on the rancid egypt the gathering momentum is hundreds of thousands of people joining the capital cairo in the latest attempt to force president mubarak to step down. no word so far from president mubarak but that hasn't dampened the good stuff thousands of protesters join me for this new a few moments from all. a day of tribute to one of russia's most controversial the still. even the first serious his birth the country remembers the late fall rip president boris yeltsin more details just ahead. and i learned

expelling a russian diplomat over spy related accusation. dublin is accusing the russian secret service of stealing the real irish identity cover up its secret operations in the united states find out more leaders in the program. a very warm welcome to you this is from moscow with me alice had it first to egypt where iraq or drowning is underway in the country's capital at least a quarter of a million people have gathered in the center of cairo with the latest attempt to force president mubarak to step down so far three hundred people have reportedly been killed a neighbor three thousand injured since protests began over a week ago well for the latest let's cross to my valve to all cars one of the poorest places covering events for us over in egypt paul are the organizers

a claim the rally was going to be a million strong have they met at target. well alice i've spent the last few hours there in the middle of tahrir square and i can tell you that the enthusiasm is vibrant and people there are vowing that they going nowhere in the coming hours having said that though there is no way at least from my observation and talking to people there that there were a million people out there it looks that a more realistic figure is hundreds of thousands and no doubt this is in part because of the difficulties people faced in reaching tahrir square. here that the protesters have been acting peacefully so far despite those huge numbers but what about the opposition leaders and the authorities what actions have they taken today . well by and large the army was not involved in tahrir square they said they were not going to be involved and they weren't involved they maintained a presence along the perimeter but the police were painting

a very different story and we have heard reports of police preventing many buses many cars many people coming into the downtown seem to of cairo they've stopped them on the bridges they've stopped them on the roads and this is possibly why the numbers have been down as i mentioned i've spent the last few hours out there in tahrir square i think the best way to describe it is organized chaos you have a sense of throngs of people coming and going people walking past with banners people singing but there's really no one person that has bandied all of these people together and really by and large we're very fortunate that he protested not for his art of any kind of violence today having said that though the initial plan was for the demonstrators to make their way to the presidency of mubarak they did not to do so they had hoped to hand in a list of demands but the army the soldiers the jeeps are all positioned along their road to mubarak's residence and will remain there in the coming hours really dramatic pictures coming out of cairo today and i'll pull it from a barrack does step down as these hundreds of thousands of protesters are calling

for mohamed el better than is being named as a possible cause. that it for the president's post what do you make of him. one of his funny when i was talking to people out there on the streets today and i mentioned his name with out fail people were angry people accuse him and to quote them of being an american agent and is interesting that one of the first people he met with today was the american ambassador he is not a figure that is well known here in egypt he's much better known in the international arena people feel that he is removed from the reality on the ground having said that though he does have the support of opposition groups certainly in the interim period and this is what he has said he says that he is prepared to hit an interim government until such time that there are. nighttime in kind of 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 to 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 groove sticks 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 options 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

aboard two different lines as the people of egypt are shown such courage in the face of such. us backed terror that has occurred in egypt for the worse thirty years i'm not sure ma bell barrett i 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 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. but i've. lived in america we don't want him he was an other strange things

in telling us it was bread. and a little bit of a we didn't choose our borrowed line which was only for a short period of change it's only temporary. he's much better known on the international stage than in his own backyard and is yet to be recognized by the eighty million egyptians he hopes to rule. and the egyptians need national leaders not american populous 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. all right i'm very sorry but we seem to have lost connection with a correspondent in cairo poulos.

in the thank you all with do you stay with us there's always more news views blogs on our website. on all the stories that we're covering this hour here's just some of it was what you do online at the minute the u.s. and you have imposed a wrong. over december's post-election violence they say the bans will only be lifted when everyone detained on school grounds is really. find out what happened when a top supermodel got her claws into russia's prime minister to talk big counts on boxset. russia is commemorating the man who presided over the fall of the soviet union on the country's turbulent transition to democracy today would have been a eightieth birthday remembered for his weeping reforms his legacy four years after his death still has many russians defying it did. report. of course there's

a variety of events all across the country being held to mark the eightieth anniversary since wars since birth here in the center of moscow with no we do it use them terry 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 from you can still go to the hometown of the late former president where commemorative events were hild special marbled longyou into was unveiled there today and the then the current events were attended by a russian president with a difference 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 the fight that befell boris yeltsin even though we must admit that he was up to the tosk and stood his ground on really what 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 of also when you consider would a memorial 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 took over at the very hard time for russia the country this over the so the the soviet union was dissolving at that point and a lot of things were falling apart literally and the verbal the end if 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 him to hit the t.

took over and. put further implications and the further extensions to put his story that he essentially started democracy in russia at the same time a lot of people say that the economic reforms which he conducted or allowed to be conducted were not probed 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 but my colleague 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 says widow has to find a bacteria's while opening an exhibition time to what have been his eightieth jubilee in nearly. for years since boris yeltsin's death the agony of loss has given way to quiet remembrance. he really liked family gatherings birthdays we

usually celebrated with our daughters. most of these photos 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 which he also himself admitted was a mistake the banking crisis that would cripple the already impoverished population of the east would come later and some argue would end fairly obscure all the good that yeltsin had done. anything you are just better perceived from a distance especially in history i think we still need more time for the emotions and troubles to give way to serious analysis of what to take tannic figures really was. but a service he's had of protocol for more than eight hears and of all the else in the explosive character and unpredictable temperament often contravened the dry rules

of diplomatic engagement but the mere staff he had never had a better boss. never thwarted a single event and he was never that emotionally he could be absolutely unpredictable and do what no one expected him to do like his famous conducting of an orchestra for example and again he was overwhelmed by emotions he turned his head and saw that it was the only one who was objecting dragging him away all the other people around him were applauding. he was there shooting to power by the great hopes of his people he left office full of regrets for not fulfilling all of them and it was only after yeltsin passed away that country can start to design in his legacy in all its complexity yeltsin seven perth there were so. greater threat far fewer accolades but one take it later even those who criticized him very harshly and growing a bit more gracious in their 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 russia in the nine hundred ninety s. in the wake of artsy moscow so as controversial a figure as worse fields and really be not likely to be forgotten by russians for a very long time. ireland is expelling a russian diplomat to recuse in moscow stealing the identities of i were citizens for use in spy operations dublin that claims the stone impulse balls were used a cover for russian agents operating in the us. has the details. ireland claims that this deportation of the russian diplomat as a result of an investigation we started right after last summer's spy scandal between moscow and washington when a group of people were found guilty in the united states of being secret russian agents some of them had irish last names including such popular surnames as murphy

and farley irish authorities say that they started looking into how that was possible and now they're accusing the russian intelligence service of stealing six real existing irish identities in order to forge irish passports which were allegedly used to cover up some of these secret operations in the united states and just to remind you this was the biggest spy scandal between moscow and washington since the cold war era the whole group was deported from america in exchange for another group of people serving time here in russia after having been found guilty of being foreign spies it was largely covered by international media that's when the name of shopman first turned up with the russian young successful businesswoman who was also accused by the united states of being a secret russian agent and quickly was deemed by the international media as the real james bond girl so far concerning the deportation of the russian diplomat from

ireland so there hasn't been any reaction from the foreign ministry here in moscow dublin also hasn't really been giving that much information we don't know this diplomats name we don't know whether she was directly connected to this alleged forgery and we don't know why exactly he's going to be deported but irish of stories did say however that they hoped this incident would not affect the relations with moscow and. making headlines this hour killing yet solved hours to date for talks despite the south korean president added i'm on the north korea takes responsibility. the two deadly attacks last year it held the february eighth meeting will be the first to go see a shift between the two sides since the north shelled the south korean island in the seoul responded by staging massive war games in the yellow sea for the ratcheting up tensions pyongyang earlier requested to move the talks forward but

not first song rejected. the king of jordan has replaced his prime minister fired the government amid swelling on rest the dismissal follows several protests across the country sponsored by food prices and poor living conditions. a former premier and general was appointed by georgians king abdullah to head the government it's not yet known when back to the also a former ambassador to israel will name his cabinet. residence in the flood ravaged australian state of queensland repairing for a new cycle only a day after one heads experts say 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 but it comes on the back of severe flooding in the country which claimed at least thirty five lives cycling yancy is expected to hit the coast on wednesday. hazy it has agreed to issue its forward president

with a passport opening the way for years possible return. has been living in exile in south africa is being removed from power seven years ago the move comes as a critical time with the final results of the first round all of the disputed presidential election do you on wednesday the government says as soon as it receives an official request from these deeds grants have the past. sweden's child welfare system has been accused by human rights activists of profiting from family misery they claim that swedish law does little to protect parents from having their kids taken into care artes and he said now he has the story. christmas gifts never given so covered so my children are in someone else's hands of the most stone and i don't

know what's happening with them or how they're being treated it's been over a month since natalia russian citizen living in sweden has seen her twin girls matia and believe a mother's worst nightmare their children taken from where they're supposed to be most safe and not by kidnappers or child abusers but by the swedish government but they are used to when girls were taken out of their music lessons at this school without any warning and for an entire week she had no idea where her daughters were until she received documents from social services full of what she says are false statements about the family's life the complaints filed against natalia claims she and the girls are psychologically troubled and could be enough to send her daughters into foster care for good under swedish law without sufficient proof that it is considered legal because of the law is a protection law it's a protection for the children. so it means that even if there is

a flight that's to risk even if there is no evidence sort of there is there is no witnesses there are third nothing but there is. a risk of something happening sort of then the law sort of the social workers within the law are able to to take the child into. sort of their it to the social office. take take them away from the family attorney has been advised by human rights activists that this is only part of a much bigger welfare system and her case is that you have been where social services have paid to know them swedish hooty that's about one hundred new goods thirty. why i would say. archie was unable to get a comment on a timely is case from swedish social services who cited a privacy policy i knew about all they steal they doand only steal children but

money apartments property and children are human goods to them with course we just language skills a lawyer appointed by social services and little money natalia has been told the chances of getting her girls back are slim and that they are most likely now with a swedish family and that is should be protected by international laws and conventions but loopholes in the swedish system allow cases like this to go unnoticed through consensus country. and people are more. prone. to speak up against the consensus so it's very quiet in this way and the consensus is. the consensus is that the state is always right professor of logic of fun burke is persona non grata here in sweden for his outspoken views on the system he says social services can take children away using their own criteria by working together

with doctors psychologist employers all wrapped up in a big business you have six foster children or you make a fortune for now only tell you can do is wait for a hearing on her case which is so far been postponed several times doing it as the new modes of their birthdays coming up when will my children be what they already missed christmas and will miss turning thirteen this week at home with their mother who sweden has just signed it is at least for now not going to be their mom and he's now a r t stockholm. i head out for the news this is our hair on sure it has got all the laces business forth and just i'm a bit. hello welcome to our business program and straight to our top story the my sex 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 the main shareholders in r.t.s. star trek a dialogue here to finance an alpha bank we now go live to our correspondent sara firth for the late. so sara what can you tell us about this sudden announcement we know that r.t.s. and myself have been talking for some time there's been rumors but what can you tell us about this world rushes to leading stock exchanges might think to not have succeeded now reaching a preliminary agreement for us to buy a controlling stake in r.t.s. now we know that this is just a verbal agreement maybe the documents had been signed and sources say that the stakes to be based on r.t.s. is appraisal of between one point one five billion and one point three zero billion dollars now we know in november two thousand and ten that might it's made a friendly take a good bit here shareholders that we had at the end of two thousand and ten and

nothing if anything was going to happen would be happening until two thousand and eleven the thirty for those in the financial sector we've heard that you discrepancies in the way the two stock exchanges operate this is so sometimes cause confusion for investors and so certainly the feelings between the two would be better is what we're hearing from people who are very much pushing for this merger to go ahead now that it's going to really strengthen moscow's future position as an international financial center. did you have this merger first came about after russia made it a priority early last year to push moscow as a global financial center one of the main problems preventing this development was the existence of two separate forces which stopped many investors from putting their money into russia for more on this joining us by phone from moscow as vlad are savvy of head of equity research at financial corporation. well know what is the significance of this consolidation and how they're going to change the russian

market. clearly it is quite important as you mentioned creating a real financial hub in moscow currently there are two main stock exchanges different to different listing requirements. they called understands that a trade differently in dollars and in roubles the different segments so it is actually a little bit confusing about investors. which is the better you know platform to trade russian stocks having won big or well better capitalized platform will obviously had a lot of advantages. the transaction costs will be lower the transparency will be higher the requirements for listing for insurers will be more straightforward and also there will be also one only one depository which will also make settlement trades easier and in fact cheaper for investors so all in all having

one big exchange better capitalized instead of two small ones definitely goes a long way into in making the russian stock market more attractive to both investors and also issuers of capital. thank you that was one of several head of equity research at financial corp that. and in other news the london high court has ordered b.p. to enter into arbitration proceedings regarding its assets swap with was enough this comes after the russian owners of the joint venture to b.p. father complained seeking to stop the deal on grounds that it violates the shareholder agreement the share swap will not go ahead until the arbitration hearing is held which has to happen by the twenty fifth of february earlier the c.e.o. of the british company said b.p. and could include b.p.

in their arctic project deal signed last month robert dudley also said he is confident the standoff over the share swap will be resolved soon. let's take a look at the stock markets here 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. and stocks in europe closed on the day investors seemed a little less cautious about the unrest in egypt decision to pay dividends however didn't impress the investors the company's shares were only up slightly about one percent. and in russia the r.t.s. in my sex closed up on the day and posted strong gains tracking the upbeat investor mood globally the indices gained ground after monday's losses showing that correction on the markets was apparently short term. meanwhile rising oil prices are sending energy shares higher gas problem and lukoil are seeing approximately the same gains adding on between three to four percent respectively mining shares

are also up on the day as summer stock climbs to one and a half percent this hour. and that's your business update for this hour but you can always find more stories on our web site that's our t.v. dot com slash business stay with us. the system was the one he vowed to change. children empire on its knees the path to democracy a symbol of ethics reform and desperate ambition. and a verse from the president's legacy. special coverage to. the more people we killed to have officers worry about it's got to be like

a game like to see who could kill the most people and the different ways you could prove maybe peace killed would be i tell you no here's some serious you know where we have the most years they will get the most fierce in trade unions should be reduced overnight human children and five men around the circle open up on full automatic with sixty. she was taken out raped by six or seven people in front of. the most of the. week was special old french an excess recruitment. ready for free play. taken off while the air became the gravity. of this issue that those people.