Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Settling In for the Long Game

0132 GMT: We end tonight's liveblog with this report from Al Jazeera: 

 0036 GMT: There are reports of gunfire in Cairo. We cannot confirm where exactly it is coming from or who's shooting. 

0027 GMT: In a surprising development, 40 women protests in Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh for the release of prisoners held without trial as part of the Kingdom's fight against terrorism. The Toronto Star reports: 

Women clad in black gathered in front of the Interior Ministry in central Riyadh watched by a heavy police presence, a Reuters correspondent said.

“God, free our prisoners,” read one poster held up by a woman.

“The women demand to free people imprisoned in the campaign against terrorism. Many people have been held up for a long time without trial, or have nothing to do with al Qaeda,” activist Mohammed al-Qahtani told Reuters by telephone later.

0014 GMT: It has now been confirmed through multiple sources that the video below shows the brutal arrest of Google exec and a designated spokesperson for the the 6th of April Movement, Wael Ghonim. He was arrested in Egypt several days ago during a protest in Cairo by state security and has yet to be released. The video shows him getting singled out, then, dragged away by plainclothes state security people.  

2347 GMT: The Associated Press now reports that 4 people have been killed and 17 injured in the shooting by police in El Kef, Tunisia. 

2335 GMT: Ynet reports: 

Amnesty International says several dozen activists who were detained by the Egyptian military for almost two days have been released

The group of several dozen included staff members of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Amnesty worker Said Haddadi, a French national, says the group was handcuffed for an afternoon and evening, and blindfolded for most of the following 24-hour period. Haddadi says that during an interrogation, the military told him that the group was being held for its own protection.

Amnesty added that they're trying to secure the release of Egytpian protesters and other activists. Another HRW staff member Dan Williams is still in custody as of today. 

2330 GMT: Two people were killed in northern Tunisia. Al Jazeera reports: 

At least two people have been killed and several injured in clashes with police in northern Tunisia, officials have said. Al Jazeera sources said police fired on protesters outside a police station in the northern town of El Kef on Saturday.

The clashes were said to have been sparked after a police officer attacked a woman who had come to file a complaint. According to local union members, the deaths came as about 300 demonstrators demanded the departure of a local police chief. 

2300 GMT: Coptic Christian Egyptians are planning on holding Sunday Mass tomorrow in Tahrir Square in solidarity with Muslims who have been praying at the square. The designated time is 1 PM. 

2152 GMT: The New York Times has this to add on the Wisner fiasco: 

A senior administration official quickly sought to distance the White House from Mr. Wisner’s comments. American officials have said that they are seeking privately to nudge Mr. Mubarak out of his executive role ahead of September elections, though they have also said that they do not view his departure as an essential first step toward a transition to a new democratic system in the country.

Mr. Wisner, the official said, had not been supplied with talking points for his remarks to the Munich conference.

“We’re not coming out and making a pronouncement about Murbarak’s future,” this official said. “Frank Wisner was speaking for himself, he was not speaking for the United States government.”

2126 GMT: Kim Ghattas of BBC just tweets: 

US official told me- Mubarak shud have dignified exit, hinted shud b able to stay in Egypt, not exile. On agenda of transition talks?

2100 GMT: The US State Department has reportedly called Frank Wisner's remarks about Mubarak staying in power as remarks by a private citizen. It is now also being reported that he was never an envoy, but on an official mission nonetheless. 

2050 GMT: BBC reports: 

President Obama's special envoy to Egypt, Frank Wisner, told the international security conference in Germany, that Mr Mubarak was needed to oversee a transition to democracy.

The Associated Press quotes him as saying: 

"You need to get a national consensus around the preconditions of the next step forward, and the president must stay in office in order to steer those changes through...I therefore believe that President Mubarak's continued leadership is critical — it's his opportunity to write his own legacy."

The White House is reportedly distancing itself from Mr. Wisner's comments. This is a developing story. 

2000 GMT: The past two days, there have been reports that Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud, a journalist working with Al-Ahmram newspaper in Egypt, had died as a result of a gunshot wound to the head two days ago. 

Now, we are being informed by several sources - including a man claiming to be Mahmoud himself - that he is very much alive. The mix up, he explains, happened because Al-Ahram published a report about the death of another man named Ahmad Mohamed Mahmoud. 

He said that his family is being repeatedly called by people who want to inquire about him and that he has become semi-famous because of the rumor.

We are waiting for verification from Mr. Mahmoud's newspaper. 

1715 GMT: RFE/RL is now reporting that two of its journalists arrested in Egypt have now been released: 

The two -- Robert Tait and Abdelilah Nuaimi, both U.K. citizens -- were detained shortly after arriving in the Egyptian capital on February 4 to report on the ongoing political unrest there. The two were held at an unknown location but were said to have been treated well. Tait and Nuaimi were being escorted by police to the airport for what appears to be a flight back to Prague.

1705 GMT: Adam Makary of Al Jazeera just tweeted that an NDP member he spoke to confirmed that Mubarak has stepped down as head of the party, but the state TV says that he hasn't after reporting that he had. 

1700 GMT: US Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley just tweeted: 

Government and opposition leaders met in #Egypt today. We encourage broader dialogue and more steps to build confidence in the transition.

1650 GMT: It seems news of Mubarak's resignation as head of the ruling National Democratic Party may have been premature. Confirmation cannot be obtained by many news outlets and the state TV seems to be reviewing its earlier announcement of the move. 

For now, we'll call it unconfirmed, even though Al Jazeera and others ran it earlier. 

1630 GMT: It's raining in Tahrir Square and the temprature is lower than the nights before, however, the march of people towards the area continues and the number of protesters is growing still even as night falls. 

1625 GMT: Al Jazeera is now reporting that Osama Abd Elaziz, an editor for the station, has been released from custody in Egypt.

1720 GMT: A source in Egypt claims that SMS is back. We haven't gotten confirmation for this yet. 

1610 GMT: Seven demands have been reportedly forwarded by the Tahrir Square protesters to the government that should be immediately be met for them to end protests: 

1. Resignation of the president

2. End of State of Emergency 

3. Dissolution of The People's Assembly and Shora Council

4. Formation of a national transitional government

5. An elected Parliament that will ammend the Constitution to allow for presidential elections

6. Immediate prosecution for those responsible for deaths of the revolution's martyrs

7. Immediate prosecution of the corrupters & those who robbed the country of its wealth

1608 GMT: President Hosni Mubarak has now resigned as the head of the ruling National Democratic Party. 

1605 GMT: Al Masry Al Youm reports that the country's exports in January fell by 6 percent. 

1600 GMT: President Obama has criticized the spy agencies' in America for misjudging how quickly the protests in the Middle East would escalate and specifically how quickly President Ben Ali of Tunisia could leave the country in the face of protests. 

1535 GMT: The Daily News Egypt reports that banks in Egypt will open soon from 10:00 AM to 1:30 PM, citing state TV in Egypt. No other sources has directly confirmed this. 

1530 GMT: Several sources are claiming now that Hossam Badrawy has now been appointed as the Secretary General of the ruling National Democratic Party and head of its policies committees. These positions were held previously by Safwat Al Sherif and Gamal Mubarak - the son of President Mubarak. 

1525 GMT: It has now been confirmed that Coptic Christians will hold Sunday Mass in Tahrir Square on during the protests. 

1520 GMT: Reports from Tahrir Square now claim that more people are coming into the square. Protesters are helping cleaning the area and most new comers are coming in with bag that hold essentials like food, cigarettes and other things. 

1612 GMT: Thousands have now joined protests in Alexandria, eye-witnesses claim. 

1508 GMT: A CNN journalist says that German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger has withdrawn his claim of an assassination attempt upon Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman.

Ischinger was apparently the unnamed source cited by several media organization who published the story yesterday. 

1503 GMT: Al Jazeera now says that its detained Cairo bureau chief, Abdulfattah Fayd, has been released.

1453 GMT: The Commander of Egypt's Central Command General Hassan el-Raweeni came to Tahrir Square to ask protesters to leave, but protesters refused to leave. 

1450 GMT: Egyptian forces have detained an Al Jazeera journalist from Cairo Airport. This is the third Al Jazeera staff member arrested in the past 24 hours. 

1446 GMT: 500 protesters just arrived from Suez to join the thousands in Tahrir Square. Meanwhile, Sunday's protest will be called "Day of the Martyred" in rememberance of those protesters killed during the protests so far. 

1430 GMT: The Army is reportedly preventing families with children from entering Tahrir Square, citing security reasons.

Al Jazeera is also reporting the military's assertion that it will "vigorously" enforce the curfew.

1420 GMT: As part of the ongoing talks (see 1330 GMT), Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman met with representatives of the Wafd and Tagammu parties.

1330 GMT: The Associated Press summarises the state of play with negotiations for a transition of power in Egypt....

Representatives of some opposition groups --- a "committee of wise men" --- have met twice in recent days with Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, including a proposal that Mubarak "deputise" Suleiman with his powers and effectively step down. Plans also call for the dissolution of the Parliament and the end of emergency laws.

Late Friday, a delegation drawn from protesters met with Shafiq, said Abdel-Rahman Youssef, a youth activist who participated in the meeting, "to see how to resolve the crisis". He continued, "The message is that they must recognize the legitimacy of the revolution and that the President must leave one way or the other, either real or political departure."

Israa Abdel-Fattah, a member of the April 6 group, another of the youth movements driving the demonstrations, said there is support for the wise men's proposal among protesters.

The "wise men" are comprised of about a dozen prominent public figures and jurists, including former Cabinet minister and lawyer Ahmed Kamal Aboul-Magd, businessman Naguib Sawiris, and academic political scientists such as Amr el-Shobaki.

The protest organizers include young secular leftists, liberals, and members of the Muslim Brotherhood. They have formed a committee that will carry out any future negotiations with the government over reforms. The committee includes Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the National Association for Change, members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and representatives of the youth factions.

1315 GMT: There is still no word from two journalists of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Robert Tait and Abdelilah Nuaimi, who were detained yesterday.

1305 GMT: Ursula Lindsey posts a list of 23 activists who have been recently detained:

1. Ahmed Seif El Islam (Human Rights Lawyer and former Director of Hisham Mubarak Law Centre)
2. Mohsen Beshir (HMLC Lawyer)
3. Mostafa Al Hassan (HMLC Lawyer)
4. Mouna AlMasry (HMLC Researcher)
5. Al Sayed Feky (HMLC Lawyer)
6. Fatma Abed (Front to Defend Egypt's Protesters, Volunteer)
7. Shahdan (FDEP Volunteer)
8. Nadine Abu Shadi (FDEP Volunteer)
9. Nadia Hashem (FDEP Volunteer)
10. Ahmed Taher (Unconfirmed Name)
11. Ahmed Hamdy Mahmoud (Student from Assiut --- source Gamal Eid)
12. Said Haddadi (Amnesty International)
13. ِAnother AI Staff member
14. Daniel Williams (Human Rights Watch)
15. Sofia Amara (French citizen working for Magneto Press)
16. Pedro do Fonseca (Portugese Citizen working for Magneto Presse)
17. Kamal Samir (Volunteer/activist --- unconfirmed)
18. Doaa (unconfirmed)
19. Amr Aly
20. Islam Gevara
21. Sameh Rushdi
22. Mohamed Helmy
23. Shadi Mohamed

1300 GMT: AFP reports that, contrary to the assurances of the Egyptian regime this morning (see 1015 GMT), the Stock Market will not reopen on Monday.

1250 GMT: German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, the host of the Munich Security Conference, has said that Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman recently escaped assassination in an incident where several people were killed.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also referred to the assassination attempt, saying that it reflects the challenges of restoring stability in Egypt.

A "senior" Egyptian source denied the story earlier today (see 1145 GMT).

1145 GMT: A senior Egyptian security source has denied last night's report that there was an assassination attempt on Vice President Omar Suleiman this week.

1140 GMT: Hossam Bahgat and Soha Abdelaty, writing for Human Rights Watch, outline "What Mubarak Must Do Before He Resigns" to ensure a fair political process and elections in September. An extract:

Before Mubarak resigns, an independent commission of respected judges, constitutional law experts, civil society representatives and all political movements should draft language to amend the constitution to ensure that presidential elections are open to all credible candidates; that Egyptians abroad are allowed - for the first time - to vote; that any elected president is allowed to serve only two terms; and that the elections are supervised by judicial and civil monitors. Most of this will be a matter of undoing the damage Mubarak inflicted with his constitutional changes in 2007. These amendments must be introduced in parliament and put to a public referendum immediately.

1120 GMT: Evan Hill of Al Jazeera English reported 15 minutes ago, "Altercation at the main [anti-regime] protester barricade by Egyptian museum. Soldiers gather at the barricade, and some protesters are hopping over. There is also now a line of soldiers inside the square itself separating the interior from the protesters at the museum barricade."

And now: "Tank pulled up to the museum barricade, its barrel facing inward. Scores of protesters are chanting in front of it and sitting on the ground."

1055 GMT: The Los Angeles Times offers a snapshot from Kerdasa:

Even the elders of this small Egyptian city in the shadow of the great pyramids of Giza could not remember weekly prayers like this one.

The three extra truckloads of police officers who always sat outside the mosque to prevent trouble after the weekly gathering were nowhere to be seen Friday. The police station immediately across the street, as well as the headquarters of the hated security force next door, had been looted, gutted and burned.

The government has always censored his sermons, but this time Imam Mohamad al Saba, whose name means lion, spoke freely. He congratulated those who demonstrated at the police station, inspired by the events several miles away in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo.

"Thanks to the young people who expressed themselves we are free," of the police, Saba said, while also making sure to condemn the looting.

1045 GMT: In Algeria, opposition groups said on Friday that they will probably go ahead with a march on 12 February despite promises from President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to give the opposition airtime on television and to lift soon the 1992 State of Emergency.

A coalition of civil society groups, small trade unions, and some opposition parties have planned the protest. It is not backed by Algeria's main trade unions or the Socialist party FFS and Islamist party.

1015 GMT: The Egyptian regime is trying to portray a focus on economic stability this morning, putting out the line that President Mubarak has held talks with the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Oil Minister, and Trade and Industry Minister, as well as the Governor of the Central Bank.

The Government said banks will reopen on Sunday and the stock market on Monday.

Minister of Finance Samir Radwan said the economy faced a "very serious" situation and that he was in constant touch with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. However, he added said the economy had a "solid base" and "so far, we are coping".

Economists at Credit Agricole say the uprising is costing the country at least $310m (£192m) a day and they have revised down their economic growth estimate for Egypt this year from 5.3% to 3.7%.

Ahram Online posts a report on the tensions between the military and protesters over the removal of barricades around Tahrir Square (see 0805 GMT):

No sooner had protesters detected the army's intentions than, with shouts and whistles, hundreds of their numbers, who had been spread around the enormous square, rushed to the northern edge, surrounding an army bulldozer that had started trying to remove the barricade. A leading Muslim Brotherhood member taking part in the occupation tried to convince the overwhelmingly youthful protesters to allow the army to go on with the dismantling of the barricade but was shouted down.

The standoff continues, with army officers trying to convince the protesters to let them get on with the job they've been ordered to do, but the protesters, fearing that this is an attempt to clear the way so that police forces, and or thugs, would later make another attack on the protest with the aim of emptying the square....

Meanwhile, according to our correspondent, the protesters continue to use their bodies as a protective shield around the barricade, and the army remains bound by its pledge not to use violence against them.

0850 GMT: This morning's sabotage of the gas pipeline in North Sinai was on the branch into Jordan, not the branch into Israel as initially reported.

0805 GMT: An activist sends in a stream of tweets from near Tahrir Square....

We're sitting in front of their tanks after the army tried to remove the barricades we set up near the [National] Musuem. Now chanting "protect us with tanks, your brothers died here". Thousands of protesters surrounding them now, making it clear the tanks will have to run them over before moving any further.

0800 GMT: More on this morning's sabotage of the Israel-Egypt gas pipeline in north Sinai....

A small amount of explosives were placed in a control station, starting a fire which lasted for three hours until it was contained about 45 minutes ago. There are no reported casualties and no "major damage".

Egyptian officials are pointing to disenchanted Bedouin as likely suspects for the explosion.

Authorities have turned off the gas flow until repairs are completed.

0730 GMT: Ahmed Mohammad Mahmoud, a reporter for Al-Taawun, died on Friday of gunshot wounds suffered in clashes on 28 January. His is the first confirmed death of a journalist in the current crisis.

0725 GMT: Confirmation via Al Jazeera English that "masked men" have blown up an Israel-Egypt gas pipeline in north Sinai.

0720 GMT: Meanwhile, here's the latest US plan to resolve the situation, courtesy of The New York Times:

The country’s newly named vice president, Omar Suleiman, and other top military leaders were discussing steps to limit Mr. Mubarak’s decision-making authority and possibly remove him from the presidential palace in Cairo — though not to strip him of his presidency immediately, Egyptian and American officials said. A transitional government headed by Mr. Suleiman would then negotiate with opposition figures to amend Egypt’s Constitution and begin a process of democratic changes.

Administration officials said that among the ideas that had been discussed were suggesting to Mr. Mubarak that he move to his home at Sharm el Sheik, the seaside resort, or that he embark on one of his annual medical leaves to Germany for an extended checkup....

Meanwhile, Mr. Suleiman and top military officers are being encouraged to have detailed discussions with opposition groups, conversations that would ultimately include how to open up the political system, establish term limits for the president and enshrine some key democratic principles ahead of elections scheduled for September.

“None of this can happen if Mubarak is at the center of the process,” said one senior administration official. “But it doesn’t necessarily require the president to leave office right now.”

0710 GMT: Reports are coming in of a blast and fires in El Arish in the Sinai in Egypt. The explosion is in the area of an Israel-Egypt gas pipeline.

Egyptian State TV is saying that this is a "terrorist" attack on the pipeline.

0650 GMT: We begin this morning with an analysis of Friday's developments, considering both the consolidation of the anti-regime movement and President Mubarak's clinging to power, "Into the Week of Revolution".

Beyond Egypt, there was a mixed picture of protests and politics on Friday. The demonstration in Jordan was smaller than in previous weeks, with hundreds marching in Amman from the Prime Minister's office to the Egyptian Embassy and calling for economic and political reforms, while also supporting the revolution unfolding in Egypt.

"We want seriousness on the ground. We want a genuine reform. We want initiatives and now so that people feel they are partners in decision making," Hamzeh Mansour, secretary general of the Islamic Front, the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, said.

On Thursday, King Abdullah of Jordan, who had dismissed the Government of Samir Rifai earlier in the week, met with Muslim Brotherhood leaders. 

In Syria, there was no sign of the "Day of Rage" promised by a Facebook page with more than 12,000 notes of support. Instead, in a gentle, a heavy presence of security forces and police officers gathered in front of Parliament, where the protesters were planning to stage their demonstration. Men in plain clothes and the black leather jackets of the security forces here were scattered around the area, while others sat waiting in white vehicles.

On Friday, security officials arrested Ghassan al-Najjar, an Islamist who leads the Islamic Democratic Current, a small opposition group based in Aleppo. Human Rights Watch said on Friday that at least 10 people had been summoned by the police in the previous 48 hours and pressed to not demonstrate. There were reports that prominent opposition figures like Michel Kilo and Riad Turk were amongst those summoned. 

President Bashar al-Assad also recently announced a 17% pay raise for the two million Syrians who work for the government,.

In Algeria, Karim Tabuu, the head of the Socialist Forces Front (FFS), denounced as a "scam" Thursday's declaration by President Bouteflika that the 1992 State of Emergency would soon be lifted.