Mubarak clings to power as protester unrest remains

HOSNI Mubarak, struggling to cling on as Egypt’s president in the face of unprecedented protests over poverty, corruption and oppression, said last night he would transfer powers to his vice president.

In an address that failed to meet demands by protesters for him to step down immediately, Mubarak, 82, appeared to step aside by indicating he would hand over the reins of power to his deputy, Omar Suleiman, a former intelligence chief trusted by Washington.

Protesters in Tahrir Square waved their shoes in dismay at the speech, shouting: “Down, Down, Hosni Mubarak,” enraged by the fact that the president had not stepped down.