undressed in egypt is gathering momentum as hundreds of thousands of people converge in its capital cairo in the latest attempt to force president mubarak to step down and. history is in the making that's the rallying call on egypt's street join the mirror in a few moments and we'll. also western media is under criticism for a double standards in its coverage of the riots in egypt compared to similar events in other countries. today a tribute to one of russia's most controversial leaders. on the eightieth anniversary of his birth the country remembers the late former president boris yeltsin more details just ahead. and from our business program the london high

court is set to decide whether or not to block these assets swap with russian oil giant ross now i'll have more on that in twenty minutes time. six pm here in moscow you're watching continue our coverage of what's happening in egypt where a million strong rally is expected to take place today in the country's capital at least two hundred thousand have already gathered on cairo's main square in the latest attempt to force president mubarak to step down well so far three hundred people have reportedly been killed and over three thousand injured since the protests began over a week ago paulus leader has been covering the events for us. passions here on the streets of cairo are running high and the mood is one of celebration as thousands

upon thousands of people descend on telfair square they represent the cross spectrum of egyptian society their children out here they've been foisted up on a pair the shoulders there are old people there are young people there are religious people there holding banners that say things like hey hey me leave goodbye i'm more barbaric they're there they're showing posters depicting him as a cartoon character now the earlier intention was for the protesters to make their way to the presidential palace and as a result the whole route has been and it continues to be lined with army with soldiers with tanks with trucks it does at this stage. that the protesters will make their way there because there's simply no unifying voice no one to really organize them and bring them together as a cohesive force but having said that there are no reports of violence as of yet there are demonstrations being held at cities throughout the country and to we've had no reports of violence there are small groups of pro mubarak demonstrators are

on the streets but they're receiving no attention and as you can well imagine their voices are drowned out by the thousands upon thousands who are there calling for barak to leave well most people here when you ask them about mohamed el baradei actually don't know who he is he's very much a figure his reputation on the international stage but here in egypt people say that he has the backing of the united states and western powers in particular and this does not present him in a particularly good light because they say he's been painted with the same brush that paints mubarak having said that though the opposition parties need somebody to bring them together and they've chosen him and he's done a fair deal so far as trying to bring everyone on board he has appealed to the muslim brotherhood they have given him their backing but they have stressed that it's only temporary now the opposition groups have put together a list of demands and on those demands say they are dressed in. such as unemployment status wise in food places such as the disarray on the streets we've

not yet clear when they will in fact be able to present their demands to know about if in fact they will be able to do so but certainly for now the opposition voices gaining momentum here in egypt. nighttime in cairo dark empty and scary we we gather every day like at seven thirty pm. we say ok who like to to do the first shift and so would like to do the second and so on some people are armed you know mohammed and his neighbors take turns protecting their property by day they're professionals by night street guards groups of armed gangs are on the prowl and ordinary citizens have to rely on themselves for protection they've collected what they can kitchen knives bathroom brooms fix poles rods anything they can get their hands on to keep their home safe . and with security at an all time low the leader who's come forward to replace

hosni mubarak is offering precious little to make each option feel safer. belated attempt at getting in on this opposition movement well it may be too late he's part of the international crisis group a murky elite group with close ties to western interests i think of the media of war two different lines as the people of egypt are shown such courage in the face of such us backed terror that is occurred in egypt for the worst thirty years i'm not sure model baradar really stand as much of chance as senior analysts are saying washington has yet to officially declare support for the former international atomic energy agency chief but he's someone they recognize as do other foreign powers prompting some to believe president obama's allegiance is now divided between the current president and the would be challenger. there is no difference between mubarak and el baradei america supports both of them and the american media

has built up el baradei egyptians don't like him he has lived in europe and united states and hasn't even been here for thirty years. and he came back and called for a regime change prompting critics to point out that he was absent for most of us when they started but every. day lived in america we don't want him he was. the strange things in telling us it was bread. we didn't choose to die which was only for a short period of change he is only temporary. he's much better known on the international stage than in his own backyard and has yet to be recognized by the eighteen million egyptians he hopes to will. and the egyptians need national leaders not american populace with american agendas if people support el baradei it's only because they hate mubarak. which is why amidst the chaos he gyptian find themselves turning to each other for protection and reassurance. now we're just

hearing word that the jordanian king abdullah has fired his government and appointed a new prime minister now this follows demonstrations in jordan over the past few days no doubt as word of that filters down to demonstrators here on the streets of cairo and other egyptian cities it will prove all their excitement and only add to the momentum we're witnessing today where protesters certainly want to believe that this is it but that does not seem to be the message coming from the egyptian president he has done nothing to meet their demands other than reshuffling his cabinet appointing three new figures but essentially keeping most of the ministers in the same positions who did say that he wanted to talk to the opposition party she said it through his vice president but the opposition parties now say that the time for dialogue is over they do not want to talk to him and nothing short of him stepping down will be satisfactory so what it does seem likely that is going to

continue moving forward from here is that we'll see more of these demonstrations more of these upheavals something has to give but for now it's not clear that today will be the day although demonstrations here certainly hope it will be. and stay with egypt where bass protests and violence continue to dominate world headlines artie's an associate sure going to examines how some western media choose to portray such events in a manner that suits their own political agenda. riots and outrage have the same piece no matter where on the world map they take place. or the middle east if you're britain or egypt when people do this. the world should know it's time to listen to what they have to say who the scale of events doesn't compare the anger does it is that a leadership deaf to the needs and desires of its people what we're seeing play out in tunisia egypt and other countries is no different than what we saw in greece and

what we've seen in italy and what we've seen in the u.k. are violent at least what is different is how the media choose to their current depending on what country has its streets in chaos you look at the double standard if you burn a bank in greece you're a villain if you burn the party headquarters in cairo you're a hero if you're not a mockery of course when recently tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets of britain in reaction to to wish an hikes in an economy that was dwindling the u.s. media down clearly what was happening is so stressing the young age factor the youth in britain are very disappointed and spinning the bad kids at play aspect now the smashing of the windows a fire extinguisher getting thrown out of police person as well as underscoring the criminality of what was happening and violent criminals who will join in the action for the sake of having a cause to adopt or just a crowd to join and vent some anger focusing on the unfortunate occurrences with charles and camilla. what we know about charles and camilla their

foreign right a window was smashed or splashed the car kicked not to mention on any channel the symbolism of attacking the king in waiting seen by many of the british as a remnant of a deeply unfair and classes difference because just under the thwarting of substance by the u.s. media have been a way to make sure the message from britain that the common people are not prepared to pay for the folly of the ruling elite did not reach too close to home. in while as the streets of egypt in the rubble or in chaos it's not your dropping people or us media has been portraying these events as a struggle of the disenfranchised masses and stressing the need for the egyptian leadership to address the grievances of the population all of those values that we take so seriously here haven't really existed in that part of the world most attention has been drawn to u.s. support of this leadership united states taxpayers of billions of dollars over the past thirty years some media also through wishful thinking it can go all the way

from tunisia to a lot unlike britain egypt is a country seen as too different to reflect on the us speaking of the people's will and the need for responsive government may therefore be less scary information is a word that seems to be long forgotten by the mainstream american media instead what you will some been receiving are opinions from people far away from events on the ground but close to a political agenda that actuates depending on what kind of impact occurring world events can have on america just as your church and i t. new york. well there's always more news views and blogs on our website that's r t dot com and here's some of what's waiting for you right now the u.s. and you have impose a raft of new sanctions on belarus over the sunburst post-election violence they say the bass will only be lifted when everyone detained on political grounds is released plus. find out what happened when he took off supermodel her claws into

russia's prime minister to talk cats and biceps. well russia is commemorating the bat who preceded over the fall of the soviet union and the country's transition to democracy today would have been a boris yeltsin's eightieth birthday remembered for his sweeping reforms his legacy four years after his death still has many russians survive it. reports. course there's a variety of events all across the country being held to mark the eightieth anniversary since birth. in the center of moscow the no a day which a cemetery people have been coming since the morning hours laying down flowers wreaths his family was here among a lot of visitors they flew in actually from. the hometown of the late former president where the main commemorative events were held special marbled

long human two was unveiled there today and the then the current events were attended by russian president dmitry medvedev who said that the legacy of boris yeltsin is hard to underestimate. well the path of our first president was a very difficult one every single citizen of our country realizes this today the first president always has his work cut out for him he needs to change the entire political system and this was a fight that befell boris yeltsin even though we must admit that he was up to the tosk and stood his ground honorably but a modern but not perfect country we live in today was created thanks to boris yeltsin and everyone who helped him to build the foundations of a new nation also when you consider the moral center on the ring the late former president will be open that will be dedicated to civil society and human rights

something which a lot of people in russia connect boris yeltsin with a lot of people say that he'll took over at the very hard time for russia the country this over the so the soviet union was dissolving in dot point and a lot of things were falling apart literally and the verb really and it it was really a hard task for any leader and boris yeltsin tried to discuss a lot of people say that he took over and for a employer hit the t. took over and. put further implications and of further extensions to put his story that he essentially started democracy in russia at the same time a lot of people say that they cannot make reforms which he conducted or allowed to be conducted were not proved were not done properly and a lot of people seem to just suffer from them so i give it the say is so again even four years after his death a lot of people cannot agree cannot come to one conclusion also what boris yeltsin remains for russia to michael the good sort of like

a spoke to some people who were close to him and she shares their views in this report. he never doubted he would live to celebrate his country of birth date but instead he psuedo has to find a bacteria's while opening an exhibition time to what have been his eightieth jubilee in nearly. four years since boris yeltsin's death the agony of loss has given way to quiet remember and. he really liked family gatherings birthdays we usually celebrate. most of the spota show yeltsin in his early years in power but he had the backing of almost the entire country when voicing your political position was still an act of novelty and courage and one hopes of a different life in a better country are still untainted by the harsh reality of the war in chechnya. self admitted it was a mistake the banking crisis that would cripple the already impoverished population of the east would come later and some argue when fairly obscure all the good that

yeltsin had done. anything or perceived from a distance especially in history. time for the emotions and troubles to give way to serious analysis of what to take tannic figure. a service he had of protocol for more than eight years and of all yeltsin explosive character and unpredictable temperament often contravened the dry rules of diplomatic engagement but a mere staff he had never had a better. single event and. he could be absolutely unpredictable and do what no one expected him to do this conducting of an orchestra for example and. that was the only. thing. he was

actually doing to power by the great folks of people who left office full of regrets for not fulfilling all of them because only after yeltsin passed away that country can start in his legacy in all the complexities. there with fellow. prosecutor accolades that one day came later even those who criticized him very harshly and growing to be gracious in that assessment of his character and his policies because even they have come to realize that with all his ups and downs yeltsin was the very epitome of can do ninety nine acts in a way to artsy. so as controversial a figure as. not likely to be forgotten by russians for a very long time. let's get more pinion now on boris yeltsin's legacy and joining us is sergei struck a political analyst from russia's newspaper thank you very much for joining us so

first what do you think helped yeltsin win the hearts and minds of the public in the early one nine hundred ninety s. was it his personality or was it just a matter of timing right place at the right time. well surprisingly that several years after his death. president who was the first president off independent russia it remains a very controversial figure and his legacy is really a hot potato issue which is dividing the russian probably. and the nationalists would never forgive him of the demise of the soviet union or the great polish how. they call it. definitely would applaud him saying that he was the press. who brought the change in. russia. again repeated the question of who is really years. but definitely agree that you sort of need to remain in russian history as one of the most prominent figures. his early

success with people why do you think his popularity eventually dwindled. this is very sensitive and i remember the last days of president. as a person swallowing words with six percent of the people literature that was a far cry from. greeted him on the terrace in one thousand nine hundred to one. and only so let me remind you that you're in the first presidential elections . nearly forty percent. so the reason is that some past. torture is painful transition period. painful or reforms which actually affected the life of millions of russians and some may draw a conclusion that it was yes i'm to blame but there was no way we had reforms ok

well yeltsin did carry russia through a very turbulent transformation you mentioned yourself it was a very tough period but he managed to do so with far less bloodshed than many had feared now how do you think he managed to do that. well i said that the ensign was a controversial for you he was on the one hand a democrat but. at the same time. know ronald the point. that today even nine hundred ninety three he didn't hesitate to use. the problem and in the constitutional crisis they were also. this is also part of he had some legacy. that's why. this is the houston which is marked with a lot more one can deny that but at the same time equally true that we managed to undergo those tests and we are really made as a strong and at present when we speak about president and his

modernization drive i see seven. simulator to build with what you're doing because also every form and modernize all crushed was something that's very strong and boris yeltsin's legacy is his a relationship with the west he's known as the man who opened fully open russia to the west but some are saying and it's still a continuing debate but he allowed the west to interfere in russia's affairs way too much what's your assessment. well definitely that's a good question. ninety's the. president was a great expectations and great illusions in our relationship with the west those rosy expectations. according to the those wrong expectations russia. and the civilized nations just just it's just the even few years and as you know russia was a media who. during that time but at the same time it turned out to that at one

point we come to liberate that approach. senior brother and junior brother which was you know by the west and that's why at an extent we had. all of given with the west north not just the draken you see on the relationship with major industrialized nations but just trying to find our place. not just as a junior partner but as a country which is fulfilling and i thank you very much for your insight sergey stroke and political analyst from russia's commerce newspaper. now our london is expelling a russian diplomat after accusing the country of stealing the identities of irish citizens for use in spy operations while dublin says police discovered russian agents counterfeited six irish passports rich reducing the u.s. last summer washington it detained ten people on suspicion of acting as deep cover

members of the russian intelligence they were later exchange for a group of people russia accused of spying ireland says it hopes that the expulsion of a russian diplomat will not affect ties with moscow but there's been no official reaction from russia just yet. and a quick look at some other news making headlines this hour and so have announced a date for talks despite the south korean president earlier demanding north korea takes responsibility. b. for it to be deadly attacks last year if held the february eighth meeting will be the first negotiations between the two sides since the north shelled a south korean island it also responded by staging massive war games in the yellow sea for the ratcheting up tensions earlier requested to move the talks forward an offer that seoul rejected. residents in the flood ravaged australian state of queensland are preparing for a new cycle own only

a day after one hit experts say it could be one of the worst storms to ever batter the area some two hundred fifty patients have been evacuated from a regional hospital as a precaution i would call this on the back of severe flooding in the region which claimed at least thirty five lives cycle yasi is expected to hit the coast on wednesday. haiti has agreed to issue its president with a passport opening the way for his possible return. has been living in exile in south africa since being removed from power seven years ago and the move comes at a critical time with the final results of the first round of the disputed presidential election deal on wednesday the government says as soon as it receives an official request from aristide they will grant him the passport. and sharon is here now with all the latest in business.

well welcome to the business program i'm sure and if you. b.p. and rosneft could include b.p. in their arctic project deal signed last month the c.e.o. of the british company robert dudley says it wouldn't mind cooperating with b.p. in joint projects with a russian oil giant meanwhile the london high court is set to decide whether or not to block b.p.'s asset swap with. this comes after the russian owners of the father complained seeking to stop the deal on the grounds that it violates their. shareholder agreement over dudley says the standoff should be resolved soon alice also say that the disputed deal is unlikely to be blocked. the main. russian. still business because these do is extremely important for russia and i'm sure such people was. nice to be out of the old woman route.

well that is why in this case. the russian shareholders. have some small benefits and other questions that go into the problem or for example. and stay with b.p. the british company has announced it will pay dividends for the first time since the gulf oil spill after posting a profit in the fourth quarter of two thousand and ten despite an overall loss of five billion dollars last year this comes as to include b.p.'s russian shareholders decided not to approve a one point eight billion dollar dividend half of which would have god to be created. let's take a look at the stock markets u.s. stocks start the new month on high notes as wall street's focus shifts back to optimism about the global recovery ahead of the u.s. manufacturing data the dow jones is up on the day nearing three quarters of a percent and the nasdaq has risen by over one percent this hour. and stocks in europe are higher and vester seem to be

a little less cautious about the unrest in egypt decision to pay dividends however didn't impress the investors the company's shares are flat to negative this hour. meanwhile in russia there are two yes and then my sex closed on the day and posted strong gains as attractive investors move globally the indices gained ground after monday's losses showing that correction on the markets was apparently short term. and rising oil prices are sending energy shares higher gas prom local and rosin after seeing approximately the same gains adding on average three percent mining shares are also off on the day as sever stock climbs to one and a half percent this hour and some poor. the my sec stock exchange has agreed that it will buy out a controlling stake in the r.t.s. force estimated at around one point two billion dollars. and brant crude oil prices have retreated after hitting a record of one hundred dollars a barrel on monday fueled by a growing instability in egypt analysts think the price drop of china's industrial

growth slowing to a five month low signaling demand may not rise as quickly in the world's second largest oil user. and russian travel companies say their losses from the current unrest in egypt may run as high as one hundred million dollars russia's association of tour operators has asked the transport ministry to ban registration in airports for russians going to egypt the measure would help save small travel agencies from bankruptcy as insurance companies would benefit shoulder some of the losses airlines has stopped selling tickets to the country. and that's your business update for now but you can always find more stories on our website that's our two dot com slash business stay with us.

well the british soil. has moved on to the. market. find out what's really happening to the global economy with max concert for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune into kinds a report on our.