It’s day 16 of protests in Egypt and demonstrators say they won’t let up until President Hosni Mubarak steps down. Ultimately, the activists on the streets are demanding free and fair elections and a commitment to a democratic government. We’ve talked in depth about the intersection of democracy and Islam in the Middle East, and the challenges of trying to blend the two ideals. But in Southeast Asia, Muslim nations like Indonesia and Malaysia have relatively successful democracies. What makes democracy in those populous Muslim countries work?

An 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the shore of Samoa and American Samoa early yesterday. The huge earthquake launched a tsunami that has devastated the Samoa islands and killed at least 75 people as it tore through villages and resorts. Ian Cooper has been living in Samoa for the past five years and saw his diving business destroyed by the enormous wave. Meraiah Foley, a reporter for The New York Times, joins us from Sydney, Australia with the local reaction and response.

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Donald G. McNeil Jr., a science reporter for The New York Times, joins us with a look at what could be a significant breakthrough in the fight against the spread of HIV. Researchers have announced the results of a six-year, 16,000-person study in Thailand, and it appears that an experimental HIV vaccine has cut the risk of infection by almost one-third when compared to a placebo. This is the first time a vaccine has cut the risk of infection at all.

The sole surviving gunman of the brutal attacks in Mumbai, India last month is now awaiting trial. Yesterday, India's prime minister turned over some of the state's investigation into those attacks to Pakistan in the hopes of making bilateral commitments to get to the bottom of the attacks. Included in the dossier is a description of the attacks as so sophisticated that they must have had help from official Pakistani agencies. Nazes Afroz, the BBC's South Asia editor, joins The Takeaway to discuss the ongoing situation.