but they saw news in the round up of the week's headlines here on r.t. it's a big day for the big games twenty fourteen braces for the closing ceremony there is still plenty of drama left out the top of the medal table we'll be bringing you all the highlights in just a minute. torch then transformed the deadly battles in kiev lead to the worst political crisis ukraine has seen with the opposition so they can control parliament and moves the president calls a coup also. fingerprints all over their current chaos and. fears that putin. takes center stage in western coverage all through violence in ukraine despite the fact that the e.u. and the us politicians who were the most frequent visitors to kiev during the

protests. and r.t. investigates the reasons behind the number of suicides among senior bankers to find out what could have pushed them to the edge. i. live from the heart of the russian capital this is r.t. international with me marina call survivor welcome to the program well it's sunday and the final day of the salt two winter olympics and russia the home team have excelled now it's hoping the leader table and in fact there are still medals up for grabs and norway is hard on russia's heels well it's over to an ace and now we're in our salty studio for all the latest action. it's a decisive moment for the russian team indeed this sunday two golds and

a bronze on saturday and here is so you can feel that like never before thousands of fans are here and all those watching around the world know that it all hangs in the balance even a hundredth of a second deprived of first place in the overall medals table and norway is not a team to underestimate when it comes to skiing but for the host nation it's now or never to come out on top at these olympics let's now cross live to our team andrew farmer about their chances of what a night andrew it was for the russian team sportscasters almost jumping out of their boxes. yes and water phenomenally we have now russia has produced his best performance of the winter olympics in two decades it means going into the final day the top of the medals table the big question is can russia. yes he can if it's men can win the cross-country skiing this morning but. there's every chance they could norway. russia could then reclaim first place if he should then

when the for. the noonan alexander zuckoff and his team currently at the halfway stage show it is very exciting nobody other predicted finish like this not even the russians and the. amazing stuff but even if russia doesn't trend this top of the medals table overall they must be delighted with how things have gone so far especially compared to vancouver four years ago. well i think to say they would be delighted is an understatement because russia produced its worst performance ever at a winter olympics in vancouver and then it came away with a paltry three gold medals is more than triple done here in sochi in and the reason is that there's been a massive overhaul over the last. for years it's been a purge of sporting personnel the sporting coaches were brought in and brand new facilities rapidly were created and they are now reaping the benefits but whatever

happens today you have to say and it is to say that these games him sort of been record breaking and start to finish. the longest ever told igniting the most expensive the most compact and one of the most watched winter olympics in yeas against stunning backdrops gripping stories of heartbreak in joy emerged on a daily basis russia's red machine taking seconds to light up a nation's heart then deflating it days later with a quarter final exit. russian figure skaters left the world with a veteran and a youngster helping them grab the seventeen gold but hopes of move glory buckled under a bad back in media hype heaped on tiny shoulders the need for another star to sparkle and shine and take her country in fans to new a limp

a kite the ups and downs came thick and fast. and so did new russians an american who married a siberian sped to snowboarding gold for the hosts while a south korean slipped to glory in short track repaying the faith for this new adoptive country. these just some of the amazing hollywood like stories such as produced to keep millions chained in world wide and should be remembered long after the olympic flame finally goes over the black sea. and. well let's now talk to those who helped boost russia's success here in sochi gold medal figure skaters i should say double olympic champions next in time called and said john of all the stars are thank you so much for joining us here on r.t. i want to start with this latest news that you will be carrying the flag at tonight's opening ceremony how does that feel closing sort of closing ceremony

a very good one so. for me it was like very big surprise it was very. it's i think it's really the best memories for me to live with we combed through for the closing ceremony of these games you've both done so well at these games and russia as a whole has done extremely well compared to vancouver four years ago what do you think was part of this great improvement in the team because of the minister of sport there were shows they did some really think so they greet change good good changed everything good the russian for the so i think it's very important to say that news through means through sports will for sure a great great job the. very scene for all what they need to do to prepare for the biggest like the recovery what those three games were you will

have a good medical. care of a good. reason that there is there are any news on everything ever seen with me now russia we've just been speaking with our correspondent has a very good chance of coming out number one at these olympics how much did being at home here in russia help the team for sure is the pressure of all of the plants but this pressure it's held boss. people around the chair us and help us this. i think there is the first in man seen him before the olympic. because you would be good if you would be in top flight but no it's something you can raise and give you for it for the first place medals for the mills it's. it's great you're world athletes you've traveled around the world surely you couldn't ignore what the western press was saying about russia about sochi ahead of these games how do you feel about that overall and do you think that people have maybe changed their

stereotypes about russia. because of you showed the beautiful game. to. fly for the peaks or more. because it was for me for us it's like very big they're through here. and just finally what are your plans after these olympics will we see your skate in four years' time and south korea for sure me or want to go to korea if they have been it'll be interesting like maybe in the next year and you know for sure they didn't come out and competition for their name beaks and going well the best of luck to both of you. and mike seem to uncle double olympic champions at these olympics here in sochi and maksim of course will be carrying the flag tonight at the closing ceremony of the sochi games thank you so much for your time. but winter games have been full of unexpected victories

and surprising disappointments as well and you get a chance to tell us what were the most memorable quote artie's facebook page to post your ideas and remember fails and tough luck moments are also a part of a limb pick history you can also share your opinion on twitter with the hash tag my sochi moments the best will be read out during our special coverage of the closing ceremony later tonight. the g twenty four jean-paul must really be called to meet again exhilarating willing to listen are you joining me and you see no way i'm a kevin zero in the russian olympic news team for sochi twenty four taking. all the . we can see with other news it's been the most turbulent week ukraine has seen in its modern history in less than seven days the capital of the seas from european country has gone through fire smoke and ugly clashes and scenes resembling

a medieval battlefield then the police withdrew kiev fell into the hands of rioters and the opposition practically took over power and r.c. crew has been right at the epicenter throughout including alex had a chef ski who works at caps it all for us now. all hell was breaking loose in kiev on tuesday to compromise was seemingly reached all of a sudden ukraine's capital sponged into the worst violence is seen so far almost two hundred dead the central streets of one of europe's finest cities looking like a war zone and snipers shooting from the rooftops including our group what we have now is that you have a radical elements that we have ready. there which is somehow here and that driven by especially as we see using snipers and so on and which is not controlled neither by the opposition the there by the west directly so everything went out of control just two days later it was

a totally different scene to the president make the biggest concessions yet by offering an early election to an opposition led government and returned to the republic there were i think more of the protests didn't buy it was still. there if the president does not resign by tunisia. i swear. by ten o'clock on saturday they were has nothing left to store all the police were gone and the ruling party had completely lost control over the capital so this is the presidential administration building which used to be the probably the most protected governmental building in the whole of the of the biggest fight in the first stages of the protests happen here now as you can see we are taking on an excursion that is no longer controlled by the police or the government the protesters have occupied this building as well if this means that you will never be back here as a protest the president made to his see retreat to the east of ukraine and was stoutly defiant even after receiving news that parliament had ceased to recognize

him as leader of my overwhelming majority and announced an early election solutions to the police who do all that is happening now which is the most part is vandalism and crime this is my strong belief that i will do i have. prevent my country from splitting up blood should it went from bad to worse never. go from prison. trying to seen you. change everything you're hearing here is the best of this country where protesters are in high spirits do you. see. governments. break up in the country in the. ukraine. now here's a map to give you an idea of just how much of ukraine as opposed to

a change of leadership in the capital we have the southeast which is made up of ten regions and is home to half of the country's population of the heads of those regions gathered in the heart of this weekend so expressed their disapproval of the course that they once took in here. starting today local authorities are in charge of all political decisions on the ground in these regions we have to protect our land we think that the central authorities are paralyzed and that their decisions cannot be considered constitutional but rioters taken over the capital is not the only thing people in the east of the country are angry about there is also widespread feeling of betrayal following the other provinces concessions in the capital. i'm shocked and disgusted by the actions of the president i never thought he betrayed the people i thought but he hold on to the end a clear example of the division in ukraine as how returning police officers were saved and sour in ukraine while leaders of the opposition are praising the rioters

for the coup in kiev other parts of ukraine are remembering those who stood supports like law and order. officers who were given a hero's welcome by crowds of cheer and well wishers there had been signs as reinforcements to help quell the violence and the process itself in the capital met little supports in southeastern parts of the country with people there fearing a rise of radical movements up to twenty policemen were reportedly killed in kiev when they went against raging crowds armed with just shields and battle. while many experts have been highlighting the roles the e.u. and they you are suffer played in ukraine's unrest but for most western media it's been the russian president's hand that's been there all along blaming russia for all the bad things happening in ukraine has become the main theme of mainstream coverage that's the spite the fact that the president distanced himself from the situation from the own sites our season that's the situation can explain. the blame

game the west should mean stream media play and repeat as if hell bent finger prints all over their current chaos and the. deadly appetite government clashes in kiev have turned into yet another reason to obsess over who else russia coverage of ukraine fits a larger picture of the american media having cold war attitudes about russia he doesn't represent anything except. for an authoritarian state this a drumbeat they have marched to for decades to blame for everything. from the threat of terrorism in the world to. the media are determined to criticize one man as if possessed the united states is looking to propagandize the population as much as possible in making russia and specifically putin into the enemy never mind the fact that putin is essentially on the outside looking in especially considering the

fact that they have tremendous financial investment on the line in ukraine actual facts have left the building context and in-depth analysis. are brushed aside piers that putin is stifling ukraine not reporting. why did they have to choose why can't we be russia. in its time of economic need and europe that was rejected by the west instead it's headlines like these that are taking center stage then again superficial attention grabbing and hate driven media coverage is familiar especially when it involves events so far from the u.s. and so close to russia most americans who are in the media don't know anything about the ukraine they don't know much of anything about former countries that were part of the soviet union i don't think the american press including me has it accurately reported the latter mehr putin highly questionable as a battle of words one target trumps accuracy in the western media just as your get

out r.t. new york as political chaos reigns in ukraine the country's economy is more fragile than ever russia is suspending its bailout payments until a new government is formed and the international monetary fund has also said it's unclear who to talk to about providing financial aid their concerns are understandable considering some of the process leaders have a certain record and there are fears such people could end up in power. as long as i live i will fight. and russians. now let's say. he is the leader of a far right nationalist party in western ukraine which played a key part in taking over kiev has long been a member of all trash in this movements and despite being the ukrainian citizens are in the traction war he went to the caucasus to fight against russian forces alongside the terrorists he's openly boasted that he personally hit several tanks

and armored vehicles russian media believe he was responsible for the slaughter of a group of marines now he's also notorious for his criminal activity and is believed to have been behind in the last nation attempt on his business partner and also spend several years in prison for kidnapping despite this record go run for parliament or just a couple of years ago and once again this person is now a leader of the protesters took over the ukrainian capital what will be keeping you updated on the turbulent situation in ukraine throughout the day on air and online on our web site r.t. dot com and there's also our twitter feed. and russia at least being gay is not criminalized there absolutely no punishment

for being gay in russia the only thing that these laws for is spreading information family information on nontraditional sexual behavior what are you going to legislate against couples through swing you know who. you know trade partner is or is it only as certain type of sex that you're legally able to you know what is so what is propaganda you know it's so unclear. choose your language clearly we can with. some of that. choose good description since you. choose the opinions that you figure great to.

choose the stories that imply the. truth be accessed off to. welcome back to r.t. international will consider now with other news where the african continent is increasingly in the sides of the u.s. hundreds of millions of dollars are being ponds and so it's military presence there now if we take a look at this map here and american military bases are already spread across the continent with the main outposts in the north of somalia drones and thousands of soldiers have been poured into africa with a pencil gone science in its fight against rising extremist groups but as artie's policy or reports that maybe some other agenda behind the military boost. hundreds of millions of american dollars are flowing into africa as the pentagon upset spending on the continent there's plenty of moment to realize here nigeria

a case in point the west african nation is america's fourth largest supplier of crude oil accounting for eleven percent of all u.s. oil imports. has a lot of investment in that they have invested so much in the oil sector and they need to protect that and that believes rafsanjani is the real reason for u.s. troop expansion in africa not to bring democracy not to help the local populations but to protect american interests and justify the reasons for being here the governess in syria which led to the collapse of. you know accountability. and of course you know dubai is the difference to show you can make a political crisis in the country provided you know it is made in terms of american foreign policy reasons to actually come into nigeria africa's dotted with u.s.

bases and a growing constellation of small american drone outposts camp limone near north of somalia has been america's main facility on the continent familiar. decade it houses about four thousand military and civilian personnel but at the end of last year it was forced to stop flying drones in the area after a string of crashes and growing anger from locals traveling is u.s. forces are getting stretched very thin there be tasked with missions well beyond their numerical logistics capability right now and the danger will have to go like all foreign interventions in new conflicts expand and all of the next thing you know certainly your troops and money to sustain these missions u.s. secretary of state john kerry says that's happening in africa so exciting overall and we are really deeply engaged and the president.

has instructed us to really try to. light our fire under our efforts throughout the crowd but what's not so exciting is the growth of jihadists and anti western groups across the continent thousands of american soldiers are gearing up for missions as part of the pentagon's new strategy to train and advise african militaries to deal with the threat it's not impressing those who live here. the americans have failed to combat terrorism in afghanistan or anywhere else and the same will happen here in west africa it's likely that their presence even bring the terrorist threat to senegal but the president does this calculation saying well this will allow me to be a good friend of the united states maybe attract some investment or strengthen my security forces but from the point of view of the senegalese people we risk losing our norful lot is a number of african leaders have expressed concern about the potential

militarization of the continent fearful that america's expanding presence will bode badly for africa and her people poilus leah r.t. . now let's take a quick look at what we've lined up for you on line fallen ill in space not be a problem in the future as not scientists are working on the so-called robo doc capable of performing even complicated surgery on cosmic travelers get the full story on artsy dot com. plus homemade pride we tell you why america has been forced to purchase its flanks from china but now says the time has come so produce the stars and stripes on the home ground. finally a string of suicides has shaken the financial world five senior bank executives have killed themselves all within one week our correspondents are simply investigates now what may lie behind their deaths. there are untimely deaths

grabbed headlines three of which happened within a week be it the big investment banks they worked for the senior positions they held the public nature of their deaths or all three once again it raised questions . about an industry largely blamed for bringing the global economy to its knees into two thousand and eight financial crisis michael taylor a former goldman sachs bond salesman who calls himself a recovering banker knew this world well it's so extraordinarily competitive and so focused profit above all the transaction all that every moment like pressure turns carbon into diamonds you know extreme pressure can both accelerate human achievement some cases break people the pressure and calling the shots the form of banking we've got at the moment has no interest in the people it affects. because in a sense and legally responsible to invest and stockholders you make

a moral decisions without thinking about the impact that it has on the people job losses people who should know how human so on and so forth pressure to rake in profits or the pressure to put in more hours than your peers after the spate of recent deaths big firms did try to ease tension by telling their junior staff to take more time off or at least to try not to work on weekends it's kind of a disconnect between what they have the weekend off will also make us a ton of money and ultimately making a ton of money is what's going to keep you around so now you strike me as a real solution you're a sly and spent a year demystifying bankers interviewing dozens of fine us workers on the condition of anonymity the degree to which bankers are trapped. has been really a really important finding i think we keep on projecting his idea on bankers as masters of the universe do you have everything we want but if you look at their actual life they can be fired in five minutes this is

a deeply dysfunctional and utterly abusive system so there is this real taboo in banking like the army to own up to one soldier ability. does or so your r t london. we'll have more news for you in about half an hour coming up though here on the artsy international kitty pilgrim sums up the week's financial highlights that's and venture capital to stay with us.

i just for state of the city address new york mayor bill de blasio said that he would put forward legislation for the city to issue special municipal identification cards to undocumented immigrants he summed up his feelings by saying to all my fellow new yorkers who are undocumented i say new york city is your home too and we will not force any of our residents to live their lives in the shadows yeah that sounds nice but the reason these illegal immigrants live their lives in the shadows is because they immigrated illegally why should new yorkers bend over backwards for illegal criminal immigrants this is the same logic that if i catch a guy breaking into my house as a gracious host i should offer him

a pizza because it's his home too this is not just a slap in the face to rule of law but also to the immigrants who do go through the bureaucracy and headaches to become u.s. citizens the right way the legal way so the blasio if you're going to provide these illegal immigrants with some sort of document it should be a plane ticket back home with instructions on how. apply for a green card the legit proper way just like everyone else crashed the freshest my pin. right to. search tree. and i think you're. on our reporters were there.

how lovely welcome to venture capital i've come to the salty because the fifty one billion dollars price tag has got nearly as much attention as the games themselves so let's just recap on some of those costs for you for the most expensive games in a history because it wasn't just solely for sports an entire city was built as you can see just behind me until getting entire roads built from scratch power pods this is all to be used for decades to come and according to president vladimir putin the price of the sochi olympics itself is a much more modest six point five billion so that would be the stadiums the ski slopes in pretty much everything sports say now the big bad news have been specifically built to make the facade so they can be used again.