Egypt’s second African Cup of Nations (AFCON) match against the Democratic Republic of Congo saw the Pharaohs win 2-0. Barely 25 minutes into the game, Ahmed Elmohamady scored a first goal, with football star Mohamed Salah adding a second goal two minutes before half-time. Egypt’s victory means the Pharaohs have made it into the round of 16. Zimbabwe and Uganda, the other teams in Egypt’s group, ended their match with a draw, leaving Egypt at the top of the group with six points. On Friday, Egypt won its first match in AFCON against Zimbabwe 1 – 0 after a goal scored by Mahmoud Trezeguet. Egypt was granted the hosting rights of the 2019 African Cup of Nations after winning the majority of votes in early 2019, with only one vote for South Africa. Egypt is in Group A with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and Zimbabwe. The AFCON draw in full: Group A: Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola Group F: Cameroon,…
Four Ecolodges in Egypt Worth Exploring to Escape the Busy City Life
As the summer approaches, everyone is looking to ditch the capital and go to Egypt’s stable beach destinations – Ain Sokhna, North Coast and Hurghada being among the most popular. However, if you are looking for a more relaxed “chilled out” holiday by the water, the country is also home to many ecolodges that will allow for an alternative kind of accommodation. A quick Google search defines ecolodges as “a type of tourist accommodation designed to have the minimum possible impact on the natural environment in which it is situated.” These accommodations are often secluded and offer a great relaxing experience for those looking for a place to de-stress from work, personal life and the busy city culture. In recent years, ecolodges have become more popular in Egypt as the country increasingly moves towards more environmentally sustainable solutions. While their environmentally sustainable approach might deter some people from viewing them as ideal vacation spots, others find them attractive, especially now that being an environmentally conscious citizen is growing in popularity in Egypt. Here are a few ecolodges across Egypt for those looking to go on an adventure and try something…
Amr Warda Dismissed from Egypt’s National Team Following Sexual Harassment Claims
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) announced on Wednesday that Amr Warda, a midfielder in Egypt’s national team, had been dismissed from the national team for disciplinary reasons. In a statement, the EFA said Warda had been dismissed from the national team’s camp in Egypt, which is currently participating in the African Cup of Nations. The EFA said that 25-year-old Warda’s dismissal comes following talks with the midfielder regarding his behaviour. The announcement comes days after Warda found himself accused of cyber sexual harassment by a number of women. The sexual harassment claims were first sparked by Egyptian-British model Merhan Keller, who alleged that Warda had sent her inappropriate and aggressive messages. Keller followed up on her claims by later sharing testimonies of a number of other women who contacted her saying they had received unwanted and inappropriate messages from the Egyptian footballer. Warda’s alleged misbehavior became a top trending topic on social media in Egypt, with a number of women posting privately of their encounters with the footballer who plays for Greek club PAOK. On Twitter, screenshots of messages and videos allegedly sent by Warda to women on Instagram spread…
Egyptian Architect Dalia Sadany Receives Golden Award in Italy for Cyber Security Museum
After a long journey investigating her country’s history, Egyptian architect and international ambassador of design Dalia Sadany received the “Golden Award” in the International “A’Design Award & Competition” in Italy for her recent project, the Cyber Security Hall Museum located at the Greek Campus in Cairo. The museum embodies the latest discovery she made about the ancient Egyptians, namely that they were the first to come up with the idea of knowledge security and ways of protecting information, known today as IT Security. The “A’ Design Award & Competition” is one of the world’s largest annual design competitions that honors best designers, architects, and design-oriented companies worldwide; a large number of almost 13,000 designers compete in more than 105 design fields from around the world. Dalia Sadany prides herself as an Egyptian architect who is successful both locally and internationally. A familiar name in the international community concerned with the arts of architecture and decoration, she has been able to highlight Egyptian traditions in the form of authentic architectural art, as well as contribute to raising the global image of Egypt’s civilization through value, radiance and brilliance. Sadany expressed her…
Egypt’s 2019/2020 Financial Budget: A Quick Explainer
On Monday afternoon, the Egyptian parliament approved the country’s new budget and sustainable development plan set for the fiscal year 2019/2020. While the total amount of the budget was not revealed, here are the major take-aways: Egypt aims to reduce the budget deficit of the gross domestic product (GDP) to 7.2 percent, which is EGP 445.1 billion, as opposed to the 8.4 percent of the current fiscal year. The country also aims to increase the GDP by six percent, with its projected expenditure amounting to EGP 1.574 trillion. The debt for local and foreign loans will amount to the highest percentage of the expenditures budget, which is around 36 percent, totaling EGP 569 billion. This is around a 6.5 percent increase from the current budget. The public salaries and wages will increase by 11.5 percent equating to EGP 301 billion. “This means an increase of EGP 31 billion from last year,” the report said. It is worth noting that “the allocations earmarked for social protection measures are estimated to be EGP 327.7 billion (5.3 percent of GDP) compared to EGP 328.2 billion last year, or a drop of EGP 592…
Quick Summer Health Guide From Health Coach and Yoga Instructor Farah Nofal
As the heatwave continues to sweep across Egypt this summer, it can be difficult to do anything other than stay inside an air-conditioned room and do little to no activity. Increased body temperature can also start to cause dehydration, tiredness, headache, and dizziness, which all greatly impact our health and ability to get through the day. To avoid all this, Egyptian Streets spoke with health coach and yoga instructor Farah Nofal for quick and easy tips to stay healthy and energetic this season. 1. How do you think yoga can help in staying fit during summer? “There are a lot of cooling breathing exercises in yoga that help a lot in cooling down the summer heat, which I highly recommend. And with any posture, instead of doing an intense flow, it is better to do postures that include stretching, because it won’t be as intense and you will still be working your muscles, but it is going to be a little lighter and will generate less heat.” 2. What about summer drinks? “I would suggest not to go big with sugary drinks, and try to stick to the natural sugars…
Three Egyptian Female-led Tech Start-Ups Participate in 2019 ‘Womentum Accelerator’
Three female-led tech start-ups from Egypt are among the total eight to have been selected as participants in the second cycle of ‘Womentum Accelerator’, a unique four-month experience-based program that helps grow the most promising startups of their kind from across the MENA region, with the aim of increasing the presence of women entrepreneurs in the regional ecosystem. “After an incredible first cohort and such strong community support, Womentum is back this year to accelerate another batch of women-led startups in the Middle East,” recently stated Elissa Freiha, who is the founder and managing director of womena®, the multi-dimensional media company behind the program. The final participants were selected earlier in June 2019 from a pool of 200 applications, Egypt coming to be represented with three start-ups, alongside others from Tunisia, the UAE and Lebanon. “During the application process, we try to ensure that we do outreach across the whole region, and this year we had applicants from countries as diverse as Iraq, Gaza Strip and Libya. I personally travel to meet founders around the Middle East, and we also work with community partners in each MENA country to reach…
Pole Fitness in Egypt: Impacting Mental Health in a Positive Way
There are many modern-day remedies that help us deal with personal pain and anxiety, but it is up to us to evaluate which way suits us the best. Pole fitness has emerged as a popular activity and occupation both in Egypt and across the world. It can be considered a form of art and exercise, but provides you with a very different experience than going to the gym. Going through the movements must be done consciously during pole class, your body and mind must be in constant communication with each other. Pole is not just about strength but coordination too; in order to master the movements and become a professional, you will need stamina, flexibility and muscle endurance. Execution is one thing, but performance is another. Coordination is key, and elegance is born out of your persistence to keep twisting and twirling. I learned how to improve both physical and mental aspects of my life at Pole Fit Egypt (PFE). I wanted to shed light upon this experience, so I spoke to Mint (Manar El Mokadem), the CEO of the studio. Mint’s journey is ten years in the making: “Pole…
Egypt Based Breadfast Joins the Largest Investment Program in the World
Cairo-based startup Breadfast announced this week that it has been accepted to join Y Combinator, known as one of the top US-based startup accelerators in the world. “We’re very excited to join Y Combinator and our team is ready to learn and grow with our company among the top world class startups and mentors,” said Mostafa Amin, co-founder and CEO of Breadfast in a statement about Breadfast’s acceptance to join Y Combinator’s program. Y Combinator has previously invested in some of the world’s most successful businesses, including Airbnb, Dropbox and Stripe. “Breadfast is one of the few startups from the region that got accepted into Y Combinator, I hope many other startups from Africa and the Middle East to join Y Combinator in the coming years and to be globally recognized,” said Amin, who added that a part of the investment by Y Combinator will be leveraged to ensure Breadfast’s coverage of customers in the entirety of Cairo. Breadfast, founded by Mostafa Amin, Muhammad Habib and Abdallah Nofal, is an online bakery store that delivers fresh baked goods every morning to customers’ doorsteps. The goods are baked daily, overnight, to…