it's a good i would. never dream of. egypt braces for a fresh wave of protests sparked by people's anger at president mubarak the latest refusal to step down looks at why the leader won't go. shortly after the. japanese foreign minister is in the russian capital for talks. for war in just a few minutes. sweet it is under fire for its controversial wiretapping laws as the most far reaching eavesdropping to europe three weeks cable suggests america is pulling the strings. and in business the russian shareholders of all major p.r. unlikely to block a dividend payout to the company for the fourth quarter of two thousand and ten details coming up in our business program in twenty minutes.

you're watching r t coming to you live from moscow welcome to the program now thousands of egyptians have begun flooding the streets of cairo was protesters promised an unprecedented rally protesters are already gathering at key sites with some reports suggesting krauts while on marching towards the presidential palace later today and this comes after president hosni mubarak once again valid to remain in office until september televised national address the problems here are some characters vice president omar suleiman but not to step down himself to two year old also cited his reluctance to bow to international pressure something that many believe he's done on a regular basis. and has more from washington d.c.

. the u.s. wants an orderly transition as they say president obama said hosni mubarak's 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 him he's our puppet dictator he does what we tell him 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's a great chance that they won't lose that although the position is it's up to the gyptian 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 is 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 slim 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. officially says. the u.s. officials say they want to see. see

a leader who hears his people's riven says but there's certainly progress in here just a year ago when asked about human rights violations by the egyptian government i remember obama's response was egypt this hour close calls ally and it's not the job of the united states to a lecture egypt on democracy and human rights rather recruitment 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. you listen to american politicians it's all about u.s. interests not really about egyptians they want democracy for egypt but a democracy that will be ok with the united states. call for more of what's going on in egypt we're joined by richard how a member of the european parliament how mr how it will barak has once again refused to step down instead offering increasingly empty promises and cosmetic concessions certainly far from what the protesters were expecting why do you think he's being so stubborn what is he hoping to achieve here. well i think we have to understand

he thinks he's made major concessions he thinks he can't move because of the restrictions of the egyptian constitution and for someone who's been an powerful autocrat over thirty years and he's used to pulling the leverage of power with really no checks and balances on him this is a situation that psychologically mentally he's not ready for and i think he and the people around him ashore but the protesters continuing as an observer from the european union to the situation having talked with some of the human rights groups myself i'm very clear that the egyptian people will not. accept. payments and day off to die and perhaps this is the day things will change. all right well let's talk about the leave vice president mubarak announced that he

would hand over some powers to omar suleiman and he's a no bark loyalist at reportedly a close ally of the cia now what's the point of the revolution if one u.s. back strawman is replaced by another. well i completely agree with the premise behind that question i think at the point of the appointment of nice to see them and there were hopes that he could be an honest broker in this situation yes with the international community he promised in terms of. chairing talks with opposition groups within the country now the reason i think the international community had created in his he being they said in very between us at least rare and he's close to the as a former intelligence chief to the egyptian military but what we've seen since is interviews where he talks about the quote love of the egyptian people for mubarak

he's talked about an even threatened the military dispersing the post offices into his square and yesterday he even said that the egyptian people were not ready for democracy now. it doesn't matter whether you're sitting in brussels or washington or with your protester interior square those statements are unacceptable and it now seems impossible that he could be a temporary heads of a transitional unity government in place of mubarak he is absolutely tainted by the mubarak regime arwa let's move on to reaction certainly you mentioned that the people were shocked at his announcement and now we're also hearing strong words i guess mubarak from governments from around the world well this does beg the question why have they kept silent for the past thirty years. well in the european parliament we've made clear that and i've made clear that european and and world leaders. have a proud record in terms of sticking up for democracy and human rights sufficiently

. in the past and that's why as far as the protestors are concerned as far as we can understand the gesture of public opinion there's very little support here but i'm present to you cooter in particular united states now we have to learn the lesson from now on really played. hard representative cathy ashton one of the security council un guests today said the e.u. would play an important role in this crisis and has said that it's hard for challenges now because i believe that we shouldn't just be thinking about the diplomatic impact of what we say on the regime and on barack and south we should be thinking about the impact on the protesters on their own the ordinary people in egypt and across the arab world and for as long as we are seen to be. hesitant which we need now is to support for principles of democracy and even rights that we

say that we believe in and that we will no credibility with the people most countries tend to other solutions ok let's talk about democracy it's been a word that's been floating around the international press certainly has been drumming on about the need for democracy in egypt she has what it needs and evolve alone without outside interference. well. the word interference of course is one is unacceptable it sounds bad to the people in egypt. to the people who are represented in the european union we must have mutual respect but we should also support common values and principles and as far as human rights is concerned those friends for free from the universal declaration and. what we've been saying in egypt which is that the arrest and disappearance of opposition figures and supporters of human rights monitors of journalists who

report freedom still many people. involved in this protest we do not know where they are and we fear for their safety and it's why we the position of the egyptian army to die is absolutely crucial in terms of the future. events in egypt these are principles that interference cities are proud in common values and principles and we should speak in that language thank you very much richard how at member of the european parliament thank you. now with people in egypt demanding change peter lavelle asks his guests who dictates what democracy is and what exactly is the role of those who promote it well we have a heated debate our cross talk show coming up later in the program ball here's a preview. you know just why don't they 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 off the los alamos labs of the president of the united states to its you're out of there to experience it for anyone saying that is why even during a free press or to a string of what is left out on this track not to lie i have sat and read interest of the united states of america its i am not watching out for the interest of the united states and i know you're not trying to say he was being. unfair i'm trying to say how nice it would buy me i'm pro guys trying i'm trying as a human being than i to say we should and we should not be killing innocent people we should not be torturing innocent people i am opposed to the us government i am an opponent of the us government. now a sweden battles for the extradition of julian assange and wiki leaks cables on the country's close cooperation with the us are provoking

a public backlash the text revealed washington's push to influence swedish war tapping laws so that communication passing through the scandinavian country can be intercepted lore and it has the story. bugged and wiretapped at the behest of the us 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 that the controversial law was adopted off to pressure from washington and the security services were deliberately kept out of it to reassure the swedes there was no funny business to operate in districts data storage and protection of citizens they can see that the public may perceive their involvement as an attempt to book a room these restrictions by using a foreign intermediary those 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 mention by a by government representatives that no no no the purpose is not to spy on swedes it's the morning monitor among other things russian trying to traffic but what kind of information they are. 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 agreements 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 in a range meant that will avoid the need for parliament review there is no parliamentary control of what they are for us. and of course the general public in sweden has even less control and much of the pressure coming from the united states and from the copyright industries it's being in the swedish government is more than happy to. to to do whatever the american corporations. ask through the american government judging from the date 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 over the twenty third meeting has an opportunity to seek precise details on the type of information the united states wants and overall aim of the agreement and its. the

u.s. 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 and intelligence cooperation with sweden on bush it is excellent do you a direct to lift a 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 us 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 for a soldier's extradition all this close cooperation that we've seen may mean his feet won't touch the ground you are and it's r.t. . well you're with r.t.m. we've got plenty more ahead for you this hour.

archy's close of series gives you a real taste of the centuries old culture of woodward and find out why the eurovision song contest holds a special place in its history. a territorial dispute between moscow and tokyo is running high as the japanese foreign minister visits the russian capital for talks with his counterpart that would come shortly after some brash statements from tokyo concerning the kuril islands the russian territory japan is laying claim to. has more from moscow. this meeting really can sense the relations between moscow and talk in a new direction because many analysts agree now that they've hit the lowest point since the cold war era and one of the main reasons for that is the territorial dispute over the cool violence took your claims that these islands belong to japan historically russia says that they're its strategic territory's 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 stalky or strongly criticized the visit by russia's president meeting the idea to these islands last fall and also japanese nationalists vandalised the russian flag moscow reacted quite strongly the russian president once again stressed that the islands are russian territory and are off 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 plans to be sent there as soon as they're delivered so it is quite a complicated situation it's quite rewarding for businesses on both sides since business is developing quite rapidly and this this dispute may cause a negative effect but it's also quite a stressful factor for ordinary people like for the russian families thousands of them have been living on these islands for decades now. well the russian foreign minister and his japanese counterpart are speaking to the media at the moment following earlier talks we'll bring you the latest developments as we get them. and now we're close a team continues to explore the western europe as area as they get to know the culture and the traditions of the republic and its capital city is ships.

the republic is known for its centuries long traditions which represent a mixture of mythology ancient religions and ethnic rituals its creative spirit gives rise to local talents achieving success at home and abroad well one of its famous sons peter tchaikovsky is still one of the most played composers in the world while others less famous try to make their own cultural bark. found out what makes more stick. welcome to the latest installment of the course of sirius we're continuing to cover various regions and places in russia and this time we learned 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's a lot more that are more taken 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 more people are good at preserving their heritage and not just on the outside in the culture for me is a part of my life it's a way of my life you know my modern lullaby it's my grandmother's song. for her and fairy tales she told this is very ecological very educational to moving and coming to a very close to nature 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 it up in the

village of gran of a and the home over 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 when. we come here in the evening meet so watch t.v. and seen during the commercials oh. these grandmothers be given 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.

you're reading you know after your vision wanted to come home quietly that would mortar shy people and we didn't want to make a fuss but people found out and when we got bad charles village they give us a grand welcome back party with songs and dances. and these buggers take a creative hands on approach to everything they do but i'm trying to do right now is obviously because i look at it which are which is sort of like me. you make this but all i ask in the put the stuff in the side this is a traditional dish and try and still comes out of it afterwards we're going to hear some singing. tossed on the look 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 gapped is a birth or see nice young man after the army whatever life throws at them the good will to find a way to market it's that approach which has kept these traditions going strong for hundreds of years in the. russian president dmitri medvedev is personally checking while scores transport security follow. the recent terror attack on the airport which killed thirty six people well on friday he made it on the spec should have one of the city's transport saying he was satisfied with what he saw but that that was not the case a day ago when he arrived at one of the capital strange stations unannounced the russian leader managed to find a policeman at the site and saw no metal detectors at the building's entrance he promised a tough response of the security measures witnessed. now for a brief look at some other major headlines from around the world millions of

ukrainians are staging rallies across the country to mark the thirty second anniversary of iran's islamic revolution among those on the streets are supporters of the uprising in egypt and tunisia earlier this week the renewed government upped the pressure on the country's opposition who planned to stage a rival pro-democracy rally on monday the chief prosecutor dismissed the activists calls as you point to undermine the regime. unarmed teenager who took hostages in a bank robbery in north carolina has been killed after a three hour standoff with police he was nineteen was shot dead by snipers as he walked out of the bank with a captive held as a human shield all seven hostages involved in the robbery were reported to be on hard and official expressed sadness at the outcome but praised the police for their actions. well that brings you up to date of kareena is here now let's update so korea now you have some news on b.p.

well that's right to say it's a story that we've been closely following and now it looks like british oil may do b.p. is set to get its dividend from to indicate b.p. and a are the russian partners in the joint venture and have promised to block the estimated one point eight billion dollars payout for the fourth quarter now that was up to b.p. and mustn't have an asset swap and arctic exploration deal are claimed the deal compromised the competitiveness of the. and ran counter to the terms of the airlines according to that is to use paper under a shareholder agreement tainted b. is obliged to allocate at least forty percent of net income towards dividends meanwhile the court injunction put forward by a.r. to block b. these proposal lines has been extended to march pending a final hearing. into other stories a wave of consolidation is sweeping through the world's leading stock exchanges the london stock exchanges to merge with to wrong toes and frankford storage of boards

is planning to link up with new york stock exchange euronext now with the my six analogy has also planning to unite david be a b.d.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 in a significant stake in a bull say like l.s.e. . would be absolutely there are 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 with a combination of my section to do that i think the rest of the world would see that is very very positive indeed if we believe that 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. now let's look at the markets russian stocks now three days of losses. in the outlook for produces the r.t.s. is up nearly half a percent and my six point seven percent this hour on thursday was for the biggest one day fall in seven months now let's look at the stocks now russia's biggest oil producer is gaining half a percent this hour state land is bad bank is up over two percent after double this january net profit to nine hundred fourteen million dollars and seven. and a half after the steelmaker council then an initial public offering of shares and nord called. more facts than mine and nor gold is postponing its i.p.o.

in london duty on certain demand and volatile markets the company sought to raise four billion dollars in the offering nor gold operates in russia kazakhstan and africa and produced around six hundred thousand ounces of gold last year. that's all we have time for in this edition of business but other back with more at twenty .

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