportsman means the world to me because i'm representing the team of my youth the hokie team that is an. champion i feel out of all the players they chose me it's unbelievably beautiful here to see palm trees and snow i think these are going to be one of the best games of ever been held in my opinion a very good infrastructure was put together for the athletes here in sochi and

everything is very compact the facilities are located conveniently close to each other no public transport is needed it's very aggravating when passes a late whereas here everything's very well put together and the athletes are satisfied commentated imprisons in the united states staying in the most favorable conditions of. but to solve tretiak is referring of course to the one nine hundred eighty winter olympics in lake placid in the u.s. indeed a number of athletes there were accommodated in the barracks of a future prison today some of the western media are actually calling the soft olympics it war zone sounding the alarm over terror threats and accommodation problems artes and cessna churkin has been following this interesting coverage. hundreds of world class competitions involving thousands of top notch athletes sports fans all over the world rejoice it's time for a limping game fun again and some of them are pretty dismissed but why feed the

excitement word of a possible new terror threat character a terror 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 or four years you know there's 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 face to toilet but not one that could be flushed to toilets i by that i miss you toilets right next to each other just spells party that doesn't spell bad conditions three million years to be exact raft one very tiny room left if that paint there trashing things the problems that that come up in every olympic games as them 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 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 being held in a war zone. as opposed to what's really a black sea resort. even though plenty of work went into security hysteria remains the airwaves 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 tour was paste is going to explode it was even staging tests on hiding explosives and tubes were c.n.n. commissioned this changed our stop brushing my teeth stop flossing i think that might help solve the problem no matter how much the media out 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 no you're not really known are you really truly and we piece about why and especially if you're going to r.t. new york we're on top of all the latest from saatchi here in the studio and online as well keep up to date just head to our official facebook page for

a chance to share your comments on the sporting spectacle right up there and you can also submit any questions you'd like to hear the athletes answer and their interviews with r.t. following their reaction and counting the medals just stay with r.t. for your limbic news coverage in a couple of hours time we have got our sports special coming up with all the updates on this weekend's sporting victory straight from saatchi. g twenty four team promised the week ultimate in the exhilarating winter sports in our. story you see no way i'll make seven zero and the rest of our lives take these teams to sochi twenty four take. on alt. swiss voters have narrowly backed proposals to put a cap on the number of immigrants to the country including those from the e.u. the move jeopardises free movement agreements the country has with the block and critics say it could lead to unprecedented economic problems archie's lucic half an

office in this was capital. what's will and voted to shut the door to european union workers setting up a showdown with brussels as well as a potential exit from the single european market now the so-called stop mass immigration initiative was the brainchild of the right wing swiss peoples party which wants strict quotas on foreigners for switzerland to essentially abandon its free movement of people treaty with the e.u. and supporters the we've talked to say that they're worried immigration is driving up rents that it's undercutting local workers and that is burdening public services no opponents had argued that immigration caps would in fact cripple economic growth and experts do say that this was in column e. is. not despite for labor especially when it comes to folks who have skills to work in fields like health care and there's a big need for skilled workers but despite the very real economic concerns despite the fact that on the one we here is just three percent many voters were ultimately

swayed by the argument that switzerland simply cannot take in any more people now in order to understand why you really do have to look at the numbers about a quarter of the country's eight million residents aren't swiss there's been a huge uptick in immigration in fact about eighty thousand new immigrants came to switzerland last year alone the vote will likely mean severe repercussions with brussels you have to remember that switzerland isn't a member of the e.u. but it has signed on to a lot of the blocks policies in order to gain access to the european markets and sells more than half of everything that it produces and with five hundred million customers there's a lot of money at stake here a historic vote that is likely to have a significant impact on the swiss economy as well as on relations with the country's european neighbors reporting in burn for r t i'm lucy catherine o. . now switzerland is not the only european country sounding the alarm over immigration in fact a sharp debate is underway in britain over restricting the rights of romanians and

bulgarians to work in the u.k. with the prime minister taking a very tough stance on that germany is polarized as well where members of the ruling coalition say immigrants seeking benefits should be sent home starting this year people from bulgaria and romania have gained full access to the e.u. job markets. coming up one crime doesn't necessarily mean a punishment. and very. smart. like with a freezer there were things. coming up we had to norway's most humane prison with fluffy towels and library and even cooking courses no surprise then that no one's ever tried to escape that's after the break.

i marinate join me. in that impartial and financial commentary interviews and much much. only on the best and only.

caught up in the middle of an environmental disaster people in central arkansas in the us are finding themselves bogged down in barrels. trouble almost a year after a pipeline ruptured causing a massive oil spill people are still suffering with the long term effects caused by breathing toxins on a daily basis and if huge health risks weren't enough some are finding it hard to leave the contaminated area as artie's gonna teach a confound out. almost a year after two hundred thousand gallons of heavy crude spilled onto their streets residents of mayflower in arkansas are striving to leave the town here in mayflower for sale signs are everywhere almost every house on the street is on sale before the spill this was a place where people wanted to move in to enjoy the beautiful nature around many didn't even know there was

a pipeline running on their houses and now they just want out many have already left and jerrel one of them i tried to stay here i tried to just be away you know as much as i could but if it rained i could not stay here because it would all see through the. all again you know the where the ground was dry it would kind of i guess in case it and then when it rained all those vapors would come back she says like many other residents of mayflower she started having constant headaches and coughing after the spill i have friends that live just behind me that are still here that don't have a place to go they have just small children you don't have to look at the kids in in twenty years when they get to find out something's wrong and they say well why didn't we leave mom why everybody healthfully well some people just aren't able to pick up and leave like that exxon wrote back to us saying that a unified command comprised of exxon representatives as well as officials from the state and federal environmental services has deemed all areas affected by the

mayflower spill now safe to live in but many of the residents don't buy it and their homes are not selling so i would say that the number of homes sold in my flower has dropped by at least fifty sixty percent but arkansas spill is only a fraction of a new oil pipeline leaks it's estimated that between two thousand and eight and two thousand and twelve u.s. pipeline spilled an average of more than three point one million gallons of hazardous liquids per year plans for the keystone x.l. pipeline a massive project that will. good stretch from canada soil since two refineries in texas have caused many to worry that they may become collateral damage in the way of big oil like the residents of mayflower arkansas there's a lot of us that have been forgotten we're just collateral damage in mayflower i'm going to check on our team. let's take a let's take a look now what our team has lined up for you on our web site as the deadline for the pullout of american troops from afghanistan fast approaches washington is

accused of offering a sweetener by pumping some three hundred million dollars into what they're calling the end of war economy that's hard to dot com for more details. also there the free online encyclopedia is coming under the scrutiny of finnish police who questioned whether what the previous illegally collecting money from it some donators more on the story just a click away. little eat right the same little search tree. and i think the jury. on our reporters were very. instrumental. in the little little.

little you're going to like these new policies i'm sure you know. the. pleasure to have you with us here on our team today on rollers to show. so.

in norway some criminals may lose their right to freedom but not to jogging trails sam stakes and flat screen televisions two hundred fifty do million dollars in the making one jail resting in a tranquil forest place host to law breakers and conditions many would consider a blessing rather than a punishment artist reports and here. is my clothes it's like the freedom everything. has been living here for nearly four years getting an education working as a car mechanic and serving his fifteen and a half year long sentence in jail week up in the morning talk show thank you breakfast go to job old to school. in his discourse you have. relaxed

it with you like normal life just we are back wards this is holden one of the most humane prisons in the world bills in two thousand and ten it's an example of norway's new experimental approach to penitentiary facilities. i hear the roughly two hundred fifty prisoners it houses cook for themselves and for staff members with beef sound and beer steaks among the items on the menu take walks in the park pray and make art do outdoor and indoor sports we can howl like you see here the betterment we can. play suppose maybe one of the this is going to be a good place to call just to relax or. get out from their cells you know hold on has a library and a school for those who want to either to continue the education they were getting before going to jail or getting a new one all together have some of them to question.

literature history math chemistry physics you name it all are taught to the inmates you're being locked. in the room and that's where you're going to thank for the next ten years to continue to zoom. in for inmates also have access to the photo shop a grocery store workshop and a mechanic's shop and even. my personal favorite sound studio look love didn't have a system in this life there was loose reasons to move in and the working life and everything the important thing. and they come in there and learned so far the prison hasn't seen one riot or an attempt to break out and when we were inside i couldn't really see why anyone would ever want to frankly i'm stunned it's

going to take time for me to process what we've seen here today but what's clear is that even though this is one of the most humane prisons in the wall it still is a place to punish criminals with strict rules security and limitations and since it's been operating only for a few years right now it's too early to see how effective this new penitentiary format is you want is going off forty reporting from norway the european commission recently unveiled its first e.u. and to corruption report which pointed to huge problems throughout the block brussels estimated the losses caused by shady deals amount to billions of euros later today appear labelling his gas but the issue in the spotlight. i mean the european union itself is a corrupt institution from beginning to end but they haven't added to their books or some as easy nor mine thousand years every failed politician in any european country when he's finished making a mess of his own country then she was who often get a job with the european union the fact that we now have

a number as part of the sales strategy of the european commission to motivate people like us to sit in studios and to reflect how we can deal with an urgent problem of corruption that certainly exist but it's not out of the nature of the european union it has been existed for centuries the report is done by the year you commission but if you go one hundred twenty it's what they're going to do to try to suppress into country it would you know if it used to corruption in do you countries while they suppress that's not the direction divot do you notice a corruption in europe itself that's misdirection like anybody any good magician you don't watch that he's presenting to you you should be watching the other hand you don't see and that's what you're trying to do at the moment they're trying to give a certain amount of dismissed erection so you don't see the corruption at the heart of europe itself. some more news making

headlines around the world now and attack in pakistan's port city of karachi has killed eight people and injured more than a dozen gunmen threw grenades at a religious gathering and then opened fire on prying sunni muslims it's not yet known yet who carried out the assault though the taliban and rival muslim groups are suspected last month militants killed six people at the super shrine in the same city. respected as have been injured in a shooting outside a world cup stadium in brazil supporters of local club america. were leaving the venue and were shot at by two gunmen on motorcycles found violence has been on the rise as the country prepares to host the world cup june. hundreds are back in the streets of bosnia this time calling for the release of about forty people detained during riots on friday and saturday officials deny the protesters claims of police brutality and added that all that all but ten of those arrested had been released and take government rallies have been fueled by high

unemployment corruption and poor living conditions across the country. i'll be back with more news in about thirty minutes but coming up next tough talking and direct questions and so fickle just after the break stay with us.

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leg. length. good lumber jury. believes most sophisticated which doesn't give a darn about anything. to teach me the creation of why you should care about humans . this is why you should care only.

hello welcome to sophie and kill me sophie shevardnadze the sochi olympics are finally underway exceptional in many ways the games are talented by the international olympic committee as having the toughest anti-doping policy is ever at the same time there's a possibility political controversy may take attention away from the actual competition what is done with those who cheat for medals are the olympics a legitimate place for a political fight well we ask sir craig vice president of the i.o.c. and head of the world anti-doping agency here and. faster stronger thirty eight sets of medals are at stake in sochi over fifty five hundred athletes a victory the pressure to win is intense. competitors to get to the top. of the sports. what is the dark side.