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Demonstrators are still standing their ground in Cairo hours after millions of people gathered to call for Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, to quit.
The protests entered their twelfth day on Saturday, a day after the city's Tahrir Square, the focal point of protests in Egypt, saw demonstrators observe a "Day of Departure".
The morning has been calm so far except for a standoff between two separate groups chanting slogans. However, the military soon moved in and there are more soldiers on the ground now.
State media reported that Mubarak met ministers responsible for the main economic portfolios in his new government on Saturday.
The meeting included the prime minister, finance minister, oil minister and the trade and industry minister. The central bank governor also attended.
The demonstrations, which commenced after Friday prayers, were also held in the cities of Alexandria, Mahalla and Giza.
Protests continued into the night, in defiance of a curfew that has not been observed since it was first announced last week. The newly relaxed curfew now runs from 7pm to 6am local time.
One protester in Cairo told Al Jazeera that demonstrations will continue until Mubarak steps down.
"It's either death, or freedom," he said.
Ahmed Shafiq, Egypt's new prime minister, however, said on Friday that Mubarak would not be handing over powers to Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, before the September elections. In statements carried by the official MENA news agency, Shafiq "ruled out" an early exit for Mubarak.
"We need President Mubarak to stay for legislative reasons," he said.
Speaking on Friday in Washington, Barack Obama, the US president, said it was "clear that there must be a transition process that begins now ... and leads to free and fair elections".
Obama said that a "successful and orderly transition must be meaningful and ... must address the legitimate grievances of those who seek a better future".
He said that in this "time of tumult and transformation", the US would remain a "strong friend and partner" to the Egyptian people.
Standoff in Cairo
Al Jazeera's online producer in Cairo reported that a gunshot was heard in the centre of the capital on Friday afternoon, but no further violence was reported.
Earlier, about 200 Mubarak loyalists gathered on the 6th of October Bridge, near the square, with another 200 below the bridge.
Our correspondent reported that there was a short standoff between about 300 Mubarak loyalists and pro-democracy protesters in the Talaat Harb square, which is located on a street leading to the main protest centre.
People were throwing rocks at one another, and the Mubarak loyalists were eventually driven from the square.
Our correspondents said that there were up to five layers of checkpoints at some entrances, with makeshift barricades being put up by pro-democracy protesters.
At one point, a huge cheer went up amongst protesters when a false rumor went around saying that the president had stepped down.
Aljazeera correspondents have said that pro-democracy protesters have also "overpowered" several people who were suspected of wanting to engage in violence, and delivered them to the army, who are detaining them.
Aljazeera online producer termed Tahrir Square a "fully functioning encampment, with medical camps and pharmacies".
Army separating protesters
Soldiers on foot are very visible, and army armored personnel carriers and tanks have taken up positions to control the 6th of October bridge entrance to the square, Aljazeera correspondent said.
Another correspondent added that the army appeared to be placing itself so as to separate Mubarak loyalists from pro-democracy protesters, and another correspondent indicated that the army was detaining some Mubarak supporters in order to prevent them from reaching the main square.
"The atmosphere is not quite as triumphal as Tuesday's rally; people then said Mubarak would be out in a matter of hours, but now most of them think it'll be a long time," reported Al Jazeera's online producer from the square.
He added that protesters, a diverse array of men, women and children from various economic and religious backgrounds, fear an outbreak of violence and the atmosphere remains tense.
"The feel here is that today is the final day for Mubarak, it's time for him to go," Gigi Ibrahim, a political activist told Al Jazeera from the square.
Some protesters have called for the crowd to begin marching towards the presidential palace.
Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, Egypt's defense minister, visited Tahrir Square earlier on Friday, making him the first member of the government to do so. He talked with the protesters and military commanders.
Amr Moussa, Egypt's former foreign minister and current secretary-general of the Arab League, also spoke to demonstrators.
Earlier, prime minister Shafiq said the interior minister should not obstruct Friday's peaceful marches.
Al Jazeera's offices in Cairo were attacked on Friday by "gangs of thugs", according to a statement from the network. The office was burned, along with the equipment inside it.
Later, Egyptian security forces arrested Al Jazeera's Cairo bureau chief and another Al Jazeera journalist in the capital.
Security forces also broke into the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood's website and arrested 12 journalists there, Al Masry Al Youm, the country's largest independent newspaper, and the Associated Press reported on Friday.
An Egyptian journalist wounded in anti-government protests has died of his injuries, his wife told Al Jazeera on Friday.
Ahmed Mohammed Mahmoud, who worked with state-owned daily al-Ahram, was wounded on January 29 during anti-government protests. He is the first journalist known to have died in the unrest.
Egyptian state television has been reporting that the situation in Cairo is currently quiet and calm.
They have not shown footage of the angry protesters, though they have said that they will try to bring some protesters into their studios for interviews.
Meanwhile, Egypt's prosecutor-general has barred Rashid Mohammed Rashid, the former trade and industry minister, from leaving the country, and has frozen his bank accounts, the state news agency MENA said on Friday.
The same measures had earlier been ordered against Habib al-Adly, the former interior minister, and Ahmed Ezz, a businessman.
PHOTO CAPTION
Anti-government protestors gather in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011.
Al-Jazeera
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