Egypt: Protests erupt on anniversary of revolution (LIVE BLOG)

As January 25 comes to a close in Cairo, protesters are preparing to spend the night in Tahrir square, Al Arabiya News reported.

Several pro-democracy groups in the square announced they would begin a sit-in until Friday, when another rally will be held.

Check out some powerful photos from they day at the Boston Globe's Big Picture blog. 

The April 6 Youth Movement has called upon Egyptians to take part in a million-man protest next Friday, dubbed the "Friday of Dignity," The Egypt Independent reported. The Youth Movements has also called for a sit-in in Tahrir Square until the military hands over power to civilians. 

"We will stay in the square until there’s either a transfer of power to the elected parliament or application for presidential elections starts," Mahmoud Afify, spokesperson of the group, told The Daily News Egypt.

As Middle East analyst Dalia Ezzat wondered on Twitter: 

The big question is how many are staying for the sit-ins and how many are returning for the Friday protest? #Jan25

— Dalia Ezzat (@Daloosh) January 25, 2012

       The observance of the anniversary of the Egyptian revolution has been remarkably peaceful. Here, some of the latest tweets reflecting on the day: 

 

If I would Thank God for anything, I would thank him for nobody dying today ! #Egypt #Jan25 #Tahrir

— Omar (@AboJoe) January 25, 2012

 

Today we made it v clear #Jan25 continues but I'll be damned if I stay quiet about sexual assault so that the revolution doesn't "look bad".

— Mona Eltahawy (@monaeltahawy) January 25, 2012

 

Dr. Wageeh El-Sheemy is the first blind person to become member of the Egyptian parliament thanks to the #Jan25... fb.me/112m09F8I

— Mohamed Ibrahim (@Alshaheeed) January 25, 2012

 

Another update from Ahram Online:

Thousands of protesters have arrived in Talaat Harb Square, in downtown Cairo. Representatives of liberal movements addressed the crowd as Egyptian singer Azza Balbaa entertained the gathered throng with a number of those patriotic songs that have been ubiquitous since Mubarak's ouster and the country's media decided they liked the revolution after all.

Also, there is a live stream of the protests on UStream, part of a collaboration between Ana Mubasher, a citizen media group based in Cairo, and notNOTjournalism, an experimental first-person reporting project.

Streaming video by Ustream

As the Revolution wears on in Egypt, many Egyptian-Americans have been clamoring to assist the country in its transition. A GlobalPost special report takes a close look at the American Egyptian Strategic Alliance (AESA), a group founded for just that purpose.

“There was a sense of frustration among Egyptian-Americans,” said Heidi Abbass, a third-year law student from California. “The question was, ‘How can we help?’”

One year later, the revolutionary spirit is flagging and for the first time in decades the longstanding relationship between the US and Egypt is in serious flux. Abbass has joined a diverse team of like-minded members in creating the American Egyptian Strategic Alliance (AESA) to advise US officials on policy with Egypt as the balance of power shifts in the fledgling democracy.

Today, the US announced it would strike a trade deal with Egypt.

The White House also issued an official statement about the Egyptian Revolution on Tuesday: 

We congratulate the Egyptian people and their government on these important steps toward fulfilling the promise of Egypt’s revolution, which has inspired the world. While many challenges remain, Egypt has come a long way in the past year, and we hope that all Egyptians will commemorate this anniversary with the spirit of peace and