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Koshary Today, an Egyptian take on The Onion, has a funny take on the Cairo Metro, which is supposed to inaugurate two new lines by 2019, insha'allah (h/t Saba Imtiaz).

"... the Transport Authority has publicly announced that construction of the new metro is so far ahead of schedule that Cairenes will enjoy rides 'as early as the next democratic elections.'"

I had a love-hate relationship with the metro when I lived in Cairo. I commuted on it every day, and you can't beat the price (LE1/trip) -- but getting in one of those cars on a hot summer afternoon was always a jolt.

As long as we're doing satire, by the way, this Onion article on the Afghan election is pitch-perfect.

Dubai opened a new metro this summer. It had some early missteps but it seems to be much appreciated by commuters in the emirate. The number of passengers keeps increasing, contrary to expectations.

Abu Dhabi is playing catchup on public transport. Construction started on a Metro system in 2006; it's supposed to be operational by 2015. Bus service is expanding, too: The emirate is adding about 30 new buses to its fleet each month.

Encouraging steps! The UAE has a huge traffic problem, and one of the worst rates of traffic fatalities in the world. It needs to get people off the roads.

That's why I was a little discouraged to read this article in The National about parking requirements in Abu Dhabi.

Sounds like it has been a rough weekend for the new Dubai Metro.

Some trains were delayed for long periods of time; several passengers reported sitting on trains for hours, without air conditioning, waiting to leave the station. Other passengers weren't sure when the system would start operating, so they crowded stations hours before the first trains were due to leave.

And, of course, there was the breakdown on the first day, which we told you about on Thursday.

Dubai's gleaming new $7.6 billion Metro system was inaugurated at a glittery ceremony last night. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid took the first ride at 9:09 p.m. (on 9/9/09, no less), and everything went according to plan. The new system features trains with air conditioning and wireless Internet, according to The National.

Today, though -- the first day of passenger service -- the system wasn't quite so flawless.

A Dubai Metro train that broke down after reaching Nakheel Harbour and Tower Station left the station around 11.55am on Thursday after more than two hours... around 70 passengers trying out the Metro for leisure and work were stranded for more than two hours.

Almost makes me wonder if Dubai contracted the engineering work to WMATA...

Kidding aside, this is the first subway system in the Gulf, and Dubai is (rightly) proud of it. (Cairo has the first subway system in the Arab world.)

End of a busy week around here. I did an interesting interview last night with an Egyptian dissident; I'll blog about it tomorrow or Sunday. For now, a few links:

Half of U.S. aid to Pakistan is burned up to pay overhead costs at the Western organizations administering the aid, according to the Financial Times. Pakistani officials want the money routed through less-expensive Pakistani organizations.

Al-Masry Al-Youm reports on the harsh lives of underage fishermen in Egypt. They repair boats and perform other menial labor for LE10 (less than US$2) per day.

The New York Times tries to figure out why Muammar al-Qadhafi behaves the way he does. I would argue for a simple solution: the man is a mentally unstable narcissist. (Though he also had little choice but to warmly welcome Basset al-Megrahi, whose conviction is regarded in Libya as a huge miscarriage of justice.)

The Dubai Metro opens in a few weeks. Insha'allah.