Rights groups say nearly 2,000 arrested in week-long crackdown on demonstrators, activists and academics decrying economic hardship and government corruption

Crackdown comes ahead of Friday's mass rally calling for ouster of general-turned-president; prominent critics and academics nabbed in wave of arrests

Lawyers say at least 400 people in Cairo and across Egypt held following rare outbreak of public dissent against country's ruler

Warning comes after several rare anti-government demonstrations which had been effectively banned by draconian measures imposed under el-Sissi

Message sent out by Hamas chief comes as Gaza-based terror group has recently seen its ties with Cairo improve, after strain going back to Morsi's ouster by Sissi

Numerous arrests made as police quickly disperse small demonstrations in Cairo, other cities calling for removal of Egyptian president

With three days of balloting, government hoping for high turnout to grant legitimacy to referendum on constitutional change