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>> and now, "bbc world news." >> thousands protest in egypt, but mubarak remains in power. there are talks with the opposition unit and each vice- president. there is a call for a change in egypt to begin now. >> in light of what is happened over the past few weeks, going back to the old ways is not going to work. >> welcome to bbc world news. also in this program, tensions escalate in cambodia. the has been a of the shot u.s. congresswoman is going to begin trading for the final flight of space shuttle "endeavor."

♪ thousands of people are in the square in central cairo after a another huge rally protesting the egyptian president mubarak . tensions continue to build on friday, but he is still holding onto power. although they still plan regular demonstrations, many are encouraged to go back to work. here is the report. >> from early this morning, they were celebrating what they were calling the day of the departure comes month a chance for everyone arriving in the square. the party was premature.

the president did not go. the hope that he would met thousands waited patiently as security checks to get into the square. they all wanted to be part of it. the chants are down with mubarak. everyone joins in the heart of cairo. protesters of the president would have meant instant arrest every where. facebook is a political slogan. across the middle east, social networking is helping people outmanoeuvre the police. >> we are now on our way to [unintelligible] it will not be easy. >>mubara do you think he is goio

go? >> so far, it does not look like he is going anywhere. he is very strong, and he plans on staying. that is what i think. >> they are realizing that the regime may not collapse in days. the defense minister came to the square early this morning. he says the army might give the president a push that they cannot produce. they showed how egypt has not changed. troops secured would have been the front line between the two side. the armed forces have been at the center of power in egypt since the coup 20 -- 60 years ago. you can see what the armies tried to do here, containing the protesters, many cannot go somewhere else. they are also offering them real protection, of which they have not done before.

at the very least, this could be buying some time for the president. some calm looks to be there. 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. inside of this area, thousands attended the noon prayer. thousands did not pray. some were hoping the west would help them get what they want. >> all we're asking them now is practice what you preach. we are going to try to make sure that each of becomes a democracy

for the first time in many 5000 years. >> it is one week since they have seen this square. men are in their positions to defend it. people in power have shaken the region. it is not enough to bring it down. bbc news, cairo. >> as the standoff continues in cairo, the diplomatic pressure shows no such letting up. president obama has repeated in his thoughts and said the country cannot return to its own ways. our world affairs editor takes a look at this behind the scenes. >> cornell, president mubarak -- for now, presidentmubarak seems to be winning the standoff.

his type of egypt has always been a police state. the army is a fundamental source of power. 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, in other general, used to be head of intelligence. now he speaks for the government. >> i want the opposition to understand that we can do what president mubarak has said. when a new president comes, he will have more time to make more changes. >> the government keeps accusing the legal islamist group of masterminding the demonstrations. there is no evidence of this.

the brotherhood was founded by one person in 1928. it has been seeing an elite -- as an illegal underground movement. its teachings have inspired many. one person refused to meet us in person. they say they should fight and win elections here. is there anything you can do to persuade ordinary egyptians that he will not introduce the kind of islamic republic that we have seen elsewhere? >> people should come to power through a democratic process. >> this is a typical cafe in a

well-to-do part of the area. they did not want their faces shown. they are worried that chaos will lead the muslims into power. >> a muslim country and, [unintelligible] they want to turn egypt like iran. >> they are uncertain about the future, adding to international fears about what will happen here if there is no smooth transition of power. >> the feature of the egypt will be determined by its people. it is -- the future of egypt will be determined by its people. the transition must initiate a process of respect of universal rights for the egyptian people and half free and fair elections. -- and must have a free and fair elections.

>> of those elections could be in august or september -- those elections could be in august or september. i think a problem could be financial. banks suggest that egypt is losing 200 million pounds in revenue each day. this is not a wealthy country. bbc news, cairo. >> the global fund against aids and of malaria has announced a new financial foot power following allegations of corruption. it is defending its plan for support after a report revealed that millions of dollars given to african countries is disappearing. a somali man has been sentenced to nine years in jail.

he is convicted of murder and terrorism. [unintelligible] all robberies were carried out in brussels. one man carried a gun went to the post office after getting past a check point. border clashes between thai and cambodian armies have killed several civilians. it happened at a 900 year old temple. both sides accuse the other of a firing force. -- firing first. >> this village is at the center of an agent territorial dispute between thailand and cambodia.

for two hours, they traded artillery with each other, accusing the other of having fired first. in the confusion, four houses were set on fire, forcing villagers to flee for their lives. in the safety of these bunkers, it is not available to everybody. some people have had to dive for cover where ever they were. some say several soldiers were wounded in these exchanges. another five were captured by the cambodian army. authorities say the shooting started when five soldiers invaded their territory. they have accused bangkok of deliberately shelling cambodian civilians. >> the thai army fired artillery from up to 20 kilometers away. now we will submit a letter to the u.n. complain about the invasion.

>> the other side has rejected that claim of right. thailands foreign minister appealed to tom. >> this is the very sensitive on both sides. >> the trigger for this incident may include a decision by a cambodian court this week. they are trying to see if they are found guilty of trespassing and -- trespassing and spying in the border region. the battlefield may have already failed. a new batch of shelling may happen. bbc news. >> stay with us, still ahead, more of it on a president in egypt sending shockwaves across

the middle east. parliament has named the out when prime minister as the next head of state. he is a former general and former member of the previous military government. here is the report from bangkok. >> the first civilian president for half a century. this is hardly a radical break from the past. a career soldier, he was a general last year. he led them to victory in november's much criticized election. he now has a big majority in the new parliament. he nominated candidates for president and vice-president.

some say he is a reluctant president, persuaded to take the job by this man. the most powerful figure in this area. what role does he see for himself now? formal positions are gone now. they wonder if he will orchestrate things behind the scenes. this could be the public face of the new burma. there may be some political change there. bbc news, bangkok. >> a 20 year prison sentence for spying was given to one person. it's summer of relations between havana and washington. his trial date will be set soon.

he allegedly sold satellite could meant to jewish groups. he said he was not spying. these are the headlines that our. thousands of protesters in egypt are taking to the streets. they say this will continue as long as president mubarak remains in office. the vice president is expected to hold talks with opposition leaders. more now from egypt. the british egyptian actor spoke with us. i asked about reports. >> i heard they would be in the streets, and it would be a good time to break through one of the entrances for and the army shot

rounds in the air. everybody moved very quickly. [unintelligible] the bodies went through this entrance and made very clear that no one was coming in. >> this is a day of departure as it has been done. did the protesters really expect the president to go? >> some were discussing this earlier. there was an awareness that the day was an important day. it was a friday.

our numbers had to be strong. there was a certain degree of pressure on him and his regime. in that sense, we were very successful. they tried to use force. we managed to stop them. they also were trying to sway the international public. >> they are trying to organize the transfer of power between

president mubarak. >> they want protesters to sit down with the vice president and start negotiation about his transition process. we are expecting a meeting to take place over the weekend in cairo, possibly on saturday between members of the opposition and the vice president. this could still be significant protest after days of deadlock. the opposition in the protesters said they will not go away or get involved in any talks any unless president mubarak steps down.

but some are also saying that they won't engage in any talks unless the protesters go home. the atmosphere for negotiations may be able to start a dialogue and put an end to the fear of violence that is there. that is a main concern. washington wants to make sure that it is not dictating anything or interfering. there is a clear pitch coming from washington coming from a small window of opportunity to try to make progress and start to this transition process. >> it is increasing and the upheaval is sending powerful shot was across the entire middle east.

some have praised the protesters. it deals with the stability in the region. >> in the georgian capital, they are protesting political and economical reform, inspired by egypt. this seems to be part of a growing practice that is growing in many arab countries. others are getting increasingly vocal, feeling able to criticize their ruler and government. there are small seeds growing social revolution. the pan arab and moslem brotherhood said the world has nothing to fear.

>> there is nothing to fear. we are people asking for reforms. if a prime minister would be looking for the benefits of jordan [unintelligible] >> some are protesting tomorrow. this is occurring also in yemen. one area has had its revolution, which started all of this. egypt is in chaos. the supreme leader of iran called it an islamic awakening. there is concern in israel. >> we do not have to worry about our border with egypt. israel has had a peace accord with egypt and jordan.

the fear is that it could be on the verge of losing its biggest and most powerful regional ally. if this continues, the worry is that there is worst to come. -- worse to come. >> there is a high chance that this may even of the gang. we cannot observe one mistake for we will not have a second chance. >> the region has entered a time from of even greater uncertainty. bbc news, jerusalem. >> the husband of the wounded u.s. congresswoman gabrielle giffords has begun training for the final flight of the space

shuttle "endeavor." she was shot in the head a month ago. several people died in the incident. >> the last time he went into space, but now he is going back to lead a mission in april at the international space station. it is a remarkable turnaround. for the past month, he has been at the bedside of his wife congresswoman gabrielle giffords. in a shot in the head in tucson, ariz. outside of a shopping store. several were wounded and killed. she survived. since then, doctors have not seen a single set back. today, her husband said back then, he never thought he would

leave the mission. but his wife's recovery has been better than expected. >> she has improved very fast. the decision became easier overtime. i weighed time that i can spend with her with what i think is in the best interest of nasa and my career. that is the debate i had myself. i know her very well. she would be very comfortable with the decision that i made. >> in the weeks following the shooting, her recovery preoccupied america. in national conference even got a personal backing from the president and his wife. scott kelley is currently the commander of international space station. mark kelly said he thought long and hard before deciding to leave for the mission in space,

but said his wife is a big supporter of nasa and his career. bbc news, washington. >> lawmakers in brazil are considering amending the constitution. the proposal is soon expected to be approved by the senate as they meet on tuesday. it will help to address the economic and social inequality in the country. our main news again this hour, thousands of protesters are on the streets of the egyptian capital demanding that president mubarak step down. a meeting with the vice president is expected over the next few days. several soldiers and civilians were killed near a 900 your temple between thailand and cambodia. there is more on our website. thanks for watching.

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