Top stories from DAWNS Digest.
President Morsi Declares State of Emergency after Days of Clashes
The two year anniversary of the Egyptian revolution was marked by violence in many cities. “Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi declared a state of emergency and nighttime curfew across three major cities Sunday after violence raged for a third straight day, leaving nearly 50 dead and hundreds injured across the country. The deployment Saturday of government troops to the coastal cities of Port Said and Suez, where violence was the worst, failed to quell a public backlash against a contentious court verdict and raised doubts about whether Morsi’s embattled government could contain the situation. In a televised address Sunday night, Morsi said the state of emergency, which allows security forces to arrest and detain at will, would cover the cities of Port Said, Suez and Ismailia for 30 days.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/VHFhhF)
French and Mali Forces Push to Liberate Timbuktu
So far journalists are being kept out, but it looks like Islamist rebels have been evicted from Timbuktu. “French and Malian troops have begun restoring government control over Timbuktu, the latest gain in a fast-moving offensive against Islamist fighters allied to al-Qaida who have occupied northern Mali. The rebels have retreated northwards to avoid relentless French air strikes that have destroyed their bases, vehicles and weapons, allowing ground troops to advance rapidly with armoured vehicles and air support. A Malian military source told Reuters that the French and Malian forces reached the gates of Timbuktu late on Saturday without resistance from the insurgents who had held the town since last year.” (Guardian http://bit.ly/WqGwU3)
Davos Wrapup
The fragile state of the world economy, coupled with the relentless turmoil in Syria and the rocky fallout from the Arab Spring, dominated discussions during this year’s annual gathering of the global elite at Davos, leaving many participants uneasy about what lies ahead as they left for home Sunday. Even broad agreement that there are some positive signs on the economic front, at least in emerging markets, was coupled with a warning from the head of the International Monetary Fund. “Do not relax,” Christine Lagarde said. There’s still a ‘risk of relapse.’ (Yahoo! http://yhoo.it/VHH8Ty)