Egypt extends state of emergency by two months CAIRO - Egyptian authorities on Thursday signaled their intention to keep a tight lid on dissent, decreeing a two-month extension of a national state of emergency days before it was to expire. The move, effective immediately, was announced by the office of interim President Adly Mansour hours before the start of Egypt's weekend. Presidential spokesman Ihab Badawy said the decision had been made in light of "the state of security in the country." The state of emergency was imposed after a bloody crackdown Aug. 14 on supporters of deposed President Mohamed Morsi, which left hundreds of people dead, mainly backers of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi, who was democratically elected but a deeply unpopular Islamist, was ousted in a military-led coup July 3. In the weeks since that confrontation, the military-backed government has clamped down on Morsi's followers, arresting and rounding up hundreds of them. The crackdown lately has widened to include activists and journalists not specifically associated with the Brotherhood but seen by the authorities as being critical of the coup. Amnesty International on Thursday expressed strong concern about the mass arrests and the conditions under which detainees are being held. Scores have been deprived of basic rights, the organization said. In recent weeks, Egypt has circled back toward many of the authoritarian practices that characterized autocrat Hosni Mubarak's decades in power. The former president, toppled in a 2011 popular uprising, kept emergency law in place for all but a few months of his rule. Most of the Muslim Brotherhood's leadership is in jail, and those still at large have been driven underground. Meanwhile, the government has issued warnings about the threat posed by Islamist militants, particularly in the wake of an assassination attempt against a Cabinet minister last week. At the same time, the army is in the midst of its largest offensive in years against Islamist militants operating in the vast, remote Sinai Peninsula. For many Cairenes, the main quotidian effect of the state of emergency has been a curfew that was declared in tandem with it. Although it has been gradually shortened every day but Friday, it is a much-grumbled-about restriction in a city famous for its vibrant night life, especially in the warm months. On most nights, the curfew now begins at 11 p.m., but on Fridays, the main Muslim prayer day - often associated with violent protests - the curfew begins at 7 p.m. Government officials have suggested the curfew may be further eased to begin at midnight, except on Fridays, but its effect on commerce, not to mention the boredom factor, has already drawn bitter criticism. "Two more months of curfew," outspoken lawyer Hafsa Halawa tweeted sarcastically soon after the announcement of the extended state of emergency. The economy will thank the government & military I'm sure. As will all of Cairo.