Egypt protests enter 16th day

CAIRO: Anti-government protests in troubled Egypt have entered its 16th consecutive day as Cairo's Liberation Square remains flooded with demonstrators who demand immediate ouster of President Hosni Mubarak.

Thousands of demonstrators still camped out in Cairo's main square as they refuse to stop their campaign to topple beleaguered Egyptian president.

As Egyptians are out on the streets for the 16th straight day, the newly appointed Vice President Omar Suleiman says the government cannot tolerate protests for long.

Suleiman made the remark as over 50,000 protesters on Tuesday blocked newly-appointed Premier Ahmed Shafiq from entering his office in the Egyptian capital and called for his immediate resignation and all others in the cabinet.

Huge crowds on Tuesday also marched to the Interior Ministry and the parliament building in the capital despite the government's promise of constitutional reforms and an offer of pay rise to public sector workers.

Suleiman has also announced that the government has a plan and a timetable for a peaceful transfer of power.

Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, was also the scene of popular rallies against the regime. Many protesters are angry at the US stance toward the ongoing uprising in their country.