affecting the egyptians. >> reporter: in the evening, tantawi gave a rare television address. but it was soon clear, he wasn't stepping down. instead, he said egypt will form a new government and have early presidential elections. the reaction in tahrir, the field marshall is a trader, he said. and clashes resumed, more intense than before. and brian, regarding those three american students, u.s. embassy officials here in cairo have already been in contact with them. >> richard engel back again in tahrir square, cairo. richard, thanks. >>> let's bring things back domestically to the rush that's underway in this country tonight. this is top of mind for millions of american families. and if you're waiting for someone to come home for thanks giving, depending on where you live and where they're trying to start from, it could be a while. we'll put it that way. our friend, meteorologist jim cantore with us from weather channel headquarters tonight. jim, show us where it's the worst right now, and likely to be. >> brian, it's tough when you see a storm heading to the eastern seaboar

tantawi also announced that parliamentary elections will start next monday as scheduled, the first sense of popular uprising forcing president hosni mubarak to resign in february. it is unclear what kind of impact the ongoing confusion in egypt will have on the vote. public opinion is divided on the upcoming elections. some people want the country's democratization process to move forward. some are calling for review at the procedures set up by the military. >> the former president of olympus has arrived in japan. michael woodford will speak to authorities who are looking into the cover-up. woodford spoke to the media after he arrived. he called on olympus to come clean about a scheme to hide substantial losses from investors. >> who is the detail? which organizations worked with olympus. we need answers. not just saying it was done and that's the end of the story. >> woodford said he is prepared to return as president. the company fired woodford on october 14. he said he was dismissed because they questioned large payments. olympus citing a disagreement over management style. the compan

they don't trust field marshal tantawi to implement as the government and military has promised to do. what we're seeing right now is something of a showdown. the protesters say they will stay here, but marshal tantawi said these protests are ilegitimate and trying to upset the stability of egypt and destroy the country's economy. the question is now, will the military now try to move in and break up these demonstrations, which is what mubarak did and which is what ultimately did brought down his government. richard engel, nbc news, in cairo. >>> three american students were arrested during those protests. one of them attends georgetown university. our coverage continues now and derrick ward visited that campus today. >> a country in turmoil. that's the fate of those three american students in egypt. one is from georgetown and now we're also hearing from his family, as well as other members of the student body. three young americans detained in cairo. the charge, throwing molotov cocktails at police during uprisings there. derek sweeney seen from television is among them. >> i called

a pro-democracy group is urging military council chief, mohammed hussein tantawi and others to step down. the group is also calling for an immediate transition to civilian rule. amid the rising tensions, it's still unclear whether egypt will hold the landmark parliamentary elections next week as planned. >>> the saudi arabian government says that gunmen and security forces exchanged fire in the east of the country, resulting in casualties. the interior ministry said on thursday, that the shootings in the shiia-dominated city from monday and wednesday left four people dead and nine injured. the ministry said the government provoked unrest to achieve what it called dubious aims dictated by foreign masters but minority shias said casualties occurred when live security forces fired live ammunition at peaceful demonstrators. the region recently has seen sporadic shiia protests against the minority sunni monarch. shiias in saudi arabia have long complained that their religious activities and freedom to choose employment have been restricted. >>> about 150,000 people in japan are waiting to hea

days yes it depends on it depends on what they call the turn cow eat junk up after a field marshal tantawi the leader of. the area they're very difficult position if they repress this syrian style this is going to get out of hand especially against the muslim brotherhood and if we see let's see a little largeness of what's going to early career square with all the factions of the muslim brotherhood plus the google generation everybody in this square against a military dictatorship which is something that could happen within the next few few weeks let's put it this way then we're going to have thirty square to what it is here in the region is going to respond a lot more barak what will russia extremely closely. thanks for your input your thoughts poppy asked if i was a pleasure to see economists a correspondent for the asia times figure much ok now let's focus in on neighboring libya and there are local t.v. stations released a photograph that's proportionately of moammar gadhafi son saif al islam who's been detained by the country's authorities they say the image shows a man who appears to

i think the military realizes that the address by field marshall tantawi dent help very much. he did promise earlier presidential elections, but apart from that, he was not very conciliatory at all, and it seems to have further angered the protesters. last night, two of the slightly more junior generals came out and offered an apology and said very insistently that they were not the same as the regime of hosni mubarak, to which they're increasingly being compared. so they are trying to either conciliate the protesters or at least to undermine them in the rest of the country. they're not going away and could even be building up. >> yeah, we also have, of course, the elections planned for monday. what is your sense as to how that will plan out? military are absolutely determined to press ahead with elections if they possibly can, and many of the big opposition forces, particularly the muslim brotherhood, also want them in order to provide a mark of their power as well. so there's a lot of people that want them to go ahead. as of now, i would think they would go ahead f. they don

army here that has been looting this country since slavery to step down now a short time ago mohamed tantawi caved and liable to praise in which he tried to meet some of the protests just a month among the points he made is that it would be a presidential election peaceful cimon extrude he also said that he had accepted the resignation of his interim government but that they would remain in power until such time that a new government was up and running now mohamed el baradei who heads up the political party here and who's also before my head of the international atomic energy agency has indicated that he would be the face to become the next prime minister and be tossed with forming the next government but he says that this is only on condition that he is given absolute control over any decisions he has to make it seems as if this is the way the country's going to move forward and i think it's worth pointing out that all baradei is a much more popular figure on the international stage in fact before february seventh edition most people have actually not even heard of him apparently also has t

the head of the ruling council, field marshal mohammed hussein tantawi, promised the military would hand over power earlier than planned-- next june rather than 2013. but many listening here just don't believe it. >> ten months ago they said they would be leaving in six months and they are still here. why should we believe them this time? >> reporter: egypt's military council has little credibility left. it was initially welcomed when it took over in february after president hosni mubarak was toppled by mass protests. but almost immediately the general started maneuvering to hang on to power. that triggered the unrest that so far killed more than two dozen people and injured almost 2,000 but the generals take no responsibility. instead they blame so-called invisible hands. that's code for foreigners. and it may be why three u.s. students from the american university of cairo were shown on state television today. gregory porter, luke gates and derek sweeney were arrested monday night for allegedly throwing rocks and molotov cocktails at security forces. the american embassy is now working

trust from the west and from most importantly from within egypt but let's not forget field marshal tantawi the chap who's in charge now he was mubarak's defense minister for twin. two years so he's really a representative of the old regime and what particularly also with these amnesty because it's not looking all that good the arab spring has turned very sour and this is looking more and more to the egyptian people like a military coup and one strung out military coup rather than any kind of real revolution so that seems to be the situation apparently seems to be a fantastic person if he can and he does have a total free hand to do what he wants there a way of defusing this situation because the parliamentary election campaigns are supposed to begin on monday and things are looking very good for that right now but odd things looking a little better now that we are seeing the military making concessions talking about obviously appointing a new prime minister talking about bringing forward a date to transfer power and of course we've just heard also are just really on the words a referendum

before during and after the selection of the ruler of egypt is an unelected man called field marshal tantawi and as long as he is an elected this is not a democracy but the west was quick to praise the election as a great step towards cheney although the american. people down will. keep the army were to me if you give one point three billion dollars a year to the egyptian army which the americans do you expect it to do what it wants its leaves little room for the people to get what they want in egypt might be waking up for more of a nightmare and the sweet dream of democracy once election operation settles and it's in our way our tea kyra. turkey is freezing the assets of the syrian regime and suspending financial dealings with their former ally also announced it would stop the delivery of weapons to the mascot's the turkish measures come in the wake of arab league sanctions a move syrian economic welfare warfare i should say earlier the un released a report stating that government forces are committed crimes against humanity and their brutal crackdown on protesters and police at the unrest

situations in egypt like the parliament the presidency and some other institutions field marshal tantawi himself three days ago on last sunday there is the whole nation via his meeting with the military command officers and soldiers of the military central soon to be confront me the new police official in egypt well now dedicate any special extraordinary or a special weight or status. for the army. the overwhelming till now the overwhelming winning of the muslim brothers and also this love is actually really clouds with the new institution and with the military leverage of the senate is there a clear just ask you there are clouds over the future you seem to be saying you said this is a step forward to democracy on the one hand you're talking about the tensions between the military still wanting to have a hand in power despite whoever gets into government after the elections but also you talk about the step towards democracy let's say that the muslim brotherhood and the ultra conservative salafist are going to get into power or they're indeed leading the polls are we really going to see e

protesters here in toughness where they are chanting down with the marshal this is in reference to mohamed tantawi who is the head of the supreme council of the armed forces there's a lot of anger here towards him they've also been people who've been coming in on motorcycles they've worked on some kind of system two people on a bike the driver and another person we six are high and carrying the injured people there is a makeshift clinic that has been set up here on the grounds of toughest where it's been cornered all volunteer doctors have laid out blankets and people are being ferrying in as i say almost by the minute there are some woman crying there hysterically the people that i can see are dazed and confused a lot of them are fainted and there's a lot of blood so the question on everyone's mind is just how much more violent is the situation here going to have to become before there was any kind of real change it takes place i can also tell you that the security has been stepped up walking around the square today is not as easy as it was yesterday there are security personnel and marshals chec

are the these guys here have the look was deafening sound of gunfire now a short time ago mohamed tantawi gave and i have a phrase in which he tried to meet some of the protesters demands among the points he made is that they would be a presidential election before june and next june he also said that he had accepted the resignation of his interim government but that they would remain in power until such time that a new government was up and running he also said that all military trials would be stopped with the exception of a few he also said that the military council was ready to quit and to go back to its original role which is essentially that of defending the country if that was something that the people's heads aside and certainly listening to protesters is something that they want and they want it immediately time sorry also made the point that he was highly offended. by the criticism that the army was cheating and was being the souls of the egyptian people he said that this was simply untrue they believe that the army is coming to the party much today all this talk about an interi

hussein tantawi warned of extremely grave consequences if the country does not overcome its crisis.he massive crowds in cairo's tahrir square have dwindled but dozens remain defiant. i will not vote, he says. they're boycotting the elections saying egypt's military government which took control after mubarak's ouster must go first. but millions are expected to cast a ballot. hoping the results will deliver democracy after decades of dictatorship. tina kraus, cbs news. >> making news now at 5:51, hit that toe is pronlsing an investigation into air strikes that killed 24 pakistani soldiers. pakistan's army said the strike continued even after local military commanders from coalition forces to seek those attacks. the incident has plunged ties between pakistan and the united states to new lows. >>> flooding in australia is now believed to have cut off at least 2,000 people. volunteers looking for one boy reported missing in new south wales while authorities are looking for a plan to air drop supplies to stranded residents. >>> britain's royal air force is releasing footage of a rescue t

now, as for the military leader, tantawi, a big demand of the protestors that have been staging violence in the last week is that he and his military council should step down. we ran into them today, we had an exclusive exchange with him, we confronted him with that. he sounded pretty secure. take a listen: >> some people say the military council should step down. what do you think about? >> we are going to stay. we are not going to leave, even today. >> when will you leave? is this something that -- >> i announced yesterday. >> reporter: the comment 245 he's -- the comment that he's referring to is yesterday he said he would step down next july, that is when this election process is over and he says the military will take a back seat. we will see about that. there is another day of voting tomorrow. we'll get results from this parliamentary election, this round at least, on wednesday, and behind me, megyn, tahrir square has been the scene this year of a lot of violence, some of which we've witnessed. tonight, it's pretty qui he felt maybe some of those folks have been out voting. megyn: