Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Death Toll Crosses 100,000 in Syria
This is up from a semi-official tally of 93,000 just one month ago. The new figures come from remarks Ban Ki Moon made at a press event with John Kerry. “The number of dead in Syria’s civil war has passed 100,000, the U.N. chief said Thursday, calling for urgent talks on ending 2 1/2 years of violence even as President Bashar Assad’s government blasted the United States as an unsuitable peace broker. In the latest example of the relentless carnage, a car bomb killed at least 10 people and wounded 66 in a pro-regime, residential area near the capital.” (USA Today http://usat.ly/11hyVd4)
Tunisia in Crisis Mode as Opposition Leader Murdered
Mohamed Brahimi, the leader of a secular opposition party was assassinated outside his home. Protests have erupted throughout the country. His predecessor was murdered earlier this year. “It was the second political assassination in Tunisia since February, and quickly incited protests blaming Ennahda, the moderate Islamist party that leads the government. Crowds of protesters gathered outside the offices of the Interior Ministry in Tunis, the capital, calling on Ennahda to relinquish power, and security forces were deployed to contain them.” (NYT http://nyti.ms/11hxE62)