Egypt's government gave official permits to 125 buildings belonging to the Coptic church on Monday.
It brings to 2,526 the number of permits granted to previously unlicensed Egypt churches by a committee formed in 2017, the cabinet said.
The permits can be given to four types of building: churches, solitude or retreat houses (where priests and students can sequester themselves in study or prayer), service buildings and annexes. They give the church the right to renovate, rebuild and expand the structures as it sees fit.
Reverend Mikhail Anton, vice-chairman of the Committee to Legalise the Status of Churches, separate from the one convened by the cabinet, lauded the effort to legalise churches in Egypt.
“We are very thankful for the care being shown to our community by the cabinet committee and we are working closely with them to ensure that all the legalised churches are safe for worshippers and those who live around them,” Mr Anton told The National.
Up until 2017, when then prime minister Sherif Ismail formed the church legalisation committee, Egypt’s churches were all technically unlicensed by the government, Mr Anton said. They were often built in densely populated neighbourhoods with narrow streets and poor fire safety, which has made them prone to accidents.
In August, a fire at the Abu Seifein church in a low income neighbourhood in Giza killed 44 worshippers who were locked inside one of the chapels. During the same month, multiple other churches also witnessed fires, albeit much less deadly than the one at Abu Seifein.
The reason given by authorities for the string of fires was electrical short circuits, except for a fire at a church in the province of Minya which they said was caused by children playing with lit candles.
Abu Seifein had been licensed by the government in 2019, but that was not enough to prevent the deadly fire, highlighted the need for churches to implement safety protocols. Mr Anton declined to comment on this point.
Monday’s cabinet statement said particular attention was being paid to equipping churches with fire extinguishers and ensuring they had escape routes.
Mr Anton said while these protocols was important in theory, it is difficult to implement due the areas many churches are built in.
“One such protocol for instance is that churches must be built on streets which are at least four metres in width,” he said.
“This is important but as is the case with many churches in upper Egypt, they simply don’t have access to the space because of where they are built.
“So we are trying to get more flexibility from the government on the safety measures so that licenses aren’t revoked later when they find that the rules weren’t being met.”
Only licensed churches must implement the protocols, Mr Anton said, as they can only be regulated by the government if they are first recognised by it.
The cabinet committee formed by Mr Ismail is made up of representatives of the ministries of defence, military production, housing, local development, justice and antiquities.
One representative each from the General Intelligence Service, the interior ministry’s National Security Agency and the Administrative Control Authority are also on the committee, which currently has only one representative of the Coptic faith.
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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
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
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
1st Test July 26-30 in Galle
2nd Test August 3-7 in Colombo
3rd Test August 12-16 in Pallekele
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The five pillars of Islam
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3pm: Handicap; Dh80,000; 1,800m
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Mile Prep Rated Conditions; Dh110,000; 1,600m
4pm: Handicap; Dh95,000; 1,950m
4.30pm: Maiden; Dh65,000; 1,400m
5pm: Handicap; Dh85,000; 1,200m
