Egypt protests – live updates

After the fourth and most deadly day of protest against Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year rule , the Egyptian president is set to appoint a new government today. Follow all the latest developments and reaction here 10.25am: Peter Beaumont has just rung in from Cairo with the latest from Tahrir Square. He said that although a number of army tanks are parked around the square the military has so far not intervened in the clashes between protesters and the police. The army seems unphased. Some people were even helping the army clear up after yesterday’s demonstrations. Protesters threw stones at riot police trying to enter the square, according to Associated Press. Officers responded with a barrage of teargas and rubber bullets. The army has sealed off the road leading to the parliament and cabinet buildings, the agency reports. Smoke is still billowing from the governing NDP party’s headquarters, which protesters set alight during yesterday’s unrest. 9.57am: Good morning, this is David Batty with the latest from Egypt where President Hosni Mubarak last night made his first appearance after four days of unrest, announcing that he was sacking his cabinet. But his address on state television in which he accused protesters of abusing the freedoms he had given them seems unlikely to appease protesters who are preparing to mount more mass demonstrations against his regime today. Peter Beaumont and Jack Shenker, who are covering the protests for the Guardian, will be filing updates from Cairo throughout the day. We’ll also be bringing you the latest from the UK and international media, including a review of today’s papers. But first, here’s a roundup of the main events overnight and this morning – the fifth day of protests: • Hundreds of anti-government protesters have again taken to the streets of central Cairo today, chanting slogans against Mubarak and clashing with police. Protesters have clashed with riot police trying to enter the central Tahrir Square but soldiers parked in tanks have not yet intervened. • In a late-night TV address, Mubarak dismissed his government and said a new cabinet would be announced today. He refused to step down but promised to promote democracy. He also defended the role of the security forces in tackling the unrest. • Tens of thousands of people took part in protests in Cairo, Suez, Alexandria and other cities yesterday. Demonstrators set fire to the headquarters of the governing NDP party and besieged state TV and the foreign ministry. By this morning, the army had replaced police in guarding government buildings and other key areas around the capital. • Hospital sources said at least 13 people were killed in Suez yesterday and five in Cairo, with more than 1,000 wounded. That brings the death toll since the protests began to 26 people. • Speaking after Mubarak’s TV address, the US president, Barack Obama, said he had spoken at length with the Egyptian leader and urged him to turn “a moment of volatility” into “a moment of promise” . Egypt Protest David Batty guardian.co.uk

Posted by on January 29, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry