President Mubarak leaves his post

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has decided to resign and transfer
power to the Supreme Military Council, ITAR-TASS reports. This was
announced today on the national television channel by the
vice-president of Egypt, Omar Suleiman.

The world's leading TV channels in the minutes after the announcement
of the decision broadcast pictures from Tahrir Square in downtown
Cairo with jubilant demonstrators celebrating the resignation of
Mubarak, Interfax reports.

Once the decision was announced by Mubarak, BBC Radio and Television
cited a communiqué issued by the White House, announcing that Barack
Obama was going to make a statement on the resignation of Mubarak. EU
High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Catherine
Ashton, said that the EU was ready to provide aid to Egypt after the
President's resignation.