Egypt Police Fire Tear Gas on Tahrir Square Protesters as Clashes Enter 9th Day

Egyptian police on Wednesday fired tear gas into Cairo's Tahrir Square, where several hundred protesters spent the night after a mass rally to denounce President Mohamed Morsi's assumption of expanded powers.

Clashes that have been erupting on streets just off Tahrir spilled into the square Wednesday morning, with canisters falling into the crowd forcing protesters to run and sending clouds of tear gas over the tents housing the demonstrators, television images showed.

The outskirts of the square have seen sporadic clashes now entering their ninth day, in what started as an anniversary protest to mark one year since deadly confrontations with police in the same area.

The television footage showed masked protesters grabbing tear gas canisters and throwing them back at police in a street close to the U.S. embassy, off Tahrir.

On Tuesday, tens of thousands of protesters packed the square in a massive show of force, furious that the Islamist president had issued a decree granting himself sweeping powers.

Rallies were also staged in most of Egypt's 27 provinces.

At least 100 people were injured in Tuesday's nationwide demonstrations including 21 in Cairo, the health ministry said.

At least three people have died in one week of clashes.