At least 10 protesters have been killed and 441 others wounded as troops and pro-democracy protestors clashed during three days of violence in the Egyptian capital Cairo. The fighting, sparked when troops tried to break up a sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters, has seen a particularly heavy hand by the military. Video footage has shown women being dragged by their hair and police ferociously beating, kicking and stomping on protesters cowering on the ground. Clashes: Egyptian police huddle together behind riot shields as they use tear gas to disperse anti-government activists in Cairo . Blood on his hands: A young Egyptian is ushered away by a friend after being wounded in the third successive day of violence in Tahrir Square . Egypt's military has sought to isolate . the activists by depicting them on state-controlled television  as . conspirators and vandals. The . protesters' numbers have remained smaller than earlier rallies - . suggesting the broader Egyptian public are not being drawn into a . confrontation. Activists . behind the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime 10 months ago . have accused the military government of mismanaging the transition . period and committing human rights abuses. In . a statement posted on its Facebook page, the ruling military council on . Sunday called the clashes part of a 'conspiracy' against Egypt. It said . its forces had the right to defend the 'property of the great people of . Egypt.' This shocking image of a female protester being kicked and having her veil and shirt torn off by troops caused widespread condemnation although the protesters numbers have remained smaller than earlier rallies . Disorder: A solider hurls a rock during the clashes which have left at least 10 protesters dead and around 440 others wounded . Seeking to depict the protesters as hooligans - and apparently to counter the widely published images of protesters being beaten - it also posted on the page footage of young men throwing rocks at a basement window of the parliament building and of at least one man trying to set the place ablaze. The ruling generals have taken advantage of the growing frustration of many Egyptians over worsening economic hardships and tenuous security, blaming demonstrations, strikes and sit-ins for their predicament. The tactic, coupled with the military's efforts to stain the reputation of the youth groups behind Mubarak's ouster, appears to have worked. State media and loyal private TV stations have project an image of the military as the protector of the nation. Battle lines: An Egyptian protester cowers behind a makeshift shield as he confronts dozens of riot police . Baton charge: Protesters flee as they are chased by army soldiers over the Asr el-Nile bridge leading out of Tahrir Square . A protester shows a bullet used by the army during clashes with riot police in Cairo while a protester covers his head with a makeshift shield as he runs from police . Protest leaders increasingly complain that they feel isolated in a society that has grown more concerned with making ends meet than political rights. Many Egyptians see the ongoing, multistage parliamentary elections as a path to stability and an end to military rule. 'The military council uses every opportunity to show itself as the land's strongest institution,' said Mohammed Abbas, an activist who defected from the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organized political group, to side with youth groups more active in protests. 'We are making it easier for the generals by our divisions and isolation.' In Sunday's clash, protesters and troops battled on two main streets off of central Tahrir Square, trading volleys of stones and firebombs around barriers that the military set up to block the avenues. Slingshot: Egypt's military rulers have sought to depict the protesters as hooligans, blaming them for the country's worsening economic hardship . One of the streets is site of a research centre set up during the three-year occupation of Egypt by France in the late 18th century. The building was almost completely gutted by a fire which broke out during the height of the clashes on Saturday, when troops on its roof and on other nearby rooftops hurled rocks down on protesters below. Protesters, who blame the fire on the troops, have been trying to salvage valuable books and documents from the centre, whose two-story building is now in danger of collapsing after its roof caved in. No escape: A pro-democracy protester is beaten by a gang of Egyptian army soldiers . The deepening hostility between the ruling military council and the protest leaders is in sharp contrast to the days of the popular uprising against Mubarak in January and February when army troops ordered out on the streets to take over from the hated police were given a warm welcome by hundreds of thousands of protesters in Cairo and elsewhere. The military at the time said it wouldn't fire on protesters. When the military stepped into power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 resignation, it was largely embraced by the public. Sunday's renewed violence was also taking place as unofficial results from a second round of voting in parliamentary elections showed Islamist parties, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, continuing their dominance at the polls. Liberal and left leaning parties, many of which sympathetic to the revolutionaries, have been trounced at the ballots. Protesters use plastic crates to protect themselves from stone-throwing soldiers. Activists have accused the military government of mismanaging the transition period and committing human rights abuses . Medics help a young protester wounded by a rock. The military council called the clashes part of a 'conspiracy' against Egypt and said its forces had the right to defend the 'property of the great people of Egypt' The third and final round of voting is slated for next month in nine of Egypt's 27 provinces. The Islamists have been staying clear of the recent violence, fearing that they could jeopardize their electoral gains by taking part in the protests. Their stance has prompted many activists to accuse them of political opportunism. The Muslim Brotherhood's party list has secured about 40 percent of votes counted so far in the second round of Egypt's staggered parliamentary election, a party source said on Sunday. The list led by the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party  won about 37 percent of votes in the first round. The poll, held over six weeks, is the first since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February. Official results have not been released but party representatives watch the count and their predictions after the first round were broadly accurate. The third and final round of voting takes place in January. The FJP source said the 40 percent estimate was based on counting completed in 11 of the 15 second-round constituencies where seats will be allocated by party lists. Outcry: The clashes began early Friday when one of several hundred peaceful protesters staging a sit-in outside the Cabinet offices near parliament was detained and beaten by troops . In a separate statement, the FJP said it was concerned the final result would be skewed against it, saying it had noted differences between its tally and official numbers. It did not specify how the counting may have been flawed. Independent monitors have listed electoral abuses such as illegal campaigning outside polling stations. The first-round vote in one district of Cairo will be re-run after ballots were lost or damaged during counting. The election committee has said the violations did not undermine the vote's overall legitimacy. A youth throws stones from a window of the burning Egyptian scientific complex which was almost completely gutted by a fire which broke out during the height of the clashes on Saturday . Under Egypt's complicated election system, two thirds of parliament's 498 elected seats will be allocated to party lists with the rest going to individuals. In the second round, 60 individual seats were up for grabs. The FJP source said the party expected 45 of its candidates to contest run-off votes for individual seats, where no candidate won the more than 50 percent of votes needed for outright victory.    The source said turnout was around 60 percent, similar to that in the first round. The clashes began early Friday when one of several hundred peaceful protesters staging a sit-in outside the Cabinet offices near parliament was detained and beaten by troops. The protesters began their sit-in three weeks ago to demand that the nation's ruling military immediately step down and hand over power to a civilian administration. Activists have been trying to drum up public sympathy for their cause by flooding social network sites with photos and video from the troops' brutal assaults he past two days. 'Liars,' proclaimed a red headline on the front page of the independent Al-Tahrir newspaper, referring to repeated denials by the military council and military-appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri that no force or live ammunition were used against the protesters. With the headline, the paper ran a photo of the woman protester who was half-stripped by attacking soldiers. Other widely circulating footage shows an army officer running toward protesters while firing a pistol at them, though it is not clear from the footage whether he was using live ammunition.
Muslim Brotherhood wins 40 per cent of votes in second round of election .
At least 10 protesters have been killed and 441 others wounded as troops and pro-democracy protestors clashed during three days of violence in the Egyptian capital Cairo. The fighting, sparked when troops tried to break up a sit-in outside the Cabinet headquarters, has seen a particularly heavy hand by the military. Video footage has shown women being dragged by their hair and police ferociously beating, kicking and stomping on protesters cowering on the ground. Clashes: Egyptian police huddle together behind riot shields as they use tear gas to disperse anti-government activists in Cairo . Blood on his hands: A young Egyptian is ushered away by a friend after being wounded in the third successive day of violence in Tahrir Square . Egypt's military has sought to isolate . the activists by depicting them on state-controlled television  as . conspirators and vandals. The . protesters' numbers have remained smaller than earlier rallies - . suggesting the broader Egyptian public are not being drawn into a . confrontation. Activists . behind the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's autocratic regime 10 months ago . have accused the military government of mismanaging the transition . period and committing human rights abuses. In . a statement posted on its Facebook page, the ruling military council on . Sunday called the clashes part of a 'conspiracy' against Egypt. It said . its forces had the right to defend the 'property of the great people of . Egypt.' This shocking image of a female protester being kicked and having her veil and shirt torn off by troops caused widespread condemnation although the protesters numbers have remained smaller than earlier rallies . Disorder: A solider hurls a rock during the clashes which have left at least 10 protesters dead and around 440 others wounded . Seeking to depict the protesters as hooligans - and apparently to counter the widely published images of protesters being beaten - it also posted on the page footage of young men throwing rocks at a basement window of the parliament building and of at least one man trying to set the place ablaze. The ruling generals have taken advantage of the growing frustration of many Egyptians over worsening economic hardships and tenuous security, blaming demonstrations, strikes and sit-ins for their predicament. The tactic, coupled with the military's efforts to stain the reputation of the youth groups behind Mubarak's ouster, appears to have worked. State media and loyal private TV stations have project an image of the military as the protector of the nation. Battle lines: An Egyptian protester cowers behind a makeshift shield as he confronts dozens of riot police . Baton charge: Protesters flee as they are chased by army soldiers over the Asr el-Nile bridge leading out of Tahrir Square . A protester shows a bullet used by the army during clashes with riot police in Cairo while a protester covers his head with a makeshift shield as he runs from police . Protest leaders increasingly complain that they feel isolated in a society that has grown more concerned with making ends meet than political rights. Many Egyptians see the ongoing, multistage parliamentary elections as a path to stability and an end to military rule. 'The military council uses every opportunity to show itself as the land's strongest institution,' said Mohammed Abbas, an activist who defected from the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best organized political group, to side with youth groups more active in protests. 'We are making it easier for the generals by our divisions and isolation.' In Sunday's clash, protesters and troops battled on two main streets off of central Tahrir Square, trading volleys of stones and firebombs around barriers that the military set up to block the avenues. Slingshot: Egypt's military rulers have sought to depict the protesters as hooligans, blaming them for the country's worsening economic hardship . One of the streets is site of a research centre set up during the three-year occupation of Egypt by France in the late 18th century. The building was almost completely gutted by a fire which broke out during the height of the clashes on Saturday, when troops on its roof and on other nearby rooftops hurled rocks down on protesters below. Protesters, who blame the fire on the troops, have been trying to salvage valuable books and documents from the centre, whose two-story building is now in danger of collapsing after its roof caved in. No escape: A pro-democracy protester is beaten by a gang of Egyptian army soldiers . The deepening hostility between the ruling military council and the protest leaders is in sharp contrast to the days of the popular uprising against Mubarak in January and February when army troops ordered out on the streets to take over from the hated police were given a warm welcome by hundreds of thousands of protesters in Cairo and elsewhere. The military at the time said it wouldn't fire on protesters. When the military stepped into power after Mubarak's Feb. 11 resignation, it was largely embraced by the public. Sunday's renewed violence was also taking place as unofficial results from a second round of voting in parliamentary elections showed Islamist parties, led by the Muslim Brotherhood, continuing their dominance at the polls. Liberal and left leaning parties, many of which sympathetic to the revolutionaries, have been trounced at the ballots. Protesters use plastic crates to protect themselves from stone-throwing soldiers. Activists have accused the military government of mismanaging the transition period and committing human rights abuses . Medics help a young protester wounded by a rock. The military council called the clashes part of a 'conspiracy' against Egypt and said its forces had the right to defend the 'property of the great people of Egypt' The third and final round of voting is slated for next month in nine of Egypt's 27 provinces. The Islamists have been staying clear of the recent violence, fearing that they could jeopardize their electoral gains by taking part in the protests. Their stance has prompted many activists to accuse them of political opportunism. The Muslim Brotherhood's party list has secured about 40 percent of votes counted so far in the second round of Egypt's staggered parliamentary election, a party source said on Sunday. The list led by the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party  won about 37 percent of votes in the first round. The poll, held over six weeks, is the first since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February. Official results have not been released but party representatives watch the count and their predictions after the first round were broadly accurate. The third and final round of voting takes place in January. The FJP source said the 40 percent estimate was based on counting completed in 11 of the 15 second-round constituencies where seats will be allocated by party lists. Outcry: The clashes began early Friday when one of several hundred peaceful protesters staging a sit-in outside the Cabinet offices near parliament was detained and beaten by troops . In a separate statement, the FJP said it was concerned the final result would be skewed against it, saying it had noted differences between its tally and official numbers. It did not specify how the counting may have been flawed. Independent monitors have listed electoral abuses such as illegal campaigning outside polling stations. The first-round vote in one district of Cairo will be re-run after ballots were lost or damaged during counting. The election committee has said the violations did not undermine the vote's overall legitimacy. A youth throws stones from a window of the burning Egyptian scientific complex which was almost completely gutted by a fire which broke out during the height of the clashes on Saturday . Under Egypt's complicated election system, two thirds of parliament's 498 elected seats will be allocated to party lists with the rest going to individuals. In the second round, 60 individual seats were up for grabs. The FJP source said the party expected 45 of its candidates to contest run-off votes for individual seats, where no candidate won the more than 50 percent of votes needed for outright victory.    The source said turnout was around 60 percent, similar to that in the first round. The clashes began early Friday when one of several hundred peaceful protesters staging a sit-in outside the Cabinet offices near parliament was detained and beaten by troops. The protesters began their sit-in three weeks ago to demand that the nation's ruling military immediately step down and hand over power to a civilian administration. Activists have been trying to drum up public sympathy for their cause by flooding social network sites with photos and video from the troops' brutal assaults he past two days. 'Liars,' proclaimed a red headline on the front page of the independent Al-Tahrir newspaper, referring to repeated denials by the military council and military-appointed Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri that no force or live ammunition were used against the protesters. With the headline, the paper ran a photo of the woman protester who was half-stripped by attacking soldiers. Other widely circulating footage shows an army officer running toward protesters while firing a pistol at them, though it is not clear from the footage whether he was using live ammunition.
led by the Muslim Brotherhood, continuing their far in the second round of Egypt's staggered