Egypt Protest Organizers Promise Largest Protests Yet on Friday

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said late Thursday the United Nations stands ready to assist in a genuine and inclusive dialogue with all parties in Egypt.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday the Egyptian people have been told “there was a transition of authority, but it is not yet clear this transition is immediate, meaningful or sufficient.” He said the Egyptian government has yet to put forward a ”credible, concrete and unequivocal” path to democracy.

One of Egypt’s leading opposition figures, Nobel peace prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, warned after the speech the country “will explode” and needs to be rescued by the military. ElBaradei said the Egyptian people are “very angry,” calling Mr. Mubarak’s speech an “act of deception.”

Several government officials said Thursday that Mr. Mubarak was expected to announce his own resignation and pass authority to Mr. Suleiman.

In addition to the prolonged protests by tens of thousands in the capital, the opposition has turned to labor actions across Egypt affecting tourism, textiles, railways and the government.