Two years after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) created the region’s first Ministry of Happiness and Wellbeing in 2017, its ranking went from 28 to 21 in the 2019 World Happiness Report. Egypt was ranked 137 out of 156 countries in the same report and, what may come as a surprise to some, less economically developed or politically stable countries like Lebanon, Libya and Somalia ranked higher on the happiness scale. The scale measures factors such as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and transparency versus corruption. Taking the UAE as a model, there are calls among some in Egypt that creating a similar enterprise here may be the best thing for the country. UAE’s Ministry of Happiness and Wellbeing aims to help government entities, companies in the private sector and non-profit organizations in improving the conditions for their employees in order to enhance their levels of productivity and engagement at work, according to the official government website. Is Egypt up to the task? Assistant Professor at the Political Science Department Omneya El Naggar believes that happiness should be the result of efficient…
UK to Sharm El Sheikh Flights Temporarily Resume After a 4-Year Hiatus
Two months after it was initially announced and for the first time since 2015, the first direct flight from the United Kingdom landed at Egypt’s famous sea-resort town Sharm El Sheikh on Thursday, according to the Independent and various Egyptian media outlets. The flight, which marks the tentative yet temporary return of direct flights from the UK to a favourite holiday spot especially in winter, carried around 200 travellers from Birmingham. It is expected that two direct flights will operate to the popular seaside town until at least March 2020. Why was the ban there? Following the tragic crash of a Metrojet Airbus A320 in 2015, the UK decided to suspend all flights following suspicions that the Russian plane crash that killed 224 people was caused by a bomb, leaving up to 20,000 Britons stranded in Sharm El-Sheikh. However, in October 2019, the ban was lifted as Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, which recently topped the list of fastest-growing major airports in Africa, was deemed of adequate safety practices. In an official statement, the UK’s Foreign Office said that the decision comes in light of improvements in security procedures at the…
US President Donald Trump Has Been Impeached
President Donald J. Trump has been impeached by the House of Representatives on Wednesday, charged with criminal abuse of power and obstructing Congress’ impeachment investigation. He is only the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. The first article of impeachment charges Trump with criminal abuses of power, including bribing foreign power Ukraine to interfere in the 2020 elections. Later, a majority of the House of representatives voted in favor of the second article of impeachment – obstruction of Congress. The trial will be held in January to acquit Trump or indict him and remove him from office, which now moves to the Republican-majority Senate. Analysts believe there is little to no chance the Senate will remove Trump from office. In order to be removed from office, two-thirds of the Senate need to vote in favour. However, controlling the majority of the Senate, the Republicans have made it clear they are staunchly against removing Trump from the Presidency. More than 600 rallies in support of impeachment took place across the country. U.S. Senator from Vermont and candidate for President of the United States Bernie Sanders shared his support of…
On International Day of Arabic Language: Appreciating Arabic Calligraphy
Celebrated every day on December 18, International Day of Arabic Language, celebrated since 2012 by UNESCO, aims to shed light and appreciation one of the fastest growing languages in the world. The #Arabic language is a pillar of the cultural diversity of humanity. With more than 290 million native speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Today we mark the World #ArabicLanguageDay. pic.twitter.com/vEWGBnmWiL — UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) December 18, 2019 Arabic, officially used in over 25 countries and with over 400 million native and non-native speakers, the Semitic language has been around for around a thousand years. It comes in a variety of dialects and written forms, sprinkled around the Middle East as well as elsewhere in the world through the diaspora of Arabs and Middle Easterners. During the Middle Ages, Arabic was a driving force of culture in Europe with Arabic scholars widely studied and honored in Europe during the Middle Ages. Having been inspired from their own cultural backgrounds and from Greek history and philosophy, Arabic scholars excelled in mathematics (especially Algebra), science, medicine and philosophy. The language has also inspired…
Italy Accuses Egypt of ‘Deliberately Misleading’ Giulio Regeni Murder Investigation
In an address to the first session of a parliamentary commission carrying out an inquiry into the degree to which Giulio Regeni was subjected to scrutiny by Egyptian security services, Italian prosecutor Sergio Colaiocco accused Egypt of obstruction of justice in his investigation into the death of the PhD student, BBC reports. “A web was spun by Egypt’s national security service from the October preceding his death, a web in which the apparatus used the people closest to Giulio in Cairo,” Colaiocco said during the hearing. He alleges that those closest to him, namely his roommate, a street vendors’ unionist, and a friend who assisted him with translation work, informed on him to the secret service, according to Italian News Agency ANSA. Colaiocco, together with prosecutor Michele Prestipino, has spearheaded the murder investigation in conjunction with Egyptian authorities. Colaiocco said that Egypt’s reported findings were later disproved during the course of his investigation. “Fake stories were fabricated to throw off the investigation,” he claimed. The prosecutor said that a postmortem examination carried out in Italy concluded that Regeni was tortured in stages between January 25th, 2016, the day he went…
Everything You Need to Know About India’s New ‘Anti-Muslim’ Citizenship Law
Nationwide protests have erupted across India in response to the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), NPR reports. Tens of thousands of demonstrators reportedly took to the streets and university campuses across the country yesterday to protest the law, which, they believe, treats Muslims unfairly. The new law, passed last week by parliament, will see the Indian government ease naturalization proceedings exclusively for non-Muslim migrants from neighboring Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. Backers of the bill argue that it is intended to help asylum seekers and refugees fleeing religious persecution from the three predominantly Muslim nations. Critics are saying the bill violates the Indian constitution, which describes the country as a secular democratic republic. The mass protests come on the heels of violent clashes between police and student protesters on Sunday at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi. Witnesses say police stormed the campus with riot control weapons, including batons and tear gas, injuring more than 200 people, according to media reports. Some also allege that police officers sexually harassed female students during the raid. Demonstrators and student protesters in over 17 cities, including Mumbai, Bhopal, Jaipur, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Lucknow,…
In Upper Egypt, Fashion Designer Raghda Tries to Push Women to Own Their Sense of Style
Last year, Raghda Hassan, coming from Upper Egypt’s Beni Suef, was getting ready to travel to Cairo to attend the ‘Miss Arab World’ competition, in which she designed the winner’s pharaonic-inspired gown that celebrates Egypt’s heritage. “This was a very special dress for me. The order was made in one week and I had to do it all handmade,” she tells Egyptian Streets, “it was all hectic but it was worth it. I’ve been dreaming for this for a long time.” This dream – which is often not given much regard- was growing steadily on its own from her hometown in Beni Suef. Coming from a family that works in handcrafts, Hassan started to develop a passion for the art of fashion at a young age, designing gowns for her friends and family members during special occasions. Gradually, from teaching herself through Youtube videos and getting inspired by designers like Elie Saab and Hany El Behairy, Hassan eventually opened her own atelier store ‘3roos’ in 2010, and now designs for the yearly Miss Arab World competition. Yet she is also aware that fashion is not just gowns, as it is…
Christmas Concerts and Events to Get You in The Holiday Spirit in Egypt
As this holiday season kicks into gear, there are a variety of festive events in Egypt that range from warm music evenings with the Frank Sinatra tribute at Darb 1718 to joyful Christmas celebrations and christmas book fairs to attend. 1.The Sinatras Christmas – Frank Sinatra Tribute at Darb 1718 The Sinatras band was founded at the American University in Cairo in 2018, and performs Frank Sinatra’s songs to honor his iconic music career, as well as other similar jazz tunes during the same period. This year on 22 December, the band will perform Sinatra’s Christmas songs and winter jazz for a joyful Christmas vibe. Catch the event here. 2. Christmas Concerts – Cairo Opera House and Alexandria Opera House Held at Cairo Opera House’s main hall as well as Alexandria’s Opera House at Sayed Darwish’s theatre, the Christmas Cairo Symphony Orchestra and the Cairo Celebration Choir will perform a selection of the most timeless Christmas songs, with the renowned conductor Nayer Nagui. Catch the event here. 3.Christmas Eve Dinner + Live Music For a dining experience, see the festive Christmas Eve Dinner in Downtown at Eish & Malh…
Suicide Prevention Assistance: The Road to Recovery in Egypt
Between the realization that suicide is ‘haram’ (religiously forbidden), a lack of resources and the recognizable dark place which no light seems to be at the end of the tunnel – a clinically depressed Egyptian citizen has nowhere concrete to go to for help. Zamalek is an affluent area in Cairo, with a reputed expat community and lush hotels thus vouching for the elevated lifestyle of its residents. Its most iconic feature? Doubtlessly, the Cairo Tower. Earlier last month, between happy selfie-takers and individuals enjoying the night breeze on one the tallest structures of Cairo, a hooded figure was spotted casually looking around himself for a few minutes before seizing the opportunity to jump over the iron fencing of the tower’s rail to which he momentarily grips. A man lunges towards him, trying to capture the front of the hooded figure’s shirt but to no avail. The young man lets go of the railing – the only thing keeping him supported – into thin air. In no more than mere seconds, Nader Mohamed Gameel has let go, and falls to his intended death. He was 24 years old. The video…