Main Headlines

 Monday

• Constitution referendum to be held over one stage in all governorates
• Egyptian police clash with students outside Cairo University
• Pro-MB female students shut down faculty of engineering
• Nour Party confused as Salafi preacher’s edict ordered referendum boycott
• Alexandria prosecution accuses 29 suspects of trying to smuggle prisoners
• Sisi urges Sinai’s tribes to hand in their weapons
• British and German couple ‘held in Egypt without charge’ for a month
•  U.S. group (IPR) to increase investments in Egypt by US$300 mil: Ministry

Tuesday

• Egypt’s State Information Service  apologizes for constitution banner blunder.
• Egypt’s presidency to Decide On Elections Process
• Explosive device  goes off near a Cairo school
• Turkey seeks info from Egyptian authorities regarding alleged arms seizure in Egypt
• Finance minister proposes using $9b Gulf War central bank deposit for stimulus package
• Jordan closes its doors to Hamas leaders in solidarity with Egypt

Wednesday

• Ousted president Morsi to face new trial on terror charge
• Interior ministry warns of ‘‘plots’ to derail referendum
• Egypt footballers who raise political, religious, ethnic, gender-based slogans will be strictly penalized
• Cars seized in smuggling tunnel in Rafah, Sinai.
• Egypt constitution panel leader denies late amendments
• Tamarod retracts support for possible el-Sisi presidential bid
• Suez seaport workers close port gates in protest

Thursday

• Egyptian court clear Mubrak’s sons and former PM Ahmed Shafiq of corruption charges
• Police raided the Egyptian Centre for Economics and Social Rights
• Muslim Brotherhood rejects terrorism charges against Morsi
• US Senate bill allows room for aid to return to Egypt
• Tahrir doctors co-founder, Mona Mina, elected secretary-general of Egypt’s doctor union
• Al-Azhar student dead dead after suffering injuries at weekend protest
• Mubarak is the most ‘googled’ politician in Egypt during 2013
• Islamist militant blows himself up to evade arrest

Friday

• Alaa, Gamal Mubarak will not be released, detained for other cases
• 2 Egyptian soldiers killed fighting militants in Sinai
• Salafi leader urges citizens to approve new constitution
• Tamarod: We ask President Mansour to conduct presidential elections first
• Human Rights Watch: Charges against Morsy “pretty fantastical”
• Brotherhood march in Maadi
• 85 arrested in pro-Brotherhood protests nationwide on Friday
• Amnesty: 3 Morsi’s aides moved to unknown locations

Saturday

• Egypt sends Morsi to trial in a third case
• Curfew imposed in two villages, south of Rafah http://t.co/2hTONofuAc
• Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya to boycott  Egypt’s constitutional referendum
• Free Egyptians Party merges with the Democratic Front
• African Development Bank  supports Egypt with a $2m grant
• Emirati minister arrives in Cairo to follow on aid to Egypt
• Bassem Youssef’s father reveals ‘El-Bernameg’ to return in February

Sunday

• Egypt’s activists Maher, Adel and Douma are sentenced to 3 years in jail
• April 6 withdraws support from post-Morsi roadmap, protests jailing of comrades
• President Mansour forms a committee to investigate post June 30 events post June 30 events
• Bassem Mohsen , shot by police during Friday protests in Suez, has died
• Social Democratic Party will vote ‘Yes’ in constitution referendum
• President likely to decide about priority of presidential, parliamentary elections by end of December
• Curfew imposed in two villages south of Rafah
• Egypt to pay $1 billion to foreign oil firms Monday: Central bank

Good Reports

 The Muslim Sisterhood

 On Tuesday, I spoke in London about Egyptian women> I mentioned how the Brothers have rediscovered their Sisters. Here are three interesting pieces about them:

 Egypt’s Muslim Sisterhood takes lead in protests. Maggie Michael

• Enter the Muslim Sisterhood. Janine di Giovanni
• Egypt targets Islamist women. Nadine Marroushi

Sinai

• Egyptian security forces outgunned by Islamic terrorists in Sinai. Amos Harel

Ex- president Morsi

• Egypt Accuses Morsi of a vast terrorist plot. David Kirkpatrick

 Protest law

• Overview of protest law arrests: HRW

Interview with Egypt’s Ambassador to the United States. Laura Rozen

Audio

• Egypt’s turbulent year. Leila Fadel

 Good Read

Not many opinion pieces this week, but here are some good collection that is worth reading

• Who will be Egypt’s next president?  Dina Ezzat
• The ongoing struggle for Egyptian civil society. Amy Hawthorne and Mohamed ElGhohari
• Egypt: Leaks help, not hurt, el-Sissi’s image. Hamza Hendawi
• Remembering Sheik Emad Effat. Salma elFaky
• Clamp down in Egypt. The net widens. The Economist
• The political education of a techie dissident.  David Wolman

Also here are Jayson Casper’s prayers for Egypt.

Finally, here is a photo gallery of the annual Christmas concert at the Cairo Opera House.

Wish everyone a very happy Christmas