Tension builds in Tahrir Square as protesters prepare for the 'march of millions

Many protesters defied a curfew to bunker down overnight in Tahrir square, epicentre of the protests that have forced Mubarak to announce political and economic reforms, dismissed as inadequate by opposition figures.

4:25 China has announced it will send at least four more planes to evacuate up to 2000 Chinese travellers. Two planes were expected to leave day tours today after two other airliners were dispatched to Egypt yesterday to pick up 480 citizens stranded at Cairo's airport, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.

3:38 Australians are escaping strifetorn Egypt on Canadian evacuation flights as hundreds more wait for the federal government's plane to arrive in Cairo.

Twentyseven Australians arrived in Germany aboard two Canadian emergency flights from Cairo.


The Australian government has chartered a Qantas 747 to evacuate its citizens but the plane is not one day tours scheduled to arrive until tomorrow, more than 400 Australians have registered interest in the flight.

3:29 All but eight Australian tourists at the Le Meridien hotel in Egypt have left and the rest are set to leave soon.

Dennis Bunnik from tour operator Bunnik Tours said the last eight should be on their way home from the troubled country by tomorrow night.

He said the problems in Egypt are domestic and political and not aimed at tourists and the army is allowing tourists to travel during curfew if they have no choice.

1:58 Reports coming in from Cairo indicate a decreased police presence in the city.

Police were ordered back onto the nation's streets yesterday, after an absence during which the army was deployed in the face of the revolt, but few policemen are visible on Cairo's streets now.

Their vanishing act remains unexplained officially, but it has left the city prey to looters and jailbreakers, and residents have formed selfdefence groups to protect their patches.

Check out YouTube's ' Citizens Tube' channel with a collection of videos about the Egypt protests.

Seen below are people gathering ahead of yesterday's demonstration.

1:40 Countries across the globe have stepped up evacuations of foreign tourists and workers from Egypt amid growing protests.

In Washington, Assistant Secretary of State Janice Jacobs said at least 2600 Americans in Egypt have asked US officials for help in leaving while China sent two Airbus A330 jets to bring its nationals back from Egypt.

Meanwhile other countries continue to evacuate thousands from Egypt in anticipation of more unrest.

1:06 Fears that the turmoil in Egypt could disrupt oil shipments passing through the Suez Canal have driven the price of Brent crude oil to more than $100 for the first time in over two years, The Guardian reported.

The price of a barrel of the benchmark crude rose by more than $1.50 to as high as $101.08 a barrel, the highest price since the start of the financial crisis.

Meanwhile there has been some support for the beleaguered president. Al Jazeera reported that state television is currently showing what appear to be scattered groups of proMubarak supporters gathering in the city.

12:45 Google responds to Egypt internet block by creating a way to post messages on Twitter by making telephone calls.

Google worked with Twitter to make it possible for anyone to "tweet" by leaving a message at any of three telephone numbers after Egypt's last working internet service provider, the Noor Group, went down overnight.

Voice mail messages left at +16504194196; +390662207294 or +97316199855 will instantly be converted into text messages, referred to as tweets, and posted at Twitter with an identifying "hashtag" of egypt.

12:09 Tensions grow as thousands prepare for the "march of millions". More than 10,000 people are beating drums, playing music and chanting slogans in Tahrir Square, which has become ground zero during the last week of protests.

"He only needs a push!" is one of the most frequent chants, and a leaflet circulated by some protesters says it is time for the military to choose between Mubarak and the people.

Protesters were not appeased by Mubarak's announcement yesterday of a new government that dropped his highly unpopular interior minister.

"It's almost the same government, as if we are not here, as if we are sheep," sneered one protester, Khaled Bassyouny, a 30yearold internet entrepreneur. He said it was time to escalate the marches.