Live blog Feb 9 - Egypt protests

Live coverage

By Al Jazeera Staff

(All times are local in Egypt, GMT+2)

10:34pm Pew Research Center reports that the turmoil in the Middle East has registered as the biggest international story for the US in the past four years - surpassing any coverage of the Iraq war, the Haiti earthquake and the conflict in Afghanistan.

driven by televised images, the protests and power struggle in Egypt filled 56% of the newshole studied ... it was easily the biggest overseas story in a single week since 2007

10:24pm Photo of protesters in Tahrir Square are posted on Flick. This one was taken by Andrew Burton - he says that the mum (in the background) had the biggest smile on her face as she told him, “this is a revolution baby!”

10:11am Egypt's Berlin Wall moment - Richard Falk, professor at Princeton University, says that the recent uprisings do not exist merely in a historical vacuum, but must be considered within a geopolitical context.

10:07am Egypt protests remain strong - demonstrations enter sixteenth day, following the largest gathering so far in Cairo's Tahrir Square. Crowds also out in huge numbers in Alexandria, Egypt's second largest city.

10:00am Egypt's three independent unions are due to demonstrate at 11am in front of the state-backed General Federation of State Unions. This move by the unions is a major boost for the pro-democracy activists.

9:05am Egyptian newspaper, Youm7, reports that violence in Al-Wadi al-Jadid continued until early hours of this morning. Protesters burned at least one police car and police are reported to have opened fire on them. At least 8 people are reported to be seriously injured, and unconfirmed reports of several dead. (Pic: Youm7)

7:45am Video posted on Youtube of protesters chanting against Tamer Hosni and forcing him to leave the square:

7:29am Al Jazeera reporter says that Tamer Hosni, a popular Egyptian singer and actor, was in Tahrir Square early this morning. He tried to address the crowd, but people shouted him down and the army had to intervene, firing warning shots in the air.

Hosni was whisked out of the square swiftly - this came after he spoke on national television, urging protesters to go home. It is not clear whether he came to the square to say the same thing, or if he had changed his views.

6:58pm Latest from Kharga Oasis in Al-Wadi al-Jadid is that police have cut off electricity and water since around 4:00am. Protesters say that police set a gas station on fire after retreating from violent clashes with the protesters. The protesters set fire to the NDP headquarters. Al Jazeera cannot verify any of this information at this stage. Stay tuned for more details.

6:40am Twitter user Omar Ghannam says that witnesses in the Al-Wadi al-Jadid governorate are reporting that there are clashes between the police and pro-democracy protesters:

Also the police set a lot of convicts from the Wadi Prison free to scare the people, keeping only detainees of political nature. The latest news was that the convicts are set to attack the museum, and the protesters are preparing molotovs for defense.

6:00am A warm account of a night in Tahrir Square. Video from the New York Times.

5:50am Spectacular photography of life in Tahrir continue to roll in. Though taken a few days back, this set by Andrew Burton is definitely worth a peek.

5:00am The United States has urged Egypt to immediately lift an emergency law and launch democratic reforms. However, Suleiman warned that hasty reforms could spell "chaos" in Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation.

4:00am Al Jazeera speaks to Mona Seif, one of the protesters gathered infront of the parliament building in Cairo, calling for a dissolution of the assembly:



2:30am The latest image of Cairo's Tahrir Square - the epicentre of the demonstrations:



2:15am Al Jazeera's online producer captures the moment at the Egypt parliament sit-in when protesters scaled the main gate to erect their "Closed" sign:



2:00am Al Jazeera's correspondent, reporting from Cairo, says the current situation has "quietened down considerably".

Here's the latest update from our correspondent on the ground:



1:45am Time for a little levity. Here's a video from FunnyorDie.com of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak saying he's sorry via Chicago's "It's Hard to Say I'm Sorry":



1:30am Egypt’s Ambassador to the UN, Maged Abdelaziz, has spoken at the UN Security Council and had this to say about Al Jazeera:

"Even though when we had some disputes with Al Jazeera, and then they were able to broadcast, they managed to maneuver us and go to get from some other sources, so the world is a small village and everybody knows what is happening all over the place."

1:00am Vitaly Churkin, Russian Ambassador to the UN, has proposed a United Nations Security Council trip to the Middle East. Churkin says the last time the Security Council made a trip to the Middle East was 1979, and with the Palestine-Israel Peace Process at an impasse, a trip would be "useful".

12:45am House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), has said the primary goal of US policy in Egypt should be to "stop the spread of radical Islam".

12:30am Omar Suleiman, Egypt's vice president, tells ABC news that Egypt currently lacks the necessary "culture of democracy" for the changes demanded by protesters.

The White House press secretary Robert Gibbs has called his comments "particularly unhelpful".

Suleiman also blamed the protests for paralysing the Egyptian economy. "The big presence in Tahrir Square and some of the satellite stations which insult Egypt ... make citizens hesitant to go to work," he said.

Suleiman added: "We cannot bear this situation for a long time and we must end this crisis as soon as possible".

12:05am Al Jazeera correspondent explains why Egyptian democracy will not come free of charge.

12:00am We continue our live blogging for Februrary 9 here, as protests enter the 16th day in Egypt.