They dart into oncoming traffic and mount pavements to avoid congestion. Travelling across road medians to change direction quickly is not unusual either, and riding without a helmet or while speaking on the phone is routine.
Traffic in Cairo, a city with a population of about 22 million, has always been a nightmare for motorists. The increase in delivery riders on motorcycles has compounded the situation, with the roads growing more chaotic and, at times, deadly.
Estimates suggest about two million people make a living as delivery riders in Cairo and other major cities across Egypt, which has a population of about 107 million. Known locally as "pilots", their relatively large number means they are seen everywhere across Cairo at all times of day or night.
Their presence on the streets of the Egyptian capital is not surprising given that demand for home deliveries in the city has significantly grown in recent years.
They are no longer restricted to groceries or fast food, with services now including the collection and delivery of dry cleaning and even blood samples. Cairo residents can also have their cars washed at home, with workers using mobile water tanks to complete the job overnight, send documents and photos to issue or renew passports or call a nurse to give them an injection at home.
"They've become an integral and big part of our lives. Who doesn't have them knock on their door at least once in the course of one day? In some ways they bear witness to our lives," said Tareq Taher, the prize-winning author of the 2024 Arabic book Talabat, Delivery Stories.
"They are the weakest link in a fairly big business sector," added Mr Taher, whose book is a collection of short stories about the lives of Cairo's pilots and the socioeconomic conditions that shape them. "They have no union and are mostly disenfranchised. They must be seen in the big picture of Egypt today."
Dangers of delivery
The expansion of the home delivery industry has come at a price.
There are no official figures available to show the number of road accidents involving delivery riders, but an official at the Interior Ministry's traffic department said 1,124 were killed in accidents involving motorcycles last year, an increase from 970 in 2023 and 1,015 in 2022.
Many of those killed, he said, were delivery workers.
He said the traffic department issues between 20,000 and 30,000 licences for motorcycles every month, emphasising the growing demand for home deliveries in Cairo.
Young men - and women in very rare cases - are mostly drawn to the profession, with many between the ages of 18 and 30. They mostly come from rural communities near Cairo, including the provinces of Fayoum, Beni Suef or Dakahlia, as well as poor areas of the capital.
Many riders buy relatively inexpensive motorcycles, often made in China or India, on instalment plans, and endure long working hours to make ends meet in a city beset by double-digit inflation that hit nearly 40 per cent in late 2023.
To cope with Cairo's punishing summer heat and fend off the haze of pollution, many of them cover their faces with light cotton scarves and wear oversized goggles. That combination makes many of them look like infantrymen in a Second World War desert campaign.
Youssef Ashraf is a typical Cairo pilot. The 19-year-old high school dropout is from Beni Suef, south of the capital. He makes home deliveries for a high-end burger chain and earns just enough to share an apartment with five other pilots in the poor district of an otherwise upscale suburb west of Cairo.
"We sleep on the floor. We have no furniture," he said of the apartment, where the six riders split the monthly 3,000 pound ($62.80) rent. "I spend another 50 pounds to keep my motorcycle safe overnight in a car park.
"All that comes from the 200 to 250 pounds I make a day," he lamented, before darting off to deliver an order of one burger, chicken wings and fries.
In many ways, the pilots are emblematic of Egypt's economic challenges, something Mr Taha touched on in his book.
"I was criticised by some for portraying them as angels and never mentioned the negative in them," he said, referring to the havoc they can wreak on traffic. "If you see them driving their motorcycles fast and recklessly, it's because they don't want to be running late."
One of his short stories is titled A Letter to the Eaters of Hot Potatoes, which describes a pilot who grew up in orphanages.
"Motorists treat us like insects because there is so many of us. Do you know how many delivery men I know have died because of your meals? How many delivery men broke a leg or suffered an incapacitating injury so you can eat your potatoes hot?"
Delivery rider Mahmoud Sobhy, 29, says those ferrying food to customers face real risks. "Delivering food is tricky and comes with so many problems," he said. "That's why I have been delivering for a pharmacy for the past four years.
"Like everyone else, I am doing this because there's nothing else for me to do. I tried to join the state electricity company that my father worked at for years, but I did not get the job."
Five ways to get fit like Craig David (we tried for seven but ran out of time)
Start the week as you mean to go on. So get your training on strong on a Monday.
Train hard, but don’t take it all so seriously that it gets to the point where you’re not having fun and enjoying your friends and your family and going out for nice meals and doing that stuff.
Think about what you’re training or eating a certain way for — don’t, for example, get a six-pack to impress somebody else or lose weight to conform to society’s norms. It’s all nonsense.
Get your priorities right.
And last but not least, you should always, always chill on Sundays.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
6pm: Liwa Oasis (PA) Group 2 | Dh300,000 | 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-2 (PA) Group 3 | Dh300,000 | 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap | Dh70,000 | 1,600m
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Rebel%20Moon%20-%20Part%20One%3A%20A%20Child%20of%20Fire
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
More on Quran memorisation:
US%20federal%20gun%20reform%20since%20Sandy%20Hook
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Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
RACECARD
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The%20Genius%20of%20Their%20Age
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