Here is a summary of the main developments so far today:
Egypt
• Egyptians have flocked to Tahrir Square for a huge demonstration against the military rulers. The number of people gathered in the square, the heart of pro-democracy protests, was estimated at more than 100,000. The presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei was mobbed by supporters as he arrived to take part in Friday prayers in the square. There have also been smaller protests in Alexandria, Damanhour, Mahalla Al-Kubra, Mansoura, Suez, Sohag and Tanta.
• The military rulers announced the appointment of a new prime minister, 78-year-old Kamal al-Ganzouri, who held the same role under Hosni Mubarak between 1996 and 1999. In a speech, he said that he had been given more powers than his predecessors and insisted that Field marshall Tantawi would stand down in due course. Ganzouri's appointment was rejected by the a number of activist groups who launched a sit-in outside the cabinet building to try to stop him entering office.
• A much smaller pro-military demonstration has been taking place at the same time in Cairo. Around 15,000 people are estimated to have joined the rally at one point. There were chants of "Where is al-Jazeera? These are the Egyptian people." The police said they told the protesters they would not get any protection if they moved from where they had gathered, amid fears of clashes with the anti-Scaf protesters. Some foreign journalists were attacked at the rally.
.jpg)
• The Muslim Brotherhood has expressed its support for the elections. In leaflets distributed outside mosques, the group said it was putting the national interest ahead of its own. The Brotherhood did not take part in today's demonstrations but held a protest in Cairo outside the al-Azhar mosque at the decision of Israeli authorities to demolish and replace the gate to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Some Egyptians denounced the protest as misguided and said the Brotherhood should be putting Egypt's current travails at the top of its priorities.
Syria
• Syria has missed a deadline set by the Arab League for it to allow in international observers or face a vote on sanctions. Syria did not respond to the Arab League but Reuters reported that the deadline had been extended until the end of the day.
• The Local Co-ordination committees say 28 people have been killed so far in Syria today, including two children. The LCC says 14 people have been killed in Homs, 10 in Karnaz, in Hama, two each in Deir Ezzor and Damascus Suburbs, and one each in Dera'a and Damascus. The reported deaths cannot be independently verified by the Guardian. Meanwhile, the Syrian military said 10 personnel, including six pilots, were killed in an attack on an airforce base by armed insurgents.
Yemen
• Mohammed Bassendoua has been nominated to form the new government in Yemen, according to al-Arabiya citing opposition sources. He will be the country's new prime minister.
• There was heavy fighting in Sana'a between security forces and an army unit that joined the popular uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to Yemeni officials.The troops fired machine guns and mortars, some of which landed on civilian homes and scarred the facades of buildings. A security official said one soldier from each side was killed before the fighting stopped around dawn. The clashes, between the central security forces under the command of Saleh's nephew and the army's first armoured division, led by Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected to the opposition in March, were the first since Saleh signed a deal to sand down earlier this week.
• Voting has ben taking place in Morocco's parliamentary elections but turnout was reportedly low amid calls by pro-democracy campaigners for a boycott. They say that the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change. A moderate Islamist party and a pro-palace coalition were expected to do well in the voting.
People in Tahrir Square are being asked to name their choices for a new civilian presidential council, with three names suggested - Mohamed ElBaradei, Abdel Moneim Abol Fotoh and Hossam Essa - Egypt.com reports.
The youth distributed thousands of forms with the three nominated names among demonstrators. Another form for collecting signatures was distributed, each form including [room for] 20 signatures with ID number, phone number and political affiliation beside every signature. The form has a blank space to vote one of the nominees as president of the council.
The referendum provided civilians the chance to add the name of any public figure for the People's Assembly membership, omit anyone of the three proposed names, or refuse them completely.
The referendum aims to bring figures with credibility from the Egyptian streets to authority and to appoint them spokespeople of the revolution.
ElBaradei is a Nobel laureate and former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. He was mobbed by supporters when he arrived in Tahrir Square to pray this afternoon.
Abdel Moneim Abul Fotouh, who served as general secretary of the Arab Medical Association, was a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood but was expelled this year for refusing to end his independent presidential ambitions (the Muslim Brotherhood announced it would not field a presidential candidate to try to assuage secular concerns). Abol Fotoh was considered the leader of a more liberal group within the Brotherhood.
Essa is a veteran law professor who was a member of the legal committee to recover the wealth of Egyptians allegedly plundered by the Mubaraks.
There have been some more reports of women being sexually harassed and assaulted during the protests in Tahrir Square today.
@Sarahngb
Havnt felt this unsafe on my own in the square before. Harassment today is almost organized.
By organized i mean i was badly groped a total of 5 times maybe all in the same way.
One guy said to me im behind you then rubbed up against me. When i pushed and yelled he swore at me and told people im a liar.
@AlyaaGad
تحذير: تصلني رسائل عديدة بأن التحرش الجنسي موجود في التحرير تؤكدها فيديوز Warning: Severe sexual harassment is taking place@ #Tahrir.SHAME!
@mosaaberizing
Great to see men form human chains around female protesters in Tahrir to prevent pushing / harassment but sad that such measure is needed.
There has also been criticism of Reporters Without Borders for suggesting that news outfits should stop sending female reporters to Cairo because of the attacks. The call was hastily withdrawn after widespread scorn (see 12.59am).
Liz Sly from the Washington Post, tweeted:
By my count, more than half those covering the ME fulltime for US press are women. And some French outfit wants editors to pull us out?
Cairo based activist and journalist Sarah Carr tweeted:
Why are RSF telling female journos not to go to Tahrir? They don't tell male journos not to go places cos there are bombs and guns.
Yemen has has also appointed a new prime minister, on a day of more violent clashes.
Al-Arabiya tweeted:
Mohammed Bassendoua nominated to form the new government in Yemen: opposition sources
AP has this account of the clashes:
Heavy fighting between government forces and defected military troops shook the Yemeni capital early Friday, killing two people in what could signal the start of a power struggle just days after autocratic President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to end his 33-year rule.
The clashes pitted Central Security forces commanded by Saleh's nephew, Col. Yehia Saleh, against troops from the First Armored Division, headed by Gen. Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected and joined the protesters in March. The troops fired machine guns and mortars, some of which landed on civilian homes and scarred the facades of buildings.
A security official said one soldier from each side was killed before the fighting stopped around dawn.
Here's confirmation from the outgoing cabinet's Facebook page the elections will be held over two days.
Meanwhile, AP quotes Ganzouri as saying that he has been given greater powers than his predecessor.
The powers given to me exceed any similar mandates. will take full authority so I'm able to serve my country.
But the powers don't extend to sacking Scaf and Ganzouri's appointment has angered protesters, according to AP.
"Illegitimate, illegitimate!" the crowds in the downtown square chanted on hearing the news.
"Not only was he prime minister under Mubarak, but also part of the old regime for a total of 18 years," said protester Mohammed el-Fayoumi, 29. "Why did we have a revolution then?"
"He's old regime," said Nayer Mustafa, 62. "The revolution was hijacked once. We won't let it happen again."
The 6 April Youth Movement has officially rejected the appointment of al-Ganzouri as prime minister and is demanding that a national unity government be formed, according to Egyptian website al-Dustour (Arabic). (translation from the Enduring America blog)
This photograph shows the scene outside the cabinet building, where groups including the Revolution Youth Coalition, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Revolutionary Socialists, and the National Front for Justice and Freedom called for a sit-in to prevent Ganzouri from entering office.
Another concession? Monday's elections will take place over two days rather than one, according to an update by the outgoing cabinet, al-Jazeera reports.
Reuters said the announcement was made on State TV.
Outside Cairo, there have been clashes after protesters threw petrol bombs at the police near the security directorate in Alexandria, says al-Jazeera's Adam Makary.
He says police responded with teargas.
There has also been violence in Mahalla Al-Kubra, which is in the middle of the Nile Delta, where hundreds of people have surrounded a police station and pelted it with stones, according to Ahram Online. They are believed to be relatives of detainees, it adds.
Other cities outside the capital seeing protests today, according to Ahram, include: Damanhour, Mansoura, Suez, Sohag, Tanta
Judging from reports, the protest in Alexandria seems to be the biggest outside the capital, although even there it pales in comparison with the crowd gathered in Cairo.
Egypt's new prime minister is already being pilloried in aspoof Twitter feed.
One tweet said his first decision was to send tanks to Mohamed Mahmoud street off Tahrir square.
The jokes are lost on me and Google translation, but for Arabic speakers Ganzouri is a "comedy gold mine", according to activist and journalist Sarah Carr.
The first speech by the new Egyptian prime minister, Kamal al-Ganzouri (see 2.07pm GMT / 9.07am EST), does not seem to have pacified the protesters demonstrating against military rule.
In fact, some activists have marched to the building which houses the cabinet and say they are starting a sit-in.
The White House has indicated it backs Egypts plans to press ahead with elections next week.
A full version of its statement on Egypt, confirmed that the Obama adminstration backs a swift transfer to civilian rule and an investigation into civilan deaths.
The United States strongly believes that the new Egyptian government must be empowered with real authority immediately. We believe that Egypt's transition to democracy must continue, with elections proceeding expeditiously, and all necessary measures taken to ensure security and prevent intimidation. Most importantly, we believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible.
Field marshall Tantawi does intend to stand down in due course, according Egypt new prime minister Kamal al-Ganzouri.
Speaking at his first press conference since his appointment Ganzouri said he wouldn't have taken the job if had thought Tantawi was going to hang on to power.
He said would not have time to appoint a new cabinet before Monday's elections. "Give me time", he said.
Ganzouri indicated that the new cabinet would include members of the cabinet that resigned earlier this week, and could even include his predecessor Essam Sharaf. "I'm keen to have some of those ministers and some newcomers," Ganzouri said according to a translation on al-Jazeera.
He claimed he had been given full authority to name an independent cabinet.
Here's the concrete barrier that Jack Shenker was discussing in the last post.
.jpg)
The barrier is on Mohamed Mahmoud street where the interior ministry is located. Jack said it was the scene of scuffles between civilians manning the barrier and some protesters who wanted to fight the security forces.
Two uniformed army officers have appeared on a balcony overlooking Tahrir Square and joined the crowds in chants of "The people want the downfall of the field marshall", Jack Shenker reports from Cairo.
Their appearance comes after a series of similar scenes involving officers expressing support for the protest, Jack said.
It adds to a sense that, although we are yet to hear from senior officers, the mid-ranking officers do seem to be getting more and more sceptical of the rule of the military council. There is huge excitement in the crowd. They [the officers] are actually conducting some of the anti-Scaf chanting.
It is a massive demonstration but it doesn't feel quite as packed as the anti-Mubarak protests witnessed in January and February, Jack said.
He also described scuffles between when a minority of protesters tried to get past a civilian checkpoint to reach a security barrier erected by the military, he reported.
Some protesters think the fighting against the central security forces should resume. And they are trying to break through these lines of civilians protesters ...
Apart from these isolated incidents, the mood is exuberant and determined.
Here is a summary of the main developments so far today:
Egypt
• Egyptians are again staging a huge demonstration in Tahrir Square against the military rulers. The presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei was mobbed by supporters as he arrived to take part in Friday prayers in the square. Demonstrations have also been reported in Alexandria and Tanta. The military rulers continue to show no signs of being prepared to cede power or to postpone the elections due to begin on Monday. The appointment of 78-year-old Kamal al-Ganzouri, who was prime minister under Hosni Mubarak between 1996 and 1999, to lead the government, was confirmed on Friday.
• A pro-military demonstration has been taking place in the west of Cairo. Around 15,000 people are estimated to be taking part. There have been chants of "Where is al-Jazeera? These are the Egyptian people." The police have said they have told the protesters they will not get any protection if they move from their current spot, amid fears of clashes with the anti-Scaf protesters. Some foreign journalists have been attacked at the rally.
• The Muslim Brotherhood is reportedly distributing leaflets expressing its support for elections. The leaflets say they are putting the national interest ahead of their own. The Brotherhood is not taking part in today's demonstrations but held a protest in Cairo outside the al-Azhar mosque at the decision of Israeli authorities to demolish and replace the gate to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. Some Egyptians denounced the protest as misguided and said the Brotherhood should be putting Egypt's current travails at the top of its priorities.
Syria
• Syria has missed a deadline set by the Arab League for it to allow in international observers or face a vote on sanctions. Syria did not respond to the Arab League but Reuters reported that the deadline had been extended until the end of the day. Meanwhile, the Local Co-ordination committees say 18 people have been killed so far in Syria today, including two children. The LCC says 11 people have been killed in Homs, three in Deir Ezzor, two in Damascus Suburbs, and one each in Dera'a and Damascus. The reported deaths cannot be independently verified by the Guardian.
Yemen
• Heavy fighting has broken out in Sana'a between security forces and an army unit that joined the popular uprising against President Ali Abdullah Saleh, according to Yemeni officials. An official from Saleh's military said one man from each side had been killed. The clashes pit central security forces under the command of Saleh's nephew against the army's first armoured division, led by Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who defected to the opposition in March. Saleh signed a deal to sand down earlier this week but many Yemenis are angry that it grants him immunity from prosecution.
Morocco
• Voting is taking place in Morocco's parliamentary elections but pro-democracy campaigners have called for a boycott. They say that the ruling monarchy isn't committed to real change. A moderate Islamist party and a pro-palace coalition are expected to do well in the voting but the turnout could be low.
Reporters Without Borders has partially climbed down on its call for media organisations to stop sending female journalists to Cairo in the wake of sexual assaults against reporters.
It has amended the wording of its statement to read:
We urge the media to take great care and to make the security of their reporters and local correspondents their priority. Itt is more dangerous for a woman than a man to cover the demonstrations in Tahrir Square. That is the reality and the media must face it. It is the first time that there have been repeated sexual assaults against women reporters in the same place. The media must keep this in mind when sending staff there and must take special safety measures.
Earlier, after French reporter Caroline Sinz described being assaulted, RWB said:
This is at least the third time a woman reporter has been sexually assaulted since the start of the Egyptian revolution. Media should take this into account and for the time being stop sending female journalists to cover the situation in Egypt.
Martin Chulov tweets that the pro-regime rally is now about 15,000 strong. He adds that there is suspicion of the foreign journalists there and some Turkish reporters have already been beaten.
Here is a video of the rally:
The crowd at the pro-military rally have been chanting:
Where is al-Jazeera? These are the Egyptian people.
A photograph of a Muslim Brotherhood leaflet expressing the group's support for elections that is reportedly being distributed outside mosques, has been posted on the Translating the Arab Revolutions Facebook page.
It says the wording of the leaflets, which is likely to anger activists not affiliated to the Brotherhood, is as follows:
We put the greater interest of the nation ahead of our own interest. We aren't taking care of a personal interest, if we were we'd have gone to Tahrir. The elections are the best way to break the deadlock.
A Guardian interactive contains some photos from today's protests in Cairo and some pictures of the large concrete barrier constructed by the army to separate the police and protesters.
We shouldn't forget that there are also demonstrations against military rule taking place outside the capital. Thousands of people have gathered to protest in Alexandria and hundreds in Tanta, says Ahram online.
"It is very reminiscent of 28 January," Jack Shenker reports from a march on the west bank of the Nile heading towards Tahrir Square.
You can hear in the background people are chanting Horaya - Freedom. Just before they were chanting against Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, saying 'you have to leave'. People are feeling very angry but also very confident, they feel that momentum is behind them.
In terms of the chanting the theme is very much that the military council has to leave and leave now.
Protesters regard Monday's elections as at best irrelevance and at worst a dangerous move by the military to legitimatize their rule, Jack said.
He then handed the phone to journalist and activist Amira Ahmed who described the concerns of protests and the prospects for a late cancellation of the elections.
We are calling on the military council to step down and hand over power to civilian rule ... It seems very similar to the Mubarak regime. More people are seeing the blatant violations conducted by the ruling military council, so I think it [the protest] is gaining support.
Ideally they [the elections] will be cancelled or postponed for at least a couple of weeks. Right now they seem pretty determined on going forward with them in defiance of protesters' demands. They could cancel it the night before, so it really depends how much support the protests can gather over this weekend.
Describing the chants she said: "It is the same chants that were being chanted on 28 January when the revolution first began, just changing the name from Mubarak to Tantawi."
Ahmed Harara, who lost one eye during the 28 January protests against Mubarak and his other on 19 November, during protests against military rule, has been leading a march from Mostafa Mahmoud mosque in Mohandessei to Tahrir Square, Ahram Online reports.
Some taking part in today's protest have been wearing eye patches to show solidarity with those who have lost eyes. Among them is Wael Ghonim, the co-founder of the We are all Khaled Said Facebook page, who has posted a picture of himself wearing a patch.
Amid some reports of women attending/reporting protests in the last few days being sexually harrassed and/or assaulted (including French journalist Caroline Sinz), women going to Tahrir today are being encourage to report any incidents to @HarrassMap. The website is HarrassMap.org.
One of the faces of the revolution that deposed Hosni Mubarak, Wael Ghonim, has been spotted taking part in today's march against the military.
An emotional interview given by the Google executive - a co-founder of the hugely influential We are all Khaled Said Facebook page - in February after he was released from detention in February was viewed as a landmark moment in the revolt.
However, he has kept a relatively low profile since then.
Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei was surrounded by supporters when he turned up in Tahrir Square to take part in Friday prayers, John Dokomos reports from Cairo.
ElBaradei was totally surrounded by supporters going crazy for him. He was mobbed, he had handlers trying to protect him. People were telling us that he's the 'symbol of the revolution' ... People were very ecstatic to see him.
One supporter clung on to the bumper of his ElBaradei's car as it sped off, John said.
.jpg)
Pro-reform leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed El-Baradei is surrounded by protesters during his arrival for Friday prayers in Tahrir Square. Photograph: Bela Szandelszky/AP
John also described the "charged" atmosphere in a packed Tahrir Square during prayers for the revolution and those who have died during the last week.
Shadi Hamid, Middle East expert from the Brookings Institution says today is the day for ElBaradei to step up his game.
Baradei might very well be most uncharismatic politician in #Egypt's recent history. Today, he'll have chance to compensate in courage.
A short video clip shows Tahrir Square absolutely packed for Friday prayers.
Three thousand people have gathered at pro-government rally in the west of Cairo, Martin Chulov reports from the scene.
The crowd is steadily growing. There are a lot of Egyptian flags, a lot of posters supporting the Scaf [Supreme Council of the Armed Forces], and there are even a few posters of Mubarak.
It is generally a non-hostile rally, however, there are posters of [pro-Tahrir] TV hosts being hit with shoes. There's some hostile chanting going on, but the police told me this group is not allowed to move. They have been told if they try [to move] they won't have protection and at this stage they don't seem to want to ... Police are doing what they can to keep both sides apart.
As we talk there are hundreds of people are streaming in, and by mid afternoon there will be around 10,000 people at least ... It seems to be a pretty broad spectrum of middle class Cairo.
Egyptian state TV has confirmed that Kamal Ganzouri has been appointed as prime minister.
Ganzouri headed Egypt's government from 1996 to 1999 under Hosni Mubarak.
The BBC says that during his previous term as prime minister, he was known as the "minister of the poor" because he was seen as representing the less well-off.
The Muslim Brotherhood, which was already the subject of criticism after it declined to take part in Tuesday's "million man march" and the street protests that have followed, is attracting further flak today.
It is planning a protest after Friday prayers at the al-Azhar march in Cairo but its protest is over the decision of the Israeli authorities to demolish and replace the gate to the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which has led to some people questioning its priorities at a time when Egypt is in turmoil.
Here is what some people have been saying on Twitter:
So MB is fine seeing Egyptian bodies dragged into dumpsters, does nothing so as not to endanger elections, but wants to free Aqsa in tahrir?
What is the priority of MB to save Al-Aqsa or to the save #Egypt?! Why you want to rally in #tahrir for something else, to make chaos?! WTF
@Ikhwanweb @DawudWalid how is this an unfair criticism? How relevant is al Aqsa now when your own country is burning? #MB #Egypt
In response, the Muslim Brotherhood's official Twitter feed, @Ihwanweb, has expressed frustration with the criticism it is getting and has downplayed its planned protest.
@Elazul @2imen seriously, this is last time will explain: it's not millionya, only one hour stand at Al-Azhar mosque, check @ikhwantawasol
A military official in Cairo has given shocking response to the writer Mona Eltahawy's accusations of sexual assault.
The New York Times says Islam Jaffar came into contact with Eltahawy while she was in detention.
He told the paper:
She complained to me that she was beaten and sexually assaulted by Central Security Forces But what did she expect would happen? She was in the middle of the streets, in the midst of clashes, with no press card or form of ID. The press center had not given her permission to be in the streets as a journalist. The country is in a sensitive situation. We are under threat. She could be a spy for all we know.
As crowds in Tahrir Square begin to swell, Jack Shenker in Cairo, provides a quick guide to the various rallies planned today:
Tahrir Square is already filling up in advance of Friday prayers, but numbers will swell even more in the early afternoon with the arrival of massive marches from all corners of the city.
There are rallies planned in Omraneya and Haram (near the pyramids), Imbaba (an informal neighbourhood to the north-west), Mohandiseen (a middle-class suburb in Giza) and Zamalek (an island in the Nile), all of which are set to converge in Dokki, a neighbourhood just to the west of the Nile featuring a main road that runs straight across the river and into Tahrir.
There's also talk of a workers' march down Qasr el-Aini street (to the south of Tahrir) and several other small demonstrations which aim to converge on the central plaza.
On top of all that there is reportedly a planned march by the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as a pro-Scaf rally in the north-eastern neighbourhood of Abbesaya (which is unlikely to be allowed to approach Tahrir). We have Guardian journalists at three different locations ready to report on developments as they unfold, on a day when Tahrir looks set to welcome its biggest crowd since the toppling of Mubarak in February.
Russia has called for more information about a French call for the international community to set humanitarian corridors to protect civilians fleeing the violence in Syria.
According to Lebanon's Daily Star, foreign ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told a weekly news conference, "I think we will return to this question when more clarity emerges about what specifically is being discussed."
According to the International Crisis Group, Syrian activists and defected soldiers are already setting up safe havens for civilians.
In its report it said:
There no longer is a permanent loyalist military presence in parts of Idlib, Hama and Homs governorates, a situation that enables the armed opposition to further regroup and organise. The governorates of Dayr Zor and Deraa appear on the verge of following a similar path. As defections mount and the army is under ever greater stress, there is reason to doubt that the regime can muster sufficient military resources to reverse the trend. Talk about creating safe-havens on the Turkish and Jordanian borders could soon be moot; in many ways, Syrians appear on their way to doing that on their own.
.jpg)
Former UN weapons inspector and presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei is one of tens of thousands of people gathering in Tahrir Square.
He tweeted:
On my way to Tahrir to pay my respects to the martyrs. Their sacrifice will not be in vain. Together we shall prevail
Reporters Without Borders has urged news organisation to stop sending female reporters to cover the demonstrations in Tahrir Square, after a French reporter, Caroline Sinz, became the latest female journalist to be sexually assaulted there.
In a statement it said:
This is at least the third time a woman reporter has been sexually assaulted since the start of the Egyptian revolution. Media should take this into account and for the time being stop sending female journalists to cover the situation in Egypt. It is unfortunate that we have come to this but, given the violence of these assaults, there is no other solution.
Euronews quoted Sinz as saying:
We were hit, and then separated. Very few women, especially foreign, are in Tahrir Square. I was grabbed by several men and I suffered a sexual assault in front of everyone in full daylight. Other women journalists were physically attacked. It is a way to intimidate the press.
Welcome to Middle East Live on another crucial Friday of protests across the region. Here's a round up of the latest developments:
Egypt
• Crowds are gathering in Cairo's Tahrir Square, for what is expected to be a massive protest against the military government. The protest, which has been dubbed the "Friday of the last chance" comes after the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces refused to postpone elections scheduled for Monday. "There is a general feeling to call off the elections completely," said Nasser Abdul Mohsena, an opponent of the junta who has been demonstrating in the capital.
• The White House has called on the military council to transfer power to a civilian government as soon as possible. In a statement spokesman Jay Carney said:
We believe that the full transfer of power to a civilian government must take place in a just and inclusive manner that responds to the legitimate aspirations of the Egyptian people, as soon as possible.
• Medical workers have confirmed that live ammunition has been used against demonstrators in Tahrir Square. According to morgue officials, at least 22 Egyptians have been killed by live bullets since street battles began on Saturday, directly contradicting government statements that security forces have never opened fire on protesters.
• The press freedom campaign, Reporters Without Borders, has condemned what it said was a growing number of detentions and beatings of journalists by security forces. Its comment came after the arrest of an American documentary film-maker Jehane Noujaim and her cameraman Magdy Ashour and the alleged incarceration of and sexual assault against Mona Eltahaway, a prominent Egyptian-American columnist.
• Mona Eltahawy described what she suffered after being arrested by Egyptian riot police during a 12-hour ordeal inside Cairo's interior ministry. Speaking to CNN she said:
Five or six surrounded me, groped and prodded my breasts, grabbed my genital area and I lost count of how many hands tried to get into my trousers. Yes, sexual assault. I'm so used to saying harassment but [they] assaulted me. My left hand and my right arm are broken. This is as a result of a brutal beating by the Egyptian riot police who surrounded me.
• Former prime minister Kamal al-Ganzouri is reported to have accepted an offer from the head of military council, Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, to form a new government. It follows the resignation of prime minister Essam Sharaf and his cabinet earlier in the week.
Syria
• Another Arab League deadline for Syria to accept external observers to monitor the violence expires later today after the army launched an assault on deserters. Opposition activists reported at least 24 people killed in clashes with security forces, mostly in Rastan and Homs.
• The International Crisis group has accused the Syria government of stoking sectarian tension leading to the "most dangerous" stage yet in the crisis. In a new report it says:
The regime in effect took the Alawite minority hostage, linking its fate to its own. It did so deliberately and cynically, not least in order to ensure the loyalty of the security services ...
To stoke fear, authorities distributed weapons and bags of sand – designed to erect fortifications - to Alawites living in rural areas long before any objective threat existed; security services and official media spread blood-curdling, often exaggerated and sometimes wholly imaginary stories of the protesters' alleged sectarian barbarism. As a result, many Alawites are now in a state of panic, leading them to embrace a regime for which most, at the start of the crisis, evinced little sympathy.
Photograph: Mani/Zeppelin network
I saw so many civilians who were shot just because they were crossing the street, doing some errands, or because there was a demonstration 300 metres away from their house. The threat is always there. And every day they shoot.
Morocco
The disenchantment with politics here is real, and some activists have called for a boycott of the vote. The February 20 Movement for Change, which led protests this year, is urging its supporters not to vote. Turnout could be lower than 50 percent, but analysts are optimistic that it will be higher than the 37 percent who voted in the last elections in 2007. They see the disengagement as a result of unhappiness with an elite seen by many as corrupt.
The rapper, who goes by the name of El-Haked, or The Indignant, was arrested on 9 September, accused of physically attacking and injuring someone in a scuffle. But according to Haked's supporters, the case was concocted because his lyrics dared to criticise the regime.
VIEW VIDEOS AND LISTEN TO AUDIOS