On so many levels, landing a reporter’s job in Cairo is a dream.
With its more than 20 million people and a generous dose of chaos and low-level lawlessness, Egypt’s capital is a monster that can wear you out, even drive you spare at times.
But it just keeps on giving, although only to the most earnest, curious and passionate of journalists.
The National’s team of reporters in Cairo are the perfect fit for the city.
Reporters Kamal Tabikha and Nada El Sawy, video-journalist Mahmoud Nasr and myself have worked together for a little more than two years.
I think it’s a fair assessment to say that our coverage provides a comprehensive and insightful look at life in Cairo, from the dynamics of its day-to-day challenges and vibrant art scene to archaeology and economy.
But Cairo is a city with a knack of challenging cliches and stereotypes.
The Nile-side sprawling metropolis is a place of contrasts, surprises and heart-wrenching divides.
In countless ways, it has profound contempt for anyone who has the audacity to claim to understand it. Yet, and despite its cruel ways, it never ceases to charm.
I started working for The National in early 2019 after three decades in wire service journalism that took me to 25 countries across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Asia.
For me, the paper was a much-needed new beginning, a second wind if you like, that rekindled my passion for my profession.
What made working for The National special was that the paper focused on the region and took its mantra seriously: The Middle East Explained. Gone were the constraints on length and the proverbial “will the Kansas milkman want to read this?” threshold.
With The National, the milkman from America’s mid-west is not factored in, but relevance and interest are. Local news with the right context and written with flair is in demand.
The paper often provides the key details needed to understand the big picture.
To do that in a city that often appears unhinged under the pressure of overpopulation, economic disparities and a multitude of divisive social and religious issues just made everything much more interesting for me.
“Cairo is not an instantly understood city,” says Tabikha, 30, a graduate of the American University in Cairo.
“At times it’s beautiful and at times obscene.
“But I think that makes for great journalism.
“The sheer size of the city and the large number of people living in it means that there is always something to write about.”
Egyptians have a natural storytelling talent, something that has made reporting more intriguing and revealing for Tabikha.
“I love that I could be out on the streets interviewing a rice seller about price hikes and get to hear a story about how his brother swindled him out of his inheritance,” he said.
“These peripheral narratives are invaluable to understanding how Cairo ticks and how its drama unfolds.”
El Sawy, 43, an Egyptian-American mother of three with a postgraduate journalism degree from New York’s Columbia University, was a personal finance reporter in The National’s Abu Dhabi office before arriving in Cairo in July 2020 to take up a role as a general news reporter.
She has since left her mark with a wide and diverse range of feature stories that have covered archaeology, fashion, arts and, of course, finance.
Her interviews with newsmakers such as world famous heart surgeon Sir Magdi Yacoub, trend-setting jewellery designer Azza Fahmy and Paris-based opera singer Farrah El Dibany were massive and readable gets.
“As a Cairo correspondent, I have got the chance to do a bit of everything for the foreign desk, business and arts and culture sections,” El Sawy says.
“Much like the city, the process of finding stories can be chaotic at times.
“I’m on various WhatsApp groups, with press releases coming in on a daily basis. But the real stories are not in the carefully crafted summaries with opaque wording and few details.”
El Sawy is unforgivingly well-organised and methodical, and recognised as one of Egypt’s top long-distance runners. She brings those valuable qualities to the job, with stories that leave no question unanswered.
In the mess that Egypt’s economy is currently in, she has found a glimmer of hope in the young men and women who risked everything to see their ideas put to the test in start-ups.
Her series of profiles of such fledgling companies are readable, relatable and, unintentionally, give those behind these infant enterprises a measure of publicity that helps them carry on.
Nasr, 28, the bureau’s relentless video journalist who has a degree in psychology from the University of Alexandria, is the team member who has the unenviable task of dealing with authorities, who sometimes see a serious and imminent threat in every camera.
“Being a video journalist in Egypt isn’t an easy task,” he says, understating the challenges he faces along with others in his profession on virtually every story that requires being out on the streets.
But Nasr, as a journalist, brings to his job something a great deal more sophisticated than just shooting a video.
He has his own theory about reporting and it speaks to Cairo’s social disparities, the struggle of almost every resident to make ends meet and how Cairenes of all walks of life and social status interact with one another.
“Cairo, like elsewhere in Egypt, has a variety of environments and communities that members of my generation call bubbles,” he says.
“Being a video journalist living among these bubbles means there is a seemingly endless number of complex stories that I can tell.
“The common thread between all these stories is survival.
“Survival is an act that everyone does differently. Getting food every day for your family is survival, staying positive is survival.
“And it is not just about humans. Cultures, music and memories also strive to survive.”
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Reputation
Taylor Swift
(Big Machine Records)
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Russia v Scotland, Thursday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel
The%20National%20selections
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
More on animal trafficking
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
%3Cp%3E%0DElena%20Rybakina%20(Kazakhstan)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EOns%20Jabeur%20(Tunisia)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EMaria%20Sakkari%20(Greece)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EBarbora%20Krej%C4%8D%C3%ADkov%C3%A1%20(Czech%20Republic)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EBeatriz%20Haddad%20Maia%20(Brazil)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EJe%C4%BCena%20Ostapenko%20(Latvia)%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3ELiudmila%20Samsonova%20%20%0D%3Cbr%3EDaria%20Kasatkina%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EVeronika%20Kudermetova%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ECaroline%20Garcia%20(France)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EMagda%20Linette%20(Poland)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESorana%20C%C3%AErstea%20(Romania)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EAnastasia%20Potapova%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EAnhelina%20Kalinina%20(Ukraine)%E2%80%AF%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EJasmine%20Paolini%20(Italy)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Navarro%20(USA)%E2%80%AF%20%0D%3Cbr%3ELesia%20Tsurenko%20(Ukraine)%3Cbr%3ENaomi%20Osaka%20(Japan)%20-%20wildcard%3Cbr%3EEmma%20Raducanu%20(Great%20Britain)%20-%20wildcard%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Nadhra, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Dars, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: AF Musannef, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Taghzel, Malin Holmberg, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: M’Y Yaromoon, Khalifa Al Neyadi, Jesus Rosales
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (PA) 1,400m; Winner: Hakeem, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
More on Palestine-Israeli relations
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
