Tunisia (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Scorecard for the Protests

Saturday's Protest in Algiers1655 GMT: Egypt's Minister of Industry and Commerce Rachid Mohammed Rachid has raised worries over investment because of the effects of the situation in Tunisia, which "worries lots of people" and "raises questions about political stability". Rachid told reporters he was instructing assistants to issue daily statements about new foreign investment to give a reassuring message.

Egypt's stock market dropped 8% last week.

1650 GMT: In Tunisia, Larbi Nasra, the owner of Hannibal TV, and his son have been arrested and charge with high treason and conspiracy against state security.

The broadcasts of Hannibal TV have been suspended.

Nasra was close to the family of Leila Trabelsi, the wife of former President Ben Ali.

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Libya and Egypt Videos: Politics and Protest

Clip of protest and gunfire in Beida

Clip from website Al Manara of protest:

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Egypt Snapshot: "Tunisia and Algeria Riots Won't Happen Here" (Sarant)

Riots seen recently in Algeria and Tunisia are unlikely to spread to Egypt despite deteriorating economic conditions, experts say.

Although Tunisia, Algeria and Egypt are countries which, to a certain extent, are facing similar challenges --- bleak job prospects, unemployment, skyrocketing staple prices and the looming crisis of aging leaders--Egypt’s peculiar political context could render it immune to North Africa’s social upheaval.

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Egypt Latest: Investigating a Death from "Torture"; Challenging the Government and Sectarianism

1435 GMT: Mohammad ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency of a founder of the National Alliance for Change, has responded to the alleged torturing to death of Sayed Balal: "If torture is proven to have occurred, officials at all levels must be punished. Torture is a crime against humanity. It is not an internal affair."

0725 GMT: The Egyptian public prosecutor has ordered an autopsy on the body of Mohamed Sayyid Bilal, who died in detention on Wednesday after he was arrested in a protest in Alexandria. 

Bilal's brother Ibrahim claimed the body had signs of burns and other abuse, and the family then filed a report with the prosecutor's office demanding an investigation.

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Egypt Video: Hundreds Dress in Black to Mourn Alexandria Bomb Victims

On Friday hundreds of Egyptians responded to an appeal via Facebook to mourn the victims of the 1 January bomb outside Al-Qiddisine church in Alexandria.

The one-hour ceremony took place on Alexandria's corniches, with mourners holding banners calling for national unity.

Egypt Updates: Dispute over Alexandria "Suspect"; Copts Celebrate New Year

2015 GMT: Video of tonight's gathering in downtown Cairo to mourn the victims of the Alexandria bombing. Some chanted slogans against the Government holding it responsible for the tragedy, others held a candle and mourned in silence.

1525 GMT: The family of Sayyad Bilal, who died on Wednesday in Alexandria after he was arrested the previous night, have accused Egyptian police of killing him.

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Egypt-Israel Analysis: Cairo Pushes Against "Threats to Hamas"

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman reportedly asked his counterpart representing the European Union, Catherine Ashton, to send a force to stop arms smuggling, to the coast of Gaza, making an Israeli blockade unnecessary. However, Ashton commented, "This is just something that Foreign Minister Lieberman raised at dinner. This is not an issue that we're discussing."

Meanwhile the EU has responded to the Palestinian demand for the recognition of a state of Palestine by saying that they will do this "when appropriate".

On another front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was hosted by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday. Netanyahu asked Mubarak to put pressure on Ramallah to sit at the negotiating table while Mubarak warned Netanyahu not to use hard power in Gaza. Mubarak said Israel must reassess its policy and "initiate concrete steps to build trust with the Palestinian Authority in a way that would allow negotiations to resume", adding that Israel's threats against Hamas may be detrimental to the peace process and regional stability.

For Cairo, although the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation talks are still at an impasse, the region cannot sustain another war. Blamed for cooperating with Israel over the blockade of Gaza and criticised for building its own walls to prevent smuggling, the Egyptian Government is pursuing diplomacy to maintain its credibility.

Egypt's balancing act: no boost to Hamas but also a closed door to any prospect of a renewal, two years after the last Gaza War, of Israeli military operations.

Egypt Feature: The Fallout from the Alexandria Bomb (Slackman)

“It is very clear that the government totally lost control --- of everything. The only control they have is on the security of the president, the group around him, and few other party figures. That’s it.”

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Egypt Latest: Tightened Security for Christian New Year; 5 Activists Released

1555 GMT: An Egyptian court has postponed the trial of eight leftist activists who were arrested during protests in Cairo on Sunday.

The activists belong to the Socialist Renewal Current. They were charged with rioting, disturbing the peace, and vandalizing public property.

The hearing was adjourned until 13 January.

1345 GMT: Security around churches and monasteries  across Egypt has been tightened on the eve of Christian New Year.

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Egypt Video Special: Police Lash Out at Cairo Protestors on Monday Night

On Monday night, demonstrators in the Shubra district of Cairo again protested Saturday's bombing of the Al-Qiddissine church in Alexandria. This video from the Daily News of Egypt shows a line of police lashing out at the crowd with batons.