In Egypt, protesters have planned for a big protest today against the government of President Hosni Mubarak amid reports that Egyptian reform campaigner Mohamed ElBaradei has returned to the country last night. On arrival at Cairo, ElBaradei told his supporters who greeted him at the airport that it is a critical time in the life of Egypt. While clashes continue between Egyptian security forces and anti-government demonstrators, the ruling party secretary general Safwat El-Sherif has said that the government is open to public dialogue with the country’s youth.

While US President Barack Obama has said that reforms are critical for the country, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Egypt to move towards political reform in order to calm the growing unrest. The Egyptian government has confirmed that at least 700 people have been arrested in the waves of unrest across the country. The anti-government rallies are the largest demonstrations that Egypt has seen in years.