Egypt revolution simmers as Mubarak refuses to step down

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced on Thursday he is handing his powers over to his Vice President, Omar Suleiman, and ordered Constitutional amendments. But the move means he retains his title of President and ensures regime control over the reform process, falling short of protester demands. Protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square, hoping he would announce his resignation outright, reacted in fury and disbelief. (AP Photo)

Protesters enraged by Mubarak's latest refusal to step down streamed into the Tahrir Square and took positions outside key symbols of the hated regime, promising to expand their push to drive the Egyptian president out. (AFP Photo)

A young man waves his shoes as he reacts to Hosni Mubarak's speech, who failed to announce his immediate resignation. (AFP Photo)

A woman holding a sign that reads in Arabic and English "Hitler committed suicide, you can do it" at the Tahrir Square on Thursday, the 17th day of protests calling for the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. (AFP Photo)

Bloggers, who have had a key role in the uprising, work on their laptops from Cairo's Tahrir Square. (AFP Photo)

Egyptian anti-goverment demonstrators pray and read newspapers in front of military vehicles in Cairo's landmark Tahrir Square. Arabic graffiti on armoured vehicle reads: "Down with Mubarak... no to Mubarak and no to Suleiman", in reference to Vice President Omar Suleiman. (AFP Photo)

Protesters rest in the early hours of February 11, 2011, in front of posters bearing pictures of people killed during the latest political crisis in Egypt. (AFP Photo)

An Egyptian demonstrator holds a picture of the "Three Wise Monkeys" to show that President Hosni Mubarak "doesn't hear, listen or talk. (AFP Photo)

A view of the crowded Tahrir Square in Cairo. Tens of thousands of Egyptian workers walked out in mass nationwide strikes on Thursday to demand wage increases and show support for the widening revolt against Mubarak's regime. (AFP Photo)

An Egyptian soldier stands guard on the roof of Parliament in Cairo on Thursday. (AFP Photo)

Tens of thousands of Egyptian anti-government protesters chanting slogans and waving their national flag as they crowd Cairo's Tahrir square on Thursday amid rumours that President Hosni Mubarak appeared to be on the brink of stepping down. (AFP Photo)

Elderly Egyptian pro-Mubarak supporters shouting supporting slogans and kissing his poster during a march in Cairo. (AP Photo)