10h50: Jan25Voices tweets: Near Tahrir "we are shopping for brooms and plastic bags to take to the demonstration. A positive image is critical".
10h43: The Middle East is diseased with stagnation and its leaders must "upgrade" themselves and their societies to keep up with the demands of their people, Syrian President Bashir al-Assad says, according to AFP news agency.
10h42: Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper in London, says: "There is a huge gap between Egypt's old and ailing rulers and those they rule, 50% of whom are under 25. Egypt's people are saying we need a leadership which understands our society and can provide us with us jobs and food. We need completely fresh faces to guide us to a more dignified future."
10h36: Oil producers' cartel Opec is watching the situation in Egypt but will only add more supply to the oil market if there is a real shortage, Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri says according to Reuters.
10h33 : Thousands of people are filling Tahrir Square, reports the BBC's Tim Willcox. "The army has to choose between Egypt and Mubarak," one banner reads. A key question is how the army will respond if the police get tough on demonstrators.
10h31: Egyptian Novelist Ahdaf Soueif tells the BBC World Service that so far the behaviour of the army has been "unfailingly courteous". "Basically what we've got so far is the army actually safeguarding the streets and working with the people. The young people and the activists on the streets are talking to the army, are standing with soldiers, sharing tea and biscuits with them, everything so far is very friendly."
10h26: Jane Sarhan from Lancashire, the UK, who is currently stuck in Alexandria tells us: "We travelled to Egypt last Sunday for a family wedding. The wedding was scheduled to take place on Saturday night at 2000. Unfortunately, the curfew was enforced. The wedding ceremony, which initially had 200 guests, ended up being held in our apartment with only 10 guests. The bride was very distraught.\r\r"Bizarrely, we are now getting used to the sound of tanks on the street and the sound of gunfire outside our apartment block. Local people have organised a quasi neighbourhood watch. They've set up road blocks and are armed with pieces of wood and kitchen knives. Last night they found three potential looters and handed them over to the army who are stationed near our building...\r\r"[UK Foreign Secretary] William Hague is saying that people should leave but nothing is in place to assist that to happen. Other countries are helping their nationals to get out of the country, so why are we not doing the same? Can't the Navy help?"\r
10h12: The evening curfew will begin at 1500 local time, the BBC hears - the curfew seems to begin earlier every day but many people are ignoring it.
10h08: Egypt's stock exchange will be closed on Tuesday for a third straight day because of the protests, an official at the bourse tells Reuters news agency.
10h07: International ratings agency Moody's cuts Egypt's government bond rating and revises its outlook to negative, at least the second downward revision by an international ratings agency since the mass demonstrations began, reports Associated Press. It says its cut is driven by the unrest, noting that "Egypt suffers from deep-seated political and socio-economic challenges".
10h04: The BBC's Jim Muir in Tahrir Square says people are gathering there - there are some 4-5,000 there now - and chanting slogans. But he says they are beginning to worry what they will do if Mr Mubarak refuses to step down. They say are not satisfied with cabinet reshuffles; they want wholesale change.
09h32 : Colette Forrest, a UK schoolteacher in Cairo: Everything is closed: schools, shops, banks, nothing is working. Everyone is adamant they will not leave the streets until Mubarak stands down. We want to get back to the UK but staff at the UK embassy are just reading from a script and won't give us specific advice.
09h16 : Peter Bouckeart from the US-based Human Rights Watch group has just arrived back in Cairo from Alexandria. He says he is less concerned than many about what is happening. "It is remarkable to see how people are forming their own local committees to provide security; these are NOT vigilante groups - they are being carefully controlled and they are handing over looters to army. They are part of a web of local popular structures which are springing up - there are street-level, neighbourhood committees and city-wide committees. "People seem very hopeful about their future."
09h15 : Ahmed al-Gaddar, a protester in Cairo, says: "Last night I stayed home, protecting private properties in the district where I live. The plan was: some of my friends would be staying in Tahrir, this morning they'll replace us, they'll get back home and we're going to rejoin at Tahrir Square. So we're switching, we're shifting, we're doing shifts in Tahrir Square." He says the army are co-operating with these locally organised security groups.
09h13 : The BBC's Jon Donnison in Jerusalem says Israeli ministers have been ordered not to say anything about the events in Egypt, such are the sensitivities involved. "Israel wants stability, and there is clearly a lack of that at the moment."
09h01 : The BBC's Tim Willcox in Cairo says: Local reports suggesting the Egyptian opposition are calling for a general strike to be held today and a "million-strong march" tomorrow. The police have now returned to Cairo's streets - it will be interesting how the crowds in Tahrir Square respond. Vigilante checkpoints have popped up around the city manned by men armed with whatever weapons they can get their hands on. It is very tense already.
URL du live: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698
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