Egypt: You say you wanna Revolution?

[frigidmagi]

Addendum:

Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square," three opposition groups said in a statement.

Mohamed ElBaradei, a prominent opposition figure, accused Mubarak of resorting to scare tactics. Opposition groups have reportedly also seized police identification cards amongst the pro-Mubarak demonstrators.

[frigidmagi]

Shots heard, knife wounds seen, bombs reported.

BBC

Egyptian anti-government protesters remain entrenched in Cairo's main square, after at least three people were killed in clashes with supporters of President Hosni Mubarak.

Hundreds of people were also wounded as rival groups fought pitched battles in and around Tahrir Square, in the worst violence in nine days of protests.

Early on Thursday gunfire was heard in the square.

The protesters are demanding President Mubarak's resignation.

His current presidential term, his fifth, ends in September.

The unrest has left about 300 people dead across the country over more than a week, according to UN estimates.

Cairo's Tahrir Square has been the main focus of the protests.

The BBC's Yolande Knell in Cairo says the situation there remained tense on Wednesday night, with fires burning outside the Egyptian Museum.

The violence began when thousands of supporters of President Mubarak surged into the square early on Wednesday.

One anti-government protester told the BBC that the pro-Mubarak activists had initiated the fighting.

"They started throwing stones at us," the man, named as Zaccaria, said. "Then some of us started throwing stones at them and then we chased them out of the square. They returned once again with the horses and the whips and the thugs."

Opposition supporters say many in the pro-government camp were paid by the authorities to demonstrate, and allowed into the square by the troops surrounding it.

The two sides pelted each other with stones in running battles lasting for hours.

Egyptian troops refused to intervene, but fired into the air to try to disperse people.

Egyptian Health Minister Ahmed Sameh Farid told the Associated Press news agency a member of the security forces died when he fell off a bridge.

Two other people died from unspecified wounds in hospital, he added. It was not clear whether they were critics or supporters of Mr Mubarak.

As darkness fell, people were seen throwing chunks of concrete and petrol bombs from rooftops on to the protesters below.

The clashes later died down, although there were petrol bomb incidents into the night.

Clashes between the rival groups were also reported in Egypt's second city, Alexandria.


Gunfire was heard as rival groups of stone-throwing demonstrators fought pitched battles in Tahrir Square
International reactions
Late on Wednesday Vice-President Omar Suleiman urged "all citizens to return to their homes and abide by the curfew".

The violence drew condemnation from British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Mr Ban said: "Any attack against the peaceful demonstrators is unacceptable and I strongly condemn it."

In Washington, the state department reiterated a call for all sides to show restraint.

In its earlier statement, Egypt's army called for demonstrators to return to their homes.

"Your message has arrived, your demands became known... you are capable of bringing normal life to Egypt," said a spokesman in a message broadcast on state television.

In a speech on Tuesday night Mr Mubarak - who has been in office for nearly 30 years - promised to leave at the next polls and pledged constitutional reform.

He said he would devote his remaining time in power to ensuring a peaceful transition.

US President Barack Obama responded by saying an orderly transition "must begin now".

Opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei dismissed Mr Mubarak's move as "a trick" to stay in power, and Tahrir Square protesters have vowed to continue their demonstrations until Mr Mubarak quits.

Abdelhalim Kandil, leader of Egypt's Kifaya (Enough) opposition movement, said Mr Mubarak's offer not to serve a sixth term was not enough.

"I will tell you very simply that there is an unprecedented popular movement that rejects the presence of the president on a scope that has not been seen before, that is calling for the will of the people to be imposed," he said.

If Mr Mubarak does not step down, demonstrators have planned to march on the presidential palace.

Meanwhile, internet services were returning to the country, having been cut off for days by the government.

Al Jazeera

Most of the protesters do not believe that Mubarak will actually leave in September if they disband.

[SirNitram]

The Obama Administration has been insisting the transition starts immediately. It appears, however, they're losing their patience.

Link

[quote]The White House appeared to be losing patience with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as democratic protests in the Middle Eastern country turned violent.



With Mubarak giving no indication he would leave office before a fall presidential election and demonstrators demanding his immediate removal from office, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Wednesday took a firmer stance than President Obama did in remarks Tuesday night calling for a "transition" of power.

Although Gibbs continued to be vague about what that should look like, he said Obama was clear in telling Mubarak that "the time for change had come.â€

[fgalkin]

I was originally sympathetic to the protesters, but then I found out that Egypt has a 95% rate of Female Genital Mutilation. Mubarak tried to ban the practice repeatedly, but no one listened, and 9 out of 10 Egyptian women are still clitoris-free.

So, fuck them. They get democracy when they stop being bronze age savages. Until then, a dictator is all they deserve.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

[rhoenix]

I was originally sympathetic to the protesters, but then I found out that Egypt has a 95% rate of Female Genital Mutilation. Mubarak tried to ban the practice repeatedly, but no one listened, and 9 out of 10 Egyptian women are still clitoris-free.

So, fuck them. They get democracy when they stop being bronze age savages. Until then, a dictator is all they deserve.

You fail at trolling. I'd suggest more practice.

[frigidmagi]

Muslim Brotherhood splits, Government line takes hold.


[quote]Three senior leaders of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, all of whom have suffered arbitrary imprisonment and torture at the hands of President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, sat shoulder to shoulder at a press conference in what should have been a moment of great triumph.

Two Brothers had just come from the group's first formal talks ever with a government that has hounded the Brotherhood, Egypt’s oldest and best-organized opposition group, for generations. Along with secular democracy activists and reform-minded tycoons, they sought to present a united front for reform to Vice President Omar Suleiman, the former spymaster whose career was largely built on crushing Islamist movements.

But the moment had a hint of a climbdown. The Brotherhood backed off its demand that Mr. Mubarak step down immediately and make other concessions, for apparently little concrete in return. Suddenly, the one clear demand uniting them with the youths in Cairo's Tahrir Square – Mubarak's resignation – was gone.

The Sunday afternoon talks drew outrage in the square, where protesters described the Brother's concessions as helping the establishment buy time and find a way to preserve one-party rule here beyond September elections, in which Mr. Mubarak has promised not to run. They also expressed concern that Mr. Suleiman was leading the reform movement into a trap.

“I don’t know what [senior Brotherhood leader Esam el-] Erian is thinking, I really don’t,â€

[frigidmagi]

BBC

Egypt is increasing pay and pensions for public-sector workers by 15% as protesters defy attempts to return the country to normality.

Banks have re-opened, but the stock exchange will not resume trading until Sunday 13 February and the Egyptian pound has fallen to a six-year low.

The government put up $2.2bn of short-term debt up for auction to inject money into the battered economy.

Thousands of protesters have stayed in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a 14th day.

They say they will only leave when President Hosni Mubarak stands down.

The Obama administration is still watching to see if the Egyptian Government is serious about change. So far, they are not convinced. Their end game hasn't altered.

What US policymakers want amounts to the current Egyptian government's pro-Western policy, plus democratic legitimacy, plus stability. They believe for that to happen, peace on the streets is essential and serious negotiations about the path to elections are vital.

They haven't changed their mind about Mr Mubarak: they would still like him to go sooner than September. They just accept that this may not happen.

The Egyptian cabinet - reshuffled on 31 January, when President Mubarak sacked several ministers - met in its new form for the first time on Monday afternoon and agreed to raise public-sector salaries and pensions by 15%.

Finance Minister Samir Radwan allocated about 6.5bn Egyptian pounds (£677m; $960m) to cover the increases for six million employees.

The Egyptian government auctioned off $2.2bn (£1.55bn) in short-term debt, having cancelled a previous auction last week. It is seeking to revive an economy said to be losing at least $310m a day.

However, the Cairo stock exchange, which was originally supposed to re-open on Monday, will now not resume trading until Sunday 13 February. It has been closed since 27 January, when 70bn Egyptian pounds (£7.3bn; $12bn) was wiped off shares over two days.

Schools remain closed, and a curfew is still in force in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez. However, the hours of curfew - which has been widely flouted - have been relaxed. It now runs from 2000 to 0600 local time (1800-0400 GMT).

US President Barack Obama hailed the negotiations which took place on Sunday between the government and the protesters.

"Obviously, Egypt has to negotiate a path and they're making progress," he said after a speech at the US Chamber of Commerce.

The Obama administration has previously said efforts to force Mr Mubarak's resignation could trigger elections before opposition groups were fully ready to participate.

Leading businessman Naguib Sawiris is calling on the protesters to accept that Mr Mubarak will remain in office until the next elections, in September.

Mr Sawiris, who played a key role in establishing a committee of "wise men" to negotiate with Vice-President Omar Suleiman, said the differences on the timing of President's Mubarak's departure were a stumbling block in the negotiations.
Undated photo of Google executive Wael Ghonim Wael Ghonim, a prominent activist, has been released after 11 days' detention

In a BBC interview he said a big segment of the country - including the army - did not want to see the president, a war hero, humiliated.

The president's legitimacy was now broken, he said, but there was no mechanism yet for the interim period.

Meanwhile, Google marketing executive and pro-democracy activist Wael Ghonim, missing since 28 January, has been freed, Google said.

"Huge relief - Wael Ghonim has been released. Huge love to him and his family," Google said on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

It was not immediately clear who or what organisation had been holding him.
Human rights concerns

Meanwhile, Germany has announced it will not export any more arms to Egypt until further notice.

The German economy ministry says it is acting over concerns about Egypt's human rights record. Last year, Germany sold 22 million euros' (£18.5m; $30m) worth of arms to Egypt.

Export permits already granted are to be re-investigated, the ministry said in a statement.

Nato Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned that the protests in Egypt and the Arab world could fuel illegal immigration to Europe.

"Instability in the region as such may also, in the longer-term perspective, have a negative impact on the economies, which might lead to illegal immigration in Europe," Mr Rasmussen told a news briefing in Brussels.

However, the situation did not pose a direct threat to Nato, he added.

In a separate development, one Egyptian security officer was injured when four rocket-propelled grenades were fired at a security forces barracks in Rafah on the Gaza Strip border, officials said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind Monday morning's attack, which Egyptian state television blamed on "extremist groups aiming to undermine security".

Mubarak is trying bribery as well.

[frigidmagi]

16 DAYS!

Anti-government protests in the Egyptian capital Cairo have spread to the country's parliament, with access blocked by demonstrators.

Soldiers are guarding the People's Assembly building after a 16th consecutive day of protests.

They took place despite a warning by Vice-President Omar Suleiman that demonstrations must end.

There are reports of widespread industrial action, and of protests outside Cairo turning violent.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in Cairo, says the protesters regard the People's Assembly as illegitimate following general elections late last year which were widely regarded as rigged in favour of President Hosni Mubarak's ruling party, which won a massive majority.

Nearby Tahrir Square remains the focal point of protests calling for an end to President Mubarak's 30-year rule, with thousands of demonstrators present, some camping there overnight.

The Associated Press (AP) news agency reports that the capital also saw protests by state electricity workers and museum workers on Wednesday. However, Egypt's most famous tourist attraction, the Pyramids of Giza, reopened to tourists.

Outside Cairo:

* At least two people have been killed during rioting at the southern Kharga oasis, with reports that police opened fire on demonstrators with live ammunition
* AP reports that 8,000 protesters in the southern province of Assiut blocked the main highway and railway to Cairo with burning palm trees
* In Port Said, hundreds of protesters set fire to the governorate building
* At the Suez Canal, the state-owned trade link between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, about 6,000 state workers have gone on strike - but the action is not affecting the passage of ships

Late on Tuesday night, Mr Suleiman said the crisis must end, adding: "We don't want to deal with Egyptian society with police tools."

He warned that if dialogue with the protesters failed, the alternative was "that a coup happens, which would mean uncalculated and hasty steps, including lots of irrationalities".

Opposition groups reacted angrily to his remarks. They fear the government is stalling for time and will fail to enact meaningful changes.

Abdul-Rahman Samir, a spokesman for a coalition of youth protest groups, accused Mr Suleiman of creating a "disastrous scenario", according to the Associated Press news agency.

"He is threatening to impose martial law, which means everybody in the square will be smashed," AP quoted Mr Samir as saying. "But what would he do with the rest of 70 million Egyptians who will follow us afterward?"

The US has called on the Egyptian government to lift its 30-year state of emergency and to stop harassing journalists and activists.

US Vice-President Joe Biden told Mr Suleiman in a phone call that the transition should produce "immediate, irreversible progress that responds to the aspirations of the Egyptian people".

The government has announced plans for a peaceful transition, with President Hosni Mubarak to stay in office until elections in September.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) researchers say they have confirmed the deaths of 297 people since 28 January, based on a count from eight hospitals in the cities of Cairo, Alexandria and Suez.

No comprehensive death toll has been given by the Egyptian government.

At the scene
Yolande Knell BBC News, Cairo

The road sign on People's Assembly Street, the address of the building housing Egypt's lower house of parliament, has been altered with a black marker pen. It now reads simply "People's Street".

The occupation of nearby Tahrir Square has been extended to the pavements here. Several hundred people are now massed outside the impressive white and gold building.

"Illegitimate," is the cry that goes up from one crowd as they shake their fists. Others have spread blankets on the ground and hung up plastic sheets to make a makeshift campsite.

While human chains of volunteers now inspect all those entering the street, there are soldiers with guns on duty behind the railings of the empty government buildings. Nevertheless the mood is peaceful.

The demonstrators may not have achieved one of their goals of dissolving parliament, but they have stopped it from carrying out its normal business.

[The Minx]

Looks like the protesters won:

Link

Cairo, Egypt (CNN) -- Embattled President Hosni Mubarak's three-decade authoritarian rule in Egypt could possibly come to an end Thursday night, CIA Director Leon Panetta told the U.S. Congress.

"As you can see I got the same information you did which is there is a strong likelihood that Mubarak may step down this evening, which would be significant in terms of where the hopefully orderly transition in Egypt takes place," Panetta said.

Mubarak has agreed to yield power to his vice president, a senior U.S. official told CNN, citing contacts within the Egyptian government.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information, tempered his remarks by saying: "We need to see it happen."

But the official said the information came from reliable and ranking officials in the Mubarak regime. Asked when the transfer of power might take place, the official said: "We are told soon is the plan."

State TV reported Mubarak will address the nation on Thursday from the presidential headquarters in Cairo.

The secretary-general of Egypt's ruling party told CNN Thursday that a transition was underway and he expected Mubarak to address the nation soon. But he said did not have confirmation that Mubarak intended to step down Thursday.

Hossam Badrawi, a prominent doctor who was appointed to the ruling party's post last Saturday, told CNN he believed Mubarak's words would "accommodate the protesters."

Badrawi indicated that the transition process had been accelerated but he was unclear exactly when Mubarak might step down. He said certain constitutional reforms have to be implemented before the president can relinquish power.

"They won," said Badrawi, referring to the protesters.

The comments came as pressure intensified on Mubarak's regime.

The mass demonstrations, despite stern government warnings of military intervention, remained relentless Thursday and thousands of workers in vital industries walked off their jobs in a show of solidarity with demonstrators demanding change.

The enthusiasm of the wildly cheering, boisterous crowds peaked Thursday evening in Cairo's Tahrir Square as reports circulated that their demand that Mubarak leave immediately might soon be met.

The military remained out in force and many believe Egypt's future hinges on the role it will play. Senior military officers were meeting Thursday to discuss "what can be achieved to preserve the homeland."

Panetta said the military will play a critical role.

"The loyalty of the military is now something we have to pay attention to because it is not always one that will respond to what a dictator may or may not want," Panetta said.

Earlier in the day, protesting lawyers toppled barricades near Abdeen Palace, the former home of Egypt's monarchy and a symbol of power. Armed police, who had disappeared from the streets of Cairo as the uprising gained momentum, waited behind metal fences.

But the police fled and the crowd surged amid the roar of thunder on a rainy day. "God is great," they chanted.

Unable to enter the palace -- which was under heavy army protection -- the group of lawyers headed to Tahrir Square, where on the 17th day of the revolt, massive crowds again gathered to call for the immediate departure of Mubarak.

The demonstrations were galvanized earlier in the week by the words and tears of freed cyberactivist Wael Ghonim, who emerged as a reluctant hero of Egypt's uprising.

Ghonim, on leave from his marketing job with the search engine Google in Dubai, was seized by security forces and held for 10 days before being released.

Credited with starting a Facebook page that triggered the protests, Ghonim said on Twitter Thursday: "Mission accomplished. Thanks to all the brave young Egyptians."

Mubarak's foes were re-energized again Thursday by strikes called by petroleum, railway and telecommunications employees seeking better compensation.

Oil workers demanded transparency in executive salaries, said Hamdi Abdel-Aziz, a spokesman for the petroleum ministry.

National Railway Council employees called for longer contracts, prompting a pledge to extend them from their leaders. Some did not return to work Thursday, said Mostafa Qinawi, head of the Railway Council.

Employees of the steel industry and the Suez Canal Port Authority also took to the streets to demand better salaries, said the state-run al-Ahram newspaper. That sparked fears that the Suez Canal -- a significant oil transport hub and major revenue source for Egypt -- would shut down and send oil prices skyrocketing.

Egypt's finance minister said the nation will "do its utmost best" to ensure the canal remains open.

"All precautions are taken to prevent any sabotage from outside to the Suez Canal," Samir Hadwan told CNN. "The Suez Canal is safe and the Egyptian Army -- I don't talk on their behalf -- but I can assure you it will do whatever is in its power to keep that open."

In the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, Egypt's second largest, street cleaners and administrative staff went on strike over what they say is a salary freeze. At least 1,000 engineers protested contracts and financial compensations, officials said.

Thursday's demonstrations unfolded with vigor despite escalating fears of a government crackdown. Key government officials have sought to portray an immediate departure for Mubarak as a recipe for absolute mayhem and warned of military intervention.

That could lead to a "dangerous" situation, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in two interviews Wednesday with PBS' "Newshour" and Al-Arabiya television.

"Do we want the armed forces to assume the responsibility of stabilizing the nation through imposing martial law and the army in the streets?" Aboul Gheit said on PBS. "For the army to rule, to step in, to put its friends on the scene, that would be a very dangerous possibility."

He said the president will not relinquish power immediately because his interest is to protect the stability of the nation.

"He thinks that it would entail chaos and it would entail violence and it would entail also opportunities for those who would wish to act in a manner to threaten the state, the stability of the country and society," Aboul Gheit said.

Human Rights Watch has been deeply critical of the government's handling of the crisis.

"Instead of running scared, the regime is fighting back with both words and violence to quash its opponents, portraying the opposition as a foreign-backed, un-Egyptian group of conspirators," the monitoring group said in a statement Wednesday.

The group has documented 302 deaths since the January 25 rally that ignited Egypt's revolt.

Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq said on state television Thursday that he has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate events since the demonstrations began. The five-member panel has the authority to call on witnesses, Shafiq said.

The unrest on Wednesday extended beyond Cairo. Four people were killed in clashes with police in southern Egypt, state TV reported, leading to the firing of a police chief in Kharga.

Congratulations to Egypt! It really was only a matter of time after the army declared that they would not use force against the protesters.

[General Havoc]

It's not decided yet...

[The Minx]

If he can avoid stepping down at this stage, then serves me right for getting my hopes up.

[General Havoc]

Whether he steps down or not, there's a significant likelihood that he will transfer his powers to his vice president and simply step aside, leaving his regime more or less in place. If he does that, I expect the protesters to utterly reject this option, and then things are going to get very explosive.

[General Havoc]

Listening to Mubarrak speaking now. He's not stepping down, nor yielding power at all. He's making vague legal promises of eventual transfer of power in September.

[Derek Thunder]

Whether he steps down or not, there's a significant likelihood that he will transfer his powers to his vice president and simply step aside, leaving his regime more or less in place. If he does that, I expect the protesters to utterly reject this option, and then things are going to get very explosive.

I hope that the Egyptian people reject Suleiman, it would be like Stalin naming Beria to be his successor. I also hope the Obama administration doesn't come to see a Suleiman regime to be an acceptable transitional government, because he seems like the sort of fellow that would come to power, then make his 'transitional' government stubbornly permanent (on top of a tall mountain of skulls).

-fgalkin

Step up yo game, son.

[The Minx]

This is not going to go down well.

EDIT:

Link

[Update 11:05 p.m. in Cairo, 4:05 p.m. ET] "This guy is calling for more rage in the country," a protester in Tahrir Square tells CNN's Fred Pleitgen after Mubarak speaks. "This guy doesn't want to leave in peace."

[Update 11:00 p.m. in Cairo, 4:00 p.m. ET] The crowd in Tahrir Square erupts into roars of "get out" as Mubarak announces he will not step down.

"I will not submit to any international pressures," he says. "I love Egypt, I I have worked hard for its renaissance and I have never tried to have more authority, and I think the majority of other people here know very well who Hosni Mubarak is and it hurts my heart when I see and I hear from my own people."

[Update 10:55 p.m. in Cairo, 3:55 p.m. ET] "President Hosni Mubarak announced Thursday that he "will follow the track of peaceful transition until September." He also said he will hold accountable those who fomented violence against demonstrators during the past two weeks.

[Derek Thunder]

Man, fuck that guy.

[The Minx]

Link

[Update 11:15 p.m. in Cairo, 4:15 p.m. ET] Some protesters begin to leave in Cairo's Tahrir Square in the direction of the presidential palace, CNN's Ivan Watson reports.

Things might get rather ugly. It looks like the army may have to take a more decisive role in ending the crisis if they start storming the presidential palace.

[General Havoc]

Suleiman just made his speech following Mubarak's, and if anything it was even more chilling. He said that the youth of the country should go home and get back to work and not listen to foreigners that were trying to destroy Egypt. He also said that they should "remain conscious of the dangers that surround them" which sounds to me like a threat.

The BBC described the crowd's reaction to the speech as an "Almighty, angry roar"

I think this is about to explode.

[Soontir948]

Suleiman's speech sounded like he was subtly calling the protesters traitors. I don't think he gave them a choice after that.

[General Havoc]

Mohammed ElBaradei just twittered the following:

Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now.

[The Minx]

Link

Update 12:40 p.m. in Cairo, 5:40 p.m. ET President Hosni Mubarak has transfered all effective powers of the presidency to Vice President Omar Suleiman, making Suleiman the de-facto president of Egypt, the Egyptian Ambassador to the United States said.

"The president did indicate very clearly he was transferring all his presidential authority to the vice president," Sameh Shoukry told CNN's Wolf Blitzer. "President Mubarak has transferred the powers of the presidency to his vice president, who will now undertake all authority as president."

That makes Suleiman the head of the military, according to Shoukry, attributing the information to the Egyptian government.

[Update 12:25 p.m. in Cairo, 5:25 p.m. ET] CNN's Ivan Watson says you need only look at the network of tents and a makeshift wooden shelter erected in the middle of Tahrir Square for evidence of what people are planning to do next: "These people are not going. 'When he leaves, we leave.' This is just the beginning."

So Suleiman is now in charge, though no doubt Mubarak remains influential behind the scenes. I don't think the people are going to accept this shell game, especially at this stage.

[General Havoc]

No, I think that means something else entirely.

Mubarak just said to the entire country that he was not stepping down, and now the ambassador is claiming he IS stepping down in favor of his vice president, all while the Army is claiming they are trying to figure out what to do.

I think nobody's in charge at the moment, and the government is speaking with many voices.

[Soontir948]

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has resigned from his post, handing over power to the armed forces.

Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, announced in a televised address that the president was "waiving" his office, and had handed over authority to the Supreme Council of the armed forces.

Suleiman's short statement was received with a roar of approval and by celebratory chanting and flag-waving from a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as well by pro-democracy campaigners who attended protests across the country on Friday.

The crowd in Tahrir chanted "We have brought down the regime", while many were seen crying, cheering and embracing one another.

Mohamed ElBaradei, an opposition leader, hailed the moment as being the "greatest day of my life", in comments to the Associated Press news agency.

"The country has been liberated after decades of repression,'' he said.

"Tonight, after all of these weeks of frustration, of violence, of intimidation ... today the people of Egypt undoubtedly [feel they] have been heard, not only by the president, but by people all around the world," our correspondent at Tahrir Square reported, following the announcement.

"The sense of euphoria is simply indescribable," our correspondent at Mubarak's Heliopolis presidential palace, where at least ten thousand pro-democracy activists had gathered, said.

"I have waited, I have worked all my adult life to see the power of the people come to the fore and show itself. I am speechless." Dina Magdi, a pro-democracy campaigner in Tahrir Square told Al Jazeera.

"The moment is not only about Mubarak stepping down, it is also about people's power to bring about the change that no-one ... thought possible."

In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, our correspondent described an "explosion of emotion". He said that hundreds of thousands were celebrating in the streets.

Pro-democracy activists in the Egyptian capital and elsewhere had earlier marched on presidential palaces, state television buildings and other government installations on Friday, the 18th consecutive day of protests.

Anger at state television

At the state television building earlier in the day, thousands had blocked people from entering or leaving, accusing the broadcaster of supporting the current government and of not truthfully reporting on the protests.

"The military has stood aside and people are flooding through [a gap where barbed wire has been moved aside]," Al Jazeera's correspondent at the state television building reported.

He said that "a lot of anger [was] generated" after Mubarak's speech last night, where he repeated his vow to complete his term as president.

'Gaining momentum'

Outside the palace in Heliopolis, where at least ten thousand protesters had gathered in Cairo, another Al Jazeera correspondent reported that there was a strong military presence, but that there was "no indication that the military want[ed] to crack down on protesters".

She said that army officers had engaged in dialogue with protesters, and that remarks had been largely "friendly".

Tanks and military personnel had been deployed to bolster barricades around the palace.

Our correspondent said the crowd in Heliopolis was "gaining momentum by the moment", and that the crowd had gone into a frenzy when two helicopters were seen in the air around the palace grounds.

"By all accounts this is a highly civilised gathering. people are separated from the palace by merely a barbed wire ... but nobody has even attempted to cross that wire," she said.

As crowds grew outside the palace, Mubarak left Cairo on Friday for the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Shaikh, according to sources who spoke to Al Jazeera.

In Tahrir Square, hundreds of thousands of protesters gathered, chanting slogans against Mubarak and calling for the military to join them in their demands.

Our correspondent at the square said the "masses" of pro-democracy campaigners there appeared to have "clear resolution" and "bigger resolve" to achieve their goals than ever before.

However, he also said that protesters were "confused by mixed messages" coming from the army, which has at times told them that their demands will be met, yet in communiques and other statements supported Mubarak's staying in power until at least September.

Army statement

In a statement read out on state television at midday on Friday, the military announced that it would lift a 30-year-old emergency law but only "as soon as the current circumstances end".

The military said it would also guarantee changes to the constitution as well as a free and fair election, and it called for normal business activity to resume.

Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tahrir Square said people there were hugely disappointed with that army statement, and had vowed to take the protests to "a last and final stage".

"They're frustrated, they're angry, and they say protests need to go beyond Liberation [Tahrir] Square, to the doorstep of political institutions," she said.

Protest organisers have called for 20 million people to come out on "Farewell Friday" in a final attempt to force Mubarak to step down.

Alexandria protests

Hossam El Hamalawy, a pro-democracy organiser and member of the Socialist Studies Centre, said protesters were heading towards the presidential palace from multiple directions, calling on the army to side with them and remove Mubarak.

"People are extremely angry after yesterday's speech," he told Al Jazeera. "Anything can happen at the moment. There is self-restraint all over but at the same time I honestly can't tell you what the next step will be ... At this time, we don't trust them [the army commanders] at all."

An Al Jazeera reporter overlooking Tahrir said the side streets leading into the square were filling up with crowds.

"It's an incredible scene. From what I can judge, there are more people here today than yesterday night," she said.

"The military has not gone into the square except some top commanders, one asking people to go home ... I don't see any kind of tensions between the people and the army but all of this might change very soon if the army is seen as not being on the side of the people."

Hundreds of thousands were participating in Friday prayers outside a mosque in downtown Alexandria, Egypt's second biggest city.

Thousands of pro-democracy campaigners also gathered outside a presidential palace in Alexandria.

Egyptian television reported that large angry crowds were heading from Giza, adjacent to Cairo, towards Tahrir Square and some would march on the presidential palace.

Protests are also being held in the cities of Mansoura, Mahala, Tanta, Ismailia, and Suez, with thousands in attendance.

Violence was reported in the north Sinai town of el-Arish, where protesters attempted to storm a police station. At least one person was killed, and 20 wounded in that attack, our correspondent said.

Dismay at earlier statement

In a televised address to the nation on Thursday, Mubarak said he was handing "the functions of the president" to Vice-President Omar Suleiman. But the move means he retains his title of president.

Halfway through his much-awaited speech late at night, anticipation turned into anger among protesters camped in Tahrir Square who began taking off their shoes and waving them in the air.

Immediately after Mubarak's speech, Suleiman called on the protesters to "go home" and asked Egyptians to "unite and look to the future."

Union workers have joined the protests over the past few days, effectively crippling transportation and several industries, and dealing a sharper blow to Mubarak’s embattled regime.

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

[General Havoc]

My god... two gerontocrat arab dictators overthrown by popular, internet-fueled uprisings in as many months.

Who would have ever thought it possible?

[The Minx]

Awesome!

Now the great worry is how the army handles the transition. At least now there is hope for change.