Egyptian reform leader: Mubarak must resign

Foreigners urged to evacuate Foreign governments stepped up theirwarnings Sunday about travel to Egypt, with several urging theircitizens to evacuate as soon as possible amid uncertainty over wherethe Arab nation is headed after nearly a week of mass protests. Thefears of foreign tourists mirrored those of many Egyptians. Dozenswith the means to do so rented jets or hopped aboard their ownplanes in a mad dash that did little to boost confidence in thefuture of a country long viewed as a pillar of stability. Thoseleaving included businessmen and celebrities. The United States,Canada, Switzerland, Turkey and the Netherlands issued advisoriesencouraging nationals already in Egypt to leave and telling thosewho planned trips there to reconsider. The U.S. Embassy in Cairosaid it was making arrangements to transport Americans who want toleave to "safe-haven locations in Europe." Flights would begintoday. Al-Jazeera banned The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera saidSunday that Egyptian authorities ordered the closure of its Caironews hub overseeing coverage of the country's massive streetprotests. The station denounced the move as an attempt to "stifleand repress" open reporting. The network has given nearly round-the-clock coverage to the unprecedented uprising against EgyptianPresident Hosni Mubarak and had faced criticism by some governmentsupporters and other Arab leaders. The coverage offers anotherexample of how border-spanning outlets and the worldwide reach ofthe Internet have destroyed the once-unchallenged control of mediaby governments.

CAIRO - Egypt's most prominent democracy advocate took up abullhorn Sunday and called for President Hosni Mubarak to resign,speaking to thousands of protesters who defied a curfew for a thirdnight. Fighter jets streaked low overhead and police returned to thecapital's streets - high-profile displays of authority over asituation spiraling out of control.

Nobel Peace laureate Mohamed ElBaradei's appearance in Tahrir, orLiberation, Square underscored the jockeying for leadership of themass protest movement that erupted seemingly out of nowhere in thepast week to shake the Arab world's most populous nation.

Now in their sixth day, the protests have come to be centered inthe square, where demonstrators have camped since Friday. Up to10,000 protesters gathered there Sunday, and even after the 4 p.m.curfew, they numbered in the thousands, including families withyoung children, addressing Mubarak with their chants of "Leave,leave, leave."

"You are the owners of this revolution. You are the future,"ElBaradei told the crowd after nightfall. "Our essential demand isthe departure of the regime and the beginning of a new Egypt inwhich every Egyptian lives in virtue, freedom and dignity."

In a further sign of Mubarak's teetering position after threedecades in power, his top ally - the United States - called for an"orderly transition to democracy."

Protesters have shrugged off Mubarak's gestures of reform,including the sacking of his Cabinet and the appointment of a vicepresident and a new prime minister - both seen as figures from theheart of his regime.

ElBaradei, the former head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency,has gained a following among young secular democracy activists withhis grassroots organizing. But some demonstrators dismiss him as anexpatriate long removed from Egypt's problems.