>> mubarak defiance. egypt's president refuses to design -- refuses to resign against huge protests over his 30-year rule. >> i am aware of the conditions of the people. i am aware the people are suffering. >> [shouting] >> client protests go on despite a widespread curfew. there are reports the army is taking back control of the streets. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast on pbs in america and around the globe. the taliban says it was behind the explosion that killed six people at a grocery store in the afghan capital. nelson mandela leaves the hospital in good spirits.

he was discharged after a treatment for a respiratory infection. >> egypt's president remains defiant in the face of violent protests against his 30 years of rule. president mubarak sent the army onto the streets after a day of rage that saw thousands of protesters defying curfew. he has been on state television after midnight local time to say he has asked his government to step down and will appoint a new one tomorrow. he has promised to continue efforts towards democratic reform, but he gave no hint he was considering the action many demonstrators are demanding, his own demonstration -- his own resignation.

>> [unintelligible] should not have happened. [unintelligible] and other freedoms that the reforms brought along to the people. as a precedent of the republic -- president of the republic and given my prerogative as a ruler, i will remain president. and i will keep my right to exercise my right as long as it

is within the legality and respect of the law. as these lines divide liberty and chaos -- >> president mubarak's speaking a short while ago. our correspondent is on the line from cairo. just after midnight local time is not a president wants to be on live television. clearly a man under pressure. what do you make of this words? >> what a strange sight. this is the first we have seen of president mubarak since this crisis started. i think the present -- television station has done him no favors. above all, he was coming out absolutely-character. -- absolutely in character. basically telling egypt he will

tough it out and basically chiding the protesters, saying they were abusing the liberties they have been given. for all those people who have been out on the streets to are angry with him and were angry with the way they have been treated by their government, this will absolutely outraged them. -- this will outrage them. i have a suspicion this will go down badly-egypt. >> just on that point, the protests may get worse but do you see any signs the president cannot hold the country? all the reports are the army has begun to take back the streets? >> maybe they can. that is certainly a possibility. he is saying they had managed to recapture tahrir square. i was listening from a short distance away and teargas and

live rounds as well. they have gone in with great force and had managed to clear it finally, but maybe they will be able to hold on power through the use of force but not through popular consent. >> let's take him at his word. do you have any idea what he might be suggesting? >> i think the protesters are going to say what are you going to do you have not done in the last 30 years? if you are going through more democratic reforms to guarantee elections, most opposition believe the elections under which his party won every single seat last autumn, all this international allies and everyone in egypt all believe those were fraudulent. so what will he do to change that? that is what protesters will ask.

then they will ask why should we trust you to be the person to do that? >> short middle east editor has also been on the streets of cairo -- our middle east editor has also been on the streets of cairo. >> friday evening, tahrir square was in the hands of the demonstrators. they were using the word revelation. on the far side of the crowd, they were still taking on the police. >> we are going to make it. >> the government has declared a curfew but it is being ignored by thousands of people sick of 30 years of president mubarak's rule. >> we are tired. we are tired. >> the headquarters of the ruling party are on fire. this started as a protest met --

led by the middle class, but tonight cairo's poor run the streets. this is a suburb just before midday. everyone knew when the prayer's finished it would begin. for both sides, the authorities and demonstrators, the day was going to be a big test, perhaps a turning point. that is why they fought so hard. teargas coming this way at the moment. the police do not have this demonstration under control. >> with the wounded inside this moscow -- inside this mosque. >> to practice what you preach is to defend the right of the egyptians for freedom, dignity

and social justice. >> but on the streets this nobel peace prize will not help him win the leadership he wants, because for a while it looked like the police were gaining the upper hand. this is the main bridge down to tahrir square, a central rallying point and is blocked by hundreds of riot police, more over there. it is a massive security operation. they have the essentially taken control of this part of the city and it is and possible to get across. -- it is impossible to get across. the trouble spread across cairo. the pressure of numbers was conference -- the pressure of numbers was constant. police began to fall back.

[shouting] >> they were inspired by tunisia where two weeks ago the people's anger over through a long serving president. egypt is the arab world's longstanding leader. >> we are trying hard to achieve anything today. we need to show we are human beings and they need to value us. >> will it work? >> i hope so. it will. i have faith in my country. >> the police hit back with shotguns firing. >> is this the -- the democracy

they are talking about? >> by late afternoon police were retreating on both sides. slowly, the crowd forced its way across the bridge. after sunset, the police could not hold them. tahrir square was theirs. for the egyptian regime, this is a catastrophic defeat. the question is whether president mubarak and his advisers are prepared to talk to the demonstrators or whether they are preparing a backlash. >> just an update on the protesters in tahrir square, which is the official center of cairo. protesters trying to force their way to parliament. we understand the army has retaken control of tahrir square. one witness saw more than 20 military vehicles move into the square shortly after midnight blanketing the area. protesters seem to have fled to

the side streets. they are still there defying the curfew. tahrir square is controlled by the military. there have been protests along egypt. three people were killed in clashes on thursday. one city has witnessed the most violent confrontation. today, tanks were deployed. our correspondent reports. >> from a rooftop in -- in the center of the city we watched as hundreds of men left friday prayers defying the government. they went straight to the street and surrounding the riot police. down with mubarak, they shouted. down with the regime. at first the police did nothing to stop them. but as the crowd increased, the mood changed. it is not clear what set this off but the crowd's response was immediate and violent.

the mob tries to overturn one of the police cars. minutes later it is on fire. the egyptian government has done everything it can to stop these protests. the internet has been cut off and there is no mobile phone networks. imams have been telling congregations not to take to the streets, but it has not worked. initially this protest was peaceful andy know it is a full- blown confrontation. -- and know it is a full-blown confrontation. >> the mob sleaze gunfire. they are not deterred for long. two men tried to tear down a poster of president mubarak. then they change their minds and set it on fire instead. four egyptians, this is a shocking image.

by now the police station has been overrun. the man on the back of this trolly has a gun. others have taken automatic weapons. curfew has been declared tonight, but right now no one is in control of this city. >> stay with us on "bbc world news." we will have a look at the day's other international news, but more on a fence in egypt, particularly the tricky situation the u.s. finds itself in. more on the americans' reaction. two weeks ago the world took notice of the events in tunisia where protests brought down an

unpopular regime. the revolution move at quite a pace, sending out the president and most of his administrators. two nations were tired of corruption -- tunisians were tired of corruption. >> when tunisia erupted into protests a few weeks ago it was only a matter of time before other arab capitals were to follow. but no one expected it to be so soon. jordan and algeria were the forced -- were the first. it has culminated in a full- blown confrontation between security forces of president mubarak and angry protesters across egypt. there are many similarities between these regimes in the region. like tunisia, egypt, yemen and

jordan many youth. the economy is growing faster it than they can create jobs. the result is thousands of graduates without work. while countries like egypt and jordan may have tolerated a greater degree of internal dissent, the bottom line has always been freedom of expression has been curtailed -- is curtailed once it poses a threat to the regime. tunisia has unleashed a political tsunami. its reverberations are still being felt right across the arab world. >> the latest headlines on "bbc world news." president mubarak has gone on

television to announce his government to step down, but he is staying despite protests against his leadership. the headquarters in cairo were set on fire and troops are moving back onto the streets to enforce a curfew. we will return to that momentous day in egypt a little later. let's bring you up-to-date on the other international news. eight people have been killed in a suicide attack in kabul. an explosion demonstrated a supermarket mainly used by foreigners. the taliban said they carried out the attack. [crying] >> the taliban knew they would find foreigners here. the supermarket is right in the heart of kabul's embassy district. afghans died here, too,

including a child. it is believe this is the work of a suicide bomber. armed guards tried to stop him from getting inside. >> we heard shots first. then we started running. there was a big explosion and windows were blown out. people stumbled outside covered in blood. >> there has been a stream of intelligence about a possible suicide attack. officials say there have been many arrests of attempted suicide bombers. it was always feared eventually one would get through. some members of the security forces have been killed in small attacks recently. this is the most serious attack involving foreigners in a year. >> we get regular intelligence. they tried to attack parliament

a few days ago. we had had the security here. >> condemning the attacks, the afghan president said this was a sign insurgents were getting desperate. nato believes it has the momentum in the fight against the taliban. suicide bombing in the capital is still not an unexpected event. >> unemployment in spain has hit the highest level in 13 years. it now stands at more than 20%. that is up from 18.8% in 2009. spain has the highest jobless rate in the industrialized world. thousands of people have marched through the albanian capital and laid flowers at the spot where three demonstrators were killed in clashes with security forces. the protesters were organized --

the protests were accused by the socialist movement. angry scenes at the funeral of a gay activist in uganda. a priest called on homosexuals to repent. one man was beaten to death earlier this week. a local newspaper publicized pictures of homosexuals and urged they should be killed. a former south african president nelson mandela has returned home after two days in the hospital. doctors say he responded well to treatment for a respiratory illness and would receive care at home. his grandson said he was in good spirits and was joking with nurses. >> this morning still no news from inside the hospital. it was starting to feel like the whole country was patient -- pacing anxiously.

>> i feel like it is my father who is sick. >> he means freedom. >> i am free today because of nelson mandela. he is my family. >> but adnan nelson mandela's doctors and senior officials -- but at noon, his doctors decided to break the silence. >> mr. mandela is in high spirits and has been visited by family and friends. medical lee, -- medically, there is no need to panic. he is stable but will be monitored closely. >> so he is stable. this word still leaves plenty of room for concern, by his friends insist his sparkle is as bright as ever. >> he is in good spirits.

[unintelligible] >> nelson mandela just left the hospital heading back to his home nearby. there he will continue to receive medical attention. officials are promising in the future they will be more transparent about his medical condition. a sense of relief here. south africa's for real hero of arriving in his own house, but the worrying is not over. >> let's take you back to our top story. the protests in egypt have been watched closely by the white house. president obama just gave a briefing on the development. the two presidents have not spoken directly. it is a tricky situation for the u.s., torn between supporting its ally and pushing its own

democratic values. >> calls for the leader to go have come to president obama's doorstep, keeping up the pressure on the u.s. to back the protests. >> i want president obama to call mr. lowe art -- call mr. mubarak and tell him to leave now. >> we are here to say you have to go. game over. >> the white house set it is reviewing u.s. aid to egypt but is still struggling to find the best response. it is unlikely the americans will let go of their longtime ally so quickly. the administration wants to be seen as supporting democracy, but it will be difficult to do anything with the events moving so quickly on the ground.

there was a tougher line from the secretary of state. >> this -- these protests underscore there are deep grievances within the egyptian society. the government needs to understand violence will not make these grievances go away. >> i am honored to be in the timeless city of cairo. >> two years ago it seemed so much easier to speak up for greater democracy in egypt. >> i do have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things. the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed, the freedom to live how you choose. >> much less certainty as president obama held another session on egypt with his national security team. with the outcome not clear, foreign-policy experts warn

against too hasty a reaction. >> the u.s. does not know what will happen in egypt. >> these are situations where one has to be careful about how quickly you leap on the tiger before you know where the tiger is going. >> in new york, and another show of solidarity with the egyptian protests. it has spent 30 years of u.s. support for the egyptian government. if the uprising spread, that may have to change. >> let's round up for you briefly developments on a momentous day for egyptians, but also egypt is the most populous country in the middle east. they are essential to relations between israel and palestinians. president mubarak appears to be defiant. he went on television after

midnight local time, perhaps an indication of the pressure he is under. he has refused to resign in the face of the huge protests against his 30-year rule. president obama is about to make a statement very shortly. we will bring you that of course. the violent protests in many egyptian cities have gone on despite the curfew. latest reports suggest the army is taking back control of the streets. much more on bbc.com and twitter. [shouting]

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