🇪🇬EgyptNorth Africa
Egypt's 'red zones' shrink as birth rate declines by end of 2025
via Egypt Today2 min read
Egypt's Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar announced significant progress in controlling population growth and improving demographic indicators by the end of 2025. This marks the first outcome of the 2025–2027 Emergency Population and Development Plan. The eighth edition of Egypt's composite population indicators showed a reduction in "red zones," areas most in need of intervention, to 20 by the end of 2025, down from 43 previously. Deputy Health Minister Abla al-Alfi noted that the number of governorates free of red zones increased to 13 by the end of 2025. Annual births fell below two million for the first time in years, with the total fertility rate declining to 2.34 children per woman in 2025, from 2.54 in 2023. The crude birth rate also fell to 18.1 per 1,000 people from 19.4 per 1,000 in 2023. Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar attributed this progress to integrated policies expanding family planning and reproductive health services and raising public awareness. Future efforts will focus on targeted interventions, especially in Upper Egypt governorates.
Free daily or weekly digest of the most important stories from across 18 African countries. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Egypt Today.
Must ReadThe Kuwaiti Ministry of Electricity, Water, and Renewable Energy announced the extinguishing of a fire at a power and water desalination plant. The fire erupted after an Iranian attack on Friday morning, causing significant damage to the plant's facilities, including several power generation units. Concurrently, the Kuwaiti Army General Staff reported that its air defense systems are actively intercepting ongoing missile and drone attacks, with explosions heard in various areas being the result of these interception operations. The Iranian Army confirmed launching attacks targeting multiple countries, including strikes on military equipment at a US base in Kuwait. Tehran stated this operation was in response to alleged war crimes by the United States and its targeting of civilians, claiming US hostilities have led to a sharp decline in regional gas and oil production and a complete halt to exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
Must ReadA child was injured on Friday by shrapnel from an intercepted Iranian missile attack, according to Qatar's Ministry of Interior. The child is currently receiving medical care. The ministry stated that security forces and civil defense teams initiated emergency response procedures after the morning attack. Field findings and emergency reports confirmed that falling shrapnel from the interception caused the child's injuries. Officials urged the public to rely solely on official sources and to avoid sharing rumors, unverified information, or unapproved images and videos, cautioning about legal consequences for spreading misinformation. The ministry added that security forces are on high alert to ensure public safety and maintain public services.
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi has denied Iranian allegations that US military bases exist on Jordanian soil. Safadi stated that these claims are false and baseless, clarifying that any American military presence is limited to personnel under joint cooperation agreements and security coordination between Amman and Washington. This denial comes after Tehran's claims that the Iranian military targeted installations in Jordan, which it alleged were US bases, emphasizing Jordan's sovereignty and the transparency of its defense relations.