France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, has insisted that Europe will stand behind the euro, declaring that it would be unthinkable and "cataclysmic" for the single currency to fall apart. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Sarkozy, who is chairman of both the G20 and G8 international groups, delivered a wide-ranging critique of global banking and vowed to crack down on speculators he blamed for pushing up the price of food and energy. Referring to the sovereign debt crises in Ireland, Portugal and Spain that have called the euro's future into question, Sarkozy said there was simply no question of scrapping the currency: "The consequences of a failure of the euro would be so cataclysmic that we could not possibly entertain the idea. We couldn't even play with the idea of entertaining the idea." Those predicting the euro's demise, he said, were failing to consider Europe's recent history of "barbaric" wars: "That wasn't in the middle ages – that was yesterday."
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Protesters in Egypt are calling for "regime change, not cabinet change", our correspondent said [Reuters]
Tens of thousands of people in the Egyptian capital Cairo have gathered on the streets, in continued protests demanding an end to Hosni Mubaraks's 30-year presidency.
The demonstrations continue in defiance of an extended cufew on Saturday, where state television reported will be in place from 4pm to 8am local time.
A military presence also remains, and the army warned the crowds in Tahrir Square that if they defy the curfew, they would be in danger.
Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Cairo, said that soldiers deployed to central Cairo are not intervening in the protests.
"Some of the soldiers here have said that the only way for peace to come to the streets of Cairo is for Mubarak to step down," he said.
Similar crowds were gathering in the cities of Alexandria and Suez, Al Jazeera's correspondents reported.
Reports have also emerged that at least three people have been killed, as protesters attempted to storm the interior ministry in Cairo.
Fears of looting have also risen, and the army on Saturday warned local residents to "protect their property and possessions".
In the city of Alexandria, residents called on the army to protect them against looting, as well as organising their own committees in defence.
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