200 Egyptian pounds I assume... 20quid in real money, nothing, just shows the desperation.

just heard on UK news that there's been an hour of machine-gun fire in the central square this morning...

I believe the average income in Egypt is around $5,400 per annum.

Roughly equivalent to GBP 3,330 or AED 19,800

Median is much more reliable gauge. The average is going to be skewed by the high concentration of wealth in the Egyptian upper classes. The top 1% probably controls <90% of the country's wealth.

Well it probably is but as I'm not writing a news report or scientific paper I simply passed on what I'd read in a newspaper yesterday. Surely it's enough to indicate that income are low?

I don't doubt that we are all aware of the discrepancies in earnings

The income is even lower than that. Although there were government salary rises a couple of years ago, the average Dr in a government hospital was getting paid around $300 a month. In private hospitals it was double. My source was a doctor I dived with. Civil servants were on about $200 a month. I worked with them.

I never believe all I read in the papers - the information is only as good as their sources and how they present the facts. I agree with OP - these figures are heavily skewed by the much higher earners in Egypt, as well as Egyptians with prized jobs working for international compaines and international governmental organisations. Rest assured average Egypt salaries are VERY low.

The median is a type of average - income figures are invariably quoted as median average not mean average which as you say, would be skewed.

“@AymanM: Incredible scenes of heroism and defiance in #tahrir makeshift clinics, frontline reinforcements arriving, this is the battle for #egypt”

USD 5,400 is the per capita GDP by the looks of it, most recently estimated around USD 6,200 for 2010.

Median income is going to be a lot lower than that. Some figures from payscale.com: http://www.payscale.com/research/EG/...y=Egypt/Salary (and these are professional jobs only!)

100,000 Egyptian pounds is around USD 17k, so the accountant is on less than USD 3k a year.

Mostly firing into the air to try and disperse the crowd. The army don't yet have permission to attack the pro-Mubarak contingent, who seem to be the trouble makers.

Great Documentary looking at Egypt Under Hosni Mubarak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPtYY...ayer_embedded#

http://lisagoldman.net/2011/02/03/eg...by-sandmonkey/


The last blog post by egypts most popular english language blogger. He is now missing, having been arrested earlier, his blog has also now gone.

It's the modern-day equivalent to burning books.

They released SandMonkey. He got beat up, but he's OK.

aye just got back in and saw that. hearing of a lot of missing/arrested journos now