They dart and weave through the streets of Cairo at all hours of day and night, ferrying millions of low-income residents around the Nile-side city of 20 million.
Their drivers are notorious for recklessness, constant hooting, foul-mouthed rants and unruliness, earning them constant resentment — even hatred — from the Egyptian capital's motorists and pedestrians.
There are at least 50,000 communal taxis in the city, serving three million passengers daily.
Many of the minibuses, known in Arabic as the “el microbasat”, will likely soon break down, with loud diesel engines, broken air-conditioning, filthy seats and suffocating exhaust fumes.
When they are filled to capacity, which is often the case, they look like cans of sardines with 16 passengers crammed shoulder-to-shoulder, with little leg room.
The minibuses have their own terminals which, in many ways, mirror all that is amiss with the city. They are heavily littered and filled with stalls serving greasy and often fried food, the smell of which fills the air. Coffee and tea are served in glasses off rickety stands. Altercations are common.
The life-endangering speed with which some of the minibuses enter and leave terminals send pedestrians scurrying out of their way.
Generally viewed as a necessary evil, the communal taxis are banned from city landmarks like Tahrir Square or the downtown area. They are also prohibited from going into upmarket districts such as Zamalek or Garden City.
That leaves them snaking through backstreets and overcrowded residential areas rarely frequented by the city’s affluent residents but which serve as an eye-opener for anyone who wishes to see one aspect of the life led by the majority of Cairenes.
Cases of assault and sexual harassment are not uncommon on Cairo’s communal taxis, prompting police to stick flyers on the back of seats that list the names and mobile numbers of senior officers at local stations that should be contacted to report a crime.
“I use the minibuses when I am travelling alone but I only use taxis when I am with my wife,” said Hany Abdullah, a 60-year-old Cairene who spent much of his life as a company driver. “The drivers constantly use offensive language, it’s hot inside them and the driving turns my stomach.
“People say they are good drivers but my view is that they drive like they have nothing to lose so everyone makes way for them.”
Yet, Cairo’s communal taxis have for decades been the city’s largest and most reliable public transport institution. Their reach is unmatched by other modes of transport and they offer a somewhat passenger-friendly service not available to those using the city’s regular taxis, metro or buses.
Moreover, their fares — which vary according to distance — are cheaper than bus or metro rides.
Would-be passengers can flag them down anywhere along their designated routes. If seats are available, the driver swerves sharply to his right to pick them up, often drawing expletive-filled reactions from other motorists.
Passengers can also alight whenever they choose after giving the driver a few seconds’ notice.
Those who wait along the route to catch a ride on el microbasat often use familiar hand gestures that inform the drivers of their destination. These include an upside down “V” for victory sign to indicate the Pyramids road, one of the city’s busiest thoroughfares. Making small circles in the air with the index finger indicate the city’s Circle road, Cairo’s most perilous.
Fares are collected by the passengers, who routinely pass the fare back-to-front until they reach the driver, who nonchalantly counts the money several times and gives back change, all while steering.
In many ways, the el microbasat epitomise some of Cairo’s defining features, from dangerous living and chaos to the incessant noise, air pollution and overcrowding.
The drivers look fatigued. They consume copious amounts of coffee between runs, often argue with each other while waiting for their cars to fill up. Heated rows with passengers over change are not uncommon.
The punishing heat of Cairo’s summers makes everyone edgy, while spontaneous conversations between passengers who have only just met can offer a window into the trying life of most Cairenes.
“I will not move over, I am tall and there is no leg room for me there,” a man in his 30s defiantly shouted one recent afternoon when asked by a fellow passenger to allow for more space.
'The work of the devil'
On a different ride, a bearded man in his 50s exchanged harsh words with a younger woman whose wish to swap seats with him was rebuffed. A female passenger intervened, appealing for calm.
“This is the work of the devil who moves among us to turn us against each other,” she said.
“I don’t want to argue with her, she has a kind face,” the man flirtatiously said with a grin.
The woman who intervened then turned her attention to the passenger next to her, a recently widowed woman in a black abaya and a matching hijab.
“His family wants to take my youngest kid from me,” she complained. “But I said no. Let them take me to court if they want to. They can only take him if I remarry. Who wants to remarry these days?”
On another ride, driver Mohammed Ali shared with the passenger next to him his views on the old and battered Volkswagen minibus he was driving.
“They are manufactured in Germany to operate on petrol, but we amended the engines to run on diesel because it is cheaper,” he said, as the voice of the late Egyptian diva Umm Kalthoum singing a love song blasted from the radio.
“It is like you amputate a man’s leg and replace it with an artificial one. You cannot expect him to run, he will just hobble,” he said, while navigating the notoriously congested traffic on Faisal street.
Fixtures (6pm UAE unless stated)
Saturday Bournemouth v Leicester City, Chelsea v Manchester City (8.30pm), Huddersfield v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm), Manchester United v Crystal Palace, Stoke City v Southampton, West Bromwich Albion v Watford, West Ham United v Swansea City
Sunday Arsenal v Brighton (3pm), Everton v Burnley (5.15pm), Newcastle United v Liverpool (6.30pm)
Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
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
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Company%20profile
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AIR
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Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Jalal Al Daaja (JOR) beat Hamza Bougamza (MAR)
Catchweight 67kg: Mohamed El Mesbahi (MAR) beat Fouad Mesdari (ALG)
Lightweight: Abdullah Mohammed Ali (UAE) beat Abdelhak Amhidra (MAR)
Catchweight 73kg: Mosatafa Ibrahim Radi (PAL) beat Yazid Chouchane (ALG)
Middleweight: Yousri Belgaroui (TUN) beat Badreddine Diani (MAR)
Catchweight 78KG: Rashed Dawood (UAE) beat Adnan Bushashy (ALG)
Middleweight: Sallah-Eddine Dekhissi (MAR) beat Abdel Enam (EGY)
Catchweight 65kg: Yanis Ghemmouri (ALG) beat Rachid Hazoume (MAR)
Lightweight: Mohammed Yahya (UAE) beat Azouz Anwar (EGY)
Catchweight 79kg: Souhil Tahiri (ALG) beat Omar Hussein (PAL)
Middleweight: Tarek Suleiman (SYR) beat Laid Zerhouni (ALG)
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
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SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Company Profile
Company name: Fine Diner
Started: March, 2020
Co-founders: Sami Elayan, Saed Elayan and Zaid Azzouka
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and food delivery
Initial investment: Dh75,000
Investor: Dtec Startupbootcamp
Future plan: Looking to raise $400,000
Total sales: Over 1,000 deliveries in three months
