Egypt Protesters Back In Tahrir Square To Push For Change

Tahrir Square has been a flashpoint for Egyptian protests. (file photo)

Hundreds of protesters gathered for Friday prayers in Cairo's Tahrir Square today ahead of a planned protest over a cabinet reshuffle that failed to convince them to end their sit-in demonstration.

Sheikh Mazhar Shaheen, conducting the sermon, said the new cabinet line-up fails to meet the demands of the protesters who want members of ousted President Hosni Mubarak's regime out of politics.

Shaheen reiterated the protesters' demands for social justice, fair trials of Egyptian officials accused of abuses, and an end to military trials for civilians.

The new cabinet is the second to take office in the face of protests since Mubarak stepped down as president on February 11. Mubarak is under arrest on murder and corruption charges in a hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where he is undergoing treatment for a heart condition.

compiled from agency reports