Egypt declares national holiday to mark revolution's first anniversary

Egypt's ruling generals have declared 25 January – the date last year upon which revolution erupted – to be an official national holiday and will mark the uprising's first anniversary with a glut of parades, concerts and high-profile celebrations across the country. But the expensive package of fireworks and air shows will do little to win over critics of the junta, who are planning to stage their own commemoration with nationwide protests demanding the downfall of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which took control of Egypt following the toppling of Hosni Mubarak and has since executed a violent clampdown on street demonstrations and political dissent. Videos circulating on social media sites describe the anniversary as the start of Egypt's "second revolution", and accuse the top brass of the armed forces of being little more than an extension of the old regime.