Talks fail to end Egypt protests

Pro-democracy protesters are continuing their sit-in in Cairo's Tahrir Square for the fourteenth consecutive day, showing no signs of being appeased by talks held a day earlier between the government and opposition groups.

People seeking President Hosni Mubarak's immediate ouster were still camped out in the square whilst news agencies report daily life  slowly getting back to normal in other parts of the Egyptian capital following a fortnight of turmoil.

A symbolic funeral procession was held in the square for a journalist killed by a sniper during the protests. The procession was led by the journalist's wife and daughter.

According to the United Nations, at least 300 people were killed in the violence during the period.

Journalists report traffic in the streets was increasing while businesses were beginning to reopen. "There's a lot of popular public sentiments in Cairo and wider Egypt regarding what those protesters are trying to achieve but at the same time, people are trying to get back to live as normal lives as possible," an Al Jazeera correspondent said.

"But some of the shopping malls for example are still closed because they're afraid of looting, and the banks yesterday were only open for a few hours."

Tanks continue to guard government buildings, embassies and other important institutions in the city.

The curfew in major Egyptian cities, which has largely been ignored by protesters, has now been shortened to run from 8pm to 6am local time, and the Egyptian stock market is set to reopen for trading on Sunday. The bourse has been closed since January 27, when it plummeted 17 per cent over two days.

The Egyptian Financial Regulatory Authority, the national financial regulator, in a statement said new measures affecting trading will be announced.