:00:10. > :00:15.Tension in in Tahrir Square, another mass protest in Cairo as
:00:15. > :00:20.Egypt's military rulers appoint a new Prime Minister. This, the scene
:00:20. > :00:24.live in the centre of Cairo. The military insist next week's
:00:24. > :00:34.election will go ahead but protesters are calling on the
:00:34. > :00:47.
:00:47. > :00:51.Welcome to GMT, I am Stephen Sackur. Also in the programme: Syria in a
:00:51. > :00:54.stand-off with the Arab League. Observers are not allowed in to
:00:54. > :01:01.monitor the violence so are sanctions on the way?
:01:01. > :01:06.And voting in the world's most war- torn country. People prepared to go
:01:06. > :01:12.to the polls in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
:01:12. > :01:15.It is 12:30pm here in London, 7:30am in Washington DC and 2:30pm
:01:15. > :01:22.in Cairo where tens of thousands of protesters have again gathered in
:01:22. > :01:28.Tahrir Square to demand the removal of the ruling Ministry -- Military
:01:28. > :01:36.Council. Reports that a new Prime Minister, Hussein Tantawi, have not
:01:36. > :01:39.diffused tensions in the capital -- Kamal Ganzouri. Protesters are
:01:39. > :01:46.calling for parliamentary elections to be postponed. Lyse Doucet joins
:01:46. > :01:51.me live from Tahrir Square. You can see behind me Tahrir Square is
:01:51. > :01:55.teeming with people today. At Friday prayers held in this huge
:01:55. > :02:03.space, you saw men and women in different areas kneeling in pram
:02:03. > :02:07.and then chanting in unison: God is great. The chance coming from the
:02:07. > :02:11.square are the same we have heard all week, leave, leave. Never mind
:02:11. > :02:14.that the military have promised they will not hold on to power,
:02:14. > :02:19.they have pledged elections beginning on Monday but the people
:02:19. > :02:23.who gathered here are still not convinced. They are still calling
:02:23. > :02:28.on field map -- field Marcio Hussein Tantawi to stand down.
:02:28. > :02:32.These are not the only voices being raised in Cairo today. If there is
:02:32. > :02:37.a rival demonstration close to the Defence Ministry which is
:02:37. > :02:41.criticising Tahrir Square and expressing support for Field
:02:41. > :02:46.Marshal Hussein Tantawi. Today is a day which underlines that Egypt is
:02:46. > :02:54.in crisis and it is a divided nation. But what about the politics
:02:54. > :02:59.going forward? We can join now in one of our Cairo studios, a veteran
:02:59. > :03:06.Egyptian politician who is hoping to run for the elections. What is
:03:06. > :03:10.your view about the continuing protest in Tahrir Square? Should
:03:10. > :03:14.but the protests continue? This is a protest which has been done by
:03:14. > :03:19.people who feel they have been disappointed by the revolution,
:03:19. > :03:25.that it has been jeopardised by the political class, by the military on
:03:25. > :03:30.the one hand and they are just fed up from military rule, from his
:03:30. > :03:35.handling of the past 10 months. I do not think they will give in very
:03:35. > :03:40.easily, unless the military council meets part of the demands, not
:03:40. > :03:46.necessarily all of the demands but at least part of their demands.
:03:46. > :03:51.Which is to delegate domestic decision making entirely to a
:03:51. > :03:58.civilian government so they have the prerogatives to not be as the
:03:58. > :04:03.former cabinet was, the secretary at and Military Council. The
:04:03. > :04:08.military council has lost a lot of its popularity in these past days.
:04:08. > :04:15.But many Egyptians here, I would say most Egyptians still feel that
:04:15. > :04:22.this is the only institution that is left that we trust. Will make a
:04:22. > :04:27.difference between the army and the staff and the army, we have to not
:04:27. > :04:36.protect, because it is their job to protect us, but we have to stand by
:04:36. > :04:40.the army and I am one of them. main politics sees -- seems to be
:04:40. > :04:47.on the streets and in the squares, are you confident the elections can
:04:47. > :04:51.take place safely and surely? the concerns about the elections on
:04:51. > :04:57.Monday are raising by the day, by the hour. Many of us have suggested
:04:57. > :05:03.they should be postponed. Not cancelled, but postponed. Postponed
:05:03. > :05:09.for a week or two. How can you run elections in Tahrir Square when it
:05:09. > :05:14.is burning? How can you run elections in the mainstay of the
:05:14. > :05:19.area? It is ridiculous. People are scared. People are fearful to go
:05:19. > :05:29.out of their houses. We have been encouraging people to participate
:05:29. > :05:33.because we knew the Liberals had a big chance, particularly that which
:05:33. > :05:37.ran a part off. Nobody said we should take it for granted that the
:05:37. > :05:42.Islamist so should come to power. They are the best organised but
:05:42. > :05:48.they also have a lot of tensions among them. The latest statements
:05:48. > :05:52.have triggered the buyer of a lot of sections of society, among them
:05:52. > :05:57.the women, the cops and the Liberals. And among them, the
:05:57. > :06:06.moderate Muslims who do not want to be told when to pray or how their
:06:06. > :06:10.women should be addressed. -- how the women should be dressed. Thank
:06:10. > :06:16.you for joining us from central Cairo as we continue our coverage
:06:16. > :06:21.of this unrest here in Egypt. Many are saddened that as Egypt heads
:06:21. > :06:23.towards what are supposed to be the freest and fairest elections in
:06:23. > :06:31.Egypt's Modern History are now being overshadowed. They are
:06:31. > :06:35.overshadowed by the injuries and deaths we saw across Egypt. Also
:06:35. > :06:40.overshadowed by the growing gap in trust between the protesters and
:06:41. > :06:47.the military. But the military said the elections can and will go ahead.
:06:47. > :06:52.The big question now is, is Egypt heading for a greater unrest or
:06:52. > :06:57.will it move confidently into a new Egypt? We will keep an eye on
:06:57. > :07:02.developments here. Lyse Doucet, thank you very much indeed. We will
:07:02. > :07:07.stay with turmoil in the Middle East because the Arab League and
:07:07. > :07:11.Syria are now locked in a trial of strength. The League demanded that
:07:11. > :07:15.Syria accept 500 observers in to monitor the violence in the country,
:07:15. > :07:19.or face sanctions and further isolation. In the last hour, the
:07:19. > :07:24.deadline passed apparently without a Syrian response. To add to the
:07:24. > :07:28.pressure, a report from the United Nations human rights panel which
:07:28. > :07:33.says there is evidence that security forces are torturing
:07:33. > :07:43.children. Frank Gardner reports. When an army starts using anti-
:07:43. > :07:52.
:07:52. > :07:57.aircraft guns on its own people, Undeterred by tanks, torture and
:07:57. > :08:02.over 3,000 deaths, a Syrian protesters are still taking to the
:08:02. > :08:06.streets, risking their lives to call for an end to the rule of
:08:06. > :08:12.President Bashar al-Assad. Often pictured on state TV surrounded by
:08:12. > :08:16.acolytes, he is facing the most serious challenge to his role. Many
:08:16. > :08:21.feel he is hanging on because the population fears the chaos that
:08:21. > :08:24.will follow his departure. So long as the regime can maintain some
:08:24. > :08:29.kind of viability financially to keep paying those who need to fight
:08:29. > :08:37.for the regime and defend it, there will be many Syrians who have too
:08:37. > :08:42.much to lose to want to join the opposition. Deserters like these
:08:42. > :08:48.from the Syrian army are starting to appear but not in big numbers.
:08:48. > :08:51.There have been attacks on military installations, prompting fears of a
:08:51. > :08:56.civil war, a nightmare for the Arab League. Its members have already
:08:56. > :09:00.suspended Syria. Its chair stands empty. They have been meeting to
:09:00. > :09:05.discuss whether to introduce harsh new sanctions are this area pulls
:09:05. > :09:11.its troops out of cities and allows in monitors. Syria's neighbour,
:09:11. > :09:14.Turkey, says time is running out. Already there is talk of a
:09:14. > :09:21.humanitarian crisis with Syrian refugees fleeing across the border
:09:21. > :09:28.into Turkey. France is looking to establish humanitarian corridors to
:09:28. > :09:34.protect Syrians -- civilians. Meanwhile, the protests continued.
:09:34. > :09:42.The sniping, the arrests, the intimidation, the torture and
:09:42. > :09:46.bloodshed show no sign of stopping. Later in the programme we will be
:09:47. > :09:51.speaking to the BBC's Paul Wood who spent a week inside Syria and has
:09:51. > :09:56.come back from -- with some remarkable pictures.
:09:56. > :10:03.Now a look at other stories making headlines around the World Today.
:10:03. > :10:06.And evil, devious act of treason - that is the view of the Prime
:10:06. > :10:12.Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar after an
:10:12. > :10:17.apparent assassination plot. The BBC's Nick Davies who is in the
:10:17. > :10:23.Port of Spain says definitive information is still patchy.
:10:23. > :10:27.authorities are keeping much of the information to themselves. What we
:10:27. > :10:29.are gathering is there may be other people who are implicated who are
:10:29. > :10:33.basically on the run but the government here are really
:10:33. > :10:36.concerned over the fact that members of the security forces are
:10:37. > :10:43.actually implicated in this plot, whatever it might have been. They
:10:43. > :10:49.are looking for explosives and weapons. At the moment, all the
:10:49. > :10:51.police and Trinidad and Tobago defence force are on high alert.
:10:51. > :10:56.Moroccans are voting in general elections which were brought
:10:56. > :11:01.forward as a response to the revolutions around the Arab world.
:11:01. > :11:09.It is a first under the new Moroccan constitution which gives
:11:09. > :11:12.greater powers to the parliament. Joining in the studio he is a
:11:12. > :11:15.commentator on international affairs. I know you have just come
:11:15. > :11:20.back from Morocco. Do you believe these elections signal a
:11:20. > :11:25.fundamental shift that Morocco is now part of the democratic movement
:11:25. > :11:30.in the Arab world? Absolutely. The elections will open a new landscape
:11:30. > :11:35.in political terms in Morocco. It will initiate a new era for
:11:35. > :11:39.Moroccans as well. It is for the Prime Minister to actually decide
:11:40. > :11:47.the fate of the best -- the executive. It is no longer be king.
:11:47. > :11:53.Up to a point, if I may interrupt. The King retains his own powers
:11:53. > :11:57.over military matters and defence. He is still a key player. He is
:11:57. > :12:02.very much a key player. He will remain the arbiter of the political
:12:02. > :12:07.scene but the political parties will be playing their own role. The
:12:07. > :12:12.new constitution has given them wider powers to initiate a new era,
:12:12. > :12:15.especially to invite the youngsters, the new generation to take part in
:12:15. > :12:21.the parties. In the past, or the political parties have been
:12:21. > :12:26.dominated by the old guard, as it were. Today, the new elections will
:12:26. > :12:31.introduce a new initiative and that will give opportunities for the new
:12:31. > :12:35.generation. The sound like an optimist and we are seeing pictures
:12:35. > :12:40.of a calm looking Morocco there but the truth is, youth unemployment
:12:40. > :12:45.around 40 % and we have continued to seek almost daily demonstrations
:12:45. > :12:50.by disaffected youths who say the reform does not go far enough.
:12:50. > :12:54.course, and in Morocco there are protests on a regular basis. It is
:12:54. > :13:00.on a weekly basis. Every Sunday youngsters go and protest and they
:13:00. > :13:04.are allowed to. The new constitution protects the right to
:13:04. > :13:10.protest and protect the people from violations of their human rights.
:13:10. > :13:13.Do you think there is a message about other Arab monarchies like
:13:14. > :13:19.Jordan and Saudi Arabia? Do you think they will be watching this
:13:19. > :13:24.transition? They are watching it very carefully. Morocco always came
:13:24. > :13:29.out first with new constitution, with a new model to be emulated in
:13:29. > :13:32.the Arab world. They have so far succeeded and I think the new
:13:32. > :13:38.constitution will introduce a new political landscape that will be
:13:38. > :13:43.emulated throughout the Arab world. Thank you for joining us.
:13:43. > :13:50.Still to come on the programme: We explain why some of the biggest
:13:50. > :13:55.names in food will still -- soon be allowed to trade in India.
:13:55. > :13:59.First, let's get all of the other business news. Aaron is joining me
:13:59. > :14:08.now. We have to look at Italy again because the bond markets are
:14:08. > :14:11.telling us that the crisis in Italy is by no means over. Absolutely.
:14:11. > :14:17.Investors gave them all the money they were looking for but the
:14:17. > :14:21.investors said, sure, we will do it but you give a 7.8 % in interest.
:14:21. > :14:25.That is sky high. It is very expensive for Italy. You add that
:14:25. > :14:29.to the fact that on Wednesday we saw a very lacklustre German debt
:14:29. > :14:32.auction, you add that to the fact we are seeing some big selling
:14:32. > :14:37.volumes out of the US, Asia and all things Europe, if you have to
:14:37. > :14:42.picture that the global markets are turning their backs on Europe. They
:14:42. > :14:45.are saying, we are fed up, you they let the eurozone break-up or you
:14:45. > :14:51.let the European Central Bank step in and step in in a big way. The
:14:51. > :14:55.problem is, Germany is very heavily opposed to that idea. While Germany
:14:56. > :15:05.maybe the blocking to all of this, it could also be the only saviour.
:15:06. > :15:06.
:15:06. > :15:12.Germany is the only economy at the centre of Europe with the firepower
:15:12. > :15:15.to solve this problem. Whether they pay for it in a very direct, or be
:15:15. > :15:20.assuaged by giving loans to the rest of Europe, or whether they
:15:20. > :15:24.find some clever financial mechanism, like the European
:15:24. > :15:28.Central Bank buying back debt from other countries, ultimately it
:15:28. > :15:34.falls on Germany. So while Angela Merkel is the problem, she is the
:15:34. > :15:39.only possible solution. It goes on and on! Let's not forget there are
:15:39. > :15:44.other interesting things happening. The British former boss of Olympus
:15:44. > :15:50.has gone back into the lion's den, to a certain extent, because he was
:15:50. > :15:54.fired and now he is back. Yes. This is the man who was unanimously
:15:54. > :15:58.fired by the Olympus board after he started questioning this $1.3
:15:58. > :16:01.billion his company had paid out in fees to a rather obscure companies
:16:01. > :16:07.and money they had used for takeovers which largely ended up
:16:07. > :16:10.being written off. At first, Olympus denied any wrongdoing but
:16:10. > :16:15.then they admitted that they had been covering up huge investment
:16:15. > :16:20.losses over a decade. So he came back and face the board. He wants
:16:20. > :16:25.the ball to go. This is what he had to say. I am not obsessed about
:16:25. > :16:29.returning back. I have got a wonderful legal position and I will
:16:29. > :16:35.be comfortably well-off. I was sacked for gross misconduct. Any of
:16:35. > :16:40.you who look at the case will see that. If I am not wanted back, and
:16:40. > :16:45.it is the shareholders who will make the decision, that is fine by
:16:45. > :16:55.me. We will keep our eye on that story. Thank you.
:16:55. > :17:00.
:17:00. > :17:05.We want to hear what you think. Go to the website and follow the link.
:17:05. > :17:10.This is GMT. Here are the headlines: Mounting pressure on
:17:10. > :17:17.Egypt's military rulers to step down despite the appointment of
:17:17. > :17:21.pomade and sorry as the new Prime Minister. And no word on allowing
:17:21. > :17:26.an observer mission into Syria. A deadline set by the Arab League
:17:26. > :17:31.could trigger new sanctions. The people of the Democratic
:17:31. > :17:35.Republic of Congo go to the polls on Monday in what could be a
:17:35. > :17:39.turning-point for the war-torn central African nation. Over 19,000
:17:39. > :17:45.candidates are in the running but elections in the Congo have, in the
:17:45. > :17:49.past, been mired by violence. Andrew Harding has been to the east
:17:49. > :17:56.of the country to the city still living with the legacy of Congo's
:17:56. > :18:03.long wars. Excitement and more than a whiff of
:18:03. > :18:09.trouble. It is election time in one of Africa's most chaotic countries,
:18:09. > :18:13.and nobody in Congo is expecting a smooth ride. On the throne here,
:18:13. > :18:22.one of 11 presidential hopefuls. Loyalties are dangerously for
:18:22. > :18:28.brochures, and so it is the desire for change. They do not care about
:18:29. > :18:38.the population. We don't have roads. In your country, you have Rhodes!
:18:38. > :18:43.It is no joke! And not much peace either, here in eastern Congo. This
:18:43. > :18:49.is a poor town where bicycles are Borden, the peacekeepers cannot be
:18:49. > :18:54.everywhere and rival groups battle for power of Congo's mineral wealth.
:18:54. > :18:59.The incumbent President has all the usual advantages and may sneak
:18:59. > :19:04.another victory, but it could be close and pence. These elections
:19:04. > :19:09.could be a step forward for a country that has squandered its
:19:09. > :19:16.potential for decades, but this is a real danger that there could
:19:16. > :19:22.trigger -- it could trigger a real instability, violence and impunity.
:19:22. > :19:28.My fear is that all this might lead to serious violence and the
:19:28. > :19:32.breaking up of this country. Who knows. Out of sight, the clearest
:19:32. > :19:37.proof of Congo's enduring lawlessness. In a hospital, new
:19:37. > :19:43.victims of the epidemic of sexual violence that still blights the
:19:43. > :19:53.countryside. 15-year-old Mary says she was raped this week by two
:19:53. > :19:54.
:19:54. > :20:00.unknown men. Then they beat me, she says. She does not expect justice.
:20:00. > :20:04.But the hope for progress remains strong here. He is one of 19,000
:20:04. > :20:10.candidates running for a seat in Parliament at these elections.
:20:10. > :20:16.think this is a step forward. Let's not think of miracles, but I think
:20:16. > :20:23.this is a step forward towards a stronger institutions and a
:20:23. > :20:28.peaceful country. Then we can get development. Miracles are not on
:20:28. > :20:38.the cards. But Congo's economy is growing and its fate matters to
:20:38. > :20:39.
:20:39. > :20:44.Africa. It is the wounded giant at the centre of the Continent.
:20:44. > :20:48.The world's biggest supermarket chains, the likes of Wal-Mart,
:20:48. > :20:52.Carrefour and Tesco, have opened in many countries, but until now,
:20:52. > :20:58.there were not allowed to sell directly to shoppers in India. All
:20:58. > :21:03.of that is set to change after the government's decision to change the
:21:03. > :21:07.rules and open up the country's multi-billion dollar retail market.
:21:07. > :21:14.This is how in the shops for its daily needs. In congested local
:21:14. > :21:18.markets. Haggling for the best price. The produce get here after
:21:18. > :21:24.passing through many hands. A cumbersome supply chain that has
:21:24. > :21:29.somehow survived. But it is also unregulated. The poor
:21:29. > :21:33.infrastructure at leading to huge losses. It is a scene you can see
:21:34. > :21:38.outside money market in India. Large piles of rotting fruits and
:21:38. > :21:43.vegetables left out in the open, exposed to the elements. It is
:21:43. > :21:49.estimated that up to 40% of India's produced is wasted because of poor
:21:49. > :21:53.storage facilities. A sign of things to come. At a massive Wal-
:21:53. > :22:00.Mart cash and carry store offering a wide range of products. But at
:22:00. > :22:06.the moment, only to wholesalers. Businesses, hotels and restaurants.
:22:06. > :22:11.With the rules changed, they will soon sell directly to consumers. At
:22:11. > :22:15.a farm outside Delhi, a bumper crop of aubergine. It is meant for the
:22:15. > :22:22.Wal-Mart cash and carry store. The company sources directly from the
:22:22. > :22:27.farmer. Monitoring quality and cutting out the middlemen. And the
:22:27. > :22:31.farmers earn considerably more. TRANSLATION: Earlier, we had to
:22:31. > :22:36.travel a long way to market and deal with middlemen. We never used
:22:36. > :22:43.to get a good rate. Now the company takes a or vegetables and pays us
:22:43. > :22:49.much more. -- takes a or vegetables. But these are the ones who are
:22:49. > :22:53.threatened. The local vegetable vendor. Earning subsistence wages.
:22:53. > :22:58.There are about 20 million of them in India taking care of the
:22:58. > :23:04.country's demand for fresh food. With international giants coming in,
:23:04. > :23:12.many fear they will be wiped out. If you take an average Wal-Mart
:23:12. > :23:19.store, it will displace about 11,000 people. This is the
:23:19. > :23:24.calculation we have done. It will be replaced with 285 jobs. Another
:23:24. > :23:28.day and a fresh load of farm produce arrives at Delhi's main
:23:28. > :23:38.wholesale market. A scene that could soon fade away and change the
:23:38. > :23:38.
:23:38. > :23:43.wake Indians shop. -- the way. We will return to the turmoil in
:23:43. > :23:53.Syria. We have heard in the last few moments that the Arab League
:23:53. > :23:54.
:23:54. > :23:58.has changed its deadline to set a new one. No response from the
:23:58. > :24:03.Syrian authorities. The Arab League has given them till the end of
:24:03. > :24:10.today. That is Cairo time. Our correspondent has been in Syria for
:24:10. > :24:16.a week and made an extraordinary journey to the City of harms. It is
:24:16. > :24:22.the centre of President al-Assad's rule. -- the City of harms. Can you
:24:22. > :24:25.explain to me where you went and how you were able to travel, given
:24:25. > :24:30.that international journalists are barred from Syria and have been
:24:30. > :24:36.four months? We did not go officially. We went on the
:24:36. > :24:42.underground supply line that Syrian fighters, and this is becoming
:24:42. > :24:46.increasingly military-led, to run guns into places like this from
:24:46. > :24:55.Lebanon, and to take casualties on the way out. We met a group of
:24:55. > :24:59.smugglers in the dead of night. They had two or three weapons each.
:24:59. > :25:04.We walked across the border with them. The Syrian army has sown a
:25:05. > :25:11.lot of minds on that border and they have reinforced their patrols.
:25:11. > :25:16.-- a lot of mines. And then in what seemed like a remarkably efficient
:25:16. > :25:20.process, we were passed from activist group to activist group,
:25:20. > :25:23.with members of what is sometimes called the Free Syrian Army,
:25:23. > :25:28.sometimes with those just supporting them, going on back
:25:28. > :25:33.roads, skirting around checkpoints, until we reached the outskirts of
:25:33. > :25:37.the city itself, which is ringed by the Syrian army. And activists are
:25:37. > :25:42.literally running across roads and fields, hoping to dodge the army to
:25:42. > :25:49.get into the centre of the city itself. How many resistance at
:25:49. > :25:54.providers are there in and around the city now? There were claims
:25:54. > :25:59.that there were thousands, but what is your estimate? I think it is
:25:59. > :26:03.probably exaggerated that there of thousands. Spokesmen outside the
:26:03. > :26:08.country have spoken about 15,000. We have spoken to the commander and
:26:09. > :26:13.they were claiming 500. Bear in mind that their estimate of the
:26:13. > :26:19.official security forces were some 150,000. So this is a very small
:26:19. > :26:22.force. But it is growing in number every day, and we saw defection has
:26:22. > :26:27.more or less every day, and in the middle of the night, you would hear
:26:27. > :26:32.a lot of gunfire. It would go on and be Syrian soldiers literally
:26:32. > :26:37.running from their bases on the outskirts to join the opposition in
:26:37. > :26:45.opposition-held areas, if you can call than that. This is what
:26:45. > :26:49.changed the game. This will continue if it goes on like this.