Egypt's divorce system discriminates against women and undermines their right to end a marriage, Human Rights Watch said in a new report released on World Aids Day. In October, the government established family courts but, like no-fault divorce introduced four years earlier, these have failed to tackle ongoing discrimination against women. The 62-page report, "Divorced from Justice: Women's Unequal Access to Divorce in Egypt," documents serious human rights abuses stemming from discriminatory family laws that have resulted in a divorce system that affords separate and unequal treatment to men and women.

Sudanese Arabs in Cairo have formed a fundamental part of Egyptian history and society during many centuries of close relations between Egypt and Sudan. In spite of being described as “brothers” in a united Nile Valley, recent political unrest negatively affected the Sudanese in Cairo. Neither citizens nor foreigners, their uncertain place in Egypt has given rise to an ethnic discourse that does not follow the common pattern of drawing upon obvious characteristics to mark difference. This rich study, available next year, shows that ethnicity does not only flow from sharply drawn distinctions, but can also be created from social values held in common.