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March of Millions in Egypt; King of Jordan Dismisses Government; Communication Clampdown

Aired February 01, 2011 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

KRISTIE LU STOUT, ANCHOR: Welcome to NEWS STREAM, where news and technology meet.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong.

Protesters gather in the center of Cairo. A so-called "Million Man March" gets under way.

And we'll show you how protesters in Egypt are getting around the Internet blackout and getting their message on Twitter.

Anti-government protesters believe this could be a pivotal day in Egypt. Now, organizers have called for one million people to march against President Hosni Mubarak. That's an effigy of him right here.

Now, so far, the record crowd gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square has been peaceful, with some people bringing their children along. Now, this little girl, she has the word "Egypt" scrolled on her forehead.

Demonstrators have packed in shoulder to shoulder. They have set up their own checkpoints to keep weapons out of the area. Helicopters are hovering overhead and soldiers are standing guard, but troops have pledged not to fire on peaceful protesters.

Now, demonstrations are also taking place in other parts of the country. The government has suspended rail service, reportedly to prevent people from reaching Cairo. So far, tens of thousands of demonstrators have made it to Tahrir Square. Tahrir, it means liberation.

Now, it's unclear if the so-called "March of Millions" will actually try to move. Some have suggested heading toward the presidential palace. That is just over 13 kilometers away, and soldiers have put up barricades in the streets.

Now, Egyptians from all walks of life have joined in the protest, putting their lives on hold. Among them is Amr Badr, a doctor. And he gave photojournalist Joe Duran his perspective on Egypt's future.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMR BADR, ANTI-GOVERNMENT PROTESTER: The moment now is not about one group of people. It's already about all people, Christians and Muslims.

I'm 25 years old. I'm a doctor. I live in Anteram (ph).

I think that our voice is going to be heard. It's really more violent, and we didn't want it to be violent. And this is a very unfortunate point.

I hope that no group would steal from protesters. This is a protesters' country, not a group.

We didn't really want to be violent. I hope that our voice is going to be heard after today. They are cleaning our Egypt. These are real Egyptians.

Our family is good. We are not so poor. I got a good life, but not the life which is good at all. It's relative. I would like in our country, but our country is a very bad life here.

The most important thing, now I have hope. I think that my voice is really important, and my voice is going to be heard after today.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Let's go to Cairo right now. Frederik Pleitgen is keeping watch over Tahrir Square.

And Fred, what is the scene there?

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the scene is quite remarkable, Kristie. I would say we have tens of thousands of people right now here in central Cairo, in Tahrir Square, that are coming here.

I can actually hear the chanting from where I am, even though I'm on the 27th floor of a hotel overlooking the square. I was down in the square just a couple of minutes ago, however.

And another thing that's really interesting is how the people themselves are keeping this demonstration peaceful. You have a lot of people who are there checking other people's IDs. They've built cordons, they have got little checkpoints that their manning together with the military, searching people. And this is one of the first times that these people are coming to their own, that these people are taking responsibility for themselves. And there are a lot of people, Kristie, who feel that this could very well be an historic moment in their country's history.

I want you to listen to some people that I talked to earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, America.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For those people we are here for the prosperity of our country. This is my daughter. I've got two daughters. And all these people are here -- all their good for the benefit of these people, for the benefit of this country.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm here to say to Hosni Mubarak, you must leave. He should be out. I'm here to say this is lots (ph) of changes whenever Mubarak is there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PLEITGEN: So really interesting how these people are taking these matters into their own hands, Kristie. You see people who bring food and water and hand it out to other demonstrators. And one of the things that really speaks out is the fact that it's a very diverse group of people who come here.

You have Christians, you have Muslims. You have whole families with children who come here. And one father told me that he took his son here because he wanted to show him that at this pivotal moment, he went on the streets to try and fight for a better Egypt -- Kristie.

STOUT: So, Fred, so far the demonstrations are peaceful and the turnout rather impressive. In fact, we can hear the chanting behind you from your position, 27 floors up.

I've also seen reports of pro-Mubarak demonstrations happening in Cairo. How large is that gathering?

PLEITGEN: There are some that are sort of pro-Mubarak. I've seen groups of about 30 or 40 people.

One of the things that people are very afraid of here is that perhaps some pro-Mubarak forces could try and infiltrate this very large demonstration. One gentleman told me that, "We're afraid of Mubarak people and we're going to keep them out."

Actually, as I'm speaking to you right here, I have to say there is a scuffle that just started downstairs between what seems to be a couple of pro-Mubarak demonstrators and what seem to be military people who are running over there right now. That seems to be clearing out now.

It really is very small pockets of people who we've seen chanting pro- Mubarak slogans quite loudly, but it isn't really very man at this point -- Kristie.

STOUT: By and large, the bulk of the protesters out this day are anti- Mubarak protesters who want to see the president out. But the question is, who do they want to see in? Has a leader emerged that the protesters will support as the new leader, new president of Egypt?

PLEITGEN: That's pretty much the million-dollar question here right now. And at the current time, the answer is clearly no, no one has emerged just yet.

A lot we're talking about, of course, is Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the IAEA. And there's no doubt that he's got a following here in this country and that he has some popularity here as well.

But many people who I've spoken to on Tahrir Square, they tell me they feel he's not Egyptian enough, if you will. They say that he was out of the country for too long.

One person told me he believes ElBaradei doesn't even know how much a piece of bread costs in Cairo. So, certainly they're looking for someone else.

It doesn't look as though as anybody has emerged just yet. But it's also something that goes to show how amazing it is that such a huge crowd is rallying here and there's no real figure to lead them. This is all a popular uprising that is purely issues-based -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right.

Frederik Pleitgen, joining us live from Cairo.

Thank you for that.

Now let's find out what's happening further north. Our senior international correspondent, Nic Robertson, joins us on the line from the port city of Alexandria.

And Nic, what are you seeing there?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, we're seeing more people gathering than we've seen over the last few days, gathering around mosques, beginning their marches. We're told they're going to march to at least two different places today. One of them is Martyrs' Square, close to the central train station in the middle of Alexandria. And the other place they say they're going, they're going to march to the army headquarters.

We're told here that the soldiers have been told -- soldiers are telling us here that they've been told not to shoot at demonstrators. Indeed, in some cases they've been told to take their weapons off their armored trucks as a sign that they are not in confrontation with the people.

It is -- although there are more people on the streets today joining these different protests across the city, it is clear they're still far from a million people. And when I asked them, "Well, are you disappointed you're not going to make the million man march here in Alexandria?" They say, "Look, it doesn't matter. We're on the phone to our friends in Tahrir Square and we're hearing what's going on there."

They say that there already, they believe, more than a million people in Tahrir Square in Cairo. It seems that the crowd here doesn't have accurate information exactly on what's happening in Cairo. But when I say, "What difference can you make here?" They say, "It's to give support for our countrymen who are demonstrating in Cairo."

So I don't think there's a sense here that if they don't make a million people they will have failed. But I do think it's the case here that people just will not give up at the moment. They're continuing this very, very long demonstration -- Kristie.

STOUT: And for the scores of Egyptians who are watching these events, who are not participating in the protests, do they support the demonstrators? And what are they feeling right now? Are they excited, hopeful, or are they fearful?

ROBERTSON: They're not fearful. I've asked several people that question. They say, "Look, we've faced the police, we've faced the tear gas, we've faced the riot, we've faced the rocks, we've faced the demonstration. And we're not afraid. We don't have fear."

What I sense today is, yesterday there was a lot of frustration and anger. And while that's still present, I think there's a sort of resignation here that they need to continue, that they absolutely think that there's no going back, that the president will step down and it's just a matter of time. Some people say today, some people say the end of the week. But there's a sort of more acceptance that this is the way that they're just going to have to continue.

Rather than expecting an immediate overthrow, it's a realization that this won't happen overnight, and they just have to continue. So it's sort of more of a resignation, if you will, to a longer-term process.

But what's interesting, when you ask people, "Who do you want to replace President Mubarak?" Everyone says, "Look, this is just the first step. The first step is removing him. When he's gone, we'll cross that bridge" - - Kristie.

STOUT: All right.

Nic Robertson, joining us on the line from Alexandria.

Now, we've got some news just into CNN now. As the unrest in northern Africa and the Middle East continues to spread, the king of Jordan has dismissed his government.

Now, King Abdullah has just appointed a new prime minister. His name, Marouf Al Bakhit. He's in fact a former prime minister, also strong ties to the military. And he will replace Samir Rifai, who's been the target of criticism in protests that have been happening also in Jordan in recent days.

Ivan Watson is covering the protests in Egypt, but he has spent much of the last few weeks covering the rising tensions in Jordan. And we spoke with him a short time ago about the dismissals there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: And there is no question that the uprising that we saw in Tunisia last month that led to the ouster of the president there after more than two decades has had a ripple effect throughout the Arab world. Many of the demonstrators we're seeing here in Egypt telling me that that example that was set for them added momentum to their own protest movement. And I was hearing that in Jordan as well.

Every time I mentioned the word "Tunisia," ordinary Jordanians would immediately break into a smile. It was interesting. I interviewed a deputy prime minister in Jordan. He said in no way will the prime minister be fired, these are all just rumors. And now we see, less than 10 days later, the Jordanian government falling and a new government being appointed, presumably in hopes of trying to appease the frustrated population there -- T.J.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: You're watching NEWS STREAM, live from Hong Kong.

And still ahead, Egypt offline. As the last of the country's main Internet providers goes down, social media finds a way to circumvent the ban. We'll explain how.

And from the storm of protests to Mother Nature's wrath, they have been hit by floods, some of the worst in years. And now Australians in the state of Queensland batten down the hatches ahead of Tropical Cyclone Yasi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back.

Now, more protesters are joining the crowd in Cairo's Tahrir Square. It is the biggest group we have seen in eight days of anti-government protests.

Now, they want to topple President Hosni Mubarak. He has ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years. Mr. Mubarak swore in a new cabinet on Monday. That was not enough to stop these demonstrations.

The protests have taken a toll on Cairo. Gas stations have run dry, many shops are closed, and there are long lines for food. Banks have also been shut down for days.

The Internet is a thing of the past in Egypt, at least for now. And mobile phone networks look set to follow suit.

The last Internet service provider was shut down overnight. As you can see on the graph here, the coverage, it just falls starting 4:00 a.m. last night.

Now, Internet access in general has been restricted since late last week, before the final ISP finally went offline. And then the Interior Ministry announced plans to block phone networks ahead of the so-called "March of Millions."

As the government clamps down on communication between protesters, many of the demonstrations we've seen in Egypt have been planned online, with social media playing a pivotal role. After restrictions were placed on Internet access, engineers at Twitter and Google, they put their heads together so they could, as they put it, help people on the ground. And their answer, "Speak to Tweet."

Now, instead of typing a tweet on your mobile phone or computer, you can call one of three designated numbers and leave a voicemail message. Now, people around the world can then listen to your verbal tweets just like this one.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. This is Mona Sey (ph) from Cairo. I just wanted to let the world know that we have been disconnected from our lost point of communication through the Internet, and there's a strong word going around that we'll be again disconnected from mobile phone calls.

So I wanted everyone to know, in case you don't get any feedback from what's happening tomorrow, and I didn't want anyone to worry about us. They did this before. The only difference is the last time when they did this, I was completely freaked out. I was so scared they are going to, like, shoot us all and nobody would know about it.

This time I'm not scared at all. I feel this -- like, I want to tell them, bring it on. We are excited. We are happy.

We are going to be in Tahrir Square tomorrow. We are going to be huge. And we're going to do our march and do our protests, and Mubarak is going out.

Be with us. Bye-bye.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

STOUT: Now, modern technology and social media are at the forefront of things in Egypt, and it's not the first time.

Now, let's take a look at the way technology has been used in protests in the past.

Mobile phones and text messaging helped people topple the Philippine government in 2001. Demonstrators, as you'll recall, sent text message to one another, calling for more and more support until hundreds of thousands turned out in central Manila, calling for the resignation of then-president Joseph Estrada.

Now, we had a lot of trouble getting hold of one these today. How things have changed since Tiananmen, 1989, and the subsequent clampdown referred to as the "Fax Revolution." Now, after the event, China's thousands of fax machines were blocked for weeks as outsiders tried to get the message into the country about what really happened in Beijing's main square.

Of course, mobile phones and fax machines, they are still with us today. But do you remember these?

If you're under the age of about 25, you probably never used a cassette tape. But in the 1979 Iranian Revolution, these were all the rage. Ayatollah Khomeini was able to relay messages from France to thousands of supporters in Iran thanks to audio cassettes.

Now, still to come on NEWS STREAM, with a cyclone headed toward Australia's north coast, the state of Queensland prepares for disaster all over again.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Welcome back. Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you are watching NEWS STREAM.

Now, Egypt's capital is bracing for a million protesters to march against President Mubarak. A massive crowd is swelling in Tahrir Square. So far, the atmosphere has been peaceful.

Now, the government has tried to dampen the demonstration by suspending train lines and Internet services. The Interior Ministry also planned to shut down mobile phone networks, although we have heard coverage is spotty.

To Australia now and the flood-hit state of Queensland in particular, where a moderate breeze forecast for Wednesday morning is expected to turn into a monster cyclone by the end of the day.

Chloe Baker reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHLOE BAKER, REPORTER (voice-over): North Queenslanders were told to get out of town or to stay and prepare for a life-threatening disaster.

DEP. COMM. IAN STEWART, QUEENSLAND POLICE: Please make no mistake, this storm is a deadly event.

BAKER: As the Yasi menaced the coast, residents were bracing for the worst.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Very scary.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's pretty big, so it's very, very scary stuff.

BAKER: Today was their last chance to stock up on supplies and secure their homes.

GRAHAM BURRIDGE, CAIRNS RESIDENT: We're boarding everything up. We've screwed down the storm shutters. I'm putting plywood over all the windows.

BAKER: The giant cyclone is on target to cross the coast somewhere between Cairns and Innisfil around midnight tomorrow. Cairns' two hospitals are being evacuated.

JEANNETTE YOUNG, CHIEF HEALTH OFFICER: Those will range from intensive care patients through to mothers expecting to give birth.

BAKER: An air force Hercules will fly 250 patients to Brisbane tonight.

ANNA BLIGH, QUEENSLAND PREMIER: Across of the hospitals and the Brisbane and southeast area, these patients can be easily accommodated.

BAKER: Yasi is forecast to hit with more force than Cyclone Larry. Residents in Innisfil who survived that disaster are terrified. Flights from towns were booked out early.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we thought we might not get out tomorrow, so we decided to go today.

BAKER: Thousands are likely to be left without power for days, or even weeks.

ADAM TUCKER, CAIRNS RESIDENT: (INAUDIBLE) for a few days. So it doesn't hurt to get a (INAUDIBLE) bridge.

BAKER: All schools will close tomorrow as north Queensland shuts down for an agonizing wait.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're battening down the hatches. You know, getting ready for the worst and praying for the best, I think.

BAKER: Chloe Baker, 10 News.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(WEATHER REPORT)

STOUT: Now, still to come here on NEWS STREAM, we'll be back in Egypt with all the latest on today's massive protests and a look at just how far the unrest could spread in the region.

And Fernando is no longer a red (ph). We'll have a roundup of transfer deadline day.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout, in Hong Kong. And you are watching extensive coverage of the unrest in Egypt on NEWS STREAM.

Let's take a look at the other headlines in the news today.

Now, the Mount Shinmoedake volcano in southern Japan erupted again Tuesday morning. It was the fourth and most powerful eruption in recent days. No deaths were reported in this latest eruption, but officials say it broke about 150 windows in nearby Kirishima City. One woman was injured.

Now, the government of Haiti says it is ready to issue a diplomatic passport to this man, former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Now, Aristide has been in exile in South Africa for the past seven years and recently said he wanted to return to his home country. The news comes as the final results of Haiti's disputed first round of presidential elections are due to be announced on Wednesday.

Now protesters are packing into downtown Cairo for an eighth day of demonstrations. They are literally standing shoulder to shoulder against President Hosni Mubarak. He has shown no sign of releasing his grip on power. Some small pockets of people are showing support for Mr. Mubarak. The soldiers are standing guard, but have vowed not to fire on peaceful demonstrators.

Now technically there is a curfew in effect right now in Cairo. Protesters are defying that order yet again. Let's check in with our Ivan Watson. And Ivan, are the protests there still peaceful?

IVAN WATSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. We haven't seen any signs so far of any type of violence. There have been layers of security here, many Egyptian soldiers as well as plain clothes security, Kristie, as well as rows and rows and rows of volunteers who ask you to show your ID card and they pat you down, they ask you where you're from, and they wear little makeshift badges that say that they are part of the organizing committee.

Let's pan out across to see this, we've been here for days overlooking Freedom Square, Tahrir Square, and without question this is the biggest rally we've seen so far.

I talked to one of the opposition leaders earlier, his name is George Ishak of the Kefaya Movement, he called this a revolution. And it's hard not to get caught up in the excitement here. Take a listen to what several -- rather Egyptian protesters had to say to us earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're adult (ph) people. We are here for the spiritual of our country. This is my daughter. I've got two daughters. And all these people are here sacrificing all their (inaudible) for the benefit of these people, for the benefit of this country. I'm here to say to Hosni Mubarak, he must leave. He should be out. I'm here to say it is not good sense, not good changes, whenever Mubarak is there.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WATSON: Now Kristie, it's important to note that as this crowd was swelling throughout the morning -- and now we're past curfew as you had mentioned -- state TV was showing live video pictures of cars, traffic on one of the bridges over the Nile, not showing this massive sea of humanity that have gathered here to denounce the government of President Hosni Mubarak. And some of the opposition leaders I talked to, they've said we're putting aside difference, we're all pursuing the same goal here: a change in the government. It doesn't matter today whether we are leftists, whether we are members of the Alwah (ph) Party, or the Muslim Brotherhood we are all towards one goal.

And another important point to note here, when you ask people who is organizing this, who is driving this, what leader, what politician, everybody will tell you this is the youth -- young Egyptian, young generation facing chronic unemployment, even the educated, university graduates. And this is more of a spontaneous movement that does not have any single leader or single party driving it -- Kristie.

STOUT: Incredible. Grass roots, youth driven movement.

Ivan, I wanted to ask you about the path of today's protesters. Do the protesters behind you plan to stay in the square or will they move beyond to significant locations throughout the city?

WATSON: Well, let's try to pan this camera down. You may see some tents down here. We saw this develop last night after days and nights here for the first time people erecting tents in some of the green patches in the square, lighting camp fires underneath some of the palm trees. I spoke to some of these people, they say we are claiming this -- claiming this patch of ground as a symbol of opposition. This is called Tahrir, or Freedom Square, and we're going to stay here until we get our freedom, meaning they're not just seeing these rallies popping up here, now this is taking on an element of a sit-in. And if you pan out across this construction site, we can see there also for the first time today people have started breaking in to this sprawling construction site. Who knows, they may start moving into there.

And I'm going to try to show you one last thing, it may be difficult for our camera to show, all of this is taking place in the shadow of the burnt out shell, Kristie, of the National Democratic Party, that is the ruling party of Egypt, of Hosni Mubarak. The president has been in power for some 30 years. Now that is a burned out shell. For days there was smoke coming out of this thing. And it is empty now as this surge of people power is out in the streets next to this former symbol of the regime's power.

STOUT: Ivan Watson there. Ivan, thank you very much indeed. Truly setting the scene for us as we look at these incredible live pictures in Cairo. There, the march of million protests where scores of Egyptians as we're looking at our screen are there engaging in what Ivan described just now as a massive sit-in happening now just right before our eyes. Incredible.

After one week of protests, things are getting very tense there. And now just take a look at this video from Monday as the crowd overwhelms a group of soldiers. At least one weapon is fired before the crowd starts chanting the people and the army are one.

(VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Very dramatic moment. The look of fear on that soldiers face there.

Now this story is being told through private video clips like this one as well online, on Facebook and Twitter. And CNN's Ben Wedeman has built up a following for his take on the situation in Egypt where he has long been based.

Now let's take a look at some of his Tweets today.

Earlier today he wrote this, "Egypt army far more polite than police, but effect is the same, trying to minimize protesters' access to central Cairo."

And that was followed up by this one about Egyptian police who are back on the city streets. Ben writes this, "I've seen enough plain clothes Egypt police in my face. I've been roughed up by them to know what they look like."

And then you have this tweet from Cairo central Tahrir Square where so many of the protesters have been gathering. Ben writes, "protester in Tahrir Square says Mubarak may have thick skin, but we have sharper nail."

And then we have this next one, it's less reporting and raw emotion. Ben writes this, "good luck, Egypt. This is my home. You deserve the best. No less."

You can follow Ben and the entire CNN team in Egypt on Twitter in one simple place, just follow the Twitter list @CNNI/Egypt.

Now CNN.com is also live blogging the days' events. And you can read that on CNN.com/international.

Now pressure is mounting on President Hosni Mubarak as the demands for regime change in Egypt grow louder. But if Mr. Mubarak does give up power, just who will take his place? Now one group that is positioning itself to possibly step in is the Muslim Brotherhood. And Richard Greene looks at why that is a cause for concern for some.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RICHARD GREENE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Demonstrators in Egypt demanding that President Hosni Mubarak step down, confronted by security forces they drop to the ground and pray an inspiring sight for some, perhaps, but not for everyone. There are worries that the Muslim Brotherhood will take advantage of the chaos in Cairo.

TONY BLAIR, FRM. BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: You don't just have a government and a movement for democracy, you also have others, notably the Muslim Brotherhood, who would take this in a different direction altogether. So, you know, we need to be anxious to meet the aspirations of the people, but do it in a way that produces something better.

GREENE: Though officially banned, the Muslim Brotherhood is Egypt's oldest and largest opposition movement. But Egyptian analyst Mustafa Abulhimal says this is not the Muslim Brotherhoods revolution.

MUSTAFA ABULHIMAL, QUILLIAM FOUNDATION: The Muslim Brotherhood are not behind the organization of the protests. The Muslim Brotherhood are not inspiring the protests in the street. The Muslim Brotherhood are a small minority in among those people who are out today in the street and have been out since last week.

GREENE: And Egypt, he argues, is not Iran where Islamists took over in 1979 after what started as a popular broad-based uprising.

ABULHIMAL: The Iran revolution was taken by an Islamist, charismatic Ismalists, Islamic figure who was called Khomeni. While actually in Egypt, the charismatic figures we have in the street today or yesterday were secular figures like Mohammed ElBaradei or Iman Law (ph).

GREENE: Opposition leader Mohammed ElBaradei himself calls it a myth that al Qaeda types will take over Egypt if Mubarak falls. He says he's ready to work with the Muslim Brotherhood.

MOHAMMED ELBARADEI, OPPOSITION LEADER IN EGYPT: And I have been reaching out to them. We need to include them. They are part of the Egyptian society as much as the (inaudible) party here. I think this myth that been perpetuated and sold by the regime has no iota of reality.

GREENE: Given the protests sweeping Egypt, it's not clear whether Mubarak can stay in power. If he goes, the world may find out quickly whether the Muslim Brotherhood is a force to be feared or just one voice among many in Egypt.

Richard Greene, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

STOUT: Now the Muslim Brotherhood enjoys fairly widespread support across Egypt partly because it helps deliver social services. Now that popularity can turn the group into a powerful political force, but some are skeptical, even fearful, of the Brotherhood's political intentions. Now earlier, Jonathan Mann spoke with one Brotherhood spokesman who says his group wants democracy and freedom for all Egyptians.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMED MORSY, MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD: The people of Egypt are moving now all together. They are against Mubarak regime. That's the main notion. This is the main point, the one which the Muslim Brotherhood -- Muslim, Christians, all Egyptians from all directions are one single aim, they aiming at Mubarak regime should go. They denying. They want Mubarak regime to end. And after that, they want to accept a regime, a new regime with freedom and democracy and justice for everybody. And this can be done. It can never, ever be done while Mubarak is remaining in power. Now, Mubarak and this system has lost there authority. The people are against them. People are against them. So how can they remain? Constitution is speaking. The people (inaudible) is over even the constitution. Now the power of the people is asking to remove Mubarak's regime.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: Back now to a developing story we reported earlier this hour. Now the kind of Jordan has dismissed his government and appointed a new prime minister. Barbara Starr joins us live from the Pentagon with more -- Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well Kristie, a change of government in Jordan certainly being noticed here in Washington, Jordan a key security ally in the region for the United States. King Abdullah dismissing the government and appointing a new prime minister as you say. His name is Marouf al-Bakhit. He is a former prime minister and a military man in Jordan.

Jordan has, of course, seen a number of demonstrations, very public in recent weeks even as unrest unfolded in Egypt. Many Jordanians demonstrating in their own country for political reform, concerned about the economy there, rising food prices, unemployment, very concerned, taking to the streets and protesting against what had been the existing government. So King Abdullah now responding to that against this backdrop of unrest in Egypt and uncertainty across the region. We will see how it all sorts out, but Washington watching very carefully. Jordan, a very small country of course, but huge in importance to the United States. The king responding to his power base, if you will, which of course is both the Bedouin tribes, the Palestinians in Jordan and now appointing a new government to try and address the concerns of his people -- Kristie.

STOUT: All right. Barbara Starr, thank you very much indeed.

And stay with us, we have more to come on Egypt's popular uprising. We'll also tell you why it was a record breaking day in the English Premiere League. Yep, sports as well. That just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

STOUT: Now it is day eight of protests across Egypt. And the biggest crowd yet has come out to demand change. Now many demonstrators feel that there is no going back. They want to force President Hosni Mubarak from power. Meanwhile, the U.S. government has sent an envoy to Cairo. The anti-government demonstrations organized in Cairo, Alexandria and elsewhere in Egypt have attracted followers far beyond the country's borders. Now many Egyptians living and working in other countries have also organized protests. As far away as South Korea, we found people calling for President Mubarak to end his nearly 30 year rule.

Paula Hancocks reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Hancocks outside the Egyptian embassy here in Seoul. Now there is a small but very vocal Egyptian population here in Seoul. More than 200 Egyptian were protesting outside the embassy here on Monday calling for President Mubarak's resignation. Now the organizer of the protest says that there is going to be a bigger protest next week if Mr. Mubarak has not resigned by then after the lunar New Year holiday.

Now there are around a thousand South Koreans that currently work and live in Egypt. The Foreign Ministry says more than 100 have already left. They're putting on a special plane with Korean Air to try and get rid of some of the others that want to leave Egypt. Many of the families have returned here, but the employees themselves of companies like LG, Samsung, Hyundai say they're just going to stay in a neighboring country like Dubai in the hope that things calm down quickly.

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STOUT: Now it was a day that could make or break a club's season. And this man here, Fernando Torres, was a big mover and his replacement on (inaudible) side, Newcastle's former number 9, Andy Carroll. We'll be back with a look at the Premiership's big deadline day moves.

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STOUT: Welcome back. And time for a look at the sports headlines, and European football's winter transfer window closed on Monday night. Pedro Pinto joins me now from London. Pedro, it was a record breaking night, wasn't it?

PEDRO PINTO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: It was, indeed, Kristie. A lot of money spent. Chelsea set a new English transfer record by splashing out 50 million pounds, or $80 million on Fernando Torres. And Andy Carroll became the most expensive British player ever.

Let's start by giving you some more details on the Torres deal. He signed a 5 year contract with the current Premiere League champions after Chelsea and Liverpool finally agreed on that humongous transfer fee. The 26-year- old Spanish international had handed in a transfer request last week after becoming frustrated with Liverpool's struggles on the pitch. He's now keen to start a new chapter in his career in London.

Torres scored 82 goals in 141 games for the Reds. Manager Kenny Dalglish said he had to cash in on a player who didn't want to stay at Anfield.

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DANNY DALGLISH, LIVERPOOL COACH: The one most important thing that we all must remember in cases that remained is (ph) this club is much more important and bigger than anybody. I mean, I'll never forget that. And anybody that does is going to be (inaudible) I think, because the club is more important than any one individual. And it doesn't matter who it is, who has been through this club previously, and who is going to go through it in future. The club is the club.

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PINTO: Dalglish will now focus on nurturing a brand new attacking partnership at Anfield. Liverpool signed Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll on Monday. While the purchase of Suarez was already expected, Carroll's move was a surprise. And the word shock can be used when talking about the money the Reds paid Newcastle for his services -- $56 million. You'll be forgiven for not knowing too much about the 22-year-old striker who is now the most expensive British player ever. The big center forward has been one of the revelations of the Premiere League this season. He has scored 11 goals in 19 games for the Magpies.

We switch gears and move state-side, when it comes to losing the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to have perfected it. They lost their 21st straight game on Monday night, that's just two short of the NBA record. Their latest defeat came at the hands of their former star LeBron James.

Now the Miami Heat got off to a solid start. James driving and dishing to Dwayne Wade who gets the big slam dunk. Wade had 34 points. LeBron pitched in with 24, including a monster jam over two players in the lane right here.

Now the Cavs actually had a decent first half, but they fell apart in the 3rd quarter. This play really shows how much they struggled with their shooting. A couple of bricks they throw up and then a turnover to finish this play.

LeBron James wasn't feeling at all sorry for his former team. Another attack on the rim, gets the hoop for the tough lay-up. The Heat winning 117-90. The Cavs finish January without a single win.

Now the Cavaliers are moving in on the all-time longest losing streak in the NBA. Back in '95-'96, the Vancouver Grizzlies lost a record 23 consecutive games. That was tied two years later by the Denver Nuggets who really struggled that season. And then there's this current crop of Cavaliers who have not won in 2011 and last tasted victory on December 18th of last year.

Now I'm not expert, Kristie, but I would say one thing that they could look into switching coaches perhaps? This one doesn't seem to be working out too well.

STOUT: I was thinking something along the lines of a new good luck charm. I mean, this is just bad mojo in general. Maybe I'm just in a superstitious mood, because the new Chinese New Year is coming up around the corner. Anyway, Pedro, thank you.

Now if you think Top Gun, you think Tom Cruise, aviators, some great one- liners, and of course some truly great fighter jet dog fight sequences. And rumors have been bright that China might have liked those dog fights so much that state television used scenes in some officials Air Force footage. Now Jeanne Moos felt the need not for speed, but to unravel the mystery.

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JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Take off those sunglasses Tom Cruise and look where you may have ended up -- China's state television CCTV was showing a training drill of Chinese fighter planes doing maneuvers, but someone online noticed that missile strike looked awfully familiar.

TOM CRUISE, ACTOR: Here comes the shot.

MOOS: That sure looks like the final dog fight in the movie Top Gun. "OMG, Tom Cruise has defected," said one post.

The Wall Street Journal grabbed the footage before it was taken down from the CCTV web site and slow mo'ed it to show the debris patterns matched. Maybe CCTV just needed a nifty shot and fast.

CRUISE: I feel the need, the need for speed.

MOOS: CCTV did not feel the need for speed when we asked for comment, but gave a no comment to others.

Top Gun is backfiring on the Chinese reminds us of another doctored missile photo that blew up on the Iranians.

Iran's revolutionary guard's web site first published a shot of four missiles going up, then bloggers noticed one of the four seemed to be a composite of the others. The Iranians later updated the shot showing three missiles. One theory was they put in an extra missile to cover up a dud. At the time, CNN did its own demo.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We put this picture in Photoshop to sort of show you how easy it is. Smoke from the bottom of another missile over here, which it looks like they did, because this cloud matches over here. And then you just crab up here some of the missile there. And you can just sort of add that in --

MOOS: Even if it doesn't add up.

These days, you can't believe your eyeballs even when their seeing great balls of fire.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

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STOUT: That's a classic.

Now let's give you another check of our top story. Now we've been following the massive anti-government demonstrations happening across Egypt. The biggest crowd in eight days is still growing in Cairo's Tahrir Square. The protests against President Hosni Mubarak has been described as a grass roots movement driven by the youth, but it is a diverse crowd -- young and old, student and businessman. Now they say they are fed up with high unemployment and corruption there.

Now helicopters are hovering overhead and soldiers are standing guard. And troops, they have pledged not to shoot at peaceful protesters and so far, this demonstration has been just that. Now the government tried to reduce turnout by suspending train lines and internet service. The Interior Ministry also plan to shut down mobile phone networks, although we have heard, there is coverage and it is spotty.

Now that is NEWS STREAM. But we will continue to follow the situation in Egypt right here on CNN. "WORLD BUSINESS TODAY" is next.

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