On the afternoon of Thursday, February 11, rumors flew that Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, in power now for 30 years, planned on resigning - a step that would fulfill the hopes of protesters who have occupied central Cairo's Tahrir Square for 17 days. Instead, late on Thursday night, Mubarak delivered a meandering, 15-minute speech in which he delegated powers to his vice president but refused to resign. The crowd reacted with anger, and protesters vowed to redouble their efforts.

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