Mubarak to announce new cabinet in bid to quell protests

Following days of violent clashes between protesters and police, embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced on state TV Friday night that he has asked his cabinet to resign and that a new government would be formed Saturday. It was Mubarak’s first appearance since the protests erupted on Tuesday, with demonstrators taking to the streets to call for his resignation, France 24 reports.

Mubarak said that he would continue to pursue social, economic and political reform. He also called the anti-government movement that has spread throughout the country like wildfire - following a similar uprising in Tunisia - part of a plot to destabilize Egypt and undermine his legitimacy as leader.

Late Friday evening, thousands of Egyptian protesters defied an overnight curfew, flooding the streets and calling for Mubarak to step down. The army was sent into the city to quell the unrest.