Cairo International Book Fair to Hit Record Number of Visitors

Visitors at the Cairo International Book Fair. (Photo: the official page of the Cairo Book Fair on Facebook)
Visitors at the Cairo International Book Fair. (Photo: the official page of the Cairo Book Fair on Facebook)
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Cairo International Book Fair to Hit Record Number of Visitors

Visitors at the Cairo International Book Fair. (Photo: the official page of the Cairo Book Fair on Facebook)
Visitors at the Cairo International Book Fair. (Photo: the official page of the Cairo Book Fair on Facebook)

The 55th edition of the Cairo International Book Fair is expected to hit a record number of visitors this year. Held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center, from January 25 to February 6, the event lured over 1.2 million visitors by Sunday.

Themed "We Create Knowledge, We Preserve the Word", the fair has hosted 1,200 publishers from 70 countries, and welcomed over one million visitors within its first days, a record compared to the previous years, according to a statement by the Egyptian Culture Ministry.

“The number of visitors reached 404,931 on the third day,” said Nevine el-Kilani, minister of Culture, noting in a statement that “this large audience indicates that this edition is exceptional and remarkable in the fair’s history.”

Dr. Ahmed Bahi El-Din, head of the General Egyptian Book Authority, stated that “the attendees of the fair were 404,931 within the three first days, and increased to 1,009,983 so far,” noting that “the visitors have taken part in many of the cultural and artistic activities included in the fair’s program.” On the fourth day, the Cairo International Book Fair hosted 254,190 visitors, according to a statement by the ministry of culture.

The past edition of the fair (2023) welcomed 3,609,395 visitors within 14 days.



Shrouded in Smog, Delhi Pollution Reading Is the Highest This Year

Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)
Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)
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Shrouded in Smog, Delhi Pollution Reading Is the Highest This Year

Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)
Thick smog engulfs the Kartavya Path near India Gate in New Delhi on November 18, 2024. (AFP)

A thick blanket of toxic smog engulfed most parts of northern India on Monday and readings of air quality in the capital New Delhi hit their highest this year after dense fog overnight.

The smog, a toxic blend of smoke and fog, happens each year in winter as cold air traps dust, emissions, and smoke from illegal farm fires in some surrounding states.

Visibility dropped to 100 m (109 yards) in Delhi and Chandigarh, a city northwest of the capital, but authorities said flights and trains continued to operate with some delays.

India's pollution control authority said the national capital territory's 24-hour air quality index (AQI) reading was at 484, classified as "severe plus", the highest this year.

According to Swiss group IQAir's live rankings, New Delhi was the most polluted city in the world with the air quality at a "hazardous" 1,081 and the concentration of PM2.5 - particulate matter measuring 2.5 microns or less in diameter that can be carried into lungs, causing deadly diseases and cardiac issues - was 130.9 times the World Health Organisation's recommended levels.

Experts say the scores vary because of a difference in the scale countries adopt to convert pollutant concentrations into AQI, and so the same quantity of a specific pollutant may be translated as different AQI scores in different countries.

Delhi authorities directed all schools to move classes online and tightened restrictions on construction activities and vehicle movements, citing unfavourable meteorological conditions and low wind speed.

Farm fires - where stubble left after harvesting rice is burnt to clear fields - have contributed as much as 40% of the pollution in Delhi, SAFAR, a weather forecasting agency under the ministry of earth sciences has said.

Satellites detected 1,334 such events in six states on Sunday, the most in the last four days, according to India's Consortium for Research on Agroecosystem Monitoring and Modeling from Space.

Despite the polluted air, many residents continued their daily routines. Many buildings were barely visible, including Delhi's iconic India Gate.

"Morning walk usually feels good, but now the air is polluted and we're forced to wear a mask... There is a burning sensation in the eyes and slight difficulty in breathing," Akshay Pathak, a resident of the city told the ANI news agency, in which Reuters has a minority stake.

India's weather department has forecast "dense to very dense fog" for the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan for Monday.