funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering

specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. what can we do for you? >> and now, "bbc world news." >> hello, you are watching"gmt." our top stories, could the universe be preparing to yield one of its best kept secrets? countdown in an italian mountain to find particles known as dark matter. how will it increase our understanding of the origins and future of our universe. there is a real war going on in mali. and feeling a bit sleepy? need the 40 winks at work?

help is at hand with a new idea from austria. also in the program, we have a look at what is going not in business. another big bank, another big find. when will it stop? >> who knows? $800 million, the big boss is being booted out of the royal bank of scotland for his part in manipulating a key interest rate. more than 80% of this bank is owned by the british taxpayer. they have to foot the bill for the banks misdeeds. >> it is midday in london, 9:00 in the evening in tokyo, 1:00 in the afternoon in italy, where scientists are deep inside a mountain laboratory, counting down to the biggest experiment

yet, the search for secret particles known as dark matter. the bbc has been given exclusive access to the experiment. scientists said that it will help them a lot one of the great secrets to the universe. in simple terms, dark matter and dark matt -- dark energy is the name given to what constitutes 84% of the universe. it is invisible and it does not admit or herbs or light, but scientists claim that gravity's effect on the universe proves that dark matter exists. >> beneath the mountain, one and a half kilometers down in these

specially and -- specially constructed tunnels, the secrets of the universe could be revealed. in this subterranean laboratory, a new experiment could prove the existence of dark matter. scientists think that dark matter is all around us. that is what this experiment here is trying to solve. inside it is filled full of argon and the dark matter particles filter through. scientists are hoping that one or two might collide with and are gone adam, flashing in light, providing evidence of this enigmatic hidden world. today is one of the last chances to get in close. contamination could ruin the experiment. >> most of the matter of the universe is in the form of this dark matter. to really understand and know what it is would be a real

shift, changing our understanding of the universe, how it is formed and can unfiled. >> this is one of a number of new experiments in this field. >> in the end we might have nothing. the feeling is that the dark matter can be just behind the corner. so, everybody is rushing to be the first to find a dark matter. >> understanding dark matter will help to explain why our universe is the way that it is. scientists believe that we are entering a new era of physics and dark matter is the best frontier. -- next frontier. >> let's try to throw some more light on this for you. we saw the report there from the route -- from the doctor, and he joins me live, along with a princeton university student. big mission impossible today, so far, to find dark matter.

do you think you will be successful this time? >> this has the most advanced technology, the best laboratory in the world for searching for dark matter. we expect exciting results, possibly. we expect to see it in stockholm at some time, maybe. anyway, if we will not get some great and exciting results, we will make any way an important step in the progress of knowledge. >> your reference means that if you get this right, you are bound to go to sweden to collect the nobel prize. as a ph.d. student in -- at

princeton, this must be a dream come true to be involved in something like this. >> it is definitely a great experience. it is amazing to be a part of this experiment. on a daily basis, even within the individual projects, you are always learning something new. there is nothing better to learn technical and academic research, things involved in the experiment. this has been a great experience for me. >> it must be so intimidating to be working alongside these marvelous professors. were you able to contribute to the experiment in a meaningful way? >> yes, we do a lot of -- basically i was able to be involved with individual projects here and there, because this is a very small collaboration. every student has a chance to

contribute directly to the experiments. there is analysis work that needs to be done. if there is an assembly going on, there is always a way to help out. >> professor, in practice, if you find a dark matter he say that it will help us understand better the originscontribute die in practical terms, what of the universe and how things evolve. with the mean for humankind? insights into global warming and how that happens? >> for humankind it will mean understanding more than 80% of matter and what it is made of. this is the only answer we can give now. when we know what dark matter actually is, we will need someone who understands how to use it. but we have no idea at the moment. at the moment our goal is to

give an answer to the dark matter particle. >> ok, professor, from the grand shuttle, thank you for shedding light on what you're doing. tensions have been renewed between japan and china. the prime minister has accused china of provocative activity in the east china sea over their rival claims to disputed islands. the incident on tuesday when a warship locked on to a japanese destroyer, he called it a unilateral and dangerous act that could have unpredictable consequences. we have this report, from tokyo. >> january 30, japan says that a chinese navy frigate like this one locked its fire control radar onto a japanese destroyer

in the east china sea. about 10 days earlier tokyo says that another frigate like this one did exactly the same to a navy helicopter. addressing parliament today, the prime minister condemned both it -- condemned both incidents. >> at a time when there were hopeful signs of japan and china resuming talks, it is report -- it is regrettable that they have engaged in this one-sided and provocative action. >> incidents are reported to have taken place close to this group of islands, which japan controls but china claims as its own. for months japanese and chinese coast guard ships have being gauged in a game of cat and mouse as china seeks to assert its claim. previous incidents have only involved civilian ships, not war ships loaded with missiles. so far the chinese foreign ministry has refused to confirm

the incident or give any explanation for the chinese actions, but already the u.s. government is expressing its concern, calling on beijing to avoid actions that could undermine the peace and stability of the region. bbc news, tokyo. >> tensions there, over the east china sea. the french prime minister has said that there is a real war going on in mali, with more clashes against the hottest groups. his comments come after reports that french led forces have killed several hundred met -- several hundred militants since last month to help the forces regain the north of the country. we are joined by our correspondent, andrew party. new clashes on the outskirts suggest that the conflict is moving into a new phase?

>> they could do, yes. we do not know the details of these clashes. we understand that she hottest groups have been firing rockets that these forces in the area. we do not know the scale of the fighting, but as you say, it suggests the start of a possible new phase. it is the first real sign we have seen of what could be a guerrilla campaign that everyone has suggested that the rebels would do very quickly. we have heard that a sustained perhaps several hundred fatalities, there is still a fighting force that would presumably like to continue some sort of insurgency campaign, which may be what we are seeing, although most of the focus of the french appears to be further to the north, closer to the algerian border. we know that these jets have been pounding their bases in the mountains.

we presume french special forces are going after perhaps the hostages still held by militant groups there. >> from what you can gather at your position, do you get the sense that there is a plan, military and political, to stabilize the country? >> i do not think there is one plan. i think there is a lot of talk going on. we are seeing the mnla trying to basically stress their independence -- independence as separate, trying to get some political clout for negotiations that are already under way. we are also hearing a lot of talk about a road map that to democracy in the south. of course, there was a coup here last year and a transitional

government, but no clear idea on when it happened. there is a real sense of urgency. essentially there is no long- term military solution to the crisis. we need good governance on the ground, particularly in the north, to ensure some sort of proper peace process. >> andrew, thank you very much indeed for bringing us that update. let's go to air and with business news. you are going to tell us more about the banking fine for the royal bank of scotland? >> it will be a big one. we know that heads have already rolled. of course, just to remind everyone, several banks around the world were caught manipulating an interest rate that influences the salt. i will explain in more detail now. hello there, it is certainly a scandal that has rocked the

banking world. a whopping sum of money, that is what the british bank will announce, a settlement close to $800 million. that is what is expected for rigging this key global interest-rate. we have already had news that the boss of the investment arm has stepped down and was booted out for his part in this scandal. this scandal is the london interbank offered rate, estimating the rate at which banks lend money to each other on a daily basis, affecting huge numbers of contracts are around the world. talking about mortgages, businesses, and consumer loans. it emerged that hundreds of businesses had manipulated this interest rate to boost their own trading positions and make their bank more secure. we already know that barclays had to cough up $450 million in

fines. ubs coughed up a whopping 1 1/2 million dollars. given that the u.k. taxpayers bailed out the royal bank of scotland in the crisis, needless to say they will be very angry about just who is going to foot the bill for this fine. >> there is not a of bonus money to pay for all of this there, so it will be coming from somewhere else, obviously. this is because the government has to pay a portion of its money back to the united states. but not the entire fine, some of it is for the british regulators. this fine. >> there is>> that announcemente u.s. regulators should be out in about 45 minutes. let's move on and talk about the competition in the u.k. media market. it is heating up. uk global has agreed to buy virgin media. the deal will create the world's

largest broadband company, with 25 million customers in 14 different countries. the purchase, worth over $23 billion, will create the second- biggest tv service after bskyb, putting john malone in direct competition with this guy right here, you know him, mr. rupert murdoch. he can count 39% of bskyb as>> his burgeoning media empire. but how much of the market did they stand to gain? >> at the moment they service little over 30% of the u.k., they can get services they wanted to over cable or broadband. they have, over recent years, months, the last few quarters, been talking about adding

additional homes, but that is going very little into the percentage. >> there you go, a media deal in the wings. i will be back to talk about the royal bank of scotland, interviewing an expert on that. >> looking forward to it. still to come, hold your nose. piles of rubbish on the streets of this city as the workers' strike against government cuts. >> the issue of gay marriage is divisive. debate has gone on in france and has led to passionate debate from both sides in the united states. in the u.k. the british have voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill supporting marriage. last night's vote was described as a step forward by david

cameron, even though half of his party rejected the legislation. >> it is the morning after the big day, when parliament voted on whether by a couple should be able to marry. >> ayes, 400, nos, 175. >> the house of commons voted for the plan, but among conservatives more were against the than in favor and critics say that they will fight for changes as the legislation goes through its next changes. >> there is a considerable amount of vote against the bill, hopefully sending a clear message to those responsible that they need to reconsider. at the very least i would hope we could mitigate some of this. >> last night david cameron took to twitter to say the country had taken a step forward and he

admitted that there were strong views on both sides, but it does not sound like the government will be offering any compromises. >> they are always looking at the detail of the bill, but i am confident that the bill as it stands has clear protection for religious organizations. >> supporters of same-sex marriage have cracked open the champagne. detractors say that one of society's most cherished institutions may have been destroyed. either way, amongst the government is not a single partnership. bbc news, westminster. >> these are our top stories at this hour. beneath an italian mountain an experiment is about to be switched on that could prove the existence of some of the strangest particles known to science, dark matter. france talks about a real war

with molly. in historic city of seville, with its elegant pathways and buildings this seeming less picturesque than usual. tons of rubbish have piled up on the streets, creating not only an eyesore, giving off a rotten smell. municipal workers have been on strike and negotiations between them and the regional government have yet to bring a resolution. historic city of tom is in seville, he will give us an update on the talks that began a few hours ago to end the strike. >> that is right. talks continued late into the night and resumed again this morning. we were led to believe -- led to believe that a deal between the unions and local government was close, but unfortunately that

has not happened. the piles of rubbish continue to grow. workers are facing pay cuts and have to work longer hours. the result, as you said, is a large part of the rubbish is accumulating on the streets of the city. good news for the tourists is that this area with its famous cathedral behind me is generally clear, but for the local residents it keeps getting worse and the smell is not nice. >> it is awful and it gives the city a bad image. it smells very bad. >> i think that both the unions and the politicians have no shame, letting people throw their rubbish onto the street.

>> the regional government says they have no choice but to carry out these measures in order to get their finances in order. how bad is it in seville? >> the government here is like any other spanish regional government. they are all facing cuts. the central government has said that you have got to get your deficits in order, the difference between what to take in and spend. it is austerity that is affecting the lives of everyone in so many different ways. in seville it means a large pile of rubbish. >> not very good for america -- major tourist attraction, obviously. tom, thank you for joining us. in other news in brief, the chinese government says they want to address the gulf but between rich and poor in the country by lifting 80 million people out of poverty in three years. proposals include measures to

boost the income of poor farmers, increase the minimum wage in the cities, and provide education and cheap housing. a senior opposition leader was killed in tunisia on his way to work. of the unified democratic patriot party, he was shot in the head and neck. he was a popular secularist. the tunisian prime minister described the killing as a terrorist act and a blow to>> ts the country's revolution. the cia has been operating a secret air base for unmanned drones in saudi arabia for the past two years. the u.s. media knew of its existence and did not report about it until now. it was set up to hunt for al qaeda yet -- al qaeda members in yemen. a powerful offshore earthquake caused a tsunami in the solomon

islands. waves hit the remote villages closest to the epicenter. a footballer has found himself at the center of a racism rao, just days after joining an italian club. a video emerged showing the club's vice president making an offensive remark about the player at an event on sunday. there hasn't yet been no reaction. sometimes we all feel the need to get a bit of rest at work, particularly if you have been busy or had a rough night. what do you do? slump at your desk? try to get a quick nap on the sofa? do not fear, help might be at hand. beth reports on a new idea, from austria. >> this is siesta time in

vienna. offering stressed out workers the chance to unwind, >> it is like a new day. afterwards you feel like you have just awoken and the days beginning. >> if they are prepared to part with $15, customers can take a power nap for 15 minutes. a snack is included in the price. >> no one goes home at noon anymore, it does not work when your job does not allow it. the idea is to bring the living room and bedroom to the working people. musical's customers to sleep. classical is the preferred style, as you might part with $15, expect in a city that was home to beethoven.

a heart monitor reads how even the the customer is breathing. if they fall into a deeper sleep the music gets louder until inevitably the time comes to face the daylight again. >> i am looking for my red sofa for my nap. coming up in the next addition, sweden is threatening legal action over plans to kill a limited number of bills. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. a heart>> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you

operate in, working to nurture operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide