Egyptians buy food at a shop as protests continue in Cairo.
Egyptians buy food at a shop as protests continue in Cairo.

Egypt, a desperate nation now running on empty



CAIRO // The grievances of Ghada Youssef, a divorced mother-of-two, are no different from those of the tens of thousands of Egyptians who have taken to the streets in protest.

The 36-year-old English teacher describes her day as a relentless toil that ends with minimal pay and maximum exhaustion. And while her wages stagnate, the cost of feeding her family seems only to rise.

"You go to bed, and the next day prices are higher, higher, always higher," Ms Youssef said. "We work and we work and we work, every day doing our best. But in the end, we are humiliated in our own country. There is no dignity here."

The runaway food-price inflation that helped to spark the unrest shows no signs of going away. A kilo of aubergine has nearly doubled in price. The shelves of supermarkets are running bare, and Cairenes throng the capital's shops and markets buying up remaining supplies of food.

With work suspended, banks closed and calls for a general strike, shopkeepers fear their customers might no longer be able to afford their goods. "People are running out of money," said Ahmed Said, an employee of a small fruit and vegetable market near Sayyida Zeinab. "There's fear that if the protests continue, people won't have enough money and our food will rot."

Petrol stations are congested with long queues of motorists waiting to refill their vehicles before the 3pm curfew begins.

Yet Ms Youssef seems undaunted. Instead, she said, she has found a renewed sense of hope in the protests that have destabilised her country, for out of the looting and chaos may come liberation.

"There is a feeling that I, we, have regained our freedom. I'm seeing a better life for my children," she said.

"Really, if Mr Mubarak doesn't go, then the hand of Allah will surely force him out," she said.

Many seem to share this sentiment. Yesterday afternoon thousands began descending again on Tahrir Square to defy the curfew and to call once again for Mr Murbarak's removal.

For a second day, the Egyptian military encircled the area, with tanks and fatigue-clad soldiers controlling - but still not opposing - the protesters.

The gripping fear of Mr Mubarak's secret police has eased and for now the mood seems to be one of uneasy trust between demonstrators and a military whose loyalty remains a mystery.

Last Friday Ms Youssef saw the old Egypt when she decided to take her children for a walk in Tahrir Square. They were stung by teargas, saw crowds dispersed by gunfire, and felt the backlash of what many here hope was the last gasp of Mr Mubarak's once powerful security apparatus.

While putting their lives at risk, Ms Youssef said, her 11-year-old daughter and nine-year-old son had to experience, first-hand, such defiance by everyday Egyptians.

"Even before we made it to the Tahrir, we saw police shooting gas at people praying in the streets and in the mosques," she said. "But my children must feel - they must know - they have rights as human beings."

Her children also had to see that Egyptians could control their own destiny, she said. They had to see that they did not have to be slaves to a system that has constantly made her fret over utility bills and scrounging enough income to feed her children. "You know, I worked from eight in the morning until the afternoon, and then I would tutor, sometimes until nine or 10 at night," she said. "And still, I would make, maybe 2,000 pounds a month. That is not enough. That is not right. When I went to the supermarket to buy milk, bread, the basics, I'd spend no less than 100 pounds. Sometimes, 200 pounds."

Not far from her apartment near Qasr al Ayni Street, signs that chaos could break out anew abounded. Sporadic cases of theft were met by neighbourhood vigilantes making citizens' arrests with clubs and knives in hand.

But in this, Ms Youssef said she saw hope.

"When I leave my house and walk on the streets, it feels for the first time in my life that these streets are mine," she said. "It feels like this country belongs to me."

As it stands in Pool A

1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14

2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11

3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5

Remaining fixtures

Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am

Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm

Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:

Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE

Game is on BeIN Sports

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The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

Non-oil%20trade
%3Cp%3ENon-oil%20trade%20between%20the%20UAE%20and%20Japan%20grew%20by%2034%20per%20cent%20over%20the%20past%20two%20years%2C%20according%20to%20data%20from%20the%20Federal%20Competitiveness%20and%20Statistics%20Centre.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%2010%20years%2C%20it%20has%20reached%20a%20total%20of%20Dh524.4%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ECars%20topped%20the%20list%20of%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20re-exported%20to%20Japan%20in%202022%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh1.3%20billion.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJewellery%20and%20ornaments%20amounted%20to%20Dh150%20million%20while%20precious%20metal%20scraps%20amounted%20to%20Dh105%20million.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERaw%20aluminium%20was%20ranked%20first%20among%20the%20top%20five%20commodities%20exported%20to%20Japan.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETop%20of%20the%20list%20of%20commodities%20imported%20from%20Japan%20in%202022%20was%20cars%2C%20with%20a%20value%20of%20Dh20.08%20billion.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

The Gentlemen

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant 

Three out of five stars

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The Way It Was: My Life with Frank Sinatra by Eliot Weisman and Jennifer Valoppi
Hachette Books

THE BIO

Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13 

Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier

Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife 

What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents. 

Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.

THE SPECS

Engine: 4.0L twin-turbo V8

Gearbox: eight-speed automatic

Power: 571hp at 6,000rpm

Torque: 800Nm from 2,000-4,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L/100km

Price, base: from Dh571,000

On sale: this week

Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James

Three and a half stars

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HOW TO WATCH

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Destroyer

Director: Karyn Kusama

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan

Rating: 3/5 

UAE release: January 31 

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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Opening Rugby Championship fixtures: Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)