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>> a blow for egypt's president on the seventh day of protests. for the first time, the army says it will not fire on demonstrators. the government offers dealt with all political power. protesters are calling on 1 million to march tomorrow. as egyptians try to live amid the turmoil, we report a country split over what should come next. 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 -- protests in egypt's neighbor sudan as students take the streets calling for president- europe to step down. [james bond theme plays] and john berry, responsible for the iconic music of james bond,

has died. hello to you. as thousands of protesters defied the curfew in egypt after seven straight days of demonstrations, a deafening blow to egyptian president hosni mubarak. the army has declared they will not use force against protesters and their grievances are legitimate the new government is offering political dialogue for the next 24 hours -- is offering political dialogue. but the next 24 hours looked to be critical. >> as the protesters defied the curfew in liberation square, a few hundred meters behind the, you will see a huge boost to their cause. first, in a dramatic intervention, the army said it would not shoot against pro-

democracy activists. and the newly-appointed vice president has said he is willing to open a dialogue with leading figures in the movement. jeremy bowen reports. >> since the sun rose this morning, the feeling of change is getting stronger. too much has happened to quickly to go back to the way things work. at dawn, the army is taking more control blocking some roads. they say the people and the army are one. at times in the last few days, it seemed like wishful thinking. but not after the statements from the military that it will not use force against the people and it recognizes the people have legitimate demands. what the army things is legitimate was not defined.

the people know what they want. >> we do not want mubarak anymore. it is over. it is over. the egypt of tomorrow. the egypt of tomorrow. >> cairo citizens have been gathering in the center of the city, which they seized from the regime on friday. >> mubarak. >> we need to check there is no police coming in, he shouted. "show us your id card." the pile on a man who did not want to. "keep moving, my brothers," says mohammed. as an egyptian, it is my duty to

be here, he says. every egyptian should feel that here we regain our rights. you can see a new civic pride, a sense of taking ownership. and they are feeling safe and up here now to bring the children down. that was not the case yesterday. perhaps prematurely, they gather round as though the departure of president mubarak was a done deal. egyptian tv showed him swearing in the new government. he has spoken -- he has ordered his vice-president to open dialogue. back on the square, they were bringing in more supplies. tomorrow, they will call for 1 million people to march through cairo. however this ins, it will change the middle east for family.

people power is already making it politically embarrassing for western countries like britain and america to continue their alliances with authoritarian arab rulers. and there are people watching all of this on tv and wondering if they can do the same thing. secular egyptians dominated the first few days here, but now there is much more prayer. there's also a greater uncertainty about each of's future. the most militant -- the best organized political movement outside the regime and will be an electoral force. the square was full of debate about what happens next. protestors believe they have their man on the run. jeremy bowen, bbc news, cairo. >> those were the key announcements from the army. where did they leave president

mubarak that the army is pivotal -- where did they leave president mubarak? the army is pivotal. without their support, the president will not survive the popular uprising. our correspondent looks at what role the generals are playing. >> soldiers were originally sent in to intimidate the demonstrators. now they are fraternizing with them. a major victory for the demonstrators, of course, but it is also a clear sign that the army holds egypt's feature in its hands. and it has come up for almost 60 years now, ever since the military coup against the monarchy in 1952. in the 1973 war against israel, the egyptian army crossed the suez canal and captured israeli territory, an achievement egypt is still immensely proud of. today, egypt's army is the 10th

biggest in the world, with over half a million strong. this is a hotel complex in cairo, owned and run by the military. you need special permission to film this building and permission is never given. the army is one of egypt for l t real-estate owners. president mubarak has made his military commanders rich and powerful, including the new vice president, but now they seem anxious to shift away from him. >> any particular support for mubarak damages the army. they are trying to position their own people, including the new prime minister. perhaps the army may well believe that -- >> the army we -- the army may well believe that vigilante's control every

street corner. but they understand they cannot just move in in force and qb demonstrators down. bt and menswear option -- they will understand that president mubarak will have to go. >> so it will not be the army, but the demonstrators themselves to define the outcome. just as it will be the army which besides the ultimate fate of president mubarak. reached -- which besides the ultimate fate of president mubarak. >> and our middle east editor jeremy bowen is with me now. jeremy, this decision is truly momentous, isn't it? >> what it does is take away a huge measure of uncertainty in the minds of any potential demonstrator. and also perhaps, it has taken a

tool away from an increasingly- desperate president mubarak. of course the egyptian army has no tradition of shooting added some people in the history of modern times. but this means when people go on the street, they know the army is not going to hurt them. for them, it gives the demonstrators a great deal of confidence. >> from what you say, it is as if the army has paved the way for what people are calling a million man march tomorrow. >> the note the soldiers are not going to be shooting at them. -- they know the soldiers are not going to be shooting at them. they will march towards the presidential offices. i think the fact that they know now that they are going to be safe, the army has said their presence is to safeguard them and their aspirations are legitimate. now they have not quite define what legitimate means, but i

think that will be taken as of of of confidence and a green light. >> jeremy, thank you. everyone you talk to has said the next 24 hours could be vital. >> george and jeremy there in cairo. let's take you back to this event later in the program. could the muslim brotherhood in the upper ruling in the arab world for elba's populous country and regional power broker. do not forget our website. there is an interactive map showing the flash points across the country. the 02 bbc.com -- both to -- go to bbc.com/news. in sudan, two citizens -- two students have died from injuries.

protestors have urged for president-year to resign. -- president bashir to resign. >> mohammed abd al-rahman died from injuries inflicted by the security forces. there has been no official reaction to the accusation. there is a stark contrast of anger. they are celebrating the almost unanimous resolution for separating in this month's referendum. >> i am proud. and today, our generation [unintelligible] we will end of the oppression and the injustice. >> the senior officials warned a

compromise must be found. >> that is definitely the way to do it. that is definitely good advice. i feel the leadership is much more aware of this than before. >> . -- khartoum's position has been weekend -- weakened. >> this is a time of terrible uncertainty. now the country brings to see if the students will make good on their promise and to the streets again. bbc news, khartoum. >> police and serbia are hunting a general. officials describe the search as

successful. they have not said what they found. he has been on the run for 15 years. he is wanted by the war crimes tribunal on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. good to have you with us on "bbc world news." stay with us, if you can. still to come -- the death of a movie maestro. he made the films so memorable. first though, in sri lanka and unidentified attackers has -- an unidentified attacker has set fire to government officers. -- the government offices. a spokesman for the president is saying an official investigation has been ordered. charles haviland has this report. >> this is the office of an

investigative office that is often critical of the government in sri lanka. no one was a witness to how many attackers their work, but the neighbors did manage to put up the fire. we cannot get access at the moment. the police are in attendance. one or two opposition politicians have been visiting as well. the photographs show it was a fairly comprehensive attack on the offices of this website, which is also the organization where a journalists who disappeared mysteriously exactly accurate go worked. the company worked on a shoestring budget. there were no security guards. there have also been various threats against its staff, including its news editor, and one year ago, just after the presidential elections, the overall editor fled into exile. he does work for the website

from his base abroad, and the website does continue. but it certainly feels itself to be vulnerable in with any other media organizations in sri lanka have proven to be vulnerable. it is a country that has consistently placed very low on the indices of press freedom. what's the latest headlines for you on "bbc world news." the egyptian army is saying it will not shoot protesters who are demanding the removal of president mubarak. the egyptian vice president has announced he has been out to open a dialogue about constitutional change with all parties. after the floods, northeastern australia is battling a tropical cyclone that has uprooted trees

and brought down power lines in queensland. this after months of flooding that destroyed thousands of bombs and caused at least $5 billion worth of -- destroyed thousands of homes and caused at least $5 billion worth of damage. >> once again, nature has battered australia's sunshine state. the queensland area has been pummeled by a powerful storm. it has knocked down power lines, torn down trees, and damaged homes. the category two system with wind gusts up to 160 kilometers an hour -- it continues to weaken, and of far more potent threat works out at sea. it is feared that the tropical cyclone could be one of the biggest storms to ever hit queensland. >> [unintelligible]

>> i have been through cyclones. i think this is a savage one that is coming now. >> it has been described as cyclone antony's big ugly sister. it could bring wild seas and flooding and winds up to 260 kilometers an hour. residents are being urged to stock up on essentials and to what they can to fortify their homes. -- and do what they can afford by their homes. holiday homes are being closed as northern australia prepares for the onslaught. bbc news, ct. >> the irish prime minister has announced he is retiring from politics. he will not be standing in the upcoming elections. his future has been in doubt since he stepped down as the

leader of the governing party one week ago over his handling of the economic crisis. composer john barry has died of a heart attack in new york. he is probably best known for scoring the james bond films. he also scored "born free" and others. >> john barry may not be known to everyone, but his music certainly is. top of the list of his most famous scenes, the james bond films. he composed scores for 11 of them. >> who are you? >> bond. james bond. >> the result old-style down. everything else went on after that. "goldfinger" is the blueprint. >> he died today in new york,

but his former home is in old york where friends remember him fondly. >> this is the family living room. this is where his family had the grand piano in here. this is probably where he composed some of his early film music. i think he has made himself immortal through his music. i think his music will live on and on. >> and just down the road from this, his home, the family-time local cinema where john barry developed his love of them. directors and actors said is a big music with perfect for the big screen. >> i absolutely agree. you only have to hear -- and you think of the story in the film. >> and his talents were recognized by no fewer than five oscars and a bafta fellowship

for his work. >> and the savage there on john barry. -- danny savage. much of the focus has been on the protesters and in the square, but how has life been in the rest of egypt? we have more on how people are getting on with the rest of their lives. >> daily life continues, as much as it can with the turmoil. here people stop up on supplies. there have been shortages he reread with banks closed, finances have become a worry for many. cash machines have run out of cash. >> in growth. in a civil servant. i want to buy food for my family. i cannot because i have the cash. >> egyptians are counting the

cost of the last few days of chaos. >> everything is broken inside the police station, no? everything, everything. >> many egyptians blame the man they want to see overthrown, hosni mubarak. >> he is behind the of course. he and his men. he is robbing everyone. >> but there are still some egyptians willing to stand up for the man whose will is what most of the population has always known. >> mubarak is being wronged. may god be with them and punish everyone who is damaging egypt's right now. >> down the bar. >> but this now is more the -- >> down mubarak. >> but this now is more the mood of the country. egyptians are desperate for change.

>> that is the end of the mubarak era. [unintelligible] >> amid the calls for president mubarak to step down, there are start leak difficult -- starring lee the french -- there are very different bids for those who would step into the vacuum. there is the muslim brotherhood, officially outlawed, but nonviolent and in doing from support among the poorest people in egypt. >> taking the vice-presidential oath of office, and intelligence chief cast with ensuring the

survival of the government. his reputation is one of behind the scenes support of the president, not an advocate of transparency and reform. he is 73 years old and joined the army in 1954 and has headed the intelligence agency in egypt for 18 years. described as calm and modest, he has been a confidante of israeli leaders. there and among arab and western allies, he is seen as a man skilled at tackling islamic extremism. together with mubarak's son he has long been upset as a possible successor. he must prove to protesters he is not tainted with the same brush. his background is in the corridors of diplomacy but el-

baradei has catapulted himself into a grass-roots uprising. his previous career was a far cry away, as head of the international atomic energy agency, he became entrenched in key issues of nuclear proliferation. he dealt with threats from iran and north korea and found opposition within president bush's administration which tried to get an sacked. he kept the job and was awarded the nobel peace prize in 2005. egypt is now looking for another figure, someone you can deal with the regime, it yet when the trust of the people on the streets. el-baradei may be stepping into that role. when world leaders talk about an orderly transition, the inference is that they do not

want the muslim brotherhood to come to power. egypt's poverty has given them are ready recruiting ground. they run schools and hospitals, but they are also close to militant groups such as hamas, which puts them at odds with the united states. protests another force last week. the group made no secret of what it wanted. >> respond to the real demand. declaration cannot say that situation. >> democracy does come to egypt, the muslim brotherhood will be one of its most strident voices. bbc news. >> and events are moving fast, of course. you will find much more anytime on bbc.com. you can catch up with me and most of the team on twitter. i'm @bbcmikeembley.

and you will see what is coming up on facebook 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.

what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles.