Top Headlines 

• Egypt convenes parliament for the first time in three years. Sunday
• Egyptian court upholds Mubarak jail sentence. Saturday
• Three knifemen storm a hotel in Hurghada. Friday
• ISIS-affiliated group claims responsibility for an attack on Giza hotel. Friday  
• President Sisi attended Coptic Christmas mass for the second straight year. Thursday

The first session of Egypt’s parliament was supposed to be procedural but there were heated moments. Photo via BBC 

Main Headlines

 Monday

• Egypt shuns Qatari offer to renew dollar deposits
• Israel’s prime minister welcomes new Egyptian ambassador to Tel Aviv 3 years after recall
• Fans protest as court reviews Islam Beheiry’s challenge to blasphemy sentence
• Pro-Sisi bloc to name its nominee for speaker of Egypt’s parliament
• Egypt’s budget deficit increases by 3.3 percent from July to October

Tuesday

• Judge Nagy Shehata is ordered to step down from “terrorist cell” case
• Egyptian delegation visits Ethiopia to voice Egypt’s Renaissance Dam concerns
• Egypt to reopen the Suez ‪ Canal bridge after two years closure
• Politician Hazem Abdel Azeem faces backlash following controversial testimonial on parliament
• NCHR member Ragia Omran was prevented from visiting Aqrab prison
• Endowments Ministry instructs imams to prohibit participation in January 25 protests
• President Sisi discusses national security with General Intelligence Service officials
• Egyptian fisherman detained in Tunisia are freed

 Wednesday

• Egypt advisory judicial body recommends accepting appeal against Kerdasa death sentences
• Four journalists referred to criminal court for ‘defaming’ the minster of justice
• A defendant in Al Jazeera trial is acquitted
• 93 laws need to be revised by the parliament
• Egypt will close the Mugamma al-Tahrir, Egypt’s biggest administrative building
• Egypt’s foreign reserves hold steady

 Thursday

• Egypt Christians celebrate Christmas amid tight security
• President Sisi attends Coptic Christmas mass for the second straight year
• Shots fired at bus carrying Israeli tourists in Egypt
• Security arrested a suspect following an attack on a tourist group
• Egypt holds tourism agency accountable for killing Mexican tourists
• Egyptian economy’s growth rate expected to decline in 2016 – World Bank

Friday

• Three knifemen storm a hotel in Hurghada
• ISIS-affiliated group claims responsibility for an attack on Giza hotel
• ISIS-affiliated militant group claims bombing of Sinai pipeline to Jordan
• Egypt receives Yemeni Foreign Minister
• Egypt is attempting to verify news of Egyptians abducted in Libya
• Egyptian court annuls LE100 million ruling against Bassem Youssef

 Saturday

• Attack on Egypt resort wounds three European tourists
• Egypt’s hotel attack victims are stable, witness recounts ordeal
• Hurghada’s hotel: Stabbing of tourists incident “did not take longer than 4 minutes”
• Gunmen have killed two Egyptian police in the city Giza
• Egyptian court upholds Mubarak’s jail sentence
• 14 militants killed, 13 suspects arrested in North Sinai
• Eight ‪football fans receive one-year prison sentences
• Turkey to invite Egypt to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s summit

Sunday

• Egypt’s convenes parliament for the first time in more than three years
• Constitutional law professor Abdel-Al named Egypt’s parliament speaker
• Controversial MP Mortada Mansour repeats oath ‘properly’ ending raucous on parliament floor
• Arab League ministers back Saudi Arabia and condemn Iran
• ‘Sudan, Egypt have to accept Ethiopian Renaissance Dam’: Expert
• Egypt’s annual inflation accelerates to 11.9 percent in December 2015

Good Reports

• Where Egypt featured in Hillary Clinton’s emails in Hilary Clinton’s emails. Isabel Esterman
• Nadeem Center: Egypt’s security forces killed 474 people in 2015. Mada Masr
• Will Saudi agricultural investments in Sudan leave Egypt high and dry? Walaa Hussein
• The World in 2016’s forecast for Egypt. The Economist

Good Read

• Egypt remains diplomatic on Saudi-Iran fallout. Mada Masr
• On the eve of the revolution’s anniversary, the state cajoles and intimidates. Hadeer Al-Mahdawy
• Egypt’s roadmap to nowhere. Jahd Khalil
• What are the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood fighting for? Mostafa al-Nagar

Also my piece on Mohamed Sheka, the young Egyptian behind the Hurghada attack

From Twitter

Video

• President Sisi’s speech at the Coptic Cathedral. Arabic

 Plus

• Meet newly-elected speaker of Egypt’s parliament Ali Abdel-Al
• Women’s representation in new parliament is the highest in Egypt’s history
• Copts praise Sisi for cathedral visit on Christmas

Finally, here are Jason Casper’s prayers for Egypt