Modern Egypt in the News

Population Growth vs. Literacy One in every four Egyptians is illiterate. Despite free education and long- running literacy programs, the number of illiterates has changed little in over two decades. Nearly 17 million adult Egyptians can neither read nor write, according to recent government data. Egypt’s population of 80 million is growing at 1.76 percent a year. The strongest growth [...]

Rare storm hits Egypt Four people were killed and more than 50 hurt as bad weather wreaked havoc across Egypt, pelting the capital with a freak hail storm and smashing a luxury liner into a pier, officials and media said Friday. In the northern Mediterranean city of Alexandria, waves as high as a two-storey building pounded the coast, media reports [...]

Egypt approves organ transplant bill Egypt’s parliament voted by an overwhelming majority on Saturday to regulate organ transplants in a bid to curb illegal trafficking and tourism over the issue. The law bans commercial trade in organs as well as transplants between Egyptians and foreigners, except in cases of husband and wife. Operations in government hospitals are to be financed by the [...]

Egypt: Millions of children still living in poverty Image via Wikipedia A study looking at the impact of poverty on children in Egypt reveals that while significant progress has been made, vulnerable children continue to face serious deprivations. The study – Child Poverty and Disparities in Egypt: Building the social infrastructure for Egypt’s future – is the first such study in the country that looks [...]

Egypt’s poor face end of free health care Around 35 million of Egypt’s 80 million people are in the state health insurance system, according to the Health Ministry, and most of the rest are supposed to get free health care. Those seeking free treatment must make their case at a Health Ministry office and, if successful, receive an official letter authorizing public hospitals to [...]

67 families in Giza evicted for new housing development project Sixty-seven families in the Warraq and Imbaba Airport area in North Giza have been evicted from their homes after the land was sold to investors to establish new housing projects. The Ministry of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Development had initially reportedly promised to evict the families only when the alternative housing units were ready. The families [...]

Pyramids suggested on Egypt’s flag A member of the People’s Assembly of Egypt suggested placing the Great Pyramids on a new Egyptian flag. According to lawmaker Hussein Abdel-Samei, the Pyramids of Giza would replace the current flag’s golden eagle holding a shield emblazoned with the words “Arab Republic of Egypt”. The Great Pyramids are a worldwide known icon unique to Egypt. [...]

Egypt amends Antiquities law The People’s Assembly amended Egypt’s antiquities law on Monday to bring in stiffer punishments for the theft and smuggling of relics while granting patent rights to the country’s antiquities council. The sale of antiquities is still banned and Egyptians who have antiquities must report their possessions to the Supreme Council of Antiquities. Relics can in the future [...]

What is an Egyptian antiquity and how to protect it? At the heart of a “heated debate” in the Egyptian Parliament (People’s Assembly) was the question of what constitutes an Egyptian antiquity and whether the people are capable of identifying an object as such. Article 8 of the proposed law, supported by Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni, would ban the trade or any other form of [...]

Internet addresses in Arabic script approved Image via Wikipedia The global agency overseeing Internet domain names said Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates can begin creating online addresses in their native languages. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) effectively broke the Latin alphabet’s three-decade hold on Internet domain names. The four approved countries may request local language Internet [...]