January 2014

January 1 Cinema producer Mamdouh El-Leithy dies at age 76. El-Leithy, who graduated from the Police Academy in 1960, began his career writing stories for Rose al-Youssef and El-Shaab newspapers. He worked his way up at the Egyptian Radio and Television Union, heading up the production department in 1985. He also wrote several acclaimed scripts including Miramar, Gossip on the Nile and El-Karnak. He received the State Award for Arts from the Higher Council of Culture in 1992. 2 Egypt’s interim government orders a freeze of Muslim Brotherhood assets days after declaring the (MB) a terrorist organization. MB lawyer Hassan Saleh reveals that the assets belong to 132 members employed at the Guidance Bureau and the Freedom and Justice Party, the MB’s political party. The Central Bank also freezes the assets of over 1,000 NGOs alleged to have ties with the Muslim Brotherhood. 14-15 Egyptians head to the polls to vote on the draft constitution. According to the official results, turnout is 38.9% as compared to a 32.9% turnout for the 2012 referendum. The Presidential Electoral Commission announces that 98.1% of voters are in favor of the new charter. 19 Former football star Mido is appointed Zamalek coach. The former Zamalek striker succeeds Helmi Toulan, who was sacked after a disappointing 1-1 draw with Haras El-Hodoud in the Egyptian league. 19 Nineteen passengers die when their microbus crashes into a truck in Edfu, near Aswan. January 21 Comedian Farouk Naguib dies at age 73. Appearing in scores of both cinema and TV works, Naguib was best known for the comic play El-Hob fil Takhsheebah (Love in Detention). 21 Finance Minister Ahmed Galal and interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Bablawi head to the Davos World Economic Forum in Switzerland, hoping to show the world that Egypt’s economy is moving forward and ready for investment. 24 Four bombs go off across the capital, the largest targeting the Cairo Security Directorate in Bab El-Khalq. The dawn blast, caused by a car bomb parked outside the directorate, leaves four people, at least three of them policemen, dead and more than 75 injured. In addition to damaging the building, the blast causes extensive damage to the Islamic Art Museum across the street. The Minister of Antiquities reportedly estimates that repairing the building and restoring the damaged artifacts will cost $15 million. The second bomb goes off near Al-Behouth Metro Station in Giza, killing one and injuring 11 others. A third explosion follows outside a Giza cinema on Haram Street, killing one and wounding four, while the fourth bomb goes off in Haram’s Talbiya district but does not result in any casualties. While the militant Islamist group Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis (ABM) reportedly claimed responsibility for the Security Directorate attack, many people on the street held the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for the bombings. 24 Squash player Amr Shabana beats Frenchman Gregory Gaultier 3-0 in the final match of the J.P Morgan Tournament of Champions, winning him the title in New York’s Grand Central Terminal. 25 A military helicopter crashes in North Sinai, killing all five passengers onboard. Initial reports attribute the crash, which occurred near Sheikh Zuwayed, to technical problems, but ABM later claims responsibility, asserting that they downed the helicopter with a heat-seeking missile. 25 Thousands rally to commemorate the third anniversary of the January 25, 2011 uprising. In Cairo’s Tahrir Square, celebrations take place amid tight police security, with people chanting their support and loyalty to the military and the interim government. Outside Tahrir, pro-Morsi supporters and other marches by independent protesters chanting against both military and the Muslim Brotherhood are quickly dispersed in confrontations with police. The Health Ministry reports that 26 people are killed in clashes in Cairo’s Mataria district, and another 58 die in Minya, Giza, Cairo and Alexandria. Police make 1,079 arrests, while rights organizations report multiple cases of sexual harassment and violations against journalists covering the day’s events. 26 Interim President Adly Mansour announces that presidential elections would take place before the parliamentary elections. While the political road map set on July 3, 2013 stipulated parliamentary elections be held first, the newly ratified Constitution gives the interim president the authority to choose otherwise. Defense Minister Field Marshal Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi is expected to enter the race but does not immediately declare his candidacy. He does, however, announce he will run “if the people call for it.” 26 Protests break out in Port Said after the verdict in the murder trial of five-year-old Zeina Arafa is postponed a second time. In November 2013, Arafa’s badly broken body was discovered in front of the high-rise apartment building where she lived in Port Said. According to police investigations, two teenage boys, Mohamed Kasbar and Alaa Gomaa, allegedly kidnapped or lured Arafa to the building roof and attempted to rape her. When the girl resisted, they allegedly panicked and threw her from the roof. 26 Footballer Mohamed Salah signs a five-and-a-half year contract with English Club Chelsea. Chelsea reportedly buys out the midfielder from the Swiss Club Basel for a reported £11 million. 27 The Supreme Council of Armed Forces endorses Al-Sisi, calling any decision of his to declare his candidacy “a mandate and an obligation” if the people willed it. Hamdeen Sabahi, a presidential contender who placed third behind Ahmed Shafik and Mohamed Morsi in the first round of the 2012 elections, announces his candidacy, vowing to pursue the goals of the 2011 and 2013 revolutions: social justice and anti-corruption. January 31 Actress Zizi el-Badrawi, born Fadwa al-Bitar, dies at age 71 of lung cancer. Among her acclaimed cinema achievements are Shafika El-Ibteya (Shafika the Copt), El-Banat Wil Seif (Girls and Summer) in addition to TV roles in Layaly El-Helmiya (Helmiya Nights) and El-Mal Wil Banoun (Money and Progeny).