Tahrir Square swells with protesters for the 17th consecutive day. Some say the crowds today are the biggest yet as labor unions strike in order to join the thousands who have vowed not to leave Cairo's focal point until President Hosni Mubarak steps down -- which many hoped would happen today. The protests will rage more furiously in the coming days, and as the world watches, some fear the movement will reach a violent breaking point as the Egyptian people struggle to take back their country.

Egyptian labour unions have gone on a nationwide strike, adding momentum to pro-democracy demonstrations in Cairo and other cities. Al Jazeera correspondents, reporting from Egypt, said around 20,000 factory workers stayed away from work on Wednesday.