In one town in northern Mali a man has been whipped for drinking alcohol. In another, pictures of unveiled women have been torn down. In a third, traditional music is no longer heard in the streets.

Ayman Elias, spokesman for disqualified Salafist presidential candidate Hazem Abu-Ismail, urged protesters outside Egypt's defence ministry in downtown Cairo on Sunday to disperse and return to the nearby Tahrir Square in order to stop violent clashes between protesters and unknown assailants.

Hazem Salah Abu-Ismail, the Salafist disqualified from Egypt's presidential race due to his mother's US citizenship, has called on political parties to boycott Wednesday's scheduled meeting with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) after at least five of his supporters were killed at a protest outside the Defence Ministry in Abbasiya overnight.

Egyptian presidential candidate Abul-Ezz El-Hariri, who is running on the Socialist Popular Alliance Party's ticket, slammed recent moves by Parliament Speaker Saad El-Katatni on Tuesday, accusing the Muslim Brotherhood – of which El-Katatni is a leading member – of encouraging a "military coup."

Saudi Arabia frets that Egypt, its strongest Arab ally and a major recipient of Saudi funding, is falling under what it sees as the baleful influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.

A leader from the Salafi-oriented Nour Party on Tuesday criticized a gathering organized by supporters of disqualified presidential hopeful Hazem Salah Abu Ismail, who are protesting the decision to exclude him from the race.

Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya has announced its official endorsement of the moderate Islamist presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abul-Fotouh on Monday, following a final vote count amongst the group's Shura council members.

Many investors are waiting for the end of the presidential election to pump investments into Egypt worth LE200 billion, Muslim Brotherhood candidate for president Mohamed Morsy said Sunday. "There have been official communications between the Freedom and Justice Party and 15 world firms to boost Egypt's economy and secure 2 million job opportunities," Morsy said during a campaign rally at Minya Sporting Club.

Maged Riyad, legal consultant to the Coptic Orthodox Church in United States, announced in a press conference in Cairo on Sunday that 14 bishops and priests nominated themselves for the papal chair. Elections for the new pope are expected to take place in September. Riyad stated that Christian Copts outside Egypt will have a strong influence in choosing the new pope, especially the widespread churches in the US, Canada and Europe.

Clashes broke out between protesters and unidentified thugs in front of the Defense Ministry on Monday. The clashes erupted after a group of thugs blocked the street in front of Nour Mosque and prevented passers-by from reaching the location of the sit-in. The thugs hurled rocks at cars while the protesters attempted to reopen the road, fueling clashes.

The Salafi Nour Party announced its official endorsement of presidential candidate Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh Saturday evening. Nour Party authorities arrived at the decision to support Abouel Fotouh after voting during a meeting on Saturday, according to a Nour Party source. Among the top-ranking members, he said, eight of the eleven supported Abouel Fotouh, the remaining three were in favor of candidate Mohamed Selim al-Awa.

A Freedom and Justice Party MP has called for the formation of a presidential "team" of candidates to thwart what he described as a scheme by Mubarak regime members to return to the political scene.

Attackers armed with bombs and guns opened fire at church services at a Nigerian university on Sunday, killing around 20 people as worshippers tried to flee, witnesses and officials said. Explosions and gunfire rocked Bayero University in the northern city of Kano, with witnesses reporting that two church services were targeted as they were being held on campus.

The first recorded martyrdom of a churchman was of a priest named Stephanos from Upper Egypt, whose death caused a painful setback for the church, and led to the dispersal of its members. However, the dispersal led Christian preachers to travel to distant places and spread their faith.

The Salafist Scholar Shura Council met on Saturday with current Islamist presidential hopefuls to discuss their programmes and decide accordingly whom to back in forthcoming elections. This is the third of such meetings the council has conducted.

Divisions have surfaced among Egyptian Salafis over whom to back in the upcoming presidential elections, scheduled to take place on 23 and 24 May.

Thousands of Alexandrians turned out on Monday evening to support Muslim Brotherhood presidential candidate Mohamed Mursi in Egypt's coastal second city.

The young members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including the “Brotherhood Cry” group, have launched an initiative to reach a national consensus over a single presidential candidate.

Masses to mark 40 days since the death of Pope Shenouda III will take place Wednesday at Cairo's Abbassiya Cathedral and the St Bishoy Monastery in Wadi El-Natroun where the pope is buried. The cathedral hosted a memorial service for the pope on Tuesday attended by political leaders, members of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), MPs, and heads of political parties.

Sectarian tensions can explode triggered by one of two things: a relationship between a Copt and a Muslim, or building a Church. Journalist and writer Karima Kamal's new book, Copts’ Personal Status Law (Al-Ahwal Al-Shakhseya lil Akbat), explores many of the hidden stories behind sectarian tensions, tackling both solutions and challenges.

The Muslim Brotherhood has announced that Mohamed Morsy, chairman of its Freedom and Justice Party, will replace former deputy Supreme Guide Khairat al-Shater as its candidate for the presidential election slated for May.