An Egyptian court in Damanhour on Saturday issued preliminary death sentences to two monks, Isaiah El-Maqary and Faltaous El-Makary, for the murder of the head of their desert monastery last year. The court referred the sentences to the country’s grand mufti for his non-binding opinion as required by Egyptian law. A final session will be held on 24 April to pronounce the final sentences on the two men. Last summer, Bishop Epiphanius, head of Anba Makar Monastery (Saint Macarius the Great) near Wadi el-Natroun, was found dead “in a pool of blood in his room, with fractures to his skull, as if he had been struck with a instrument, and injuries to his back.” The accused monk, Isaiah al-Makari, was defrocked by the church days later and arrested by Egyptian authorities. The church released a statement that the monk was investigated even before the murder and that he was committing “inappropriate actions which violate monastic behavior and way of life.” The issue escalated as a second monk, Faltaous al-Makary, attempted to kill himself by cutting his arteries and throwing himself from the roof a monastery building before Isaiah al-Makar confessed that both were involved in…
City-Wide Security Cameras to Cover Egypt’s New Capital
Egypt signed an agreement on Saturday with US firm Honeywell to provide a city-wide surveillance system for the new administrative capital, according to a press release by Honeywell. “Honeywell will deploy city-wide security and surveillance systems as part of the first phase of development, in collaboration with its partner MTI, to integrate security systems across the capital into a single point of control, known as an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC),” the statement said. “The control center will also connect video feeds from more than 6,000 IP cameras over a futureproof wireless network, and run sophisticated video analytics to monitor crowds and traffic congestion, detect incidents of theft, observe suspicious people or objects, and trigger automated alarms in emergency situations.” The deal was reported back in December 2018 to be worth USD 31 million. The firm said that it believes “a smart city is a safe city” and that this infrastructure project will lead to a “a smarter, safer, and more prosperous Egypt.” The construction of Egypt’s New Administrative capital kicked off in 2016, which is expected to be almost as big as Singapore at 700 sq km. In July 2018, Deputy…
Leading Women Entrepreneurship Event SHECAN Kicks Off March 8th
SHECAN, the leading women entrepreneurship event in the MENA region, is kicking off its 3rd edition on March 8 at the Greek campus in Downtown Cairo. This year, the conference theme will be “Successful failures”, which focuses on highlighting the different challenges and hurdles faced by startups . Throughout the one-day event, empirical cases will be presented on how innovative thinking alongside creativity, technology and capital can turn failures into success stories. The annual event hosted by Entreprenelle – a mission driven social enterprise- will feature talks by the Minister of Immigration and Egyptian Expatriates’ Affairs Mrs. Nabila Markam, Minister of Social Solidarity Ms. Ghada Wali and the Minister of planning, Administration and Reform Dr. Hala El Saeed. The speaker line-up this year features prominent figures from Egypt’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, as well as influential figures from the region such as: AbdelHamid Sharara Founder of RiseUp, Radwa Hassan and Raghda El Sheemy, Radio 9090 presenters, as well as Manal El Alam, Arab celebrity Chef and investor. The event will host various panel discussions, workshops, mentor-ship sessions, pitch competition and an exhibition of the participating startups to provide the attendees with insights…
Need Hassle-Free, Trustworthy Cleaning? Summon Egypt’s ‘Jinni’
For the most part, Egyptian households rely extensively on external help when it comes to housecleaning and chores. This is sparked by not only a lack of time to do one’s own cleaning but a wide discrepancy in education which has left household management as ‘responsibility’ of women. Moreover, navigating the informal sector for finding and hiring help is a tricky ordeal, often leading to insecurity, inconsistency and overall dissatisfaction. This is where Jinni Services, a cleaning company providing residential and commercial cleaning services, comes in. Founded by Mostafa Ghannam and Alaa Shams, a married couple, the service aims to provide a premium, clean and efficient service to clients as well as ensuring the rights and work conditions of the housekeepers. HOW DID IT COME ABOUT? Jinni’s story started in December 2016, when Ghannam and Shams were moving houses yet were unable to find assistance in the post-move cleaning or the daily cleaning responsibilities. This was further acerbated by long series of disappointments were the couple felt like they had to sacrifice either quality, trustworthiness, punctuality or lack of commitment just to ensure that their home would be clean. Realizing this…
Egypt Cleans and Removes Slums Near Oldest Jewish Cemetries
Egypt’s government began removing slums in the eastern part of the 1200-year-old Jewish cemeteries in Cairo’s Bassatine, which is the second oldest Jewish cemeteries in the world, according to a statement by the Jewish Community in Cairo. “Today the Egyptian government started to clean and to remove the slums in the east part of Bassatine cemetery. Egypt is defending her Jewish heritage. Thousands of souls will sleep in peace tonight. Thanks to all how contributed to this achievement,” the statement said. The cemetery has witnessed periods of intense neglect and degradation, from countless stolen marble slabs that cover the graves to general abuse by poor Egyptian settlers who built slums. Head of the Jewish Community in Egypt Magda Haroun previously told Egypt Today that she has called on the government several times to build a fence around the cemeteries. Deputy of Cairo Governor for the southern region Ahmed Fouad said that the government also removed garbage in the cemeteries after getting complaints from citizens. Carmen Weinstein, former head of the Jewish community in Egypt, was buried in the Bassatine cemetery which she herself worked to save since 1978, as it…
Port Said Stadium Chosen Among AFCON 2019 Venues
African Cup of Nations 2019 host Egypt has chosen six venues for the upcoming tournament this summer: the Cairo International Stadium, Suez Sport Stadium, Alexandria Stadium, Ismailia Stadium, the Air Force Stadium and lastly, the Port Said Stadium. The venues, spread across five cities in the country, were elected by Egypt’s Football Association (EFA). “We had initially proposed eight sites for the tournament but after an inspection by a Caf [Confederation of African Football] delegation, we chose only six,” said EFA spokesperson Ahmed Megahed, according to the BBC. Two of the stadiums are considered controversial choices: the Port Said Stadium as well as the Cairo International Stadium. The first stadium has been closed for five years since the massacre that occurred during the Al Ahli and Al Masry match. The massacre dates back to 2012, when during a football match at Port Said Stadium between Al-Ahly and Al-Masry Sporting Clubs, the fans of the latter Sporting Club attacked Al-Ahly fans, with no intervention from the security personnel. As for the Cairo International Stadium, it has not been used often as a result of the limitation on fan attendance during matches….
Egypt’s Orphaned Youth: How the Stigma in Schools Affect’s Their Character Development
The formative years of our childhood and teenage years set the grounds to our character. These years mostly revolve around yearning for societal acceptance which, in return, directly influences our self confidence. The battle between “fitting in” and self confidence is almost universal to all preteens and teens, and it is more so more difficult for orphans who are particularly marginalized from society making it harder for them to seamlessly integrate within society. The bases of our character are influenced by several factors including external factors like peers, parents, school as well as internal factors including self-love, acceptance, and identity. In an article about “Factors Affecting a Child’s Personality”, writer Nimra Shehzadi states that “Schooling plays an important role in the development of personality…Children develop a sense of self-esteem and individuality, comparing with their peers.” To understand the importance of personality development amongst orphans, we need to formally define who is an orphan. According to the UNICEF and UNAID, an orphan or vulnerable child is “a child under the age of 18 whose mother, father, both parents, or a primary caregiver has died, and who is in need of care…
Cairo Runners Wants You to Run to Save Egypt’s Water
In collaboration with “Save Egypt’s Water”, Cairo Runners are hosting a run on February 22 with the aim of increasing awareness about water scarcity in Egypt making it a great opportunity for running aficionados to secure a morning work all while learn more about this topic. Water scarcity is a global issue that is taking the world by storm regardless of continent, social standards, or people. Water, the most valuable resource Earth has to offer, is becoming very scarce to the extent that people are predicting water wars to begin in the near future and Egypt is not immune to this catastrophe. In 2018, Cape Town, the capital of South Africa, officially declared that it was hitting day zero, meaning that the taps in the city are running dry and people are queuing for water. This lead to the implementation of severe measures in order to provide as many people as possible access to fresh water. The BBC reported that Egypt is not that far off behind South Africa ranking fourth on the list of 11 countries that will hit day zero soon. The U.N. expects Egypt to be in a…
Gabr Fellowship: Fully Funded Leadership Program Promotes Cross-Cultural Understanding
An initiative by Egyptian businessman Mohamed Shafik Gabr continues to attract a wave of interest for its promotion of greater mutual understanding between the East and West. The Gabr Fellowship, the flagship program of the East-West: the Art of Dialogue Initiative, brings together young emerging leaders living in Egypt, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, France, Lebanon and Jordan for a fully-funded leadership program that is held in Egypt and the USA. Each year, approximately 20-24 Fellows, often consisting of 10 Americans and 10 Egyptians, are accepted to be part of the leadership program. With an equal distribution of men and women from various industries ranging from law and media to arts, science and entrepreneurship, the Gabr Fellowship aims to build bridges through cross-cultural cooperation and dialogue. Since 2013, more than 120 young leaders from Egypt and the United States have participated in the program. As part of the leadership program, those selected to participate spend 10 days in Egypt followed by an additional 10 days in the United States. During these trips, the participants engage with leading businessmen, members of the media, government officials, scientists and academics….