Here’s where things stand in Egypt at this hour, as the fifth straight day of protests gets going and people around the world watch with great anticipation for what will happen next:
— “Thousands have gathered in central Cairo and there have been clashes with security forces, while protests are also reported in Alexandria,” the BBC writes. “The army has advised people to obey curfews and avoid gathering in groups.”
— “The ruling party’s headquarters in the Egyptian city of Luxor has been torched as tens of thousands of protesters return to the streets in several cities following overnight demonstrations staged in defiance of a curfew,” Al Jazeera reports. “Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Tahrir Square and outside the offices of state television in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, on Saturday, shouting ‘Go away, go away!’ Similar crowds were gathering in the cities of Alexandria and Suez, Al Jazeera’s correspondents reported.”
— “It’s abundantly clear” that protesters are not happy with President Hosni Mubarak’s announcement last night that he’s dissolved his Cabinet and will appoint new ministers, says NPR’s Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, who is in Cairo. “Everyone on the street, what they’ve been calling for ... is for him to leave,” Soraya adds. “They are done with this president. They want a new president. ... They just want freedom and democracy and they will settle for no less.”
— Egypt’s military “has closed tourist access to the pyramids,” says the Associated Press. “Tanks and armored personnel carriers have sealed off the site on the Giza Plateau, which is normally packed with tourists.” Meanwhile, says the AP, “tanks guarded key government buildings around Cairo and the central square.”
We’ll be back shortly with a look at some of the best analyses of what’s happening.
Other sources for keeping up with the news include:
— Our “primer on following Egyptian protests on Twitter.”
— Al Jazeer’s live-blogging and streaming coverage. Copyright 2011 National Public Radio. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
