Thousands of supporters of Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood demanded real political reform at protests across the country on Wednesday. Riot police surrounded a Cairo mosque where demonstrators gathered chanting demands for decades-old emergency laws to be repealed, and be replaced by Islamic law. Large numbers of protesters also turned out in towns around the capital. In all, police detained some 200 protesters, but there were no confirmed reports of violence. President Hosni Mubarak has proposed a constitutional amendment that would allow more than one candidate for president in upcoming elections. Parliament is due to vote on the proposal next week, but opponents fear the ruling party will impose strict conditions on who can run, making the amendment meaningless.
