Thousands of anti-government protesters have clashed with police in Egypt as citizens in the city of Alexandria again ignored a military imposed curfew.

The protests continued after President Hosni Mubarak spurned demands for him to step-down and end his 30-year authoritarian rule.

According to reports, police have used tear gas and fired live ammunition at protesters in the port city. Demonstrators also gathered in the capital, Cairo, despite military orders for them to disperse.

Medical sources claim that at least 74 people have been killed and 1,030 people injured so far in Cairo alone.

The fresh unrest broke out as Mubarak clung to power, replacing his cabinet in an effort to appease angry Egyptians, complaining about poverty, corruption and unemployment.

The former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, has been sworn in as the vice-president and the aviation minister, Ahmed Shafiq, as the new prime minister.

The appointments suggest that a succession plan is being put into place and that Mubarak's son, who has long been groomed as a future leader, may have been removed from the picture.