The year 2025 was heavy with events that often moved faster than the time available to fully grasp them. War, diplomacy, economic strain, social pressure, and moments of cultural resilience unfolded simultaneously, creating a news environment defined as much by uncertainty as by urgency. It was a year that tested journalism in difficult ways, not only in what could be reported, but in what inevitably remained incomplete.
Ahram Online’s coverage tried to keep pace with this complexity. Through news reports, investigations, explainers, interviews, and features, we worked to document key developments, offer context where possible, and listen carefully to voices often pushed to the margins. Some stories captured decisive moments; others traced ongoing processes still unfolding, with answers that remain partial and contested.
These Editor’s Picks do not claim to represent a complete record of the year, nor to offer definitive conclusions about it. They are a selection of work produced under pressure, shaped by constraints, difficult choices, and the limits of time and access. Taken together, they reflect an honest effort to engage with a challenging year, aware that much remains to be questioned, revisited, and better understood.
Ahram Online’s live coverage of the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace captured a historic moment as Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and US President Donald Trump co-chaired a summit that brought together more than 20 world leaders.
The summit’s main outcome was the signing of a ceasefire agreement that formally ended the two-year Israeli war on Gaza. It underscored Egypt’s central role in mediation and reflected a rare alignment of regional and international powers, including leaders from Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, as well as representatives of organizations such as the United Nations and the Arab League.
The summit marked a turning point for the Middle East, pairing diplomatic progress with commitments to humanitarian relief. El-Sisi described the agreement as a “new dawn of hope,” presenting it as a step toward a political process based on a two-state solution and long-term regional stability.
The scale of international participation and the concrete outcome made the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit for Peace one of the most significant events of the year.
This explainer detailed Egypt’s Gaza reconstruction plan, outlining its humanitarian, urban, economic, and political components. Shortly after its announcement, the plan was endorsed at an extraordinary Arab Summit in Cairo in March and later supported by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the European Union, China, and Russia, turning it into an Arab-Islamic initiative rather than a solely Egyptian one.
The report explained the proposed five-year, $53 billion framework for early recovery and long-term rebuilding, covering housing, infrastructure, basic services, and job creation. The plan rejected forced displacement and reaffirmed Gaza as part of Palestinian territory.
The explainer drew on a draft of the plan obtained by Ahram Online, along with data from the Palestinian Authority, the World Bank, and international organizations, tracing how the initiative evolved from a national proposal into a broader regional and international framework.
By combining policy details, cost estimates, and political provisions linked to the two-state solution and post-war governance, the explainer clarified both the plan’s scope and the reasons behind its growing diplomatic support.
This story documented the return of Sudanese refugees from Egypt through firsthand reporting at Cairo’s Mohamed Naguib station, tracing individual decisions to leave amid an ongoing war at home.
It captured the emotional complexity of these choices through personal testimonies and on-the-ground observation, showing how refugees weighed safety, cost, and family ties against deep uncertainty inside Sudan. The piece also detailed the practical arrangements of the journey and the financial burden it placed on those returning.
Individual accounts were placed within the broader context of Sudan’s war and mass displacement. Verified data and institutional assessments underpinned the reporting, linking personal journeys to the wider scope of the crisis.
United Nations figures describing the conflict as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, along with data from the Displacement Tracking Matrix, provided essential background. Rising living costs and rent in Egypt were also highlighted as key factors shaping return decisions, connecting personal stories to broader economic pressures.
This story examined Egypt’s technical education reforms as a core pillar of the state’s economic and industrial strategy, focusing on how traditional technical schools, Applied Technology Schools (ATS), and dual-education models are being aligned with labour market needs.
It linked education policy to broader goals under Egypt Vision 2030, including boosting industrial output, exports, and workforce competitiveness, while situating the reforms within official data on manufacturing growth, exports, and remittance inflows.
The story combined policy analysis with institutional and field-level perspectives, detailing how ATS and competency-based education aim to address skills gaps, outdated curricula, and weak transitions from school to work.
Through interviews with education officials, curriculum developers, and students, it highlighted both gains, such as stronger private-sector partnerships and improved employability, and persistent challenges, including teacher preparedness and social perceptions of technical education in Egypt.
This investigative report examined the circumstances surrounding the deaths of 18 young female agricultural workers from Kafr El-Sanabisah, linking a single road tragedy to wider structural problems related to informal labour, child work, and rural poverty.
Through on-site reporting and interviews with families, the story documented how girls and young women are drawn into long-hour agricultural and export-station work through informal broker networks, often without contracts, labour protections, or safe transportation.
The report placed these accounts within a verified national context, citing International Labour Organization estimates on child labour in agriculture and official data on road infrastructure and accident patterns.
By combining testimonies from affected families with labour and transport data, the report highlighted systemic gaps in labour regulation, wage protection, and rural development. It also reflected local demands for sustainable employment and access to education rather than short-term compensation.
This explainer traced how a long-running legal dispute over land ownership at St. Catherine’s Monastery developed into a diplomatic issue between Egypt and Greece.
It unpacked a recent ruling by the Ismailia Administrative Appeal Court, clarifying what the decision affirmed regarding state land ownership and the monks’ rights to worship and use the site. It also explained why the verdict raised concerns within the Greek government and the Greek Orthodox Church.
The piece combined legal interpretation, diplomatic context, and historical background, drawing on statements from Egyptian officials, comments from the Greek government, and explanations by the monastery’s legal representative.
By situating the court ruling within a decade-long legal process and outlining potential paths toward settlement, the report aimed to inform readers about the legal, political, and religious dimensions of the controversy surrounding one of the world’s oldest Christian monasteries.
This factbox provides a structured overview of Egypt’s Jabbar unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) family, unveiled by Tornex Egypt at the Egypt Defence Expo (EDEX 2025). It outlines the drones’ specifications, variants, and intended operational roles.
It explains how the Jabbar-150, Jabbar-200, and Jabbar-250 differ in propulsion, endurance, range, and mission profile and highlights why the family represents Egypt’s first fully indigenous, multi-variant UAS programme, designed and manufactured without foreign reliance.
The factbox places the Jabbar programme within the broader evolution of Egypt’s drone capabilities, tracing the shift from imported reconnaissance platforms and licensed production to domestically designed systems.
It also assesses the programme’s implications for air defence training, threat simulation, and regional military balance, drawing on comparative analysis with global unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and loitering-munition concepts.
A massive fire at the Ramses Central Exchange in downtown Cairo caused widespread disruption to Egypt’s communications and internet networks, claiming four lives and injuring at least 27 people.
The blaze, which broke out on the seventh floor of the Telecom Egypt building, severely damaged critical infrastructure and forced authorities to reroute services through alternative exchanges.
The fallout affected multiple sectors: the Central Bank of Egypt raised daily cash withdrawal limits to ease financial transactions, the Egyptian Exchange suspended trading, and Cairo International Airport briefly halted flights before resuming operations.
Meanwhile, subsidized bread distribution continued uninterrupted thanks to contingency measures, and officials pledged that full communication services would be restored within 24 hours.
Ahram Online was among the digital platforms directly affected by the outage, as its editorial and technical teams faced challenges in maintaining coverage and ensuring continuity of service.
The disruption highlighted the vulnerability of media outlets that rely heavily on centralized telecom infrastructure, prompting Ahram Online to work around the clock to restore digital capacity and keep readers informed.
The Egyptian government has introduced the Egyptian Baccalaureate Certificate, a new system replacing the long-standing Thanaweya Amma, starting this academic year for 10th-grade students.
The framework aims to move away from rote memorization toward critical thinking and multidisciplinary learning. Students progress through a preparatory stage in the first year, followed by a main stage in the second and third years, with specialized tracks in medicine, engineering, business, and humanities.
A key feature of the new system is its multi-attempt examination policy, which allows students two opportunities per year to retake exams and improve grades, with the first attempt free of charge. Each subject is graded out of 100 marks, and students may choose to pursue additional pathways if they wish.
Officials say the reform aims to modernize Egypt’s secondary education, secure international recognition, and better prepare students for higher education and the job market.
Egypt’s turbulent electoral period, marked by widespread violations, annulment of dozens of constituencies, and direct presidential intervention, has intensified calls for genuine political reform. Lawmakers and analysts argue that the crisis goes beyond electoral irregularities, highlighting the need for expanded freedoms and proportional representation to restore credibility and public trust.
The unprecedented judicial rulings and the president’s insistence on reruns underscore both the fragility of Egypt’s current system and the urgency of reforming political structures to ensure transparency, pluralism, and accountability.
This moment is seen as pivotal: if reforms are pursued seriously, the electoral reversals could create an opening for a more inclusive and resilient political landscape.
Two stories highlighted recent developments in Egypt’s energy sector, particularly the strategic natural gas agreement with Israel.
The first story covered the extension of Egypt’s existing gas deal with Israel, reinforcing the country’s energy security amid a persistent natural gas supply deficit.
The second story detailed a landmark $35 billion agreement, effective from 2026 to 2040. Beyond its economic significance, the deal has drawn attention due to ongoing tensions between Egypt and Israel over Israel’s war in Gaza, highlighting divergent positions on addressing the resulting humanitarian crisis.
This report was published as Egypt accelerated one of the largest overhauls of its civil aviation sector in decades, in line with the government’s FY2024/2025–FY2026/2027 economic plan to attract foreign investment and modernize critical infrastructure.
The story captured a pivotal moment when the state began tendering the first airport under a new public-private partnership model, a major shift from state-led execution to private operational engagement, aimed at improving efficiency, service quality, and international connectivity.
It reflected broader reform priorities under the State Ownership Policy and the urgent need to support a projected surge in tourism and foreign exchange earnings by making airports “smarter” and more competitive. The report also highlighted official data showing passenger growth and key infrastructure milestones.
This report preserves rare firsthand testimonies from freed Palestinian prisoners, documenting detention, abuse, and survival within Israel’s prison system. By recording voices that are usually silenced as the detainees were forcibly exiled, the story exposes a dimension of the conflict that often disappears once ceasefires are announced or headlines move on.
The reporting ensures these experiences enter the public record, serving not only as journalism but also as historical testimony that could inform future accountability efforts.
The interview with UN commissioner Navi Pillay offers one of the most authoritative international legal assessments of the war in Gaza published in 2025. Amid competing narratives, denial, and disinformation, the reporting anchored the discussion in evidence, international law, and institutional accountability.
It reflected a decisive shift during the year, as accusations previously confined to activist and academic circles entered mainstream diplomatic and legal discourse, with a UN commission concluding that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
The interview with UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini highlights the long-term humanitarian consequences of the war, especially for children. While 2025, like the previous year, was marked by intense military escalation, it was also the year when the scale of Gaza’s societal collapse became impossible to ignore, encompassing destroyed childhoods, lost education, and lasting trauma.
The coverage is particularly important amid ongoing Israeli defamation campaigns and propaganda targeting UNRWA, which aimed to undermine the agency’s role and credibility.
The story highlights the agency’s vital work and places Gaza within a broader humanitarian crisis that is likely to shape the region for decades to come.
This story was published at a time when Egypt’s recently raised national minimum wage of EGP 7,000, intended to protect workers’ incomes amid economic adjustment, was encountering real-world implementation challenges.
Although the policy formed part of the state’s social-justice agenda and aimed to cushion the impact of rising prices, uneven enforcement and persistent inflation were undermining its effectiveness, prompting worker protests and renewed debate over wage structures and labour regulations.
The timing highlighted growing public concerns about living standards and the limits of policy reforms under ongoing macroeconomic pressures, providing crucial context to debates on labour protections, inflation, and structural wage reform in Egypt’s evolving economic landscape.
This report was published amid growing international investor interest in alternative precious metals, at a time when global financial markets were experiencing heightened volatility.
As economic uncertainty persisted worldwide, commodities such as silver began attracting attention beyond their traditional industrial uses, particularly among Egyptian retail and institutional investors seeking hedges against inflation and currency fluctuations.
The article reflected rising domestic curiosity about investment options beyond gold, while also capturing broader global trends in commodity markets and investor behaviour.
By detailing shifts in demand, pricing dynamics, and the factors driving increased interest in silver, the story offered readers timely insight into how local investment sentiment is evolving in response to economic pressures and global market developments.
This article drew a wide readership by showing how a simple personal item sparked massive humanitarian support for Gaza. It highlighted public solidarity, creative fundraising efforts, and urgent healthcare needs, while showcasing the trusted role of ordinary people in assisting civilians during a humanitarian crisis.
This story drew a wide readership as it marked a historic public health victory for Egypt, which successfully eliminated a disease that had persisted for thousands of years. It highlighted effective leadership, international cooperation, and successful prevention strategies, offering hope and a model for other countries combating preventable diseases.
As the war entered its third year, athletes publicly condemned war crimes committed by Israel, which have resulted in more than 70,000 deaths and over 100,000 injuries. Egyptian and Arab players, alongside European and American athletes, denounced the ongoing genocide and called for its immediate halt.
Ahram Online offered special coverage of Africa’s premier football competition, including news reports, in-depth analysis, minute-by-minute updates, and match statistics. The coverage gave particular focus to the Egyptian team, led by Mohamed Salah, as it pursued an eighth, record-extending title.
We launched our first video series on heritage, titled Talking Heritage. The five episodes, filmed in Arabic with subtitles, explore Egypt’s intangible cultural heritage, highlighting how young Egyptians and youth-led initiatives preserve traditions while connecting new generations with their roots.
The series began with Khahk, followed by Shmu, Egypt’s oldest feast. It then covered the Hajj season in Egypt, the Shubra Archives, and concluded with the Khazana School for heritage.
From Ocean to Gulf, a series on Arab musical heritage, is a project we produced in collaboration with the AMAR Foundation. The ongoing series highlights music icons and legacies from Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, and Tunisia.
The story captures a rare moment when the Gaza war extended beyond the battlefield, shaping global public discourse and influencing state actions. By tracing how protests, labour movements, and campus activism evolved into sustained international pressure, the article shows how grassroots mobilization contributed to diplomatic shifts, policy reviews, and increased recognition of Palestinian rights.
Its significance lies in highlighting the convergence of civil society, politics, and international accountability, making it a defining account of how global opinion influenced geopolitical dynamics in 2025.
The story examines how the Gulf Cooperation Council’s strategic partnership with the United States is being tested and recalibrated amid the ongoing war in Gaza and shifting regional dynamics, including reactions to an unprecedented strike in Doha and broader Arab responses.
By exploring Gulf security alliances, US influence, and Arab summit diplomacy amid growing Middle East tensions, the article highlights how longstanding geopolitical ties are being reassessed, with implications for Egypt’s foreign policy, regional stability, and Arab-Gulf unity. It explains how these major power partnerships are evolving at a pivotal moment for the region in 2025.
This story goes beyond frontline reporting to systematically dismantle key narratives and myths supporting Israel’s war in Gaza. Drawing on United Nations data, eyewitness testimony, and independent investigations, it challenges widely circulated claims regarding “self-defence,” humanitarian conduct, and civilian protection.
By highlighting the gap between official rhetoric and verified evidence, from civilian casualty figures to the humanitarian crisis and the legality of targeting, the report shows how information, propaganda, and public perception have become central battlefields in the war.
The piece is both informative and essential for understanding the broader geopolitical and media dynamics shaping discourse on the war in 2025.
The story highlights how Elon Musk’s deepening involvement in US politics, particularly his alignment with Donald Trump and his role in the controversial “Department of Government Efficiency,” has transformed Tesla from a consumer brand into a symbol of political division and public backlash.
It traces how Tesla owners and broader segments of the public began using politically charged bumper stickers and protests to distance themselves from Musk’s polarizing persona and policies, reflecting wider debates about corporate influence, political identity, and cultural polarization in 2025.
The piece is significant not for automotive technology, but as a lens on how politics and brand identity now intersect in public discourse and social action.
This story marks a rare and globally significant breakthrough in Egyptology. The discovery of King Thutmose II’s tomb on Luxor’s West Bank, the first royal tomb from the 18th Dynasty identified since Tutankhamun in 1922, represents a major advance in understanding New Kingdom royal burials.
Its inclusion by Archaeology magazine among the world’s top 10 archaeological discoveries of 2025 highlights the find’s international scholarly importance, reinforced by the featuring of one of the tomb’s inscriptions on the magazine’s cover.
The reporting captures how careful excavation by a joint Egyptian–British mission overturned initial assumptions and yielded decisive evidence, including Book of Imyduat texts and early royal tomb architectural features, reaffirming Egypt’s enduring central role in global archaeological research.
This story marks a subtle yet profound shift in understanding ancient Egypt, not through monuments or inscriptions, but through scientific research. The successful sequencing of the oldest complete ancient Egyptian genome ever recovered offers rare, tangible evidence of population continuity, migration, and interaction at the dawn of the Old Kingdom.
Published in Nature, the research bridges archaeology, genetics, and anthropology, providing measurable data to address long-debated questions about Egypt’s place in human history. By focusing on an ordinary individual rather than royalty, the story expands the narrative beyond elites, revealing how everyday lives can reshape broad historical assumptions.
At a time when heritage is often politicized or mythologized, this reporting stands out for its restraint, scientific rigour, and careful acknowledgement of limits, highlighting both the breakthrough and the caution needed in interpreting a single genome. It underscores Egypt’s central role not only in ancient history but also in cutting-edge global research that continues to reshape our understanding of the past.
Short link: