Ahlan Ramadan ✨🌙

• Ramadan is expensive 💰

• Egypt condemns US remarks 🚫

• Ancient Egyptian heist 🚨

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RAMADAN | SOCIAL SUPPORT | WELFARE
GOVERNMENT ROLLS OUT £40 BLN RAMADAN SUPPORT PACKAGE

Egypt has launched a wide-ranging social protection package to ease living pressures during Ramadan, combining direct financial aid, salary measures, and expanded public services for low-income and vulnerable households. The initiative was directed by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi following a high-level government meeting focused on cushioning families from seasonal spending pressures. 

What’s included: The program is valued at more than EGP 40 billion and will benefit around 15 million families. It includes cash payments distributed in two phases before Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, additional food-subsidy support, and early payment of state salaries and pensions. 

Additional allocations cover healthcare treatment and waiting lists, expansion of health insurance, support for farmers, and accelerated implementation of the Haya Karima rural development initiative. 

Why it matters: Ramadan traditionally drives higher spending on staple goods, putting pressure on households already affected by past inflation and currency pressures. The package aims to directly boost purchasing power while channeling the benefits of improving economic indicators into everyday living conditions — signaling a shift from stabilization policies toward targeted relief and social support. 

USA | ISRAEL | MIDDLE EAST
EGYPT CONDEMNS US AMBASSADOR’S REMARKS ON ISRAEL TAKING MORE LAND

Egypt’s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned comments by the US Ambassador to Israel suggesting it would be acceptable for Israel to take control of large areas of the Middle East — including parts of Egyptian territory — based on biblical claims.

In a media interview discussing a biblical passage often interpreted as land stretching “from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates,” the ambassador responded that Israel taking the land “would be fine.” Cairo described the remarks as a blatant violation of international law and a departure from the principles of the UN Charter, reiterating that Israel holds no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian territories or other Arab lands. 

Regional reaction: Several Arab states and the Arab League also denounced the statements as provocative and an assault on national sovereignty. Egypt — a key mediator in the Israeli-Palestinian file and a country bound by a peace treaty with Israel — rejected any attempt to justify territorial claims on religious or historical grounds. 

Why it matters: The episode highlights the sensitivity of territorial rhetoric at a time of ongoing Gaza tensions and fragile diplomacy. For Cairo, even rhetorical suggestions involving Egyptian land cross a clear red line, reinforcing its role as both mediator and defender of regional sovereignty.

ANCIENT EGYPT | HERITAGE | CRIME
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS STOLEN IN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM HEIST

Several ancient Egyptian artifacts were stolen during a break-in at the Abbey Museum of Art and Archaeology near Brisbane, Australia, prompting international attention over the protection of cultural heritage abroad.

Brought back but damaged: Authorities arrested a 52-year-old suspect two days later and recovered the items, though museum officials reported significant damage that will require time-consuming and costly restoration. 

How’d it happen? Police say the suspect smashed a museum window and took multiple objects from the ancient Egypt exhibit, including a rare painted wooden cat statue from the 26th Dynasty, a 3,300-year-old necklace, and a mummy mask authenticated by the British Museum. A ring and a funerary figurine were also damaged during the theft. 

The incident highlights the vulnerability of Egyptian antiquities held overseas and reignites broader conversations about preservation, restitution, and the protection of cultural heritage beyond Egypt’s borders.