Egypt unrest: Public-sector pay rise but protests go on.
Egypt is increasing pay and pensions for public-sector workers by 15% as protesters defy attempts to return the country to normality.
Banks have re-opened, but the stock exchange will not resume trading until Sunday 13 February and the Egyptian pound has fallen to a six-year low.
The government put up $2.2bn of short-term debt up for auction to inject money into the battered economy.
Thousands of protesters have stayed in Cairo's Tahrir Square for a 14th day.
They say they will only leave when President Hosni Mubarak stands down.
Economic woes
The Egyptian cabinet - reshuffled on 31 January, when President Mubarak sacked several ministers - met in its new form for the first time on Monday afternoon and agreed to raise public-sector salaries and pensions by 15%.
Finance Minister Samir Radwan allocated about 6.5bn Egyptian pounds (£677m; $960m) to cover the increases for six million employees.
The Egyptian government auctioned off $2.2bn (£1.55bn) in short-term debt, having cancelled a previous auction last week. It is seeking to revive an economy said to be losing at least $310m a day.
However, the Cairo stock exchange....
BBC News | 7 February 2011 - read full report
