Egypt protests: live

22.11 Reporters are still being targeted in Tahrir Square, according to several tweets:

"Norwegian journalist told me she was groped and punched by protesters who accused her of working for #aljazeera. Her camera was taken"

22.06 A doctor at a clinic close to Tahrir told Reuters that over 1,500 people have been injured so far

21.34 The death toll in Wednesday's clashes has risen to 3 according to the health minister

21.18 Hillary Clinton stressed in a telephone call with Vice President Omar Suleiman that the political transition has to start now, a State Department spokesman said.

"She emphasised again our condemnation of the violence that occurred today, encouraged the government to hold those responsible fully accountable for this violence," spokesman Philip Crowley said.

"We don't know who unleashed these thugs on the streets in Cairo... whoever they are, there needs to be accountability here. This was clearly an attempt to intimidate the protesters," Mr Crowley added.

21.15 The CrisisMappers Twitter feed has compiled several interactive maps detailing the protest hotspots in Egypt

20.51 US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke to Egypt's vice president, Omar Suleiman on Wednesday, stating that those responsible for the violence must be held accountable, Reuters is reporting.

20.36 Anderson Cooper has been talking about the attack on him and his film crew earlier in the day in Tahrir Square

"We were moving quickly and a bunch of guys who hit us were also on the move, a lot of it was sort of glancing blows"

20.30 More from Vice President Omar Suleiman:

"The participants in these demonstrations had conveyed their message, both those demanding reform and those who came out in support of President Hosni Mubarak,"the MENA state agency said.

He urged "all citizens to return to their homes and abide by the curfew to boost the authorities' efforts in restoring calm and stability and limit the damage and losses the demonstrations had caused Egypt since they erupted last week."

20.21 Our latest report from correspondents on the ground, Colin Freeman and Richard Spencer:

"By nightfall, several buildings were ablaze from petrol bombs, with the army making belated attempts to act as a barrier between the two sides. Gunshots were also heard on several occasions, and at one point two petrol bombs hit Tahrir Square's Egyptian museum, home to many priceless antiquities.

With fears mounting that the violence may now spread to other cities, the country's army, which largely stood by as Wednesday's clashes started, is now in the difficult position of trying to restore order without being seen to take sides."

20.17 Al-Arabiya is now reporting violent clashes in Riyad Square

"Al-Arabiya: Intense clashes erupt now in Abdel-Moneim Riyad sq. in downtown Cairo"

"Dialogue with the political (opposition) forces... requires that the demonstrations end and the Egyptian street returns to normal" - Omar Suleiman, vice president

20.14 Between 10,000 to 13,000 passengers flew out of Cairo airport on Wednesday on board 95 flights as the airport regained some normality. As the terminals cleared out, airport officials said they found 120 bags scattered around, left by owners anxious to clear Egyptian airspace.

20.08 The number of people wounded in violence in Cairo on Wednesday increased to 611 from 403, the health minister said in a statement published by the official Egyptian news agency MENA.

19.53 Egypt's vice president, Omar Suleiman, urges protesters to go home and observe the curfew in order to restore calm, the state news agency is reporting

"Egypt was broken into 100 pieces today": my Egyptian colleague. - Jonathan Rugman from Channel 4 tweets

19.43 There are reports of several ambulances leaving Tahrir Square as the protesters begin to depart and the damage is assessed

"A dozen or more ambulances just drove down the Corniche toward Kasr al-Aini hospital, another dozen or so are in Tahrir. Not good."

19.20 Watch a video taken by one of the protesters of the crowd reacting to Mr Mubarak's speech on Tuesday night

19.08 The White House on Wednesday hardened the U.S. stance against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's plans to stay in power until September, saying change needs to take place now and "now means now". He also stressed the next Egyptian government should respect existing treaties - a reference to Israel peace treaty

18.52 Barack Obama spoke to Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday night about the situation in Egypt, the White House has stated

18.40 White House spokesman Robert Gibbs added:

"The United States deplores and condemns the violence that is taking place in Egypt, and we are deeply concerned about attacks on the media and peaceful demonstrators"

18.36 Egypt state TV broadcasts an order for all protesters to evacuate Cairo's Tahrir Square.

18.32 At a press conference in Washington, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs, said:

"The administration believes that President Mubarak has a chance to show the world exactly who he is by beginning the transition that is so desperately needed by his country"

18.22 Protesters in Tahrir Square are calling on people to take to the streets wherever they live on Thursday

"Please take to to the streets tomorrow wherever you live to show support for the brave people fighting to take their country back."

18.17 Reuters is reporting that the United States believes there are debates in Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's inner circle on whether he needs to do more to meet the demands of protesters seeking his ouster

18.07 Tim Marshall, Sky correspondent says:

"Counted about 23 live fire round over about an hour in sq. Prob in air. Fighting broke out into st by intercontinental."

17.54 Gregg Carlstrom also posted the image below on Twitter

He captioned it: 'Earlier this afternoon. The rioters in the back are standing atop an army tank. Army does nothing'

17:45 Egypt's health minister tells state TV that 403 people have been wounded and one killed so far today in Cairo

17:40 Gregg Carlstrom, an Al Jazeera journalist in Cairo, says

I was chased by angry mobs twice, kicked a few times, had rocks thrown at me. Crowd very hostile to journalists (esp. AJ), foreigners.

Ambulances haven't been able to reach the wounded in Tahrir Square, and there are surely hundreds of people with serious injuries.

17:39 A Health Ministry spokesman says that 350 people had been injured till now and one security-related man was killed in clashes in central Cairo, Egyptian state television reporting (via Reuters)

17:37 Reports on Al Jazeera and Twitter that state TV is saying police have been deployed and been told to open fire

17:30 Multiple reports on Twitter of lots of gunfire near Tahrir Square

17:29 Al Jazeera reporter in Cairo reports car with armed soldiers is patrolling the streets telling residents to get back in their houses. Explosions heard as she's reporting, but not clear where they are coming from

17:20 The US military's top officerhas expressed "confidence" that Egypt's army could provide security for their country, including the strategic Suez Canal, amid mass street protests.

In a phone conversation with his Egyptian counterpart, Lieutenant General Sami Enan, Admiral Mike Mullen "expressed his confidence in the Egyptian military's ability to provide for their country's security, both internally and throughout the Suez Canal area," his spokesman Captain John Kirby said in a statement

17:18 Reuters is reporting that petrol bombs have been thrown in Tahrir Square. An Egyptologist said some had landed in the gardens of the Egyptian museum, which houses the world's greatest collection of Pharaonic treasures. The museum itself was unscathed

17:17 According to DailyNewsEgypt on Twitter, BBC Arabic is claiming that Pro-Mubarak demonstrators are throwing Molotov cocktails in the area surrounding the American Embassy in Cairo

17:15 Al Jazeera English has just shown footage of Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary General, saying that the violence in Egypt is "unacceptable and I condemn it"

17:12 The Telegraph's latest gallery of some of the most evocative images from a day of violence

17:05 Al Jazeera reporting the situation in Cairo is now much calmer than earlier

16:53 I'm handing over to Emma Firth now - bear with us for a few minutes while she logs on. What a day. Thanks for reading.

16:49 Al Jazeera Arabic has shown images of petrol bombs exploding near the Museum - Sultan Al Qassemi has it:

16:47 Another heart-rending phone call on Al Jazeera with a woman called Salma in Tahrir Square: "Hundreds of people are injured, many are unconscious, they are throwing Molotov cocktails at us. We have no medical care".

16:41 US State Department PJ Crowley has called on Twitter for "all sides in Egypt to show restraint and avoid violence". This has provoked utter rage on Twitter:

weddady: "If u support the ppl of #Egypt and want Hosni Mubarak out pls tell the state dept @PJCrowley to stop their idiotic statements"

Amine: "Dear @PJCrowley, You are a coward. Dear #SecClinton, You are a coward. @BarackObama this is your Rwanda moment"

Jason Reynolds: "@PJCrowley Feel free to stop embarrassing us anytime now. Is it Hawaiian shirt and flip-flop week at the State Dept. Offices?"

Chris Jones: "@PJCrowley all sides?, seems pretty one-sided to me"

16:40 An army tank on the Qasr El Nil bridge is on fire, according to a Twitter report.

16:34 More reports, from NBC's Richard Engels, of sustained gunfire and several Molotov cocktails at the north end of Tahrir Square. The Daily News Egypt also reports tear gas being fired at protesters. Mr Engel says that lots of protesters are trapped at the south end of the square, and that it seems to be a deliberate "pincer movement", cutting off the main exits to the square and trapping protesters in.

CNN's Ivan Watson says:

"Nightfall. Bloody battle continues to rage here in Tahrir Square. We are trapped inside with the opposition, who say they'll fight to death."

16:30 A longer quote from David Cameron's earlier statement, who it seems is the first world leader to raise the possibility that this violence might in some way be state-orchestrated:

"If it turns out that the regime in any way has been sponsoring or tolerating this violence, that would be completely and utterly unacceptable. These are despicable scenes that we're seeing."

16:16 For those of you who have been following the small human drama of Ali Seif, who was fleeing Tahrir Square with two friends and a lost child, they have made it out unharmed:

"@SarahKaram1, Rushdi, his sister, Shant, and Yassir with the child are together and out with us. @TrellaLB ... I can't help but be grateful. Thanks all of you for abdeen info and Mogama tips. I can't help but thank. Our lives we owe to you all. Child will go with us to Rushdi's"

16:14 More gunfire heard in Tahrir Square, according to Canadian Television Network's Lisa LaFlamme:

"Loud gunfire from square #cairo. Protesters running. Don't know who is shooting."

16:04 Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary, says:

"The United States deplores and condemns the violence that is taking place in Egypt, and we are deeply concerned about attacks on the media and peaceful demonstrators. We repeat our strong call for restraint."

16:03 Molotov cocktails thrown at the Egyptian museum, according to Al Jazeera reporter Ahmad Abdel Jawad.

16:01 Ahdaf Soueif, the Egyptian novelist, is being extraordinarily dignified on Al Jazeera: "If these are protests by Mubarak's supporters, they should be out there in the streets with banners and songs and alternative slogans. [The pro-democracy protesters] have shown over a week that they are not violent."

15:58 Nick Kristof of The New York Times adds his voice to those saying Mubarak supporters are not protesters:

"It's not quite right to describe what's happening in #Tahrir as "clashes." These are attacks by #Mubarak thugs"

15:52 Al Jazeera reporter: "at least" 500 people injured today - she says she has heard that 300 have been killed, but it's not clear whether that's today or during the whole uprising. Ambulances have been seen in Tahrir Square for the first time, according to Hamish Macdonald.

Stones fly through the air as supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, foreground, fight with anti-Mubarak protesters, rear, standing on army tanks (Photo: AP)

15:44 People are trying to escape Tahrir Square in the darkness. Ali Seif is a blogger in the crowd - earlier we learned that he has found a lost child in the chaos. Here are his Tweets in order, as he tries to find his way out of danger with two others - I'm including it to give a sense of the chaos:

"We want to live, we have to get out. Carrying child and @SarahKaram1 is running behind me. Rushdi bleeding, abdeen is open! Alleyway in Abdeen is open for now, dunno for how long. Its geing dark, alleyway is open, getting out through there.

"Its dark, fire on our way to army in Mogama. DO NOT USE ABDEEN PEOPLE!

"Heading back towards mogama, will say we are lost tourists, and the child is my brother. Rushdi will back us up"

15:40 David Cameron, the Prime Minister, has said that if reports that Mubarak's government is orchestrating the violence, that would be "unacceptable":

"'If it turns out that the regime in any way has sponsored or tolerated this violence, that is completely unacceptable,' he said after meeting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in London."

15:37 There seems to be smoke coming from the roof of the Egyptian Museum:

15:32 More on the attacks on the press - Nick Kristof, The New York Times's Pulitzer-winning columnist, Tweets to say:

Pro-#Mubarak thugs at #Tahrir v hostile to journalists. Several journalists attacked. I was threatened but am fine. Pro-Mubarak thugs everywhere have same talking points, same signs, same hostility to journalists. An organized crackdown. I tried to interview a young woman who was surrounded and bullied by Mubarak's thugs. She stood her ground heroically. Then the mob prevented me from talking to her, and she slipped away. It's #Mubarak thugocracy on #Tahrir.

Meanwhile Hamish Macdonald of the Australian Ten Network says "Colleague just saw heavily beaten journalist in the elevator of our hotel", and David Degner, a photographer based in Cairo, says "the photographers for The National and The Wall Street Journalist were surrounded and beaten up. Safe now".

15:29 The chaos in and around Tahrir Square is astonishing. Al Seif, a blogger taking part in the protests, has Tweeted to say that he has found a lost child, "2 yrs old max", called Mahmoud - he is appealing via Twitter for help finding his parents.

15:25 Mohamed ElBaradei has been talking to Al Jazeera Arabic. Sultan Al Qassemi has more:

"What is happening now is a crime against Egypt. We have proof that the police are behind the attacks on civilians. What we see is the regime trying to stay in power by force. The army must take a position and no longer stand neutral. I expect the army to get involved today. This is a tragedy in the history of Egypt by an illegitimate regime.

"I ask the army to intervene to protect Egyptian lives."

15:24 One of the captured army trucks has been recaptured by the pro-Mubarak faction and is being driven towards Tahrir Square.

15:15 Richard Spencer has texted to say:

"A senior organiser of the ruling National Democratic Party has been seen with a group of men having coffee in the lobby of the Ramses Hilton, a hundred yards away from the square.

"Horrible scenes around Tahrir Square but the protesters are holding firm - and surely this is the end for Mubarak. Can anyone survive the humiliation of being the man who sent in the camels?

"Camels seen returning west to the Pyramids. As my Egyptian contact said, those camel drivers will do anything for money, but they won't risk their camels for Mubarak."

15:11 "Tens of wounded people coming back to us," a distressed protester sobs down the phone to Al Jazeera. She says: "We do not have a single ambulance. Lots of people are injured, no ambulance, no medical care. No-one is helping us here."

She says that the men of the protest are at the entrances to the square, trying to keep the pro-Mubarak crowds out of Tahrir Square and away from the women and children in the centre.

15:07 Egypt's Foreign Ministry has reacted with scorn to US and European calls for a rapid transition - this from Reuters:

"Egypt's Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it rejected the U.S. and European calls for the process of political transition in Egypt to start now.

"The ministry statement, carried by the official news agency MENA, said calls from 'foreign parties' talking about a transition now were 'rejected and aimed to incite the internal situation in Egypt'.

"A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the ministry rejected the call that had been made from U.S. and several European capitals."

15:04 It's a very confused picture, but two Al Jazeera reporters have now said that most of the fighting is going on around the side-streets and the edges of Tahrir Square - the centre is still held, apparently, but pro-democracy demonstrators, and banners calling for Mubarak to go are still flying.

Al Jazeera's Evan Hill says:

"The protesters inside Tahrir just surged back against the pro-Mubarak people, who streamed away from the Museum entrance."

15:01 Al Jazeera is showing people on the roof of a tall building by the museum hurling huge rocks, chairs, anything they can find, onto the crowds below. People "running for their lives" to avoid the bombardment.

15:00 Sky's Tim Marshall reports on Twitter:

@ITwitius "#Egypt: saw man being beaten to death. Intervened with 2 others. His blood all over us. But he survived."

14:57 Ban Ki-Moon, the United Nations Secretary General, has apparently called for transition from the Mubarak government "without delay".

14:50 Colin Freeman has got in touch again, confirming the stories we've been hearing:

"I'm down the one of the side streets of Tahrir Square - there are pitched battles going on between pro- and anti-Mubarak crowds, pushing each other back and forth, chasing each other down side alleys. Pro-government people captured by the anti-government ones are being 'arrested' and handed over to the army - I think they're being held in a building off the square.

"Earlier there was a huge stone-throwing battle - people were smashing paving stones and carrying them in shifts as ammunition in makeshift crates. It felt like the front line in the Somme. Tear gas is floating around."

14:42 From Reuters:

"Shots were heard fired in the air in Cairo's Tahrir Square on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said. It was not immediately clear where the shots came from.

"State television denied any shots had been fired. An Al Jazeera correspondent earlier said the army had fired shots in the air. "

14:41 The Guardian's correspondent Peter Beaumont says the pro-Mubarak factions are "no question" central security forces.

14:40 Similar scenes are being reported in Suez and Alexandria.

14:33 Images of those mounted charges we heard about earlier:

and

14:32 Blogger Zeinobia reports on Twitter: "Thugs are reportedly heading to ElBaradei house"

14:31 Al Jazeera reporter says he saw an unconscious boy of about eight being carried away from Tahrir Square. He also reports seeing "at least 100" other injured people, many with blood all down their faces.

14:27 Dan Nolan, of Al Jazeera:

"What looks like tear gas being fired now. Gee i wonder who has tear gas supplies?!

"Guys in front of me poundin on pavement to break it into sizes they can throw. Others carry sheets of metal like rudimentary bucket to carry.

"Soldiers left 4 tanks outside museum. Now anti gov protestors sitting on top. Main battle bout 100m further toward gala st. UTTER CHAOS!

"Right outside cairo museum, anti govt protestors handing what they say are police over to soldiers. They say id shows its def a cop."

14:26 Ian Lee, journalist in Egypt, on Twitter:

"Saw a man captured by anti-mubarak protesters with a police ID."

14:25 "Gunfire heard and a Molotov cocktail thrown in downtown Cairo", says Channel 4's Jonathan Rugman on Twitter.

14:23 Those three military trucks mentioned earlier are being used as a rudimentary roadblock, crudely separating the pro- and anti-factions - see picture below. Stones flying left and right. Two helicopters in the sky. All this taking place within metres of the Egyptian museum.

14:19 Another journalist, The Atlantic's Graeme Wood, apparently attacked by pro-regime factions.

14:14 The army vehicles previously captured by the pro-Mubarak demonstrators have been captured by the anti-regime faction, illustrating the swirling and chaotic nature of the battle here.

A woman demonstrator being interviewed by Al Jazeera, close to tears and angry, is shouting: "Don't call [the pro-Mubarak faction] protesters! Protesters do not come in government buses, protesters do not come armed! We were here for a week without anyone getting injured! Don't call them protesters, they are not protesters!"

This is heartbreaking, I can't begin to describe it. She is screaming, "There are thousands of women and children here. We cannot leave the square even if we wanted, they have blocked all the exits".

14:11 Mohamed ElBaradei has condemned the regime's "scare tactics" of the last three hours, talking to BBC radio:

"I'm extremely concerned, I mean this is yet another symptom, or another indication, of a criminal regime using criminal acts. My fear is that it will turn into a bloodbath.

"It seems to me that this is a regime that does not want to listen to the people, does not want to understand that they need to go, and in fact it strengthens the resolve of every Egyptian that Mr Mubarak has to go, has to go immediately before the country goes down the drain.

"Now they want to get rid of millions of people who are demonstrating, and will continue to demonstrate, by scare tactics.

"Even if I take him on his word [about leaving in September], why do I have to keep a representative of a regime which I believe is turning into a regime of thugs?

"Why do Egyptians have to keep him for seven months of instability, of insecurity, of intimidation?"

14:09 The Egyptian Interior Ministry denies that there are police in plain clothes among the pro-Mubarak crowds in Tahrir Square.

14:07 The gunfire is indeed from three stolen military vehicles. I don't know whether they were firing at people: an Al Jazeera reporter is suggesting warning shots.

14:05 Write-through from the Telegraph of the clashes so far:

"Several thousand supporters of President Hosni Mubarak, including some riding horses and camels and wielding whips, have attacked anti-government protesters as tensions in Egypt escalate.

"In chaotic scenes, the two sides pelted each other with stones, and protesters dragged attackers off their horses.

"This is the first significant violence between supporters of the two camps in more than a week of anti-government protests.

"It erupted after President Mubarak went on national television on Tuesday night and rejected demands he step down immediately and said he would serve out the remaining seven months of his term."

14:03 Apparently the gunfire noises were from three military vehicles captured by the pro-Mubarak demonstrators. I'll let you know more as I get it.

14:01 Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm reports that it has evacuated its headquarters after news of attacks on press. I think I can hear gunfire on Al Jazeera, but no news of that yet.

13:54 Al Jazeera reports that anti-Government protesters are standing on top of army tanks and hurling stones at their opponents. The military are retreating to the side streets.

Here's an image of Tahrir Square - a stark contrast to the solid, unmoving mass of peacable people who were singing and chanting before, the festival atmosphere we were hearing about even three hours ago. All of the people you can see in this image are running, moving in every direction, no longer slowly pressing in from the outer streets into the square. The top right of the image is where the thickest knot of combat is happening. People are breaking up concrete paving stones and hurling the pieces as weapons, according to Al Jazeera.

13:53 Abbas Al Lawati, a reporter for Gulf News in Dubai, on Twitter:

"Just saw a foreign journalist being chased by a mob with weapons. He was alone. They got him. God help him"

13:47 Some better images of the clashes. Pro-government demonstrators, below, and anti-government demonstrators, above, clash in Tahrir Square (AP):

Fist fights break out as pro-Mubarak demonstrators advance across the massive square in the heart of the capital (EPA):

Pro-Mubarak protesters tear down banners denouncing the president (EPA):

13:40 Apologies for the delay - technical difficulties. I'm hearing two reports of journalists being attacked - Anderson Cooper, a CNN correspondent, has apparently been punched repeatedly in the head by Mubarak supporters, while it is claimed that an Al Arabiya reporter has been stabbed. Al Jazeera seems to be a particular target for the Mubarak supporters: Greg Carlstrom, a journalist for the station, said on Twitter:

"I saw two camera crews (neither from our channel) chased by mobs yelling 'Al Jazeera! Al Jazeera!'"

Hamish Macdonald of Ten Network says he has had his third camera taken from him in three days.

13:28 Several reports that there are plain-clothed police among the pro-Mubarak crowds: "The pro-Mubarak NDP (National Democratic Party) and the secret police dressed in plain clothes, they invaded the place to get rid of the revolt," protester Mohammed Zomor, 63, told AFP. Al Jazeera is showing images of men in civilian clothes showing Egyptian police ID - I've taken a screen grab:

Sultan Al Qassemi on Twitter says:

"Notice that all pro Mubarak regime protesters are men in their 20's-40's, no women, no children. All are definitely paid by the regime.

"Al Jazeera speaking to opposition spokesperson: 'Mubarak has turned from being president of Egypt to leader of gang of criminals & thugs'"

Al Jazeera says still no sounds of gunfire, mercifully.

13:25 As Colin reported, a heated debate was going on among anti-Mubarak crowds over what to do with captured opponents - according to Matthew Cassel, a Chicagoan photojournalist in Tahrir Square, at least some are being dealt with decently:

"Anti Mubarak are handing pro Mubarak people over to army, protecting them from on the way. Anti Mubarak captured horses from pro Mubarak, kids and others riding them around Tahrir."

13:23 AFP is reporting that the mounted pro-Mubarak faction have been "surrounded and dragged from their animals".

13:21 And more from Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan:

"8 guys on horses + 1 on a camel just charged the wall of anti govt supporters. Insane scenes that i've not ever witnessed before. Army doing nothing to stop this civilian battle outside cairo museum. Tanks sit amongst a flurry of rocks as battle ebbs n flows. Tahrir square itself still fairly calm & in hands of anti mubarak protestors. U know how peaceful it was before pro mubarak guys arrived!"

13:15 Colin Freeman again:

"Quick update: various people have been caught by the anti-government crowd on suspicion of attacking them. They're getting a real kicking. But a row is breaking out among the anti-government faction over what they should do - some people are shouting that they shouldn't hurt them. Sticks and stones everywhere, people trying to barricade themselves in. It's very heated."

You can see the two groups facing each other in the square in this picture - I've circled two men throwing stones at the facing crowd. For the first time, I think, the crowd has completely ignored the call to prayer, with chaos still reigning.

13:08 Running battles on the square and in the side streets nearby, Al Jazeera reports.

13:05 Hamish Macdonald of the Australian Ten Network has taken this amazing photograph of the mounted charge that Colin was describing a few moments ago:

12:58 Armed security guards are alongside the pro-Mubarak protesters, according to Al Jazeera.

Colin Freeman has got in touch with a frightening picture - it's hard to hear him over the crowd noise in Tahrir Square but I've taken it down as best I can:

"People coming into Tahrir Square on horseback and on camels - it's getting very heated. Stones are flying everywhere. People getting attacked. The people on horses and camels are behaving like mounted police, backing up the pro-Mubarak forces. The sense in the crowd is that this is deliberate by the security forces - an attempt to spark violence and say 'this is what happens when you haven't got a government'"

He's just texted again to say "anti-Government crowd now charging pro-government".

A few minutes before he rang to say there were reports that people in the pro-Mubarak crowd were being paid to attack demonstrators.

12:56 Ali Seif, a Middle Eastern blogger in Tahrir Square, reports on Twitter that the smoke seen earlier is tear gas - no confirmation so far.

12:54 More, this time via Reuters:

"A Reuters witness said those involved in the clashes were using stones and sticks, but not weapons. The witness said about 10 people at the scene were wounded, some with bloodied heads.

"'These are the thugs of the (ruling) National Democratic Party. I was at the entrance of Tahrir making a human wall and a and then a group ... scuffled with us and then a rock hit me,' said Waleed who was bleeding from his head. 'I want Mubarak out.'"

12:49 Anti-government protesters are calling on the army to intervene, apparently. Yesterday's peaceful demonstration has suddenly turned violent with the appearance of these pro-Mubarak protesters. Here's an AFP write-through of the situation - I'm going to reprint in full:

"Supporters of embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak clashed violently with opposition protesters after marching into an anti-regime rally in Tahrir Square, an AFP correspondent said.

"Protesters from both sides threw stones at each other in the divided square, the epicentre of opposition demonstrations now in their ninth day.

"An AFP reporter said several people had been injured.

"'The pro-Mubarak NDP (National Democratic Party) and the secret police dressed in plain clothes, they invaded the place to get rid of the revolt,' protester Mohammed Zomor, 63, told AFP.

"Fighting took place around army tanks deployed around the square, with stones bouncing off the armoured vehicles. Soldiers did not intervene.

"Several groups were involved in fist fights, and some were using clubs.

"The opposition said in a statement that plain-clothes policemen stormed the square.

"'Members of security forces dressed in plain clothes and a number of thugs have stormed Tahrir Square,' three opposition groups said in a statement."

A Muslim sheik, left, and a Coptic cleric wave Egyptian flags and a poster for President Mubarak duringa march in Cairo (photo: AP)

12:43 Al Arabiya puts the number injured in the clashes at 10 to 15 so far. Al Jazeera reports that uniformed police officers have been seen, for the first time in days, apparently driving the pro-Mubarak protesters around. Rocks still flying everywhere. Reports that attempts to search people for weapons as they come into Tahrir Square have ceased. Sultan Al Qassemi says:

"Al Jazeera: Mubarak security forces stormed Meydan Tahriri in civilian clothes wearing protective vests."

12:41 Dan Nolan, of Al Jazeera, has been Tweeting updates - here are his latest, in time order, as the clashes began:

"Still just a battle of voices no violence that i can see. Won't take much to set it off tho. Anti-mubarak side even more angry with him now

"4 soldiers on roof of building overlooking this face-off. Not sure what they can even do IF it turns ugly

"Clashes erupt now, rocks sticks flying in each direction. 8 people pulling out to anti mubarak side with bloody heads

"Pro-mubarak pushed back now toward museum where main clashes are now. Haven't seen any weapons bigger than rocks sticks etc"

12:37 Colin Freeman has more:

"Pro-Mubarak crowds getting bigger in Tahrir Square, signs saying 'Yes to president, police and army; no to destruction.

"137 documented deaths and more than 2,000 injured over the last week, according to the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights."

12:31 "The counter-revolution seems to have begun", an analyst says on Al Jazeera. Sudden rushes can be seen in the crowd - surely at great risk of crushes when the crowd is this large and the tension is this high. A protester says there are several serious injuries among the anti-Mubarak crowd caused by stones. Smoke is pouring onto Tahrir Square - I can't tell whether there's a fire or if it's teargas. "Mayhem" and "chaos" are the words Al Jazeera is using to describe it. Terrifying scenes, and serious bloodshed must be a real possibility.

12:25 Al Arabiya and AFP report that the confrontations between pro- and anti-government protesters have flared up. According to Sultan Al Qassemi on Twitter, an Al Arabiya journalist has been hospitalised in the violence:

"Al Arabiya's reporter in Cairo Ahmad Bagato has been taken to hospital after pro-Mubarak protesters attacked him."

Al Jazeera says that pro-Mubarak supporters have been hurling rocks at their opponents, and the anti-Mubarak crowd has responded by physically pushing them out of Tahrir Square.

Clashes between pro- and anti-regime demonstrators.

12:24 The internet is definitely back up in Egypt, reports Richard Spencer, but Twitter and Facebook are apparently still being blocked.

12:17 David Cameron, during Prime Minister's questions, has told Parliament:

"The transition needs to be rapid and credible and it needs to start now.

"The more they can do with a timetable to convince people that it's true, the more I think the country can settle down to a stable and more democratic future."

We've also got some longer quotes from Mr Cameron's spokesman's statement earlier, via PA:

"Our view is that that process [of political reform] needs to begin immediately.

"We would look to the Egyptian government to set out a clear road map for change, [which is] clearly what the Egyptian people are saying".

"Ultimately it's not for us to dictate on this process. What we are saying is the Egyptian government needs to listen to the grievances of the Egyptian people."

12:12 A screengrab, via Al Jazeera, of Egyptian state TV - showing, for perhaps the first time, the scale of the protests that are taking place, although they are focusing on the pro-regime demonstrations:

12:07 It sounds like a potential flashpoint in the heart of Tahrir Square as pro- and anti-Mubarak protesters square up. Al Jazeera reports they've been facing each other for 10 or 15 minutes, and say it's a remarkable and commendable example of restraint that there has been no violence so far. Security forces are staying out of it, so the two factions are literally face-to-face.

The Muslim Brotherhood has apparently said it "blames" the army for allowing the pro-Mubarak demonstrators into the square; Al Jazeera says members of the crowd have knives and sticks and are "ready" for violence.

11:58 Colin Freeman, our reporter in Cairo, also reports that the pro-Mubarak protests are becoming more visible, passing one as he left his hotel:

"Just passed a pro-Mubarak demonstration, waving pictures of the President and singing 'Yes to Mubarak, no to chaos.'"

11:56 Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports, via Twitter, that a large group of pro-Mubarak protesters has forced its way through the cordon around Tahrir Square and is facing off with the anti-regime demonstrators:

"Now a flood of pro-mubarak supporters heading towards square. One guy says its mubarak attempt to turn this all violent so he can shut down. Anti-mubarak protestors tried to block pro- mubarak crowd at cairo museum but failed. Now they're all in square. Army very tense now!

"No violence yet but egyptian v egyptian. In each other faces. No army to stop this in middle of square. Hope things hold but easily ignited"

11:46 The Egyptian opposition has said that they are only willing to negotiate with the government once Mubarak stands down - a spokesman for the coalition said:

"The opposition forces are ready to negotiate with Vice President Omar Suleiman only after Mubarak steps down.

"We call on the people to continue protesting in Tahrir Square and we ask everyone to participate in the 'Friday of Departure', to march from all governorates in Egypt to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the People's Assembly and the television building."

An Egyptian infant covered with an Egyptian national flag (photo: EPA)

11:44 A spokesman for David Cameron, the Prime Minster, has backed President Obama's call for Egypt to start making changes immediately: "We think the process needs to be an orderly transition. The process needs to begin now."

11:26 A bit more on the divisions arising among Egyptians over whether to stop the protest and trust Mubarak to go in September as promised - this via AP:

"Some pro-Mubarak protesters [pictured above] expressed fears of continuing shortages of food and other necessities if protesters in Tahrir Square didn't end demonstrations. 'I want the people in Tahrir Square to understand that Mubarak gave his word that he will give them the country to them through elections, peacefully, now they have no reason for demonstrations,' said Ali Mahmoud, 52, who identified himself as middle-class worker from Menoufia, a Nile Delta province north of Cairo."

But, says Sultan Al Qassemi on Twitter, other protesters are in it for the long haul, and demand that Mubarak leave by this Friday, 4 February:

"Egyptian protesters are now preparing for a major anti-Mubarak rally called 'The Friday of Departure'"

And Mohamed ElBaradei, the key opposition figure, has described Mubarak's promise to step down as a "trick".

11:20 Some of the pro-Mubarak protests consist of those people who feel the concessions gained so far are enough: Al Jazeera's reporter feels that "battle lines are being drawn" between those who want to carry on protesting until Mubarak goes, and those who want to return to work and normal life, and let Mubarak go in September. Channel 4's Jonathan Rugman says on Twitter:

"Army keeping pro-Mubarak crowd out of Tahrir sq - 'we don't want revolution, we want security' they tell us. 'Let him go in Sept'."

11:12 The Egyptian parliament has been suspended, state news agency MENA has reported. The results of last November and December's elections were disputed, say AFP:

"The two houses of parliament 'have decided to suspend their sessions indefinitely, until decisions are reached' about the results of the elections held in November and December last year, MENA said.

"The elections were marred by violence as well as accusations of widespread fraud and vote-rigging."

11:03 More detail on the military's call for an end to the protests:

"The Egyptian military has called for an end to more than a week of demonstrations after Hosni Mubarak, the president, said he would step down in September after nearly 30 years in power.

"Ismail Etman, a military spokesman [pictured above], said: 'Your message has arrived, your demands became known. You are capable of bringing normal life to Egypt.'

"The military statement came as internet service began to return to Egypt, while a night-time curfew was eased, now running from 5pm to 7am instead of 3pm to 8am.

"Despite Mr Mubarak's pledge, crowds were building in Cairo for a ninth day of protests to try to force out Mr Mubarak earlier.

"The movement built on the work of online activists is fuelled by deep frustration with an autocratic regime blamed for ignoring the needs of the poor and allowing corruption and official abuse to run rampant."

10:53 The speaker of the Egyptian parliament has insisted that constitutional reforms will be completed within 10 weeks, according to Reuters:

"The speaker of Egypt's parliament said on Wednesday he wanted President Hosni Mubarak's promised constitutional reforms to be completed in less than two-and-half months, state television reported.

"Mubarak said on Tuesday night he would not run again when his term ends in September and would work to change clauses in the constitution that at present make it almost impossible for any realistic presidential challenge to the candidate nominated by his ruling party."

Another image from Egyptian activist 3arabawy

10:50 As the internet comes back on line, Egypt's army of bloggers is coming to life. I'll try to get the best of them here. One who's worth keeping an eye on is Zeinobia, author of the Egyptian Chronicles:

"I am back, in fact Egypt is back online. What shall I say, what can I say!!?? Egypt is back online. Smile

"Wait for more updates, daily journals for the past days, photos and videos are coming in the way."

10:47 Interesting analysis from The Independent's Robert Fisk, who criticises President Obama's vacillation in response to the crisis:

"Egypt is not anti-Western. It is not even particularly anti-Israeli, though this could change. But one of the blights of history will now involve a US president who held out his hand to the Islamic world and then clenched his fist when it fought a dictatorship and demanded democracy."

10:45 The curfew which has been in place since Friday has been shortened, now running from 5pm to 7am local time (3pm to 5am GMT), rather than 3pm to 8am as it has been until now, Reuters reports.

10:38 An image of one of the pro-Mubarak protests, which many claim are organised by the regime itself - via CNN's Frederik Pleitgen on Twitter:

I, obviously, can't confirm whether they're genuine or not - but whatever the truth is about that, they're certainly dwarfed in terms sheer scale by the anti-regime demonstrations, as this image shows (photo: Getty):

10:35 @3arabawy, an Egyptian journalist and activist, has been posting images of the uprising on the photo site Flickr - take a look here.

10:26 Richard Spencer has texted from Cairo, saying that the doubts over the spontaneity of the pro-Mubarak demonstrations are widespread:

"The regime has organised pro-Mubarak demonstrations. I just passed several hundred near Mustafa Mahmoud mosque in Mohandseen, in the west of Cairo. Many are said to be Oil Ministry employees, and opponents say they are being paid to protest.

"Witnesses say similar controlled demonstration set off through the Bab al-Shaaria district, chanting 'We love you Hosni', within minutes of Mubarak's speech ending last night. All well organised.

"Hearing reports that the army is telling protesters to go home, and the internet has been restored. Very strong 'life-must-return-to-normal' messages. Will it work?"

Colin Freeman reports that the anti-Mubarak protests are very much still continuing:

"Protests still continue in Tahrir Square, and still fairly voluble marches of the crowds through the streets, demanding that President Mubarak step down."

10:22 It's time for midday prayers in Cairo, and Harriet Sherwood, the Guardian's correspondent in the city, is reporting the scene on Twitter:

"Prayers starting. Muezzin ringing out across square. Chanting stops instantly. Long green mats being laid down. Men forming neat lines to pray. Bowed heads, instant calm. Chaotic scenes transformed."

10:19 AP reports that China is intent on making sure the news of the Egyptian uprising is suitably sanitised before it reaches its citizens:

"The protests in Egypt are about free elections and overthrowing a longtime dictator? Not according to China's state media, which is painting them as the kind of chaos that comes with Western-style democracy.

"The recent uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia are no doubt giving pause to many authoritarian regimes around the world, but nowhere else appears to be as determined to control the message as China.

"Newspapers can only publish accounts of the protests from the official Xinhua News Service, a policy often invoked on stories the government considers sensitive. Censors have blocked the ability to search the term "Egypt" on microblogging sites, and user comments that draw parallels to China have been deleted from Internet forums."

10:08 Sultan Al Qassemi on Twitter says on Twitter:

"Following the televised addresses of Mubarak, Obama & the Army it seems the tide is turning against the Egyptian opposition & protesters. The blood of over 150 killed & thousands of injured protesters over the past ten days will be whitewashed in the name of stability."

10:07 Internet services are coming back on line in Egypt, according to Al Arabiya and AP.

09:59 Richard Spencer has got in touch from Cairo - and, while simultaneously attempting to negotiate with a taxi driver who was demanding US$100 to take him to 6th October Bridge, a 15 minute walk from Tahrir Square - said the following:

"President Mubarak's concessions are not enough for many protesters, and more people are still marching on Tahrir Square. But I've spoken to some business owners in the city who are saying that it's time to get back to work and accept the concessions they've won."

09:52 The Egyptian army has made a statement to protesters via state television, calling for them to return to their daily lives - Reuters has more:

"'The army forces are calling on you ... You began by going out to express your demands and you are the ones capable of restoring normal life,' a spokesman said, adding that the message and demands had been heard. "

09:44 Egypt's stock exchange is to stay closed for the fifth consecutive day, and the impact of the protests on the cotton export industry is likely to cost the country $10 billion (£6.1 billion), Al Jazeera reports.

09:33 Overnight there were several clashes between protesters and some pro-Mubarak demonstrators. Al Jazeera reports that some of the pro-regime protesters were Egyptian TV employees ordered to support the president, according to The National's Sultan Al Qassemi, but AP reports that "several thousand" people in the upscale neighbourhood of Mohandiseen were demonstrating in Mubarak's support.

09:17 There has been a sceptical response within Yemen to President Saleh's promise to step down in 2013, echoing the sentiments of the journalist Sultan Al Qassemi earlier. AP reports:

"Opposition spokesman Mohammed al-Sabri rejected the call for dialogue and expressed doubts about Saleh's pledge not to seek re-election. Al-Sabri said Saleh made a similar promise in 2006, but then failed to fulfill it, ran again and was re-elected..

"'The calls for dialogue are not serious and are merely meant to be tranquilizers,' al-Sabri said. He added that the opposition parties would meet Wednesday to prepare an official response to Saleh's announcement."

09:10 President Barack Obama, whose intervention seems to have forced Mubarak's hand last night, seems - as we reported on the live blog last night - not to consider the Egyptian leader's promise to quit in September to go far enough, calling for transition to begin "now". After a 30-minute phone call between the two presidents, Mr Obama said:

"What is clear, and what I indicated tonight to President Mubarak is my belief that an orderly transition must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now. He recognises that the status quo is not sustainable and that a change must take place."

Mr Obama also said that he "heard the voices" of the Egyptian protesters, and praised the army for its peaceable response to the uprising:

"To the people of Egypt, particularly the young people of Egypt, I want to be clear, we hear your voices. I have an unyielding belief that you will determine your own destiny.

"I want to commend the Egyptian military for the professionalism that it has shown while protecting the Egyptian people.

"We've seen tanks covered with banners and soldiers and protesters embracing in the streets; and going forward, I urge the military to continue its efforts to help ensure that this time of change is peaceful."

08:59 Praveen Swami, our Diplomatic Editor, wonders whether the world needs to fear Egypt's Islamist movement, the Muslim Brotherhood:

"Islam hooah al-hal, read the pamphlets being handed out by the Muslim Brotherhood on the streets of Egypt’s cities: 'Islam is the Solution.'

"Eighty-three years after that slogan was coined, the party that invented it could be poised to take power. Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood had little role setting off the tidal wave of rage that threatens to sweep President Hosni Mubarak from power. But if Egypt does hold democratic elections, few doubt the Brotherhood will be one of the key beneficiaries – perhaps the beneficiary."

08:50 Mr Blair is not the only voice offering support for President Mubarak. The Telegraph's Con Coughlin writes:

"A lot of people, particularly those advising U.S. President Barack Obama, seem to forget that, when Mr Mubarak came to power in 1981, his country teetered on the brink of collapse after the charismatic Anwar Sadat was murdered by Islamic militants for daring to sign a peace treaty with Israel.

"Mr Mubarak, professional military man, suddenly found himself thrust into the limelight and given the daunting task of stabilising his country at a time when the region was never far from all-out war. And it is mainly down to his careful, if unexciting stewardship, that Egypt has been a beacon of stability in an otherwise violent region."

08:38 Overnight, Tony Blair, the Middle East peace envoy and former Prime Minister, described Mr Mubarak as "immensely courageous and a force for good", the Guardian reports:

"The former prime minister, now an envoy to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, praised Mubarak over his role in the negotiations and said the west was right to back him despite his authoritarian regime because he had maintained peace with Israel.

"But that view is likely to anger many Egyptians who believe they have had to endure decades of dictatorship because the US put Israel's interests ahead of their freedom."

It's certainly fair to say that Mr Blair's comments have not met with universal approval. The novelist Hari Kunzru speaks for many on Twitter when he says:

"What makes Blair a monster is he's managed to convince himself his cynical Kissingerian foreign policy realism is principled, brave, moral."

08:34 Reports on Twitter suggest that President Saleh said the same thing in 2005, then ran in the 2006 elections, however. As The National's columnist Sultan Al Qassemi says on Twitter:

"FYI: Yemen's President Ali Abdallah Saleh has been in power for 33 years, he periodically announces that he 'won't run for elections again'"

08:18 The repercussions throughout the region are spreading. Yemen's president, Al Abdullah Saleh [pictured below], has promised he will step down when his current term ends in 2013 - more from Reuters:

"Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said on Wednesday he will not seek to extend his presidency in a move that would bring an end to a three-decade rule when his current term expires in 2013.

"Eyeing protests that brought down Tunisia's leader and threaten to topple Egypt's president, Saleh also vowed not to pass on the reins of government to his son.

"'No extension, no inheritance, no resetting the clock,' Saleh said, speaking ahead of a planned large rally due on Thursday in Sanaa that has been dubbed a 'Day of rage'."

08:11 Our leader today says "Mubarak is going, but his country still needs stability":

"Hosni Mubarak's announcement last night that he will not stand in Egypt's next presidential election carried with it a sense of inevitability. Over the past week, it had become increasingly difficult to see how he could remain in power. Hundreds of thousands of people participated in yesterday's anti-government rally in Tahrir Square, the biggest demonstration yet. They came despite Mr Mubarak's pledge to undertake wholesale constitutional reform – a less than convincing promise to review the country's political system and change it into 'something more satisfactory and appropriate for us as Egyptian citizens'.

"Mr Mubarak's problem is that he has had 30 years in which to undertake such reforms, but has never displayed any real enthusiasm for democracy."

08:00 Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, tells ITV the events in Egypt are "incredibly exciting" - some might argue that that's an unfortunate choice of phrase:

"It is incredibly exciting what is going on, it reminds me so much of the time when the Berlin Wall fell, the power of the people out on the streets, in a regime which two weeks ago everybody thought was one of the most stable regimes in the region.

"I don't think it is really for me or anybody else to start dictating exactly when the transition should take place but clearly it is already taking place, and that holds out at least the exciting prospect of real democracy and real freedom and openness in Egypt for the first time ever."

07:53 The next question, of course, is who will take the reins when Mr Mubarak steps down. Mohamed ElBaradei, the figurehead around which the loose opposition movement has coalesced, has been "forging an alternative government" overnight, according to Richard:

"...sources close to Mr ElBaradei, former head of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency, said he met senior figures from the army on Tuesday morning with a view to making plans for a quicker transition.

"For the first time he also held direct negotiations with Western governments, briefing the American ambassador, Margaret Scobey, and the British ambassador, Dominic Asquith.

"He was reported to have proposed a number of options for an interim government ahead of the writing of a new constitution and fresh general elections. Under one plan, Omar Suleiman, the new vice-president who was appointed by Mr Mubarak, would take over as interim president. Under another, a three-man council including a representative from the military and two others would supervise a transition.

"Mr ElBaradei himself said he would 'serve if called' to be a temporary leader though he has previously said he did not want to play a longer-term role."

Other figures are also jockeying for position in the post-Mubarak world:

"Amr Moussa [pictured], the Egyptian secretary general of the Arab League, dramatically threw his hat in the ring. He refused to rule out a run at office and said he would not seek a new mandate in his current position when it expired in two months."

Tuesday 1 February 2011 07:51 Good morning - Tom Chivers here. Yesterday was, clearly, a momentous one in the history of Egypt, and it seems to be having knock-on effects around the Middle East - the rulers of Yemen and Jordan are both looking nervous, while Israel has admitted to concerns over what sort of government will replace President Hosni Mubarak's, now that he has promised to step down.

Here's the situation overnight:

At 11pm local time last night (9pm GMT), President Mubarak gave an announcement that he would end his rule in September of this year. Richard Spencer reports:

"President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt on Tuesday night gambled that he could stave off the immediate collapse of his regime with an announcement he would stay on but only till September.

"Mr Mubarak did not board a private jet heading for Saudi Arabia, as many were predicting on the eve of mass demonstrations on Tuesday against his rule.

"Intead, he promised a White House special envoy, Frank Wisner, that neither he nor his unpopular son, Gamal, whom many believed he was grooming as a replacement, would stand at the next elections.

"But he is said to have rejected advice that he stand down earlier."

Mr Mubarak did not jump - he was pushed, in a direct intervention from Washington, as Richard explains here:

"Mr Mubarak was finally compelled to act after a direct intervention by Barack Obama. The US president sent a special envoy, Frank Wisner, to tell Mr Mubarak that he had lost support and that it was 'critical' he oversee a transition to free and fair elections in September."

• Egypt protests: day eight of the protests as it happened
• Egypt protests: day seven of the protests as it happened
• Egypt protests: day five of the protests as it happened
• Egypt protests: day four of the protests as it happened

The Telegraph team covering Egypt:

Adrian Blomfield covers the Middle East from the Daily Telegraph's Jerusalem bureau. He has been writing for the paper since 2001, based first in Nairobi and later in Moscow.

Richard Spencer is one of the Daily Telegraph's Middle East correspondents. He was China correspondent for six years before moving to Dubai, where he lives with his wife and children.

Colin Freeman is the Chief Foreign Correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph. He has worked for the paper for five years, covering stories in Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Rob Crilly is the Telegraph's Pakistan Correspondent. He previously reported on the Middle East and before that was East Africa correspondent of The Times, travelling extensively through the continent’s wars in Somalia, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Alex Spillius is the Telegraph’s Washington Correspondent. He covered the 2008 campaign in its entirety and has since documented the tribulations of the Obama administration and the rise of the tea party.