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A protester points to incoming tear gas in Cairo today. AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill/PA Images
Egypt

In pictures: Fifth day of violence rocks Cairo, Alexandria

Crowds continue to press for the immediate transfer of power from the country’s military rulers to an interim civilian council.

CROWDS ARE BUILDING in Tahrir Square again this evening after numbers eased somewhat earlier today.

Police and protesters have clashed in Cairo and in Alexandria for the fifth day in a row amid demands the country’s military step down immediately.

A number of makeshift field hospitals have been set up in one part of Cairo’s Tahrir Square to deal with growing numbers of people injured in clashes with police. Over 30 people have died since the unrest began on Saturday and hundreds have been injured.

Riot police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, but have not deterred crowds from gathering on the streets.

Human Rights Watch has called on the Egyptian military to direct riot police to cease using force against protesters. The US-based group said yesterday that police should also reduce their numbers in the Tahrir Square area to a level that would maintain a security presence, but allow the free assembly of people.

HRW also says it has received reports from doctors saying that six of the dead were fatally injured with live rounds and some appeared to have been shot from a height.

Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday that at least 17 media workers had been assaulted in the violence. The CPJ also said that Egyptian prosecutors are obliged to investigate the claims and that journalists should be able to continue their work without the threat of attack.

In pictures: Fifth day of violence rocks Cairo, Alexandria
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    A protester walks away from tear gas fired during clashes with Egyptian riot police, not pictured, in Cairo. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill/PA Images)
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    An Egyptian riot policeman throws a rock at protesters during today's clashes in the capital. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra/PA Images)
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    A boy with a face mask stands with his father in Tahrir Square as clashes take place nearby with Egyptian riot police. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill/PA Images)
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    Protesters take a break during clashes with Egyptian riot police near Tahrir Square today. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill/PA Images)
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    A protester points to an incoming tear gas canister during clashes with Egyptian riot police, not pictured, near Tahrir square in Cairo. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill/PA Images)
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    Egyptian protesters wake this morning after spending the night in Tahrir Square in Cairo. (AP Photo/Mohammed Abu Zaid)
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    A protester sits on a mound of rocks during a temporary ceasefire with the Egyptian riot police in Cairo. (AP Photo/Tara Todras-Whitehill/PA Images)
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    An Egyptian protester using scrap metal as a shield takes cover from tear gas during clashes with security forces. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra/PA Images)
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    Riot policeman clash with protesters near Tahrir Square for a fifth day today. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra/PA Images)

Yesterday, the head of Egypt’s military Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi said that parliamentary elections will go ahead as planned on 28 November, but that the presidential election will be brought forward from early 2013 to June 2012.

Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood party, which has refused to join protesters on the streets, today welcomed the updated timeline for the presidential election and said it was good that elections were going ahead next week. However, the group called for the immediate dismissal of the country’s interior minister and information minister.

The interim cabinet offered its resignation on Monday, but will have to remain in place until its replacement is appointed, according to Al Jazeera. Protesters have called for the cabinet to be replaced by an interim civilian council.

Foreign governments, including Ireland’s, have warned their citizens in Egypt to be exercise particular caution for their own safety as a result of the violence and over the election period.

Video, photos: Egyptian military leader says election will go ahead as violence continues >

Read: Government condemns violence against Egyptian protesters in Tahrir Square >

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