Israeli Attacks on Lebanon Kill 83 Children in a Week as Displacement Surges
Mar. 9th, 2026 03:45 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
egystreets_feedMore than 83 children have been killed and 254 wounded in Lebanon over the past seven days alone, United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) announced on Monday, 9 March, as intensifying hostilities drive mass displacement across the country and push a devastating humanitarian crisis into a new and deadlier phase.
The figures, released by UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Edouard Beigbeder, amount to an average of more than ten children killed every day since 2 March.
The toll, placed in a longer context, is even more staggering. Over the past 28 months, 412 children have been killed in Lebanon, a figure that rose by 25 percent in the last six days, according to UNICEF.
The violence has also set off a mass exodus. Nearly 700,000 people have been forced out of their homes, among whom are approximately 200,000 children, many of whom are now sheltering in overcrowded and cold facilities, UNICEF said. The displacement adds to tens of thousands already uprooted by earlier rounds of escalation.
“Children are being killed and injured at a horrifying rate, families are fleeing their homes in fear, and thousands of children are now sleeping in cold and overcrowded shelters,” Beigbeder said in a statement issued from Amman, Jordan.
UNICEF called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, including schools and shelters, and urged an immediate de-escalation to prevent further harm.
As of 2 March 2026, Lebanon has been experiencing severe, intensifying attacks, with Israeli airstrikes hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs and eastern regions, targeting Hezbollah, amid the war in Iran. Fierce ground clashes in the south have displaced more than 300,000 people, leaving the situation highly volatile amid widespread destruction and a deepening humanitarian crisis.
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The Arab World Is More Than War. It Is Also Beauty.
Mar. 9th, 2026 02:22 pmegystreets_feedWe rarely remember entire stories. We remember small moments that, on their own, can feel complete. Memories appear like brief, scattered clips of video, arriving without warning. They do not need to connect or form a single story, yet what matters most are the moments that shape these memories, and in turn, shape who we are. It is the small, fleeting moments that tend to shape us and shape our countries. Moments we catch online, on TV, or hear in passing, through conversations and headlines. The moments the world witnessed during the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, or the inauguration of Egypt’s second Suez Canal, marked by a ceremony that became ingrained in the memory of every Egyptian. And even though these moments might never reveal the whole story, one instant of witnessing war or violence can wipe out everything that came before it. It can erase everything that was once part of a person’s or a nation’s identity. The Arab world has, in the past few years, been shaped by these moments. Moments of violence, of war, of suffering, and of hardship often spread across online…
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Egyptian Pound at 52 Per Dollar Amid Regional Tensions
Mar. 9th, 2026 02:08 pmegystreets_feedThe Egyptian pound weakened past EGP 52 to the United States dollar on Sunday, 8 March, marking a record low as rising regional geopolitical tensions weighed on the currency. According to data from the Central Bank of Egypt, the dollar closed at EGP 52.11 for buying and EGP 52.21 for selling at the end of Sunday’s trading session, compared to EGP 50.08 and EGP 50.22 on Thursday. The pound has fallen by roughly EGP 4.24, around 8.9 percent, since the beginning of March, according to central bank data. Across major Egyptian banks, exchange rates were largely similar. The dollar was listed at EGP 52.11 for buying and EGP 52.21 for selling at Banque Misr, National Bank of Egypt, Commercial International Bank, Arab International Bank, and Bank of Alexandria, as reported by Ahram online. Other major currencies also rose against the Egyptian pound. The Euro climbed to around EGP 60.52 for buying and EGP 60.69 for selling, while the British pound sterling reached EGP 69.86 for buying and EGP 70.07 for selling. Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti dinar traded at around EGP 170.17 for buying and EGP 170.68 for selling, while the UAE…
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Which jobs make a meaningful contribution to the world?
Mar. 9th, 2026 12:18 pmfamilyinequality_feedMusic Monday: The Story
Mar. 9th, 2026 12:30 amdorothysnarker_feedSince I’m humming Brandi Carlile tunes anyway today, and I went down a lesbians on TV rabbit hole thanks to Willow and Tara, how about the perfect musical combo this Monday. Remember when Arizona proposed to Callie on the way to a weekend getaway and then they were in a terrible car crash which left Callie in a coma which she sang herself out of through the healing power of the lesbian singer-songwriter’s power ballad? And it was an entire musical episode? Yeah, that aired 15 years ago this month. Happy Monday, all.
German English
Mar. 9th, 2026 02:24 amlanguagelog_feedNote to Sinologist colleagues:
For the last few years, I've been noticing that Chinese archeologists
and scientists publishing in English consistently refer to jiǎgǔwén 甲骨文 as
"oracle bone scripts" (note the plural), when I think they mean "oracle
bone inscriptions" or "oracle bone texts".
I'm wondering if I should make an attempt to correct this usage, or
whether it is so well entrenched in Sino-English that nothing can be
done to change it.
Matthias Richter replied:
Judging from what Matthias says here, German spontaneously offers many creative solutions to problems that plague us in English.
Selected readings
- "Germanglish" (8/2/16)
- "English is a Dialect of Germanic; or, The Traitors to Our Common Heritage" (9/4/13)
- "Denglish" (9/21/10)
- "The German Language 1, Sally 0" (3/26/09)
- "A German neologism coined in English" (11/26/25)
- "Schadenfreudeful" (4/20/19)
- "German lexicographic richness" (10/11/21)
- "No word for 'mess'" (4/21/11) — must read for anyone interested in smells and scents (in German); order and odor
Iran Names Mojtaba Khamenei as New Supreme Leader Amid Ongoing War
Mar. 8th, 2026 10:18 pmegystreets_feedThe 56-year-old son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei becomes Iran’s third supreme leader, in what critics call a dynastic succession at odds with the Islamic Republic’s founding principles.
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Egypt Proposes Forming Joint Arab Defense Force Amid Regional Tensions
Mar. 8th, 2026 09:11 pmegystreets_feedAn emergency ministerial meeting of the Arab League was held on Sunday, 8 March, to address rising military tensions in the region and recent attacks attributed to Iran against several Arab states. Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Badr Abdelatty, participated in the virtual session, which was chaired by the United Arab Emirates. The meeting focused on regional security and ways for Arab countries to respond collectively to growing threats. During the discussions, Abdelatty expressed Egypt’s full solidarity with Gulf countries as well as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Republic of Iraq, following what he described as Iranian attacks on their sovereignty. He strongly condemned the strikes and rejected any attempts to justify them. Abdelatty also called for strengthening collective Arab security, emphasizing that Arab states must work together to address regional threats. As part of this effort, he highlighted the need to activate frameworks for joint Arab cooperation, including the possible formation of a joint Arab defense force to help protect the security and sovereignty of Arab nations. The idea of a unified Arab military force is not new. In 1950, Arab League members signed the Joint Defence and…
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Regional War Could Push Egypt’s Housing Prices up by 20 Percent
Mar. 8th, 2026 08:31 pmegystreets_feedEgypt’s housing market braces for a surge, as the US-Israeli war on Iran drives developers to project price increases of up to 20 percent, threatening buyers with higher costs and delayed deliveries in an already fragile real estate sector, according to a report by AlArabiya. Several Egyptian property developers, according to Al Arabiya, reported that they expect prices to rise by as much as 20 percent in the coming months, driven by economic and geopolitical factors. Reduced natural gas subsidies, a weakening Egyptian pound against the dollar, which rose from EGP 47.2 to 50.2 against the dollar, which directly affects the cost of production inputs such as billets, and mounting production costs are some of the factors. Should the regional conflict drag on, they warned, those pressures could intensify further, pushing prices even higher. The stress is being felt across the market. Some buyers are contending with delayed unit deliveries from developers, while others are stepping back to reassess whether Egyptian real estate remains a sound investment at all, as overall returns on property have eroded. A growing number of observers have also begun describing the market in starker terms,…
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Ancient Coffins and Rare Papyri Discovered in New Archaeological Find in Luxor
Mar. 8th, 2026 02:00 pmegystreets_feedAn Egyptian archaeological mission has uncovered a cache of colorful coffins containing mummies, along with a collection of rare papyri dating back to the Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt, during excavations in Al-Qurna on the West Bank of Luxor. The discovery was made by a joint mission from the Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Zahi Hawass Foundation for Archaeology and Heritage while working in the southwestern corner of the courtyard of the tomb of Seneb. According to Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathy, the discovery represents a significant addition to Egypt’s growing list of archaeological finds and reflects the state’s continued support for archaeological research and heritage preservation. The cache dates back to the Third Intermediate Period, specifically Dynasties 21 to 25, and includes 22 brightly painted wooden coffins still containing mummies. The coffins were discovered inside a rectangular chamber carved into the rock that appears to have served as a funerary storage room. Archaeologists found the coffins arranged in several layers, stacked in ten horizontal rows, demonstrating a remarkable level of organization. In order to maximize space, the ancient Egyptians placed coffin lids separately from…
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Al Ahly Green Agricultural Investment Fund Launches in Egypt
Mar. 8th, 2026 01:57 pmegystreets_feedThe Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) officially approved the establishment of the Al Ahly Green Agricultural Investment Fund on Saturday, 7 March. This initiative addresses the increasing need for investment in agriculture and aligns with the government’s broader strategy to enhance food security and promote economic sustainability. Significant emphasis has been placed on agriculture as a vital pillar of the national economy, and the FRA’s decision reflects a commitment to deepening the private sector’s involvement in productive activities. The Al Ahly Green Agricultural Investment Fund will offer a regulated vehicle for investors aiming to channel capital into agricultural projects that promise sustainable growth opportunities. This new investment structure is designed to facilitate the allocation of funds towards vital agricultural activities while providing a transparent and supervised environment for investment. In addition to its primary focus on agricultural ventures, the fund is also licensed to engage in venture capital activities, further diversifying its investment capabilities. This initiative is part of the FRA’s ongoing efforts to expand the base of investment funds in Egypt, particularly within key sectors like agriculture. By introducing innovative financial instruments that cater to diverse investor interests, the…
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EgyptAir Denies Reports of Return Ticket Price Hikes from Gulf to Cairo
Mar. 8th, 2026 01:32 pmegystreets_feedEgyptAir has denied information circulating on social media claiming that return ticket prices from Gulf countries to Cairo have increased, saying the claims are inaccurate and do not reflect the airline’s policies during the current regional disruptions. In a statement posted on Friday, 6 March, the national carrier said it has implemented an operational plan to help Egyptian citizens whose return bookings from certain Gulf destinations were cancelled, including operating daily exceptional flights to assist stranded passengers. However, the airline noted that the number of flights remains limited due to regulations issued by civil aviation authorities in the affected countries, as well as ongoing operational conditions in the region. EgyptAir said the additional flights are primarily intended to accommodate passengers who already hold confirmed bookings on the airline, allowing them to return to Egypt without paying extra fees. These travellers are given priority and account for the majority of available seats. The airline added that it has introduced several measures to ease travel disruptions, including waiving ticket change penalties. According to EgyptAir, the number of seats available for new bookings on these flights, if any remain after accommodating existing passengers,…
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Egypt is Broadly Safe for Tourists, Says Travel Advisory
Mar. 8th, 2026 10:44 amegystreets_feedEgypt is broadly considered safe for tourists, despite ongoing tensions in the Middle East, as outlined in a recent analysis by The Times on Friday, 6 March. The report found that popular locations, including Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Red Sea resorts such as Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada, remain open and considered safe for travellers. Authorities in the UK have not changed their core travel advice for these destinations, even as regional conflict raised concerns about security and flight disruptions. Egypt’s airspace remains open, although flights may be affected by disruptions in neighbouring countries. Travellers are still encouraged to stay alert and avoid large political gatherings, particularly during public holidays or periods of unrest. However, officials continue to warn against travel to certain areas of the country. These include the North Sinai governorate, areas near the Libyan border, and parts of the Western Desert and northern South Sinai, where governments advise against travel or recommend essential travel only due to security concerns. The U.S. Department of State currently places Egypt under a Level 2 advisory, meaning travellers should “exercise increased caution” because of risks including terrorism and crime. The warning…
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Chinese Text Project augmented by AI translation
Mar. 8th, 2026 12:01 amlanguagelog_feedFor those who don't know what "Chinese Text Project" (CTP) is, here's a:
Brief introduction:
The Chinese Text Project is an online open-access digital library that makes pre-modern Chinese texts available to readers and researchers all around the world. The site attempts to make use of the digital medium to explore new ways of interacting with these texts that are not possible in print. With over thirty thousand titles and more than five billion characters, the Chinese Text Project is also the largest database of pre-modern Chinese texts in existence.
You may wish to read more about the project, view the pre-Qin and Han, post-Han or Wiki tables of contents, or consult the instructions, FAQ, or list of tools. If you're looking for a particular Chinese text, you can search for texts by title across the main textual sections of the site.
(from the CTP homepage)
The Chinese Text Project (CTP; Chinese: 中國哲學書電子化計劃) is a digital library project that assembles collections of early Chinese texts. The name of the project in Chinese literally means "The Chinese Philosophical Book Digitization Project", showing its focus on books related to Chinese philosophy. It aims at providing accessible and accurate versions of a wide range of texts, particularly those relating to Chinese philosophy, and the site is credited with providing one of the most comprehensive and accurate collections of classical Chinese texts on the Internet.
*****
Latest additions
AI translations and multilingual entity summaries
Translations of premodern Chinese texts generated using Artificial Intelligence have been added to ctext.org. This includes all texts in the pre-Qin and Han corpus that previously lacked translations, the 25 dynastic histories, as well as hundreds of other historical, literary, philosophical and poetic works. Translations will be added for other texts on an ongoing basis.
2026-03-01
Translations created using AI will inevitably contain mistakes; all translations are aligned with the source text at the sentence level to facilitate identification and correction of errors. Errors can be corrected using the dictionary function, which shows the sentence-by-sentence alignment and provides a direct editing function.
Additionally, editable natural-language summaries of historical entities (people, written works, office titles etc.) in Chinese and English are now supported to supplement existing structured data in the Data Wiki; over 100,000 summaries are currently included, with more to follow.
If you prefer not to have English translations displayed when viewing texts, simply click "None" under "Translation setting" at the top of the page.
Recognition
CTP is the brainchild and handiwork of Donald Sturgeon, PhD in philosophy from the University of Hong Kong in 2014 and is currently an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at Durham University in the UK. His main interests are in Digital Humanities.
Asssessment
CTP constitutes a quantum transformation in the development of Sinology.
Selected readings
- "Hype over AI and Classical Chinese / Literary Sinitic" (11/9/23) — N.B.: this was three years ago
- Endymion Wilkinson, Chinese History: A New Manual (1973-2025 [7 editions])
- Jack W. Chen, Anatoly Detwyler, Xiao Liu, Christopher M. B. Nugent, and Bruce Rusk, eds., Literary Information in China: A History (New York: Columbia University Press, 2021). Reviewed by Victor H. Mair, MCLC Resource Center (September, 2022).
[h.t. Dave Thomas]
Maybe We Need More Media Studies In College, Not Less
Mar. 7th, 2026 03:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sajia_kabir(no subject)
Mar. 7th, 2026 02:55 pmwaterswordGood gravy, this semester is tough. I'm juggling a million different things and keeping my head above water, but only just. Admittedly, a number of things I am juggling are not work things (birthday trip planning! proof of Canadian-ness! community service!) and everything will get 100% easier when it is above 50° every day and the world isn't pitch black at 6pm, but until that time is upon us, I am apparently going to be surviving on pizza and hummus.
My internet, which is allegedly FIOS, is periodically deciding that it does not want to be an internet, it wants to be a lumberjack, and rebooting the router does not do a whole lot. This is kind of a problem given that I work from home and build things on the internet. I feel like I'm back in 1998 on dial-up. I spent thirty minutes fighting the phone tree and then the customer service agent tried to sell me a new router and a new plan, which: no. I want the thing I am already paying for to work!
Implementing a shared zookeeper routine is working out super well so far; I get to play with a friend's kid so she can concentrate on chores and she keeps me from becoming one with the couch, which is my true desire.
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