News from Egypt

More from my friend in Cairo. She's an astute observer and definitely reliable:

We are very depressed at what is happening. I have heard from several sources who have spoken to the Mubarak supporters, that these were indeed paid for their 'services'. They are very aggressive and, in contrast to the protesters of yesterday, are carrying weapons. When we walked onto the square yesterday, I was checked by civilians.  Mubarak and his people have thought this through very well. They are staging escalation to force the army to get in and to simultaneously demonstrate that he is needed to keep the city safe. 

Follow it live here.