Army try to clear Tahrir Square

Troops have taken control of Tahrir Square, the base for the protests that swept Hosni Mubarak from power, to allow traffic through central Cairo as military rulers struggled to get life in Egypt back to normal.

There were heated rows in Tahrir Square on whether to keep up protests or comply with army orders to help put Egypt back on its feet. "The people want the square cleared", one group chanted. "We will not leave, we will not leave," replied another.

The Arab world's most populous country was taking its first tentative steps towards democracy and protest organisers were forming a Council of Trustees to defend the revolution and urge swift reform from a military intent on restoring law and order.

Police officers, emboldened by the 18 days of protests that led to the overthrow of Mubarak's 30-year rule, gathered to demand higher pay and a security guard said warning shots were fired in the air. No one was hurt.

Earlier, troops, some wielding sticks, pushed protesters aside to reopen Tahrir square to traffic.

A cabinet meeting, due later on Sunday, could provide some answers to a protest movement hungry for change after a revolution that shocked and enthralled the Middle East, sending a warning to autocratic rulers across the region.