According to various local media outlets, Egypt’s government is stepping up preparations for the inauguration ceremony of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) which is set to open by 2020. Working jointly, Prime Minister Mostafa Mabdouly and the Museum’s supreme committee have been arranging several logistical aspects of the ceremony such as the actual date, its program spanning multiple days, and the consultation of specializing international companies which can organize and arrange the ceremony. Egyptian authorities hope that the opening ceremony to the ‘largest archeological museum in the world’ will be attended by kings and presidents from several countries. “The opening of the Grand Museum will be seen by billions across the world, so we began to move now to prepare for the opening ceremony and present a clear road map for the opening,” said Madbouly, as per Egypt Independent. Echoing the intent to organize a memorable and large celebration for the inauguration, Antiquities Minister Khaled Al-Anany stated that the celebration will be the largest ever organized by the country. The presence of Egypt’s president Abdel Fattah Al Sisi as well as kings, presidents, high-profile officials and heads of international organizations…
Egypt’s Population May Exceed 130 Million by 2030
There is a possibility that Egypt’s population may exceed 130 million by 2030, which will pose significant challenges to the state’s sustainable development goals, according to a statement by Planning Minister Hala El Said yesterday. “The issue of population growth is one of the most important challenges that hinder development efforts, and is placing increasing pressure on economic resources,” the statement noted. “The sustainable development plan has been keen to include the population dimension in all areas of development and stressed the need to activate programs to control population growth.” The plan for the current fiscal year 2019/2020 includes programs aimed at improving family planning and reproductive health services, such as the expansion of the availability of family planning and reproductive health services particularly for slums and rural areas, as well as developing the training curriculum for doctors and nurses. In 2018, the Ministry of Social Solidarity launched a two-year project called ”2 Kefaya (Two [children] is enough) in order to get curb the number of children in Egypt. It seeks to provide free birth control to families and develop family clinics which will appoint 3500,000 home visits in Egypt’s…
Egypt Breaks the Record at 2019 African Games by Winning 273 Medals
The Egyptian delegation gave a stellar performance during the African Games, hosted in the Moroccan capital of Rabaat from 19 August to 31 August, breaking the record of the competition by packing a total of 273 medals. In 2019, Egypt succeeded in establishing a new record in the history of the games with 102 gold, 98 silver and 73 bronze. Previously, the title was given to Nigeria during the 2003 African Games in held in Nigeria, where it won won a total of 240 medals, 85 of which were gold. The highest number of medals was recorded for Egypt was at the 2015 African Games held in Congo, where Egypt took the title with 217 medals, 85 gold, 63 silver and 69 bronze. This year the Egyptian delegation topped the competition all the way to the end with a score that is twice as much as its runner up, Nigeria. The latter managed to surprise South Africa, Algeria and Morocco during the first three days of the tournament, taking home a total of 127 medals, 46 gold, 33 silver and 48 bronze. South Africa came in third place with 87…
Palestinian Woman Murdered in Honor Killing After Posting Instagram Video with Fiancé
A 21-year-old Palestinian woman died on Thursday in suspicious circumstances fueling speculation and causing massive outrage among activists and social media users across the Middle East and North Africa. Israa Gharib, a makeup artist from Bethlehem, died in a coma due to head trauma, in what activists and sources close to the victim are saying was a brutal honor killing. The culprits are believed to be her father and brothers. It all began when Gharib went to meet a potential suitor in a public place and posted a video of the outing on her Instagram page. According to a friend of the victim’s, Gharib’s mother was fully aware of the meeting and the suitor’s sister was also in attendance. According to sources online, Gharib’s cousin then showed the video to the victim’s father and brothers, allegedly urging them to act to prevent scandal and accusing Israa of dishonoring herself and bringing shame to the family by being seen in the company of a man outside the bonds of marriage. Amr Adeeb’s report on Gharib’s murder. Gharib’s friend claims that upon seeing the video, her brothers, Bahaa an Ihab, and brother-in-law,…
The Unknown Story of Ensaf El Borai: First Egyptian and Arab Female Judge
Most sources point to the fact that Tahani Al-Jabali is the first woman to hold a judiciary position in Egypt in 2003, and that Iraqi Zakia Ismail Hakki is the first female judge in the Arab world after she was appointed in Iraq in 1959. However, archives from Al-Musawar’s publication in its November 14, 1958 issue refutes these beliefs, as it revealed that their predecessor was Egyptian Ensad El-Borai, who became a judge in 1958. According to Al Musawar, El Borai graduated from the faculty of law in Cairo University in 1955. At the Arab Lawyers Conference held in 1956 in Cairo, she met Syrian lawyer Salim Akil, who she later married and moved with him to Syria. During her time in Syria, which was back then the United Arab Republic (a political union between Egypt and Syria), she worked as a lawyer and quickly became known among the lawyers community in Syria for her tact, sophistication and intelligence in dealing with her cases. El Borai’s name was raised to the Supreme Judicial Council and was approved as a judge in 1958 to deal mostly with the cases of minors…
Mayar Sherif and Mohamed Safwat Become First Ever Egyptian Olympic Tennis Competitors
Making history as the first ever Egyptians to qualify for competing at the Olympic Games, athletes Mayar Sherif and Mohamed Safwat earned gold medals, a record-breaking number each, in the 2019 African Games thus ensuring their eligibility for the reputed sporting event. Egypt’s participation in the 12th African Games, which was ongoing from August 16 to August 30 in Morocco’s Rabaat city, resulted in a total of 229 medals, of which most were silver and 79 were gold. It was a very successful day for #Egypt 🇪🇬 at the African Games For the first time in history they will have representatives in Olympic #tennis 🎾 events at #Tokyo2020 Mohamed Safwat and Mayar Sherif qualified for men and women individual events Huge congratulations! 🎉 — Athletes of Tokyo2020 (@2020athletes) August 30, 2019 Among them was Egypt’s ‘golden fish’ Farida Osman who brought home two gold and two silver medals. Egypt’s Olympic Committee stated that the number of medals awarded constituted the highest ever scored by a country in the history of African Games. Sherif, whose spot is currently 256th in the world’s Top 300, will be making her Olympic debut at…
7 Surreal Beach Getaways in Egypt
Article co-authored by Farida M. Ezzat and Mohamed Khairat. For many, Egypt’s main attractions are its ancient monuments, which have stood tall for thousands of years. Yet, despite the mystical beauty of the Pyramids or ancient tombs in Luxor, beauty can also be found along Egypt’s coasts. Egypt has some of the most beautiful resort destinations in the world. With mountainous shores, magical marine ecosystems and calm soothing waters, Egypt has a place for every traveler. 1. Gouna Just hours away from Cairo’s hustle and bustle lays the sunny Red Sea resort of El-Gouna. Whether you spend your time at one of the resort’s five star hotels or rent a small apartment overlooking the lively marina, El-Gouna is as close to paradise as you can get to in Egypt. From canoeing and snorkeling in the peaceful and turquoise waters to simply soaking up the sun on one of the many beaches and dancing your night away after a fresh meal at the marina, El-Gouna provides visitors with an experience of timelessness, peace and comfort. 2. Taba With picturesque scenery and year-round perfect weather conditions, Taba is one of the most…
Luxor Boxing Girls: How I Punched My Way Out of Christian American Patriarchy
This morning I had the great joy of leading six girls from the Ramla villages of Luxor in a boxing workout. We are the Luxor Boxing Girls and all we need to smash the patriarchy is a pair of good boxing gloves. I couldn’t have made this project work without my two friends Marwa and Mahmoud. Marwa is a respected local hero who has earned a reputation for dressing in men’s galabeya and doing ‘men’s work’ such a driving trucks and heavy lifting. In fact, President Sisi invited her to meet with him and it was televised on national TV. She drives a van and transports the girls to and from the workouts. As for Mahmoud, he met with the girls’ fathers to get their approval and generally helps me with logistics. Four years ago, I put my belongings in storage and started traveling the world. I am a single mom and my kids were all grown up. I had raised them on the ‘mean’ streets of Los Angeles suburbia and they had made it through. I was worn out from the battles I had overcome over the years and…
Egypt to Build a New Museum in Cairo’s New Administrative Capital
Egypt will open a new archaeological museum in the New Administrative Capital’s arts and culture district adding to the country’s growing museum collection. “The museum will feature a variety of artifacts that reflect the richness of Egypt’s civilizational and cultural history,” said Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mostafa Waziri during the protocol signing ceremony. The project will be overseen by the Supreme Council of Antiquities who will choose the displayed artifacts and the design of the showrooms. The artifacts will be lent to the museum for a period of 10 years, which can later be extended. The museum will be built on an area of 8500 square meters. Waziri revealed that the two-floor building “… will feature a thousand artifacts that tell the history of Egypt through different historical eras. Its entrance is decorated with two Egyptian obelisks, which were brought from the eastern San Hajar area in Sharqiya. It will also house the newly discovered Toto cemetery, which was recently dismantled and relocated from Sohag to the Administrative Capital Museum.” The New Administrative Capital’s City of Arts and Culture will also be home for a brand…