Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has named a vice-president for the first time in his embattled 30-year rule as massive protests gripped Cairo and other major cities in Egypt for a fifth day.
Meanwhile, Egyptian security officials said at least 62 people have been killed during the protests in the last two days.
In the capital, police opened fire on protesters who tried to storm the interior ministry, killing at least one demonstrator. At least one body was seen being carried out on the shoulders of protesters. Others were reported injured, but it's not clear how many.
The violence occurred as tens of thousands of protesters filled the streets of central Cairo on Saturday, chanting slogans against Mubarak in defiance of an evening curfew and warnings by the military.
The number of protesters continued to build in Cairo's Tahrir Square, translated as Liberation Square, even after a night-time curfew came into effect at 4 p.m. local time, the CBC's Nahlah Ayed reported from the scene.
"It certainly doesn't look like there's a curfew in place. In fact, it looks like very much the opposite," Ayed said, adding that soldiers were "watching and pretty much letting the protesters do what they want."
The demonstrations in major cities come a day after the Egyptian president fired his cabinet and promised unspecified economic and political reforms.
Not far from Cairo's central square, the army sealed off the street leading to the parliament and cabinet buildings.
Dozens of tanks and armoured personnel carriers were fanned out across the city. Military officials had earlier urged citizens not to congregate in the streets and to observe the 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. curfew, warning that anyone who violated it would be in danger, state television said.
Mubarak refuses to resign
The 82-year-old Mubarak named his intelligence chief and close confidant Omar Suleiman as his vice-president and former air force commander Ahmad Shafiq as Egypt's new prime minister, in an apparent step toward setting up a successor other than his son, Gamal.
The president addressed the nation late Friday, as protesters — eager to end his 30-year rule — overwhelmed police forces in Cairo and other cities around the nation with their numbers and in attacks with rocks and firebombs.
Mubarak said he would not resign, but instead announced he had fired his entire cabinet. He promised to name a new cabinet on Saturday. The president blamed protesters for abusing the freedoms he said he'd given them, adding they were plotting to destabilize Egypt.
Demonstrators who ignored the curfew in Cairo set police cars and army vehicles on fire Friday night. Some paraded through the streets wearing helmets nabbed from police officers.
Mubarak is clinging to power after nearly a week of anti-government protests that have left a trail of wreckage across Cairo.
The sight of protesters pouring into central Cairo for a fifth day indicated Mubarak's speech did little to cool the anger over Egypt's crushing poverty, unemployment and corruption.
Overnight, the government called in military forces and by morning the army had replaced police in guarding government buildings and other key areas.
The Egyptian military also closed tourist access to the pyramids. Government figures show that tourism accounts for over 11 per cent of the country's GDP and provides roughly one in eight jobs.
Canadians are being warned to avoid Egypt's major cities unless it is absolutely necessary. The Department of Foreign Affairs said Canadians should not travel to Cairo, Alexandria or Suez.
The federal government also said Canadians currently in Egypt should avoid demonstrations and large gatherings. There are an estimated 6,500 Canadians in Egypt and all are believed to be safe.
Cellphone services in Egypt were restored Saturday after a government-ordered communications blackout was imposed in "selected areas" on Friday in an apparent bid to stop protesters from co-ordinating demonstrations. However, internet service appeared to remain blocked.
