Tokyo Region To Face Rolling Blackouts

The loss of two nuclear power plants means the Tokyo region will face the summer peak demand with a loss of about 20% of capacity .


Other utilities can supply only a limited amount of additional electricity to the Tokyo Electric Power Company grid because Tokyo Electric runs power at a different frequency from the rest of the country according to industry officials.


Two of Tokyo Electric's nuclear power plants knocked offline since the March 11 earthquake that battered northern Japan the company said it sees no alternative to a series of rolling blackouts across the Tokyo region


 Japan's largest power utility, uses 50-cycle power while most of the rest of the country uses 60 cycle electricity. Because of a lack of machinery only a limited amount of about 1 million kilo watts can be converted and shared  according to industry officials.

Gaddafi Army Not At Breaking Point

Libya leader  Gaddafi's armed forces are't close to breaking point despite hundreds of allied air strikes American military chiefs have said.

Adm Mike Mullen told a US Congress committee Col Gaddafi's troops still had 10 times the rebels firepower.

At the same hearing, Defence Secretary Robert Gates reiterated the US would put no boots on the ground in Libya.

Rebels and pro-Gaddafi forces appear to have reached a stalemate in their fight for control of the country.

In these days rebels have been urging international forces to conduct more air strikes.

Adm Mullen told the House of Representatives armed forces committee that bad weather had stopped them from identifying targets over the past three or four days.

Grand Sheikh Voices Sorrow Over Church Burning

Egypt's Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed al-Tayyeb, meeting with the Bishop of Giza Anba Theodesus on Tuesday expressed his sorrow over the torching of a church south of Cairo. 

 Saturday day  angry protesters set fire to a church in the village of Sol Atfih in Helwan on learning of an affair that took place between a Christian young man and a Muslim girl. The violence was triggered by a feud between the couple's families who disapproved of the romantic relationship.

Two were killed in the clashes reportedly the fathers of the both.

Ahmed Al-Tayyeb described the incident as unprecedented in Arab and Muslim history  saying it conflicts with Islamic teachings that respect the freedom of worship for the followers of other religions.

He urged Sol’s Muslims to rebuild the church and steer away from sedition.

Egypt Steel Magnate Ahmed Ezz

Egypt's steel magnate Ahmed Ezz  who was a top official in Ex-president  Mohamed Mubarak's party and is now being investigated for graft on Tuesday charges against him were unfounded and he hoped for a fair trial.


Ahmed Ezz who quit the party during protests that erupted on Jan. 25 has been detained since Feb. 17 pending trial on suspicion of wasting public funds. 


I refute all of the allegations brought against me and I know that a fair and proper legal process would prove my innocence Ahmed Ezz said in a letter sent to media from prison his first comments after his detention pending trial.


He was charged with illegally taking control of state-owned al-Dekheila Steel which then supplied Ezz Steel  with steel at reduced prices causing al-Dekheila heavy losses.


Suspicions of official corruption helped fuel mass protests in Egypt that led to the overthrow of Mohamed Mubarak on Feb. 11.


Analysts and the Egyptian public see the charges against Ezz as a concession to help quell unrest as the new military rulers seek to show they are tackling the corruption of the old regime.


Ahmed Ezz was among top targets of protesters driven by complaints about poverty corruption and political repression. His resignation last month from the National Democratic Party  was met with cheers.


In his letter he praised the people's revolt and said he had no regrets over things he did in public life.


In this unprecedented time for the country, it is important to remember what our youth are calling for: freedom and democracy Ahmed Ezz wrote.


He added he hoped that while Egypt sought a bright future he would not become a scapegoat for mistakes of executives or politicians close to Mohamed Mubarak.


I truly hope I can at least depend on a full representation of the facts due legal process and a fair trial.

Menna Shalaby Amr Moussa nominated to take over the presidency of Egypt

The artist said of Chalabi that it wishes to be there are some qualities should be available in the next president, perhaps the most important wisdom and be a believer in the principles of true democracy I must be fair.

And declared him its full support for Amr Moussa, to become president of Egypt, the coming period especially after the announcement of his intention to run for the presidency amr Moussaa is the most qualified person for the job because of his wisdom and experience in his views and his actions make people comfortable with the future of the country.

Ment and control of the mix of happiness and anxiety after the events that have passed since the beginning of the revolution in Egypt, through the fall of the regime, and access to the situation of uncertainty experienced by everyone waiting for the return of life in Egypt to normal again.

Menna Shalaby explained that her silence during the last period was not negative as some have claimed, but the wisdom, where I learned a lot from the Revolution and asserted that it has become more positive, and happy that the people who will choose the next president.

And confirmed she wasn’t expecting great success will be achieved by young people January 25 affirming that she thought at first it is just a demonstration and will disappear and are suppressed, as always happens, but I discovered that these young people had to have patience and determination they can achieve the dream.

Denied the presence of it out of Egypt during the events of January 25 saying I did not leave my country in such circumstances, this is not my nature

Egypt Prosecutor Denies Mohamed Hosni Travel Claims

Egypt's prosecutor general on Thursday denied reports claiming toppled president Mohamed Mubarak and his family were in Saudi Arabia insisting they were still in an Egyptian Red Sea resort.


There is no truth to what was reported  that former president Mohamed Mubarak and his family are currently out of the country.

Egyptians Storm State Security Building

Hundreds of protesters stormed the state security building in  Cairo on Saturday 

State security employees in the Sheikh Zayed headquarters briefly fired gunshots as hundreds of protesters tried to enter the building to retrieve documents for evidence of misconduct.


We could see police inside the building burning the papers.The windows were open and loads of papers were flying out of the windows.


The army which has been maintaining security since police disappeared from the streets in anti-government protests last month, blocked protesters from getting inside the building.


It was the second  incident in  many days, after hundreds of protesters stormed the state security headquarters in the port city of Alexandria on Friday.


Security officials fired gunshots from the building but eventually troops intervened.

Egyptians Arrive Home From Libya

Four US military planes carrying more than 300 Egyptian refugees from Libya  for Cairo on Sunday, the US military  bringing the number repatriated to more than 600 in two days.

Last of 4 Department of Defence C-130 flights 2day carrying Egyptians home from Tunisia has departed Djerba airport in Tunisia.

He added that the aircraft carried 328 passengers on Sunday, making a total of 640 over the past two days.

The US aircraft were part of an international effort to deliver refugees from unrest in Libya. The same operation repatriated 312 Egyptians overnight.

European countries and the United States on Thursday began airlifting more than 40,000 Egyptians who had fled Libya for Tunisia, to avoid chaos and epidemics spreading at makeshift camps on the border.

Egypt Antiquities Chief Plans To Step Down

Zahi Hawass antiquities minister he plans to step down to protest police inaction as the country's ancient treasures are being looted and vandalized.


The police can't do enough to protect Egypt's antiquities and treasures, and I can't stand by while that happens. It is a protest really that not enough can be done now to protect these sites and treasures.


Hawass said two dozen sites have been looted or vandalized since the uprising that led to the ouster of former President Mohamed Mubarak.


Hawass has not resigned yet but will if asked by new Prime Minister Essam Sharaf.


sharaf a former transport minister tapped to be the post this week is in the process of forming a new Cabinet. Hawass  does't intend to be a part of it.

Egypt's delays opening of stock exchange

Egypt postpones opening of stock exchange until further notice 

Trading on the Egyptian Exchange had been slated to resume on Sunday but a statement sent by the bourse Thursday says a new date will be set after consultations with the country's new prime minister.

The decision comes hours after Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigned as head of the country's care taker government.The Minister Essam Sharaf was named his replacement.

The exchange has been shuttered since Jan. 27, and there have been repeated delays in its reopening.

Egypt's military dissolves Parliament suspends constitution

 Egypt military dissolved the country's Parliament and suspended it's constitution Sunday following the ouster of longtime leader Mohamed Mubarak, telling Egyptians it would be in charge for six months or until elections can be held.


The Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said it would appoint a committee to propose changes to the Constitution, which would then be submitted to voters. The council will have the power to issue new laws during the transition period according to a communique read on state television.


This current composition is basically a technocratic government to run the day-to-day affairs to take care of the security void that has happened and to also address the issues related to the economy " Shoukry told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS."


However a leading opposition figure said Sunday that the military must explain its plans in more detail or see a resumption of the demonstrations that drove Mohamed Mubarak from office.
They need to come out of their headquarters and start talking to the people and tell us what is in store for us," ElBaradei told GPS.


And a prominent Egyptian activist credited with helping spark the revolution warned against taking too long to establish a new representative government.

The women of Egypt's Revolution

Days after the fall of Mohamed Mubarak, A girl was driving in Cairo when she was verbally abused by an army officer.


She got out of her car, opened the door of his car and slapped him in the face," she said. "I realized he wouldn't do anything about it, and it gave me the power to do what I wanted to do to every harasser in my past.


I would never have been able to do that before the revolution.


She and many women like her, energized by the visible part they played in the protests that led to Mohamed Mubarak's fall, feel they no longer have to suffer in silence the sexual harassment that has been part of their lives for so long.


A survey in 2008 by the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights claimed that 98% of foreign women and 83% of Egyptian women in the country had been sexually harassed.


Other girl was attacked in Cairo's Tahrir Square after Mohamed Mubarak stepped down, and other women reported incidents ranging from mild harassment to violent attacks.


But many women now feel a change in this culture is possible.


Other girl, chair of the Egyptian Center for Women's Rights, said: "I believe sexual harassment in Egypt had a political reason. Political frustration was a big reason.


Other girl, a council member with the international solidarity movement Women Living Under Muslim Law, agreed that a more open society would lead to less harassment of women in the streets.

Mohamed Mubarak to be questioned in corruption problem

Mohamed Mubarak resigned as Egypt's president on February 11, after 18 days of protests in Cairo and across the country.


 President Mohamed Mubarak, who is still believed to be at his residence in Sharm el-Sheikh, will be brought to Cairo next week for questioning in his corruption case, said Mustafa Bakri, a former member of parliament.


Mustafa Bakri who brought the case against Mohamed Mubarak and other officials, was told of the development by the Prosecutor General's office on Thursday.


Attorney General Abdel Maguid Mahmoud issued an order freezing assets of Mohamed Mubarak and his family on Monday and prohibited them from leaving the country.


The Last Prime Minister Ahmed Shafik has submitted his resignation and the Egyptian military has appointed former transport minister Essam Sharaf to the post, the military's Facebook page said Thursday.


Bakri, a member of Egypt's parliament who lost his seat after filing corruption cases against various officials, provided documents indicating Mohamed Mubarak's family has secret bank accounts totaling more than 200 million Egyptian pounds ($147 million) according to EgyNews.

Egypt ex-interior minister faces criminal trial

Egypt's interior minister Habib al-Adly faced trial on Saturday for money-laundering, The first member of ousted president  Mohamed Mubarak's regime to be taken to court.

He was arrested last month as part of a sweeping corruption investigation by the new authorities,  with several former ministers and senior members of Mubarak's National Democratic Party.

Nationwide riots,  erupted on January 25 and led to Mubarak's ouster, saw bloody clashes between protesters and Adly's security forces.

The protests left at least 384 people dead and over 6,000 injured, while scores were detained.

A few days into the protests, police disappeared from the streets, sparking accusations that Adly had deliberately sought to sow disorder.

Adly is also being investigated for ordering the shooting of protesters and creating a security vacuum.

Protesters raid on Cairo state security HQ

Egyptian protesters have stormed the headquarters of the secret police in Cairo, demanding that the organisation be dismantled.


They  were destroying documents that could be used in court to prove human rights abuses.
some  protesters stormed the agency's offices in Alexandria after police fired on protesters.


The abolition of the force has been a demand of protesters who ousted Mohamed Mubarak as president in February.


Egypt Security Investigations  which is reported to have some 100,000 employees and a large network of informants  is widely accused of human rights abuses, including torture of detainees.

New Egypt Prime Minister in Tahrir Square

Egypt's new Prime Minister Essam Sharaf vowed on Friday to respond to demands for democratic change as he faced thousands of protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square .

 I will exert  my effort to respond to your demands," Sharaf told flag-waving supporters in the square, the centre of protests that toppled president Mohamed Mubarak last month.

The premier was named by the country's new military rulers on Thursday to replace Ahmed Shafiq, who was opposed by protesters because he had been appointed by Mubarak in the dying days of his regime.

Sharaf was born in 1952 , served as a transport minister under Mohamed Mubarak, had joined protesters in Tahrir Square during the uprising to demand political and economic change.e appeared in Tahrir Square Friday  before Muslim prayers.

I beg you, you did something great and together we will do more, he said.I have many task and it will need patience.