the twenty four attack at the country's largest airport he said that he ordered what he describes as a special hope or a ship on january twenty fourth the suicide bomber ran to the international arrivals area of the country's biggest out. to the crowd and blew himself up several dozen people were killed in that attack and six out of those killed were foreign citizens in a message gulp or a lot of claims that more terrorist that school all over will take place in russia and that the country was in for a year old blood and tears what is remarkable about that particular video is that indeed he was sitting next to a man who would be asked to resemble the very idea that a suicide bomber from the investigative could meet you would know it was a twenty year old man from one of russia's north caucasus republics now is a double lot of himself he was not only the most wanted man but app is being is also on the international we stop terrorists we're seeing started guide up and have

claimed responsibility for similar terrorist attacks in the past but the twins you said bombings on the mall so much show system and twenty to one forty people were killed and he is also believed to have orchestrated the two thousand and nine forming of an express train coming from moscow to some that is for security has been tightened all across the country and apparently the suicide bombing at the idea of a hazara village gaping holes in security on public transport ways to see a man two months introduced to the existing and to terror law on monday president medvedev followed amazing with a senior police officials of russia where he harshly criticize their work and he said that the way security was open eyes don about russia's easiest transport hops was just unacceptable and should be changed we're now witnessing that police of russia are undergoing a major overhaul under a by presidential order and the president hopes that these changes in the work of police will also improve security in the country in general. well investigative

journalist paul lash maher says doku umarov close ties with al qaeda mean he is now taking his terrorist activity to a whole new level these groups move more fiercely around the world and you know there are undoubtedly chechens operate seen in parts of afghanistan and people from you know foreign fighters coming in to assist the jets would the important thing is that this is really the first time we've heard him emerge you know as a major player in terms of international terrorism i mean he's not he is involvement in the box tools in chechnya but he's not known on the international stage for operating terrorist operations like what we've just seen at the moscow airport i mean that really is the sort of stepped up behavior is obviously not the first time the militants how about you gauge the acts of terrorism because the russian study but this is this guy seems to be coming into the fray until you cannot some of the studies that's been left by people who've been killed or

captured. investigative journalist paul wash maher there meanwhile officials say an entire terrorist cell has been neutralized in central russia special forces stormed into the suspects house taking that advice surprised without firing a shot four people were found with think renia or powerful homemade bomb or and a convoy of how crowded public places officials say the man to direct orders from himself. we've got plenty more ahead for you this hour including questioning switzerland's neutrality with more guns per capita than any other european country many swiss are wondering if it's time to finally lay down their weapons that's on in just a couple of them. the defense team of wiki leaks founder julian assange say he'll face a secret trial if sent to sweden to face sexual assault allegations he's now in

a london court where the evidence on whether he should be handed over to stockholm is being heard as launch says the accusations are part of a conspiracy to punish him for running his whistle blowing web site from london are to his lore and it reports this is the second day over today extradition hearing for cheap enough songs at the end of which swedish prosecutors will be hoping that they can extradite songs to sweden to face questioning youth allegations over great molestation and unlawful coercion made by two swedish women back in august of last year judith and himself has always maintained that these allegations are politically motivated he says that directly follow on from wiki leaks release old us embassy cables which were deeply embarrassing to washington and say therefore the us will do anything to get its hands on him a black box has been applied to my life and on the outside of the black box. has been written the word right and i hope over the next. we

will see the book is in fact. empty the arguments that the defense will be putting forward are focused around us on its human rights they say that his human rights will be violated if he's extradited to sweden they also say that if he goes to sweden there's a risk that the u.s. will seek either his extradition or they will try to apply illegal rendition to him to take him to the u.s. where he may be held in guantanamo bay or a similar detention facility and they also say that he is at risk of being subject to the death penalty if indeed he is extradited on words to america they're also fighting this on the grounds that he hasn't actually been charged with any crime the swedish prosecution wants to question him about these crimes but they haven't charged him yet and they say that the principle of extradition law is that suspicion of having committed

a crime is not grounds for extradition you actually have to charge somebody however many say that sweden has an incredibly close friendship with the u.s. and so there would be a lot of political pressure to extradite him onward once he gets to stockholm you know what this is the last day of this particular hearing but we're not really expecting a decision to be made today the judge has already said that he may take several weeks to consider this decision and then will be able to appeal if the decision goes against him so we'll have to wait to see how it pans out later on this afternoon. well leading swedish academic dr brian palmer told armchair chantel of julian assange being handed over to the us are much higher if he said to sweden because of the close relations between the two. it would be easier to get him to the u.s. from sweden then from britain the swedish government has has shown itself to be more apply and then the british surprisingly given the so-called special relationship of trust between britain and the usa the the once very progressive

sweden has become something of a voluntary. apprentice state some would say vassal state of the usa. and we've got to have full interview with dr brian palmer next hour right here on r.t. . as well as in egypt enter a third week thousands of demonstrators are keeping up the pressure on president hosni mubarak to step down caro's main square has seen a massive and but crowds are being pushed back by the army to get traffic moving banks and some businesses are now reopening and schools remain closed and the night curfew is still in force president mubarak has ordered a reform committee to be set up with the task of changing the constitution meanwhile the country's vice president is being courted by the u.s.

to replace mubarak because r.t.s. problems fear reports washington is considered a questionable mediator in egypt itself it's important to support the transition process announced by the egyptian government actually headed by now vice president. omar suleiman hardly the words of a neutral broker and worse far removed from the people who had ministration chains to be listening to. talk to maggie below his of human rights organization that teaches each opinions about democracy he says he don't like superman for the very reason americans do almost to the man. we consider american people. want to. live mubarak who was still. in power in those sort of told to last year by the u.k.'s telegraph is the most powerful spook

in the region so the man is suave sophisticated and fluent in english but the former head of egypt's intelligence service work for you. as the cia's man in cairo u.s. cia. extraordinary. parents . are among the silliman is accused of having been personally involved in torturing suspects this is the problem now in egypt is there's a struggle between not between mubarak and the people but because between the american cia covert operators of u.s. power around the world and the people are having to try to get mubarak replaced with somebody else it's hard to ignore the fact that the very abuses that drove hundreds of thousands of people into the streets had some assistance from the united states people have collected almost with pride these empty tear gas

cylinders that have the words made in the usa written on them and so so much for regime change so a man was as much made in america as the dictator who appointed him and who is now being thrown out by the egyptian people wiki leaks cables show the u.s. administration was grooming him for years as far back as two thousand and seven it had a radio audience is trying to him as a possible successor to president mubarak. many of our contacts believe that solely because of his military background the least have to figure in any succession scenario and so when obama goes on record and says he gyptian is must choose for themselves it is not the world or any other country to determine egypt's leaders only the egyptian people can do that people here laugh because the secretary of state is admitting to something different what we have to do is to set a consistent message this morning the orderly transition that has the.

urging not only transparent is very tired but many egyptians are afraid. and think he's more a dictator the mr mubarak which leaves the united states out in the cold when it has to explain why it's backing him. kyra. you can log on to our website where we continue analyzing the issues surrounding the crisis in egypt look at how the u.s. criticizes president mubarak's actions and question whether the obama administration would handle the situation differently if it happened in. time thirteen cute and cuddly characters competing for the title of the sochi winter olympics mascot have been revealed say who they are and vote for your favorite that's at our website r.t.e. dot com. and discover it.

communicate with the wild. test yourself and become free. see what nature can give you. the wealthy british sign on the sun. spot on the. market. come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with mike stronger for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into cars a report on our.

watching r.j. live from moscow thanks for being with us the russian foreign ministry is investigating claims that a british journalist was denied and. three upon arrival to moscow luke harding a moscow correspondent working for the guardian was sent back to london after allegedly being held in a cell for forty five minutes the guardian says harding had a valid visa which was not old the russian border service has not yet commented on the issue under russian law a foreign national can be denied entry without any reason that's being provided. now despite its neutral image switzerland has a strong military tradition it also has europe's highest per capita rate of gun ownership in every male citizen under fifty years of age as a reserve soldier but now many are questioning why a country that hasn't been seriously involved in any military conflict for two hundred years should have an army at all that's our cilia has the details. training for combat preparing for war except these soldiers are for mutual

switzerland and are unlikely to ever experience wartime combat. more and more the centuries old swiss militia is being challenged in february the long standing tradition of keeping a government issued weapon at home as part of military obligations will be put to a vote on whether they should go on keeping their guns at home or store them in public arsenals but that's just one of the arguments local activists like to stuff bobbie has been pushing for a complete abolition of the armed forces as noble cold war we to be surrounded by the european union which is. militarily speaking totally friendly so we have no war in the me so the army has no reason of being no enemy just a tradition do you think that's what someone should have an army. for. certainly not a joke just makes fun you know. just play

a big war against but we don't. we don't need. a nine hundred eighty nine referendum on the issue revealed that more than a third of the swiss are in favor of dissolution a figure significant enough to pressure the government to take some action to rein in military activity the size of the army and its budget while still a substantial four point five billion dollars have been cut and the option of joining the civil service instead was introduced it's not enough there is a political clout which means that the parliament is made moves a lot of rich people. i mean people want to know me. because they feel insecure there's still about two hundred thousand army personnel with compulsory military service for swiss males and private gun ownership for all conscripts living up to a local saying switzerland does not have an army it is an army not a pleasant prospect for young draftees like adrian feller who just don't see the

point. to shoot. this will more. or. in my opinion annoy me to some kind of false security you say well i saw two army can do. anything against the can't do anything to social problems and disorder so why should we. or swiss francs for something that could help us solve the problems we have the arguments are there give the serious majority still cannot imagine a nation without their men in uniform. only the political left support evolution we're still a minority in this country it's hard to convince the population because it's really a tradition that is deeply rooted in this. last there's the rise of populism and demagoguery it worries me. many swiss feel that abolishing the armed forces is

a kid to letting go of a tradition of losing that sense of security real or imagined so does a neutral country with no enemies really need an army while support for abolition is elusive the question has been asked and the debate is about to continue just or so you're r.t. switzerland. that's just gone nineteen minutes past the hour of us take a look at some new dominating the headlines around the world to say military officers from the two careers have sat down for talks following months of tension on the peninsula going on soul severed their. relations late last year after a make change for jewelry fire in november the north responded to southern attacks near their territory by shelling a south korean island it's hoped the discussions will lead to higher level dialogue between the two countries. and italian flag tanker with twenty two crew on board has been seized by pirates in the indian ocean the news says five hijackers fired

arms and several rocket grenades as they captured the vessel the for gate on route from sit down to malaysia was carrying crude oil it's currently selling west towards the somali coast. a lawyer for the former liberian president charles taylor has walked out of a war crimes course in the hague in protest over procedure that's after prosecutors refused to accept a final document from the defense saying they had missed in january deadline to submit it taylor was accused of arming rebels during the civil war in sierra leone in exchange for blood diamonds he's also charged with masterminding atrocities during the war which claimed a quarter of a million lives but. now testing on animals is an emotive issue for many people it's a debate that continues to evolve but the scientific consensus is that few medical breakthroughs would be possible without it and in russia groundbreaking research is

helping in the quest to find new treatments for diseases like cancer and diabetes archie saraf earth has the story. just how de ravin more importantly why would you want the newest you can spew sickly genetically modified rivets produce a very valuable drug in the milk which is used in treating cancer. here's a scientific research center on the outskirts musky these animals are aging scientists cutting edge research welcome to the pioneering new wells of farming from the sea to coons. this is where the animals keps now these ones ordinary rabbits but if we gaze through into the next three and you've got the chance genic or genetically modified ones these guys are proving so vital in the discovery and development of new treatments for diseases. whilst it might sound strange the milk of transgenic animals has already been used to successfully treat patients and it's

not just rabbits around the world dish and farming it's now more thing into by a farming pharmaceutical companies are now turning to other domestic animals and new ways to produce drugs it's a breakthrough in fairness you know we want to get to the point where we can have goals and goals producing the same drug in their milk. at the moment this research center doesn't have the funding to produce more than a few of the genetically modified species that rabbits remain the main source of research by kill a tree bodies in the e.u. and the us slowly starting to allow drugs produced by transgenic animals onto the market but it's slow progress rush especially a lack of guidelines and solid regulation in this area when it remains a controversial issue. we feel that playing with genes could be dangerous for animals when people haven't fully studied all the erected to remake needs from

cheap to resource provided by farming continues to grow these guys produce seem very well end up in your medicine cabinet sarah. palin get down to business to me through joins us with the latest and it looks like there's a big sell off inventing bay shares what's happening well there's a privatization program going on right now and b.c.b. is one of the first assets to be sold off no one's sure about the price so they're trying to drop the stock just in case and slower than the market have more on that in just a second first of all to our top story that's russia's energy major gas promise reportedly in talks with royal dutch shell to widen their global alliance sources close to negotiations site on bloomberg say europe's biggest oil company may offer gazprom assets in asia in return shell wants to expand the liquefied natural gas plant. the twenty two billion dollars i'm going to project to win markets in china and india however i think some of those out of fermentable doubts the plans will

come to anything at least for the time being. on one hand there are good very good perspectives for. point of view of gas for expansion. but at the same time current situation on the global energy market is not so favorable for a you know making the new energy plans and current trend is that the major global energy producers are postponing or canceling its new capacities production give us to the engine projects saw basically i don't think the timing for expansion of oil and you plan and secondly. is the best time right now. to go to the markets as promised european markets are mixed and pretty flat afternoon trading in some of these figures so if we can of course footsie is trading slightly in the red is pretty much corrected almost two years in positive territory but just point its swiss bank u.b.s. boasts

a net profit of seven point two billion swiss francs for twenty ten is the first for your profit since the financial crisis and that's supporting markets preventing further down russian markets are trading in the red however correcting as crude as cooling turn around eighty six dollars for west texas crude outflow of capital is also quite significant from russia the negative factors right now in the market adding to monday's sharp losses that's a day after it suspended a stock buyback michelle the dispute meanwhile weak crude prices are pulling down stocks like rose never you can see they're down two point four percent and the is down heavily almost four percent as i mentioned investors are not sure about the upcoming s.p.o. price and therefore they're ditching the stock. russia's trade surplus grew by a quarter last year to one hundred sixty eight billion dollars as. price of oil and gas boy experts now china overtook the netherlands and germany to become russia's

largest trading partner in twenty ten as turnover rose by fifty percent in the get to fifty nine billion dollars. it's been the worst start to the year for precious metals in two decades but analysts say there are still reasons to be bullish union bank of switzerland says industrial demand for silver could be the strongest since the ninety's the bank expects hedge funds to continue buying gold while the world's central banks will add to the bullion reserves for the third year in a row tim mccutcheon from boca gold says he is still positive the thing about gold it's very hard to put your thumb on is that it's really not a commodity it's money it's basically a medium a transaction in a way of storing wealth in absolute terms to give you an idea the what's been happening in the past two months china's import over two hundred tons of gold so basically take the entire production of russia china is consumed in two months it's

normal to figure in a small private individuals not mentioning you know national banks. so china is bringing in money in the of course is a huge tradition and buyer of gold. basically for the first time in many many years central banks have been buyers of gold in two thousand and ten. so you know it's really all about the marginal buyer and it's right now what we have is gold production is more or less flat or declining it has been declining for the past fifteen years. and so it's really a question of how many people are willing to hold their savings in us treasuries for example or another a fixed income instruments or they want to hold an absolute store of wealth and buy gold so it's really hard to put a price target on it but i can tell you that it's very unlikely it's going to go down more than go up. to mccutcheon is calm and he was early in our studio here with my colleague an american i'll be back in one hour's time with an update meanwhile you can log on to our website r.t. looking forward slash business to get all the latest updates and the market scores there and the headlines are next.

in the czech republic is available in a hotel as science central hotel for the very. most full stop by which i am a taste in bosnia and herzegovina available in. me and the children of each. but you know to put you know. killed there

a boutique hotel. the. spotlight is coming out here on r t but first let's check in on today's top stories russia's most wanted man chechen terrorists mauro says he's responsible for the bombing of moscow airport which killed thirty six people and close ties with al qaeda have landed him on the list of the world's most dangerous killers. wiki leaks founder julian assange is fighting extradition to sweden in a london court for a second day lawyers say he'll be denied justice by stockholm and handed over to the u.s. he fears persecution for revealing secret american diplomatic documents to the

world. was president mubarak attempts to appease egypt's opposition with even more concessions but demonstrators in cairo waned to find the man being tipped to replace mubarak has links with the cia fueling fears that washington is pulling the strings vice president omar suleiman lonely is the former head of the gyptian intelligence which has been widely criticized for its systematic use of torture. now as lithuania takes its turn heading the organization for security and cooperation in europe which after the country's foreign minister about the challenges ahead spotlight is next. we'll. review the latest science technology from.