Main headlines

 Monday

• Egyptian authorities arrest three Al-Jazeera journalists
• Egypt likely to call presidential poll first
• Three Brotherhood leaders secretly left Egypt
• Mansoura bombinginitial losses LE1 million
• Court bans students protests without university presidents’ approvals
• Azhar studentsresume exams, others protest in Nasr City
• Al-Azhar Universitysuspended 80 students
• Egypt auctions 22 oil, and gas exploration concessions

Tuesday

• Egypt seizes assets of more than 500 Muslim Brotherhood and Islamist leaders
• Al-Jazeera journalists charged with terrorism
• Arab League informed members that Egypt declared Brotherhood a ‘terrorist’ group
• Justice Ministry asks Qatar to arrest Egyptian Islamist figure
• 10 alleged Brotherhood members arrested for disturbing leaflets inciting violence. Arabic
• Egyptian police arrest son of senior Brotherhood figure

Wednesday

• State security prosecution to interrogate Vodafone about advert
• Former spokesman for presidency under Morsi is arrested
• Police fire tear gas at protesters near Defense Ministry
• Harsher penalties desecrating the flag, and dishonoring the national anthem
• Militants attack GASCO pipeline in Sinai
• Hamas Haniya rules out the movement be labelled as terrorist group by Egypt

Thursday

• Egypt arrests seven over Mansoura suicide bombing
• Two killed in Alexandria as pro-Morsi marches
• Morsi jail break trial to begin late January
• Interior Minister reassures Copts ahead of Eastern Christmas
• Nine activists sentenced for two years in prison
• Around 15,000 judges to oversee constitutional referendum
• Two Swedish tourists found dead in Egyptian resorts
• Egypt says no plans at present to return envoy to Turkey

Friday

• Egypt names Brotherhood leaders whose assets have been frozen
• Anti-coup Alliance calls for protests as security forces block entry to squares
• Bomb defused near a school in Kafr el-Sheik
• Seven IEDs deactivated near Tanta police station
• Morsi’s international defense team to hold press conference in London
• Hamas denies Interior Minister’s accusation of involvement in Mansoura bombing ‪

Saturday

• Bloodiest protests since October leave 14 dead
• Qatar criticizes Egypt’s crackdown on Islamist protesters
• Egyptian foreign ministry summons the Qatari ambassador
• Sources: If constitution approved, presidential election in April
• One military personnel killed, two injured in Sinai’s Arish
• Security source: Imprisoned activists end hunger strike
• Fitch ratingsupgrade Egypt outlook to stable
• Egypt joins fresh talks  over Ethiopia dam in Khartoum

Sunday

• Egypt’s president makes a rare visit to the Coptic Cathedral
• Criminal court handed out activist Alaa- Abd El Fattah and his sister
• Beblawy denies Sisi is replacedto run for presidency
• Head of Nile TV was sacked for airing video on Morsi’s achievements.
• Egyptian judicial body recommends tuk-tuk import halt on security grounds
• Egypt bars Canadian Shiasfrom entering
• Egypt-Ethiopia dam impasse remains as talks reached dead-end

Book Review

• A review by Dina Ezzat of Mariz Tadros’s book: ‪Copts at the crossroads

 Good reports

• Egypt’s latest terror suspect: The popular felt-and-yarn puppet Abla Fahita. Erin Cunningham
• Selling a constitution. Mai Shams el-Din
• Cautious campaign for Egypt’s journalists release. Tamer  El-Ghobashy
• The Coptic folk storiesof the flight Into Egypt. Michael Collins Dunn
• Former minister Zahi Hawasscompares Egypt’s Abdel Fatah al-Sisi to pharaoh. Patrick Kingsley
• Stagnation and decay at Egypt’s forgotten cultural palaces

 Good read

• An anticlimactic referendum  in Egypt. Nathan Brown
• Is Egypt about to explode^___ again?Eric Trager
• The curious case of Egypt’s economy. Mahmoud Salem
• Mohamed Ibrahim, an unsolved mystery. Rana Allam

Finally here are Jayson Casper’s prayers for Egypt.

My piece will be published later today. Stay tuned….

Happy New Year 2014