Saturday 29 January 2011

Egyptian Protesters Return to Streets, Mubarak Names Vice President | The Rundown News Blog | PBS NewsHour | PBS

By: News Desk

Protesters returned to the streets of Cario and other cities in Egypt Saturday, renewing calls for embattled President Hosni Mubarak to step down.

State television reports that Mubarak has named a vice president for the first time in his 30-year rule, choosing his intelligence chief Omar Suleiman.

Tanks and military vehicles deployed in the Egyptian capital to keep order and guard government buildings. Media reports indicate that some Egyptian troops are intermingling with protesters, letting them climb on their tanks and take photos.

The allegiances of the Egyptian military, police and special security forces are all under close watch as the protests continue for a fifth day. Analysts examined that issue and the frustrations driving the demonstrations in this discussion from Friday's NewsHour:

The death toll from the uprising is at least 48, medical and security officials told the Associated Press. Some 17 police stations in Cairo have been attacked by protesters.

As Mubarak promised in a televised statement Friday, his cabinet ministers resigned Saturday. But many protesters were not satisfied with the long-time Egyptian leader's pledges of reform.

"What we want is for Mubarak to leave, not just his government," Mohammed Mahmoud, a demonstrator in the city's main Tahrir Square, told the AP Saturday. "We will not stop protesting until he goes."

We've gathered several sources for tracking the ongoing developments in Egypt online, including this wiki from Wired on how to follow developments on news sites and social media.