authorities say it is terrorism. a are going to be friends for very long time, president trump and egyptian leader, the first arab leader to visit washington since donald trump was elected. crisis.od unions there have rejected the government's offer of $1 billion in aid.

it has been dismissed as unrealistic. at least 10 people have been killed and dozens wounded following an explosion on the metro in the russian city of st. petersburg. a second bomb was found and disabled. russian authorities are treating it as a terrorist attack. >> a deafening blast tore through the site of the medical care age. sayskage which local media contained a shrapnel bomb killed several people and injured dozens. ambulances, fire engines andnd helicopters shed to the scene as the panicked crowd fled the smoked phil underground.

vladimir putin, who was in st. , immediately reacted to the blast. >> i would like to express my sincerest condolences to the relatives of the victims and the wounded. i have re: spoken with the chiefs of special services, and law-enforcement bodies. we will do everything we can't identify the cause of the incident. >> law-enforcement agents said they found and diffused and other explosive device at a nearby metro station in the hours following the blast. st. petersburg authorities closed all of the city's underground and additional security measures were taken at transport facilities across the country. russian investigators say they launched a terrorism probe into the incident but are continuing to explore other up -- other possibilities.

clock strain me as a russian expert at the think tank. thanks for being with us on france 24 tonight. and separatists are likely to be the chief suspects thought -- chief suspects behind this terrorist attack. it is allage speculation though, isn't this? >> we must be very cautious before drawing conclusions, which is what they are doing at the moment. basically -- they also concern -- rights of central now we have to be really cautious and analyze and let the government do its job. think there could be

any links to the conflict in ukraine? >> i'm not sure of it. the ukrainian conflict is the real war. say --t specifically there is o opposition fofor thee for me it is not really credible. metro.t in the anchor: why the you think st. petersburgrg was chon n rather than m moscow? guest: it looks like provocation.

it appears likike provocatioion. because vladimir putin was there . he began his political career in this town. of course it is a kind of provocation. i'm not sure of it at all. >> will kind of response can we expect from putin? what kind of response can we expect from the government and vladimir putin? >> i think there will be eight deep inquiry of course. different positions and a call for government altogether against terrorism.

they are going to make huge outiries in russia to find which other networks we are involved in. >> thank you very much. we will have to leave it there but thank you. u.s. president donald trump has called the attack in st. petersburg a terrible thing. barack obama continues u.s. military spending but stopped of the former generals record on human rights. trump has nothing but praise. on so many things that i want to let anybody -- let everybody know that we are very much behind.

the president has done a fantastic job in a difficult situation. we are very much behind egypt. say to you that you have a great friend and ally in the united states and in me. world he was the first leader to congratulate trump on his election victory back in november. today he returned that complement. >> since we met i have had a deep appreciation and admiration for your unique personality, especially as you have taken a strong stance against terrorism to counter this ideology. anchor: fighting isis wasn't the only discussion. reporter: president lcc and on

trump had their first meeting before trump was even elected president. when the trump administration settled in the white house, his name came up in the first press reefing. thearlier in the day president spoke with egyptian president a la cc -- getting extra military aid from is a priority for el-sisi. >> i think the key topics on the agenda will be fighting terrorism and egypt's war withst terrorism, along the intelligence cooperation between the two countries. >> his visit in the white house

has been the first and see took power in 2014. trump's predecessor barack obama always kept the egyptian president at a distance. sisi was the man who brought back stability. he can also play crucial role in the palestinian issue. need to president may reconsider some of the promises he has made. >> his serious consideration of musing the embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem will cause a great deal of embarrassment for the egyptian administration. >> he will host king abdulla. the jordanian jupiter could -- jordanian leader could strengthen efforts to resume peace talks. >> and trump has sent his son-in-law and iraq. jared cook -- jared kushner is in baghdad.

he has been meeting iraqi leaders for a briefing on the fight against the islamic state. peshmerga is officially the senior advisor. the british prime minister theresa may has been seeking to call attention to gibraltar after the -- it follows eu guidelines. getfinal brexit deal must green light from spain. people in gibraltar are in a difficult position, having voted overwhelmingly to stay. seldom has a small rocky outpost made such political waves. british leaders are scrambling to controversial eu guidelines for brexit negotiations released on friday. affecting any flaws gibraltar will face a possible veto by spring. is not going to change and

cannot conceivably change without the express support and consent of the people of gibraltar. that is not going to change. quick sitting on the southern tip of spain, the rock of is -- ar spain ceded it to britain in -- while many spaniards wanted back residents who voted in two referendums remain british -- last year 96% voted to remain in the european union. promptedve has comparisons with margaret thatcher's decision to go to war over the islands in 1982. lose -- no need to >> the spanish government is a little surprised by the tone of comets coming out of britain. a country known for its compulsion -- for its composure. remove say in you should

any reference from the british territory for draft guidelines come and sit in allowing it to be used as a bargaining tool. >> we are not going to be a chip and not going to be a victim of brexit. we're taking it out on us. of the reference to gibraltar would be a sign of good faith. cliques the quick rise intentions for the tiny british enclave suggests the diplomatic roads ahead will be a rocky one. >> the death toll continues to rise in colombia. city is among the worst hit. catherine has the latest. desperate for news, residents gathered outside the cemetery. friends of teams have been the bodies of those

caught in the mudslides. the bodies of those caught in the mudslides. many are still in shock after torrential rains swept away homes and buried hold neighborhoods in mud. the colombian president has vowed to personally oversee relief efforts. he has already sent more than 1000 troops to the region as part of a national met emergency response. >> the mobilization has been massive. the spontaneous reaction shows the character and generosity that sets us apart. to all those who have mobilized and shown up to help, thank you very much. >> search and rescue teams have also been deployed to dig

through the rubble and help those desperately searching for loved ones. mccullough is phone rubble to flooding. districts havey been affected by the heavy rain. pledgedn officials have aid to rebuild homes and help those communities hardest hit by the flooding. >> the french prime minister has thected demands -- government offered one billion euros in aid amid 10 days of strikes and protests. union leaders demand to 2.5 billion euros. continued, there are concerns it may lead to food shortages. welcome to french guiana's big port. nothing arrives to or through the sports these days. unloadingrking here

these containers just before going on strike two weeks ago. cliques before the conflict there were about 300 dry containers and about 50 refrigerated containers with food delivery destined for local businesses and households. these containers have not been moved out. the access to the port had been blocked. >> the containers cannot be unloaded. and much of the food inside has gone bad. meanwhile cargo ships have been divergent neighboring countries. >> we usually have two lines of container ships per week. that is a volume of about 400 to 600 containers per week. to 1000 containers have failed to reach guiana. ,> stores are closed and others

shelves are getting lighter by the day. yet president and businesses are still determined to continue their strike, pushing to get a toter deal from paris improve security and the territories health and education systems. >> less than three weeks away from the first round of the french elections a new exhibition is charting the history of previous presidencies and how they were covered by the media. traveling 6000 kilometers across the country, stopping off in 31 towns. here is her report. trainm about to board a that has been converted into a museum about the french presidential elections. relives can discover and the moments of campaigns of the past that stand out the most.

in 1988hose moments was during a television debate between the two candidates. them and for the last 50 years on election day, the french been down in front of their tv to watch as the face of their new president is revealed.

>> the majority of montpellier's 6000 residents tend to favor left-wing candidates. also being used as a way to gauge public opinion about the election campaign happening right now. >> it is the first time i have been so hesitant. i just about made my choice for the first round but for the second round i really don't know yet. >> today it is so confusing and complicated. i'm going to wait and see what happens in the next few days. the organizers hope this trend will encourage people to take an interest and vote in the election. >> claire williams there and we have much more coverage for you. a reminder of our top stories this hour, at least 10 people have been killed and dozens more

wounded after a bomb went off between two stations on the metro system in st. petersburg. authorities are treating it as terrorism. president donald trump has been praising the egyptian leader, saying the two friends will be -- the two will be friends for a very long time. and there were fears of a food crisis where unions have rejected the government's offer of $1 billion in aid. the prime minister has called it unrealistic. you an updateing on the day's top business news. with a brighter outlook for the economy in europe. >> the unemployment rate in the euro zone hit its lowest level in roughly eight years. the statistic agency released its figures for 2017 with the average rate across the euro areas 19 never state at nine point 5%.

it marks the lowest level since may 2009. countries with the lowest levels of unemployment were germany and the czech republic. the highest jobless rates were found in spain and in greece. here in france unemployment remain stuck around 10%. european and israeli energy ministers met to give their support a major pipeline project intended to carry natural gas from israel tear. israel and cyprus have maintained significant offshore discoveries. they are seeking for ways to bring that to neighbors like turkey and egypt. >> discover just seven years ago, israel's leviathan gas field is one of the largest in the eastern mediterranean. the country is hoping the discovery will help them become

not just energy dependent but a significant exporter of natural gas. they believe there could be more than twice that figure waiting. israel is planning to build an underwater pipeline to track to europe area the project, which could cost up to 6 billion euros in cyprus, greece, and italy. >> this is going to be the longest and deepest pipeline in the world. it is technically possible and commercially feasible. on -- for a rely third of its gas supplies. europe is seeking to reduce that dependence on russian gas.

>> we value gas supplies in the region as a vital source that can make a contribution to diversify sources, roots, and supplies. >> the pipeline is expected to be completed by 2025. with gas prices fluctuating it remains to be seen if this will be financially viable long-term. they will meet for updates every six months to ensure the project is meeting targets. >> time for a look at the markets. european shares closed across the board banking shares taking a hit but the big loser, imagination technologies. after apple60 1% announced it would stop using the cubbies graphics check. the dow and the s&p 500 both taking losses as goldman sachs leading the dow now. auto so numbers coming out in the u.s. mostly disappointing.

one big winner is tesla. shares are up 6%. seconds one of -- is no largest u.s. carmaker. south africa's credit rating has been downgraded by new york financial firm s&p global. s&p cut their rating to junk after a cabinet reshuffle. ran fell onrican that downgrade. british petroleum is selling his pipeline system known as the 40's to u.k.-based energy giant. the system transports 450,000 barrels of oil every day, accounting for 40% of the uk's production. ukraine says the international monetary fund has approved a $1 billion payment for the country.

ukraine isannounced set to receive a $17.5 billion payout package in exchange for government reforms and efforts. the payment would be first of four trenches to come in 2017. south korean carmaker hyundai and kia have posted significant overseas sales drops for march. half,les likely fell by the drop is being blamed on political tension between the two countries. a south korean missile-defense system intended to deter nuclear arms in north korea has strong objections from china. finally, china dealing not only with neighboring theile-defense systems but toilet revolution. the countries seeing a boom interested tourism with more public demand. nearly 3000ent

euros to rebuild bathrooms from squat toilets to westerns that western-style toilets. china's national tourism administration launched the restroom referee nation, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017. the country will build or renovate 50,000 sites on him. china spent the equivalent of 3.4 billion euros. the facial recognition -- >> important stuff. >> thank you very much indeed. if you would like more information, france 24. catching up in attendance between the u.k. and spain. we will have more headlines after the break.