Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Mohammed Morsi: Not That Popular!
Mass demonstrations in Cairo to call for Egypt’s President Morsi to step down. “Millions of Egyptians flooded into the streets on the first anniversary of Islamist President Mohamed Mursi’s inauguration on Sunday to demand that he resign in the biggest challenge so far to rule by his Muslim Brotherhood. Waving national flags and chanting ‘Get out!’, a crowd of nearly 500,000 massed in and around Cairo’s central Tahrir Square in by far the largest demonstration since the 2011 uprising that overthrew Mursi’s predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.” (Reuters http://reut.rs/11T0kCI)
Obama Unveils Big African Electric Power Initiative
This is the big policy announcement from President Obama’s Africa tour. “Speaking at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, the president announced a $7 billion initiative to bring electrical power to sub-Saharan Africa in an effort to help modernize the continent and better connect it with the rest of the world. The program, called ‘Power Africa,’ will also include more than $9 billion in investment from private companies, according to the White House. The iniative will focus on six African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria and Tanzania.” (NBC http://nbcnews.to/11T1xKn)
Former Chad Dictator Arrested in Senegal
Auspicious human rights victory as President Obama’s visit wraps up. “Former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré was detained by Senegalese authorities on Sunday. Habré, who has been accused of crimes against humanity, has been living under house arrest in Dakar since 1990…Habré, who ruled Chad from 1982 until he was deposed in a military coup in 1990, is believed to be responsible for tens of thousands of political killings, systematic torture and human rights violations.” (Voice of Americahttp://bit.ly/1cEprKT)