By Hatem Maher, Ahram Online, Jan. 27, 2013

Egypt president Mohamed Morsi has on Sunday declared a 30-day state of emergency in Port Said, Suez and Ismailia, the three governorates which have witnessed deadly clashes since the second anniversary of the Egyptian revolution on 25 Jan.

During a speech broadcast on state television, the under-fire Morsi has also said a curfew will be imposed in the three cities from 9 pm to 6 am during the duration of the emergency state in an attempt to curb increasing violence.

The Islamist president's decisions take effect from Monday. "I always said I'm against any exceptional measures, but I also said I might resort to such measures if I had to," a glum-looking Morsi added [....]

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Egypt: trapped and terrified in Tahrir
By Sallie Pisch, The Guardian, 27 Jan. 2013

A Cairo-based journalist and photographer describes how she narrowly escaped a mob in Tahrir Square.