egypt braces for a fresh wave of protests sparked by people's anger at president mubarak's latest refusal to step down looks at why the embattled leader won't go. shortly after the territorial dispute between moscow and flared up once again the japanese foreign minister is in the russian capital for talks to me. for war in just a few minutes. sweden is under fire for its controversial wiretapping law as the most far reaching eavesdropping in europe and big weeks cable suggests america is pulling the strings. and a wave of consolidation is sweeping through the world's leading stock exchanges including russia will have more on the mergers of leading starting changes in our

business bulletin twenty minutes. ten am here in moscow this is our teeth thanks for joining us now thousands of egyptians have begun flooding the streets as protesters promised precedented rally some of the protesters are already near the presidential palace and some reports suggest that later in the day the crowds will be marching towards it well this comes after overnight president hosni mubarak once again val to remain in office until september in a televised national address he promised to transfer some power to his vice president omar suleiman but not to step down himself well the eighty two year old also cited his reluctance to bow to international pressure that something many believe he's done on a regular basis. arties going to check on has more from washington d.c. . the u.s.

wants an orderly transition as they say president obama said hosni mubarak statement on the transition of authority was not clear and needs more explanation mubarak basically said in his address that he was not going to run for president in september and egyptians will have the chance to elect whatever leader they choose but in the meantime he said he was not going anywhere we spoke with senator ron paul earlier and he thinks mubarak is following washington's plan we had a lot to do with mubarak being in power and staying in power like we subsidize and we own all these our puppet dictator he does what we tell them because he gives so much money he's gotten probably sixty to seventy billion dollars and i understand his family probably has sixty or seventy billion dollars stashed away in swiss accounts and other places around the world washington can hardly be considered to be impartial when it comes to power struggle in egypt it's a strategic location for the u.s. mubarak has been a close ally for thirty years the u.s.

has been pumping billions of dollars into the egyptian military and they certainly don't want to lose that whoever is in power there is a great chance that they won't lose that although the position is it's up to the egyptian people to choose their next leader washington is apparently pulling some strings the man who was sort of in charge during this tumultuous transition and who's seen as a possible alternative to mubarak is a big cia friend it's all marsalis he has reportedly orchestrated the brutal interrogation of terror cells suspects abducted by the cia also in the run up to the u.s. invasion of iraq in two thousand and three the cia relied on mr salim on to beat confession out of a detainee who said saddam hussein had connections with al qaeda something that was proven to be false but back in the day was perfect for the americans who desperately needed an excuse to invade iraq so he's an old friend not hostile to israel at that that's basically all the u.s. wants from a future leader of egypt in official statements of course u.s. official least. as. a u.s.

official say they want to see a leader who hears his people's grievances but they're certainly rock receive here just a year ago when asked about human rights violations by the egyptian government i remember obama's response was egypt is our close schools ally and it's not the job of the united states to a lecture egypt on democracy and human rights rather a courage up has changed in recent weeks the u.s. took up its is old the role of democracy preacher but if you watch american t.v. listen to american politicians it's all about us interests not really about egyptians they want democracy for egypt but a democracy that will be ok with the united states. well r.t. also spoke with author william and says that mubarak's demise is now a u.s. priority after their longtime washington ally dropped his support for america's middle east policy. mubarak's government realize that the u.s. was preparing a regime change that along the lines of the so-called color revolutions in georgia

ukraine and so forth. to the united states sometimes received in the state department sometimes at the national endowment for democracy or freedom house these are all quote unquote private n.g.o.s that specialize in training for washington and. what's going on is really a major enough destabilization of the u.s. ally mobarak has been opposed to most of us policy views of iran use of the persian gulf nations and these would be levanon over the last several years so he's become in effect a thorn in the side of washington's greater agenda since two thousand and one. well friday is expected to see the largest protests as the unrest began more than two weeks ago and former cia officer and millionaire clip told r.t. he thinks mubarak's reluctance to go just makes the situation volatile now that the

president mubarak has said he would not leave i am afraid that they are going to expand their religion and take it beyond. the way our government building as we see there and do it in fact the movement has already selected leadership of people and this leadership consists among other groups of the muslim brotherhood so i do not believe that the muslim brotherhood necessarily will take over the movement the movement remains secular liberal professional movement from across the genocide so it is not one specific ideology so there are some members who are extremists but for the most part the muslim brotherhood has participated in egyptian elections and already

indicated they would be really do participate in share and free elections each. all the people in egypt demanding change peter lavelle asses scarce who dictates what democracy is and what exactly is the role of those who promote it all he had to debate in our cross talk show coming up next hour. if we just why don't the world just let the egyptians alone leave the egyptians alone leave the tunisians alone leave the people of palestine alone leave the people of lebanon alone and let them decide their fate and then we can deal with them. yes that would be the best course but that would involve. it would not involve in action it would involve reversing the status quo namely the us would have to cut all the laws i was president of the united states to which to achieve any of our out there who are in for using these why even bring it repressive to a string of what is left of al in the press not to lie and say i have been reading interest of the united states of america its i am not watching out for the

interests of the united states of america we are not trying as he was being were just. trying to say how nice it would be imprudent to try and even try and use a human being then i just say that we should not be killing innocent people we should not be torturing innocent people opposed to the us government i am an opponent of the us government. now a territorial dispute between moscow and tokyo is riding high as the japanese foreign minister visits the russian capital for talks with his counterpart when it comes shortly after some rash statements from tokyo concerning the correll islands the russian territory japan is laying claim to a lot he has more. this meeting really can send the relations between moscow in tokyo in a new direction because many analysts agree now that they've hit the you'll always point since the cold war era and one of the main reasons for that these the dispute

over the cool tokyo claims that these islands belong to japan historically russia says it's strategic to juries and that is one of the outcomes of the second world war so this dispute really has been going on for quite a long time over half a century now and russia has been making several proposals looking for ways to resolve the situation including creating a joint economic zone in the region but unfortunately none of these initiatives. brought any positive results in fact just several days ago in japan during the so-called day of northern territory's talk strongly criticized the visit by russia's president to these islands last fall and also japanese nationalists vandalized the russian flag moscow reacted quite strongly the russian president

once again stressed that the islands are russian territory and are all strategic importance and also said that russia will increase its military presence there for example to mistral helicopter carriers which are currently being purchased from france are to be sent there as soon as they're delivered so it is quite a complicated situation it's a warning for businesses on all sides since business is if you go green quite rapidly and this. may cause a negative effect but it's also quite a stressful factor for ordinary people like for the russian families thousands of them living on these islands for decades now. we've got plenty more ahead for you this hour including family support knows no borders we reveal how despite severed ties with moscow cash flow from russia grows every year that money transfers from those who left that country. plus.

artes close up series gives you a real taste of the centuries old culture of the move here and find out why the e.u. song contest holds a special place in its history. now as sweden battles for the extradition of julian assange weekly leaks cables on the country's close cooperation with the us provoking a public backlash the text revealed washington's push to influence swedish wiretapping law so that communication passing through the scandinavian country can be intercepted largest or and it has this story. bugged and wiretapped at the behest of the u.s. swedish intelligence service the ethyl a has the power to monitor and intercept all internet traffic in the country and thanks to leaked u.s. state department cables we now know the controversial law was adopted after

pressure from washington and the security services were deliberately kept out of it to reassure the swedes there was no funny business force to operate under strict data storage and protection laws for swedish citizens they are concerned that the public may perceive their involvement as an attempt to work around these restrictions by using a foreign intermediary that's poisoning any chance for success the u.s. interest is clear eighty percent of all the internet traffic from russia travels through sweden and from there to america but most men from by by government representatives that no no no the purpose is not to spiral swedes it's the morning monitor among other things russian transit traffic but what kind of information they are worth i think the information that is made accessible to special services by this law is of course sensitive and there are ways it can harm russia's political interests. the law has been slammed by some as the most

far reaching eavesdropping plan in europe and prompted widespread protests ahead of its implementation cables also suggest the swedish government was colluding with the u.s. to avoid involving the public at all costs. the agreement may have to be presented to parliament and a vague constitutional requirement for matters of great importance if so the process will take considerably longer and be subject to public scrutiny something the government of sweden will want to avoid as the ministry of justice continues to analyze the proposed text it is also considering how to craft an arrangement that will avoid the need for parliamentary were. there is no parliamentary control over what they are for us. and of course the general public in sweden has even less control much of the pressure coming from the united states and from the corporate industries. and the swedish government more than happy to. do

whatever the american corporations. through the american government judging from the dates on the leaked cables while sweden was debating whether to pass the bill the americans were already negotiating with the swedish authorities on what kind of information they wanted they see the twenty third meeting has an opportunity to seek pursuing details on the type of information the united states wants. the agreement and it's clear the us ended up getting what it was after at least in terms of information on the eighty percent of russian internet traffic that passes through sweden our intelligence cooperation with sweden is excellent do you a direct live to new general burgess who'll be here next week for exchanges with the swedes on russia and of the topics now it's not just information on russia that the u.s. is off to its reportedly carrying out its own investigation into wiki leaks founder julian assange still says all this information to see if it can bring espionage

charges if it can and applies to sweden first extradition all this close cooperation that we've seen may mean his feet won't touch the ground your and it's r.t. . well the case leaves many guessing about his fate and you can also have your say about what you think awaits the renowned whistleblower in our online poll here are the results of the voting so far as you can see from the chart here half of you say they can escape imprisonment if he gets political refuge in russia which has no extradition agreements on more than a quarter believe that due process. well c.n.n. found him not guilty twenty percent say assad will do his time in any case and only three percent think you should collaborate with the u.s. and shut down with leaks and to have his criminal case quotes so you can influence the voting at any time just by long not to our website that's our teeth dot com.

now life in georgia can be tough especially after the country severed all relations with moscow its largest trading partner and benefactor well every year thousands of georgians pack up and set off in search of a better life in russia but as artie's dennis blonsky reports it's a lonely life for those left behind. because of the putin media fee media happy and don't forget about us here come and visit us the notice asked us to show this video greeting to her relatives she sends her best wishes to her son bobby and her daughter in law and the grandkids who live away in russia for the seventy three year old they are her only real hope. when the leg is hard nowadays oh i can get is

a few lottery here and there is no help for this big georgian family moved to rochelle fourteen years ago and even though it's hard for these people to make ends meet every month they send the money to their relatives and police sleep and they're not the only ones with you're alone families like the gross this really is transferred more than seven hundred million u.s. dollars to georgia making russia the biggest cash supplier for this caucasus republic the number of such wire transfers has been growing steadily over the past few years giving a strong boost to georgia's economy and even though in two thousand aid bill we see officially broke all diplomatic ties with most schools and cancelled direct flights between the two capitals it didn't stay. georgians from my greeting to russia with the hopes of finding jobs and a better wife we came here as refugees the neighbors were kind to us and they helped a lot so now after all these years we communicated with the rest of the family over the internet sometimes who make the phone calls and we wire money to them whenever

we can money you know daughter in law living in a small mining town of his video in southern russia she relies on her husband partner all small business income that lets the whole family live in russia being put their children situation and supporting their elderly relatives oh i didn't see this picture of her the newest video message finally reached its recipients my year in medina i haven't seen their grandma for more than six years now they're hoping that someday wife in georgia will get better and visiting the relatives will be as easy as going to the bank and making him on the transfer dinner table or. this video for southern russia. and now let's have a brief look at some other major headlines from around the world the arabian government has all the pressure on the country's opposition just days before a proposed egypt and tunisia pro-democracy rally security forces are said to have

placed a prominent anti-government clerk under house arrest and detained several other activists authorities are also reported to have blocked access to a number of reformist websites well earlier eight chief prosecutor had dismissed calls for a rally as a ploy to undermine the regime. tensions between pro-government and opposition lawmakers came to a head in venezuela as a parliament brawl erupted on national television the scuffle took place after an opposition lawmaker call for president hugo chavez's supporters quote to be silenced by partisan politics politics in the country's parliament had been growing increasingly hostile over the last few weeks well venezuelans are deeply divided over the leftist president's social policies. and we're close of team continues to explore the western europe's area as they get to know the culture and the traditions of the republic and its capital city.

we had more to our republic is known for its centuries long traditions which represent a mixture of mythology ancient religions and ethnic rituals its greatest spirit gives rise to local talents achieving success both at home and abroad or one of its famous us peter tchaikovsky is still one of the most played composers in the world while others less famous do try to make their own cultural mark. found out just what makes tick. welcome to the latest installment all because of serious work continuing to cover various regions and places in russia and this time we are in a more to learn steve's and rich cultural traditions it is known as the birthplace of russian composer tchaikovsky this is a place where for centuries christianity and shamanism paganism have co-existed peacefully and of course this is also a place where all of those traditions so pertain and still are very deeply felt to

this state because there is a lot more that had more to i can both in terms of cultural and traditional aspects and let's watch report now on some of those things. when you come to your in for a surprise though it's known for its weapon producing factories and plants the first thing that catches your eye is the city's architecture which seems to have changed a little over the centuries and once you dig deeper you find the people are good at preserving their heritage and not just on the outside culture for me is a part of my life it's a way of my life my marbles lullabies my grandmother's. very tales to tell this is very ecological very educational thing and coming. very close may to culture but of course to get a full taste. of the culture you have to get out of the city and go to the village

where traditional songs dances food and drinks are still very much a part of everyday life so we hit the road to raj through the snow and ended up in the village of one of oh and the home of a local celebrities who made waves in russia's last bid for your vision song contest glory but don't expect to find any short skirts and hair extensions here most of the stars are over the age of seventy and dress much more tastefully. we come here in the evening meet so watch t.v. and seen during the commercials. these grandmothers became an unexpected hit coming one place short of representing their country but they still caught audience's imagination with their songs giving some of the world's best known hits a new sound.

was. reading you know after your vision wanted to come home quietly that would more people and we didn't want to make a fuss but people found out and when we got back to our village they give us a grand welcome back party with songs and dances. and these take a creative hands on approach to everything they do but i'm trying to do right now is obviously. just sort of like me you make this little basket and you know put the stuff in the side and this is a traditional dish and. comes out of it afterwards when you hear something like.

what we do people do the same thing in every village and more to. the people here seem to have a song for every occasion be it a wedding gap tism birth or see need young man off to the army or whatever life throws at them the good moods find a way to market and maybe it's that approach which has kept these traditions going strong for hundreds of years even if you aren't. all that business news with kareena is coming up in a few moments. welcome

to business russia's stock slump the most in seven months over deepening concerns that inflation in emerging markets will accelerate that my six fell two point seven percent on thursday extending its three day decline to over five percent reversing this year's game m.s.c.i. emerging markets index dropped five point two percent this year as developing countries raised interest rates to fight inflation a research firm far global says investors pulled seven billion dollars from merging markets equity funds in just a week of january that's the biggest float in three years. and a wave of consolidation is sweeping through the world's leading stock exchanges the london stock exchanges to merge with toronto's and frank ford story to boris is planning to link up with new york stock exchange your next with an r.t.s. also planning to unite david b g c partners in london says russia will play a significant role in the future. russia is

a massive country with huge influence in the world of energy and mining with plenty of money and i think the sense of goodwill that would be seen by russia taking a stake and a significant stake in a bull say like unless she. would be absolutely they're all huge cultural differences at the moment as we know and also regulatory differences in corporate governance differences but these are not things that couldn't be easily. and if i was a passive investor in terms of wanting to get involved. a combination of my search to do that by think the rest of the world would see that is very very positive indeed if we believe the book to global uncertainty in this country we don't think anything else than russia has to play a very significant role of rule you've had many of your i.p.o.'s in london or in hong kong and there's no reason why they can't be on an international basis going forward. have a look at the markets most asian stock markets are down on friday hong kong and

shanghai are weighed by reported chinese hike to small and medium sized banks. after trading positive earlier. point three percent bonds markets closed up a college. here in russia the us has opened flat on friday after stocks slumped the most in seven months on thursday energy majors were the main drag drop to eighty six and a half dollars a barrel it's the sixth day of decline. felt two and a half percent. russian gold miner nor gold postpones its i.p.o. in london due to limited demand volatile markets the company sought to raise four billion dollars in the offering gold operates in russia kazakhstan and africa and produced around six hundred thousand ounces of gold last year. despite recent falls the old price remains relatively strong peter weston capital believes this will continue to underpin the equity market. now we've seen other sectors outside all of

gas trading at a discount to other emerging market peers that in our view means that as the market turns around russia might actually be a very sweet spot to receive additional funds and clearly would commodity prices although you know currently on a downward trend there are still a fairly high elevated levels and that in our view should be support for the russian market in particular within the see it samir universe where south africa and turkey for most of two thousand and ten were very well doing the best performing markets rational for most of the year under performing and we think that creates a very interesting backdrop for the russian market going forward and that's all for now i'll be back with more in less than one hour but you can always find most stories on our website r.t. dot com.

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