tv BBC World News PBS February 4, 2011 5:30pm-6:00pm PST
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>> thousands on the streets, but leaders of the anti-government's presence suggest that their efforts may be scaled back. ed calls for the departure of hosni mubarak. he is still there. tonight signs of progress. the bbc learns is vice-president is likely to meet the opposition within days. the army out in force to prevent clashes. >> no, we are not accepting new. justice lead. >> i have no gun. i will not be happy with this parliament. >> as many prepare with another night on the streets, barack obama says he wants change in egypt to start now. >> in light of what has happened over the last two weeks, going back to the old ways is not gone to work.
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-- doubling to work. >> welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america, also around the globe. my name is mike embley. coming up later for you -- per month names its first civilian president in half a century, but he is a former army general. and on the rocks. the true story of the shipwreck called whiskey galore. hello to you. it had not been one of egypt's protesters promise, a day of departure, but an 11th day of demonstration has seen hundreds of thousands in the streets urging president mubarak and his government to go now. the bbc is sold the vice- president is expected to meet leading opposition figures
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within days. the muslim brotherhood has told us they will not attend while he is in power. protesters still plan regular demonstrations, but people are being encouraged to go home. >> the evening from cairo. today, the scene of running battles turns into a massive prayer ground as tens of thousands of pro-democracy activists mark friday's prayers. they called for a day of departure for the president, but there was no sign the president was ready to quit. the army cordon up the square and protected the protesters in a way they did not do before. we have more from jeremy bowen, our middle east editor. >> early this morning, they were celebrating what they call the day of departure, a special chance for everyone arriving in
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the square. the party was premature. the president did not go. the hope that he would admit that thousands waited patiently through security checks to get into the square. they all wanted to be part of that. and they have changed egypt. the chant is open but down with hosni mubarak." if the boy -- the chance is " down with hosni mubarak." if the boy had tried that weeks ago, he would have been disciplined by the authorities. across the middle east, social networking is helping people. >> we are now ready to receive new egypt. but i am sure that will not be easy. >> hosni mubarak is going to go? >> so far it looks like he is
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not going anywhere. he is very strong. and he plans on staying. that is what i think he will do. >> they are realizing egypt is not to nietzsche -- tunisia where the regime collapsed within days. a small tear from demonstrators when the field marshal came to the square this morning. but the army showed today how egypt has not changed. troops secured what had been the front line between the two sides. the armed forces had been at the center of power in egypt since 60 years ago and its commanders do not like disorder. you can see what the army like to do here. presenting the protesters means they cannot cause trouble somewhere else. -- protecting the protesters.
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but they are also offering protection, and that is not sending they did before. at the very least, this could be buying time for president mubarak. some calm looks to be the first priority. when supporters tried to march to the square, they were stopped. that does not mean the army is taking sides. it is more about control. there were still isolated outbreaks of violence. there were mubarak people who manage to get within range of the square. inside the military cordon, thousands attended been in prayer. there were plenty in the square who did not play it, all kinds of egyptian supporting the protests. >> all we are asking them now is, please be with us. practice what you preach.
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we are going to try and make sure that egypt becomes a democracy for the first time in 5000 years. >> it is a week since the square was least -- seas. people with power have shaken the regime, but on a son, it is not enough to bring it down. jeremy bowen, bbc news. >> tonight, the diplomatic pressure on egypt shows no sign of letting up. barack obama said in he wants to see change in egypt begin now. but the final say amelia with egypt's military offices. -- melee with egypt military offices. for now, president mubarak seems to be winning the standoff. but he will be going soon, so what happens then? egyptians have to face the possibility suddenly. mubarak -- egypt has always been
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a police state. the country has been run on emergency legislation for 30 years. under the president, the generals have run a very tight ship. personal freedoms have been in short supply, especially freedom of speech. the new vice president, omar suleiman, another general of course, used to be the head of intelligence. now he speaks for the government. >> i want the opposition to understand we can do what president mubarak has said. and when a new president will come you will have more time to make any changes you want. >> the president's accuses the legal political group be muslim brotherhood of arranging the demonstrations, but there is no evidence of this. the brotherhood was founded in
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1928. it has often been illegal, and underground movement. it helps them develop strong discipline and organization. its teachings have inspired al- qaeda. over the fund, one representative defended his the right to fight and win an election. >> anything you can do to persuade ordinary egyptians he will not introduce the kind of islamic republic we have seen elsewhere? >> first of all, we should respect democracy. many would come to this through the democratic process >> this is a typical cafe in a well-to- do part of cairo.
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this couple would speak, but they did not want their faces shown. they are worried that the chaos would let the muslim brotherhood into power. the sheer uncertainty is adding to international fears about what will happen here if there is no smooth transition of power. >> the future of egypt will be determined by its people. it is also clear there needs to be a transition process that begins now. the transition must initiate a process which respects the in the most universal rights of the egyptian people and lead to free and fair elections. >> so, everyone is talking about transition, but all they mean is how the country is going to get to the next few months until the presidential elections in august or september, elections which, incidently, the muslim brotherhood has already said they will not be contesting and which be established opposition party is not particularly well- equipped to contest anyway.
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a big problem could be financial. i think today suggested egypt is losing something like to hundred million pounds every day because of the turmoil in lost revenue. in egypt is not a wealthy country. johnson's in, bbc news, cairo. >> uighur barack obama there. let's talk to mark mardell. president obama keeps talking about wanting change, but he never says whether that means mr. mubarak has to get. >> he never quite says it, but i think he believes it is up to the egyptian people. he keeps saying that. i think it is more than a diplomatic nicety. he was asked the question directly today, and well he did not say if mubarak should go, he said mubarak should listen to the people around him, the voices in the streets. he said he was a proud man, but
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a patriot. he said he should think about his legacy and reflect on this and do the right thing. adding that is pretty explicit. president obama also said he was encouraged by the restraint shown today. there is a real feeling that what happened today -- washington was very nervous about what would happen today. there was a worry that the army would get dragged down and taking sides, that there would be terrible violence, that the army would have to choose between the people and the president. that did not happen in that seems positive. >> all right, mark. thank you. and joined by jeremy bowen, our middle east editor. jeremy, what has changed in this extraordinary week? >> a week ago, i was standing up here getting rumors president mubarak is already in switzerland. that did not happen. people have lost their fear of the police state. president mubarak has said he was killing in september. he would not discuss them
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publicly beforehand. -- president mubarak said he was going on in september. i think that if the army, perhaps the americans who are worried about islam and some -- islamism year -- if this ends up with the democratic resolution in september and the egyptians used the leader they want without interference, then this really will be a revolution. >> jeremy bowen speaking in cairo there. you can keep up with this story as it unfolds on our website. you will find live commentary from the scene being updated around the clock. bbc.com/news. do stay with us on the program if you can. still to come -- 70 years on,
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what is the true story behind the whisky galore? first, let's take you back to egypt in alexandria, where there have been more big protests against peasant more bought -- mubarak. >> in the roads and in alexandria this morning. some people heading out of the city. the only other traffic, tanks and soldiers guarding government buildings and hotels, as if anticipating another day of tension. and that reports of government agents mingling with protestors, there is an anchor in the air -- anger in the air. the secret police being beaten and driven away in a stolen car. we do not know what happened next. the only way we could fill in today's demonstration was under
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the watchful gaze at anti- government protesters. the central mosque is the focus of anti-mubarak resentment. these are temperamental coming even dangerous times across egypt. thousands of anti-government protestors have began to announce to alexandria, determined mubarak will eventually go. >> on tuesday, we met one from the million man march. after the bloody events of the two days, has his result been broken? >> he hired this thing to kill my people, my friends, my brothers. i am going to keep doing this. i'm going to keep going until he leaves. >> this is still a dangerous place. 10 minutes, and we were escorted
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out for our safety. bbc news, alexandria. but let's update you on the headlines this hour. thousands of protesters on the streets of cairo, demanding that housing mubarak leave office immediately. there are indications the protests will be scaled back. president obama has appealed to mr. mubarak to focus on his legacy. he is still there of course, but the bbc has been killed this vice-president is likely to meet the opposition within days. the muslim brotherhood has told us they will attend on a theme park is still in power. -- they will not attend while hosni mubarak is still in power. events in egypt had sent a powerful shock waves across the entire middle east. it the ayatollah parade --
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praised the demonstrators. this concerns israel about the stability of the region. >> and jordan, they called for political and economic reform, inspired by egypt. politics is moving out of palaces and on the streets. this protest is full, but it seems to be part of a growing development in many arab countries. they are getting increasingly vocal. they feel more able to criticize their rulers and government, and they are the small seeds of a growing social revolution right across this region. >> the pan-arab muslim brotherhood organized this march. they told us the world does nothing to fear. >> we are people, and we ask for
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reforms. that is our right. if the prime minister happens to be from an organization that has been looking for the benefit of the jordan. claques eager that elsewhere, too. syria has seen protests. algeria. yemen. tunisia has had its revolution. that is what started this all all. egypt is in chaos. in israel, there is concern. it has not had to worry about its desert border with egypt for three decades. israel has a peace accord with but egypt and jordan. israel does not have many friends in the neighborhood, but tonight he fears is a it could be on the verge of losing its biggest and most powerful
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regional ally. the turmoil and egypt continues, the worry is there may be worse to come. >> be at to understand -- we have to understand and others and in the international community have to understand we're in a situation where there is a high chance it will erupt again. and even if it is so little, it cannot absorb even one mistake. we will not have a second chance. >> it is an alarming morning. this unstable region is entering a time of the greater uncertainty. >> burma's parliament has made the outgoing prime minister thein sein the head of state. he is a former general and a former member of the previous military government. rachel harvey reports from bangkok. >> burma's first civilian
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president for half a century. it sounds impressive, but the man is hardly a radical break with the past. thein sein served as prime minister in the outgoing military government, and a career soldier, he only gave up his general's rank last years of be divvied -- so he could leave his political party to victory. that party interests of big majority in burma's grandiose new parliament. and it was parliament that nominated candidates for the post of president and vice- president. thein sein's rise to the top was a short, although some say he is a reluctant president, persuaded to take the job by this man -- senior general than shwe, the most powerful man in burma. the key issue is what position does he see for himself now? most observers believe than shwe will influence things
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behind the scenes, leaving thein sein to be the public baseball -- to be the public face up in new burma. pretty much the same role he played in meal. rachel harvey, bbc news, bangkok. >> the global fund against aids, tuberculosis has launched charges of corruption. germany is suspending its financial support. an internal report revealed that millions of dollars destined for african countries disappeared. a somali man has been sentenced to nine years in jail. he is being seen driven to work. he was convicted of attempted murder and terrorism. the cartoons were published in in 2005. they sparked anger across mark kelly the muslim worldmark, the
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husband of the wounded u.s. congresswoman gabrielle giffords, will resume training for a space shuttle liftoff. six people died and in the incident where his wife was wounded. unemployment in spain reached a 13-year high this week. new figures show 4.7 million people are out of court. but germany provides a glimmer of hope. it has announced it needs an influx of workers to sustain its own recovery, it has identified spain as the prime recruiting ground. get this from madrid. >> unemployed, that up, and frustrated. the spanish are so pessimistic about job prospects, they're planning to move abroad. germany wants to provide that opportunity, recruiting workers like these. interest is enormous.
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>> it looks good. germany looks good, yes. everybody says, -- germany, why don't you try there? >> germany has already weathered the worst of the economic crisis. on thursday, chancellor angela merkel surveyed the situation. >> it is happening in germany, where a job agency has teamed up with one in spain to find workers to keep driving economic growth. >> it will be a good opportunity to give more resources to unemployed people and to give them the opportunity to come back to spain. >> an 1960's, it was unskilled workers who flocked in northern europe from northern spain.
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now the best educated are starting to leave. germany is keen to recruit young engineers like these. a very attractive proposition, he tells me. "we can double or triple our salary in germany." the crisis has already created a surge of spaniards moving abroad. germany's recruitment drive threatens to turn the flow of economic immigrants into a flood. bbc news, madrid. >> it is 70 years this weekend since the ship grounded carrying thousands of bottles of whiskey and the outer hebrides in scotland. what happened inspired the book in the film, "whiskey galore." and the truth is quite detailed in itself. -- a tale in itself. >> this romantic island tale
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began here in 1941 with the grounding of the s.s. politician. the cargo was a quarter of a million bottles of whiskey. what happened next was a mortal -- was immortalized in open but whiskey galore." >> it depends on your own ability and agility to be as assured as he could. >> the biggest thing was hiding. [unintelligible] >> in the dark and stormy winter of 1941, more risky than the islanders could ever drink now lay within reach -- more whiskey and the islanders could ever dream now lay within reach. some might see it as a gift from
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god. before long, others thought of it as the devils cargo. >> don mcfee says there is a dark side to the legacy. >> what was abandoned, people ended up long-term alcoholics. the whiskey was available for years and years afterwards. not in small amounts, but extremely large amounts. >> much has changed and 70 years, but winter storms the batteries at bendix torts, and on this little island, the real story of whiskey galore can be told. bbc news. >> 81 more, you will find much more -- if you want more, you'll find much more online at bbc.com. you can catch up with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley. most of the people in cairo are
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there as well. thank you for being with us. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click-to-play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations.
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