Weird NewsGOOD NEWS
11-year-old Egyptian girl beats 40 million students in Dubai reading contest, wins Dh500,000
The girl read more than sixty books during the competition, which drew students from sixty countries; she plans to spend the prize on a library for her school.
Watch it as it aired: Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger on this story, from Finally, Some Good News at 1:01 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are Hindustan Times's, the jokes are ours.

At a glance
- First reported by Hindustan Times: “11-year-old Egyptian girl beats 40 million students in Dubai reading contest, wins Dh500,000”, with reporting from Gulf News, The National, TravelsDubai and Wikipedia.
- Covered on BBN on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 1:01 AM ET on Finally, Some Good News, by Chip Darnell and Hank Ledger.
The real story
The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.
- Hindustan Times11-year-old Egyptian girl beats 40 million students in Dubai reading contest, wins Dh500,000
- Gulf NewsMeet 11-Year-Old Mayar Who Won Arab Reading Challenge and Sheikh Mohammed's Special Gift in Heartwarming Gesture facts used on air
- The NationalEgyptian girl, 11, wins Dh500,000 Arab Reading Challenge October 29, 2026 · facts used on air
- TravelsDubaiArab Reading Challenge 2026: Egyptian girl wins Dh500,000 as Tunisia school takes Dh1mn October 29, 2026 · facts used on air
- WikipediaArab Reading Challenge facts used on air
What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorAn eleven-year-old girl from Egypt beat more than forty million students from sixty countries at the Arab Reading Challenge in Dubai.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorShe read more than sixty books, and when she won she jumped to her feet, knelt down and kissed the floor. I'm fine.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorI'm totally fine. Somebody get me a napkin. Not for me. For the floor she kissed.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe prize is five hundred thousand dirhams, and she says it's going toward a library for her school.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorA library! So she wins the money and the first thing she does is give it to the kids. Does anybody else's eyes hurt?

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorShe also wants to be Egypt's information minister someday. Sheikh Mohammed gave her his badge, according to Gulf News.

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorInformation minister. She'd be great.

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorShe read sixty books and she's putting the money into a library. I haven't finished the manual for the microwave.
More Shorts
All videos →From the archive: everything BBN aired on Sunday, November 1, 2026 · the Weird News archive · all months


Photo: Original uploader was Rishabhchandan · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Yathin S Krishnappa · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Airman 1st Class Rae Perry · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Rene Hernandez · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 2.0
Photo: JD Lasica · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN
Photo: Rick Dikeman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0