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>> egyptian activists call for a mass rally in cairo demanding that the ruling council step down. saif al-islam's fate under discussion at the international criminal court chief prosecutor visits libya. former khmer rouge officials go on trial. welcome to bbc world news. and three astronauts return to earth after five-month stay iit -- stay at the international space station and why this year's christmas trees may be a little shorter and a little less green than usual. >> tens of thousands of

demonstrators are out in cairo calling for a million strong march on the fourth day of protests. at least 26 are killed and hundreds more injured. these are live images from the square. egy egypt's muslim betterhood will be talking with military rulers to end the deadly khrrbs after the civilian cabinet resigned yesterday. let's go now to our correspondent who is there. how different are these demonstrations from the one that brought down the mubarak government would you say? >> well, in some ways they seem almost exactly the same. so many people i spoke to yesterday said there was a very eerie feeling. it was the same. the slogans are the same. the same kinds of expressions in arabic like go away, leave that they use for hosni mubarak they

are using for the field marshal who was head of the supreme military council. the people that have come back describe it as a second revolution. they say that they believe the military is bent on holding on to power. never mind that elections are expected to take place in only a week's time. the focus is back here in the square. behind the square there are talks going on between the military council and the main political leaders here. let's take a look at the latest developments with this report. >> cairo early morning. police lob a tear gas canister against protesters. one picks it up, runs toward them and hurls it become. a small strike against a security force they demand become accountable to civilian rule.

egypt's interior ministery is guarded by army vehicles. the number of injured and killed are mounting. >> they fired a shotgun cartridge he says and it hit the person who was with me directly in the face. just a few months ago the army was hailed as egypt's savior and its head field marshal courted both at home and abroad. but patience and trust now appear to have run out. >> we need immediate negotiations to form a national rescue government that will take over on a temporary basis and will hold full power as of the 15th of january. >> they are calling for a million-strong protest to break the army's resolve.

the powerful muslim brotherhood has agreed it talks. there is unity on what needs to go but little detail on exactly what will replace it and how and the dangers of getting it wrong. >> egypt is now in a deep political constitutional and security crisis. everyone i spoke to yesterday in the square and again this morning is saying they are staying here until their demands are met. you can see just behind this is a growing crowd of people. that is what we saw yesterday. hour by hour the crowds get larger. you may see in the middle the white tarpaulin. last night they were building what seemed to be more permanent structures. they said they were building a hospital, a sign they expect not just the crowds to stay but the confrontation to continue. we saw running battles in bone corner of the square near the

road that runs into the interior ministry. as the protesters kept moving in. it was back and forth with throwing of tear goes canisters. protesters moving forward and back and hundreds of injured in the square. we should remind our viewers it is not just in cairo. in other large cities of egypt, alexandria, suez and the port city we have heard there are also protests and injuries. >> explain why these people behind you who are protesting, why don't they have faith in the upcoming elections? i think it is part of the full political situation. i think what we're seeing the past few days is months of anxiety and anger boiling over. it came to a head when the documents outlining the army's principles for the new constitutional changes were revealed in which it became

clear that the army wants what it calls a role in overseeing the constitution to keep the military including its budget exempt from civilian oversight. they believe the army is dragging its feet. a lot of banners in the square have the year 2012 written on it. they want elections for the president to be held immediately after the parliamentary elections in january they want a transition to real civilian rule next year, not as this document seems to indicate the end of 2012. even 2013. they are asking was there a revolution in egypt or a coup or a bit of both. but those that come here say the revolution must succeed or they will stay here. >> what about the muslim brotherhood which is the big opposition party? i believe they told supporters not to turn out and they are now, as you said holding talks

with the military. what is their strategy? >> yes, indeed. i think the muslim brotherhood who has the political advantage because they are one of the political forces that could mobilize albeit in a different way. they can use the mosques and social organizations. through the years when political parties were not allowed to mobilize and now they are using the resources and experience to try to chart a way forward. sometimes they come join the protests and sometimes they kept away. the latest we know is there are reports they are engaging in talks with the military council about what to do about the elections. the muslim brotherhood and other islamic forces don't want the elections to be delayed because the indications are they will come out with the largest percentage of votes. not the vast majority but a large percentage of the vote and they want that to move forward. the talks are taking place also with other political leaders we understand so the army is trying to draw everyone in. but the muslim brotherhood is

making a key role in the process. >> thank you very much. if you want to keep up to date with what is going on there follow her on twitter and there is a live page on our website which will be updated on what is happening in egypt. let's turn it europe. the italian prime minister is on his way to brussels for his first meeting as prime minister with the european commission preside president. they are going to discuss ways of reducing italy's debt. alan johnson has more about the significance of the visit. >> we can see mr. monty's mission to brussels and strasburg for talks as marking the beginning of a fresh start for italy in its regions was europe and neighbors though it got pretty ragged under the previous prime minister sylvie yo berlusconi. the french and germans were

almost openly exasperated by him and he was very rude in private about them. it is under new management. mario monty is the kind of leader the french and germans and europeans would like to see in charge of italy. he is very pro european and the euro and talked of italy needing to provide solutions to the european problems rather than being the weak length in the euro -- we can link. >> will there be much of substance discussed or just showing the markets that they are getting on well? >> i think that we don't know a great deal about exactly what mr. mont-- monti will be talkin about. his ministers were saying knock as he filed out of his first cabinet meeting but they are desperate to find ways out of this very grave eurozone crisis.

many ideas have been floated. we start to hear more about the euro bonds which would effectively gather all european debt together and mr. monti, we know, is pretty in favor of that continued of idea. >> to discuss a british financial story this is one that can get people's blood boiling, executive pay. >> this is a survey out. this has been a year-long inquiry a report by the high pay commission looking at the top executives, the top british executives and boy that gap between the 0.1% of earners to the bottom is widening. it is increasing indeed. the report really critical of the stratospheric pay increases which distort the markets and pweldz distrust among -- builds

distrust among the average british worker and rewards failure and not doing any good at all for the u.k. economy. you want to get the blood boiling? let's look at one example. what they have done is they have looked at the former barclays chief executive who earned 4.3 million british pounds. that is a 169 times increase on top of what the average worker earns. so that position in the bank itself is an increase of 4,900% in the last 30 years, since 1980 when it was only getting 13 thames more than the average work. it is an astonishing increase. >> is this just a british phenomenon or does it happen elsewhere? >> i think it is a british study of course but it is safe to say it doesn't happen in europe. i know there are certain union members in europe that sit on the boards when they make them. here in britain it is behind

closed doors. but we could say we are seeing the gap increase in the united states where that 0.1% of earners is widening or beginning compared to the average worker. but i will have more on this in the world business report. and spain went to the bond market and they had to pay an astonishing interest rate for short-term money. >> more from you later. now to cambodia where there have been graphic accounts about the brutality of the khmer rouge regime at the the option of opening statements. this is one of the most high profile general side trials. they are trying to establish that senior members of the khmer rouge were accountable for the crimes. >> the crimes were the result of organized plans developed by the accused and other c.p.k. leaders and systematically implemented through the regional military and government bodies they

controlled. >> one of the accused who was the number two was shown dramatic footage from a 2009 documentary enemies of the people in which he appeared to defend the regime's purges culling the victims traitors. >> all the defendants are accused of being responsible for the death of an estimated 1.7 million in the 1970's. we spoke to our corporate there. >> we have more from the prosecution basically saying as you put it that these people cannot deny that they were responsible for what happened in cambodia because they were saying they were not aware of the atrocities in the provinces

but the prosecutor made it clear he thought there was a plan put in place by the leaders before they took power as to what they would do. they would evacuate the cities, separate people that they considered to be enemies and crash them. in the afternoon session we heard the leader speaking about an hour and a half and really was a bit of a harang, very much about the vietnamese influence in cambodia. he was trying to position himself as a defender of the people saying they had to do the things they did to defend people from vietnamese incursions. >> are the ka marry refuge leadership claiming they didn't plan this general side from the top, that it was junior officials that got a bit carried away and killed these people? is that their defense? >> well, it was said this y that in 1970 when the former

kepbg asked for people to join the front against the current government in cambodia there were a lot of unreliable elements which entered the khmer refugee at that point that caused chaos within the movement that. is clearly positioning himself to say it was not his people, it was the people carrying it out. but you heard him in the documentary from two years ago that some people were traitors who had to be smashed. there does seem to be a contradiction there. >> thank you. you are watching bbc world news. still to come, destination for david beckham, he hasn't decided where he will play football next year. >> india is growing rapidly and it is on track and needs power but plans for a nuclear power plant in one state has prompted protests and hung are strikes.

>> protesting against india's development drive. >> these people are fighting the production of electricity in their patch. they know there is a great and growing need, but they do not want the place at the call home to be used to power india's future. >> we need to retain our land, our water, our seaport. our land and all of this. this is more important than electric teufplt >> these villages is have protests against a nuclear power plant set to come on line not far away. the power have been going but the villagesers say they are taking a final stand and will fight to the end for their futures and their livelihoods.

>> he fears the worst. a local fisherman, he depends on these waters. but he says a nuclear power plant here in the coastal area will raise the sea temperature damaging fish stock and local trade. >> if this starts we cannot do our jobs and we will be forced to leave our homes and land. but we can't do that. we will end up becoming refugees in another place. >> it is a stark reminder of india's thursday for power. the government insists that once operational the nuclear power plant will help solve their energy problems. local companies suffer from regular electricity shortages and rolling power cuts. the chance to keep the lights on for longer is being welcomed by

local industry. >> across the staete we have to stop production four hours every day because of power. if the problem can be solved with a nuclear plant productivity will improve and so will earnings. >> for now children here enjoy village life. for the landscape around them, it is changing. many coastal areas like this one have been earmarked for messenger energy projects. but the challenge the government faces is convincing local people of the benefits of playing a part in india's growth story. >> this is bbc world news. the headlines this hour, egyptian activists call for a mass rally in cairo demanding that the ruling council step

down. saif al-islam's future is under discussion. mike is here with news about david beckham. where will he play next? >> i wish i knew. he does say he is going to carry on. he said many footballers have retired but he is carrying on but he doesn't know where he will be. at the moment he is on tour with the l.a. galaxy. that deal runs out the end of december. >> what are his options? >> he could stay in america and live the high legislative of l.a. >> i imagine that is what mrs. beckham wants. >> he has a number of big clubs in europe interested and he is interested in that. let's hear from him now. >> when i come back from the

tour, i have a big decision to make and i haven't made that t yet. i have got options obviously and one of them would be to stay he here. i have no desire to retire from the game. i still enjoy the game lake i did when i was 21 years old and i still feel pretty good. so, retiring is not an option. yeah, i want to be an ambassador off the field and be summer off the field in raising this sport to a defend level. but my main objective is to be summer on the field. >> several clubs in europe are interested. milan or paris. mrs. beckham with be happy there. >> a russian spacecraft has touched down after admission in the international space

traction. he brought back three astronauts. they spent five months in orbit and others arrived wednesday. there is the first man launch after a russian rocket crash last year. >> it was only last week a man launch was tried and was successful and they have sent three cosmonauts up and brought three down. there is a big sigh of relief not in russia but at nasa in the united states. >> this being watched very closely in russia? are they proud of their program? >> yes, immensely proud. they are now the only country that can send humans into space and bring them become since the space shuttle retired, nobody else is diagnose it and the world is relying on russia for that and satellites. the reason why russia is successful is its simple technology but the problem is it

is very old technology. each rocket is built anew but the design is not really changed since the 1960's. russia's big problem is making the next help forward. the next technological leap. they built their own space shuttle that ran only one flight and they have not modernized for the new era. >> sir why's u.n. envoy has labeled a u.n. draft resolution as declaration of war. the report was created by germany, britain and france and submitted to the human rights committee. tunisia's main parties have agreed on who will take the top post. the new prime minister is hamadi jebali from the ennahda party that got the most seats. moncef marzouki the -- will be the president. the south african nobel prize

winner desmond tutu has made a last minute appeal to parliament to reject a controversial law that critics say is an attempt to silence the press and stifle. it would have measures to cover up corruption. let's go to libya. we have new pictures of saif al-islam in the first hours after his capture on saturday. this comes as the international criminal court chief prosecutor has arrived in libya. luis moreno-ocampo says the primary goal is to ensure the son of gaddafi gets a fair trial something the intimidate prime minister has promised. saif al-islam was captured saturday and is wanted by the international criminal court for krepls against humanity --

criticisms against humanity allegedly committed during this year's uprising. saif al-islam is currently being held in the western town and our correspondent joins us. give us the background to the case against saif al-islam -- saif gaddafi. >> saif al-islam gaddafi is wanted in his role for crashing the uprising that began in february of this year in benghazi. an arrest warrant was issued in june. the libyan authorities have him held here where i am. his exact whereabouts are a closely guarded secret. but he's being held somewhere here and people i have been speaking to say he will remain here because they say they think it is safe are that were having him transferred to tripoli. what i understand is happening at the moment is luis

moreno-ocampo is in tripoli and meeting with the justice minister. i was told he would be able to make saif al-islam gaddafi if he wanted but no one here knows of any plans for the prosecutor of the international criminal court to come here. but he may well be flown here by helicopter at fairly short notice. so, saif al-islam is being held here and we are told he is being well treated but that is something international human rights organizations are keen to ensure. the other thing to mention, of course, is that although the international criminal court wanted him on trial in the haig, libyan authorities do not want that. luis moreno-ocampo seems to have understood that and he said i will talk to the national authority about proceedings in libya. >> thank you very much. we will be having more on all of

those stories. you are watching bbc world news. >> make sense of international news at bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. the newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> union bank has put its global financial strength to work for a

wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> bbc world news was presented by kcet los angeles.