Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Egypt Puts Al Jazeera Journalists on Trial
Press freedom under the military regime is being severely curtailed. “Egypt will put an Australian, two Britons and a Dutchwoman on trial for aiding 16 Egyptians belonging to a ‘terrorist organisation’, the public prosecutor said on Wednesday, describing the four as Al Jazeera correspondents. Three of the Qatar-based television network’s journalists – Peter Greste, an Australian; Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian national; and Baher Mohamed – were detained in Cairo on Dec. 29 and remain in custody, Al Jazeera said. The identities of the other foreigners mentioned by the prosecutor were not immediately clear.” (Reuters http://reut.rs/1d8rqqD)
Brahimi: Don’t Expect Much From Syria Peace Talks
Talks wrap up on Friday and the mediator wants the US and Russia to pressure the sides into another round of talks. “UN mediator Lakhdar Brahimi has said he does not expect to achieve ‘anything substantive’ in the first round of Syria talks before they end on Friday.He said he was ‘not disappointed’ and that ‘the ice is breaking slowly’. He also said that the UN and Syrian government were still negotiating on access for a humanitarian aid convoy into the besieged city of Homs.The idea of a transition process has proved to be a major sticking point at the peace talks in Geneva. Mr Brahimi told reporters that the gap between the two sides remained ‘quite large’ but there was a willingness to continue the talks.” (BBC http://bbc.in/1d8uBOT)