In the draft general budget for FY2022/23, Egypt allocated support amounting to EGP 302.2bn for social protection, compared to actual allocations of EGP 251bn in FY2020/21 — an increase of 17.6%. This came in the report of the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development on social protection spending for FY-2022/23. Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El-Said also said that support for social security and the Takaful and Karama programmes amounted to EGP 22bn, while support for public housing recorded EGP 266m. Moreover, aid worth EGP 23.5m was provided through institutions serving disabled people, with the number of beneficiaries reaching 122,700. Finally, the cost of tools and equipment to serve disabled people amounted to EGP 74.4m, with a total of 19,400 beneficiaries.

Planning and Economic Development Minister Hala el Saeed said that the state had allocated EGP 302.2 billion in the 2022-23 public budget to social protection comparing to EGP 251 billion in the 2020-21 public budget with an increase of 17.6 percent. This comes within the state’s keenness on activating the mechanisms of the social protection and care program, the minister said. She announced this statistics on the occasion of issuing the ministry’s report concerning the goals of the 2022-23 fiscal year plan in the social protection sector. She noted that this increase had contributed to cutting the rates of poverty for the first time in 2019-2020 to 29.7 percent and that the state aims at cutting the poverty rates to reach 25 percent in 2022-23.

Several prominent figures had visited the exhibition, including Queen Sofia of Spain, US billionaire Michael Bloomberg and the UAE’s Minister of Culture Noura al-Kaabi. Founder of Art D’Égypte Nadine Abdel Ghaffar said that over 800 global media outlets covered the event, bringing a international awareness to it like never before. “Nearly 200 volunteers participated and received training before the exhibition, allowing them to act as tour guides for visitors during the exhibition period. As a result of our work, the site of the pyramids was chosen for the exhibition to merge between contemporary art and ancient heritage and to bring the past to the present. We have worked hard over the past years, and we are proud to present this huge exhibition for the second time at the Giza Pyramids, an unmatched UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Exits MENA locks down the year with a new acquisition deal in the Egyptian healthtech industry, with CheckMe acquiring a majority stake in Doctor Online. Health-tech companies in the MENA region have reached a combined value of $1.5bn, a 22X increase since 2016. CheckMe aims to work on becoming Egypt and the region’s leading go-to healthtech Super App, helping patients find more convenient, efficient and cheaper channels for medical needs. This acquisition marks a significant restructuring to enhance the patient journey and provide patients with the necessary medical cycle. Exits MENA is already heavily planning key milestones to grow its existing pipeline further and develop the offering on its current beta platform Exits.me.

Egypt Tourism Ministry to launch “Experience Egypt” website in 2023FavoriteIn a bid to boost tourism in the country, a new website called “Experience Egypt” will be launched in January 2023, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa said. The ministry is working on developing its technological services for tourism promotion. The press conference was attended by Youmna Al-Bahar, Assistant Minister of Tourism; Ahmed Abied, Assistant Minister of Tourism; Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, Head of the Recovered Antiquities Department; Ayman Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Department; Moamen Othman, Head of the Museums Sector at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; and Ahmed Rahima, Assistant Minister of Tourism for Human Resources. The minister explained that a marketing study was conducted in many countries of the world, which showed that about 272 million tourists in 12 countries wanted to visit Egypt. These three axes are increasing the number of airline seats to Egypt by three times, improving the tourism experience, and enhancing the tourism investment climate.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi returned home after attending the second edition of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, which was hosted by Jordan, according to presidential spokesman Bassam Rady on Tuesday20/12/2022. The French-sponsored event brought together a multitude of regional leaders as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and representatives from the European Union, United Nations, Arab League, Gulf Cooperation Council, and Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The conference aimed at fostering Iraq’s relations with its neighbors and tackling global challenges regionally not only climate change, but also food security, desertification, energy security, public health emergencies, natural and industrial disasters, and more.

Banque Misr — in cooperation with Banque du Caire, Misr Insurance Holding Group, and Allianz Egypt, launched the Misr Real Estate Investment Fund 1, which will invest in commercial real estate assets with a periodic return, allowing a new investment mechanism in the real estate market. This mechanism will enable investors to invest in direct real estate as well as distribute risks on several properties owned by the fund. Mohamed El-Etreby — Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Banque Misr — said that the launch of this fund comes at the forefront of a series of real estate funds that Misr Investment Funds Management intends to issue. He also pointed out that Banque du Caire owns about 20% of the shares of Misr Company for Managing Investment Funds, while the bank’s share in the Egypt Real Estate Investment Fund is about EGP 100m. Furthermore, Basil Al-Heny — Chairperson of Misr Insurance Holding — explained that the group’s participation with an amount of EGP 100m in the establishment of Misr Real Estate Investment Fund 1 comes within the framework of the group’s strategy to focus on real estate investment, as the group owns the largest institutional real estate portfolio in Egypt.

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Ahmed Issa said that a new website, called “Experience Egypt”, will be launched in January 2023 for tourism promotion, as the ministry is working on developing its technological services. These three axes are increasing the number of airline seats to Egypt by 3 times, improving the tourism experience, and enhancing the tourism investment climate. Issa praised the infrastructure that the Egyptian state had built during the last period, stressing that the development that Egypt witnessed in the infrastructure will contribute greatly to the development of the tourism sector and increase investment in the Egyptian tourism sector. The minister stressed that there is great cooperation between the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to promote the tourism sector, explaining that Egypt has 5 very important airports, stressing that these airports play a major role in the influx of tourists to visit Egypt. The press conference was attended by Youmna Al-Bahar, Assistant Minister of Tourism; Ahmed Abied, Assistant Minister of Tourism; Shaaban Abdel-Gawad, Head of the Recovered Antiquities Department; Ayman Ashmawy, Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Department; Moamen Othman, Head of the Museums Sector at the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities; and Ahmed Rahima, Assistant Minister of Tourism for Human Resources.

Without really understanding and knowing who you are, you will not be able to get ahead in life. Those who don’t understand themselves enough have a hard time in their relationships with others whether their family, friends, or partners. We know the importance of understanding yourself, and also the ability to understand the motives behind how others behave, and so, here are some of the best books that will help you on that topic. He shows us, through stories, how ego can wreck our careers, destroy our relationships, and ruin our entire lives. Ego is the Enemy explores the nature of ego and its dangers and teaches us more about humbleness, humility, and confidence.

The leading provider of integrated telecommunications services in Egypt, Orange Egypt, has struck a collaboration deal with Sahl to make it simple for Orange users to pay their bills and charge prepaid balances, as well as a variety of other vital services. These initiatives support the Egyptian government's aim to save energy use, improve payment and electronic collection processes, and hasten the digital transformation. Sahl's CEO, Abdullah Assal, also expressed his enthusiasm for working with Orange Egypt to offer clients a special and straightforward service by offering bill payment services and recharging the balance via the Sahl application. He noted that the Company supports the Egyptian government's initiatives to adopt cashless and intelligent payment systems, which accelerates financial inclusion. He explained that Sahl aims to offer citizens the most cutting-edge and effective payment methods in order to secure the success of the electronic payment system.

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Argentina's national team will celebrate their World Cup triumph on Tuesday in Buenos Aires at the Obelisk, the monument that is the traditional epicentre of sporting celebrations, the federation said on Monday. "The world champion squad will leave on Tuesday at noon for the Obelisk to celebrate the world title with the fans," the Argentine Football Association (AFA) said on its official Twitter account. The Argentine government declared Tuesday would be a bank holiday so that the entire country "can express their deepest joy for the national team". Argentina beat France 4-2 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in a pulsating game that was labelled by many as one of the best finals in World Cup history. Argentines, who took to the streets in every corner of the country after winning their third World Cup, are eagerly awaiting the team's arrival to continue the celebrations.

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Former players came together in acclaiming the World Cup final in Qatar as one of the best ever after Argentina beat France on penalties following a pulsating 3-3 draw. Messi, in his 26th World Cup match at his fifth tournament, was finally able to get his hands on the elusive trophy and match his predecessor Diego Maradona. "For our country, we will see a picture of Maradona and Messi, two of the greatest players of all time with the World Cup trophy," former Argentina defender Pablo Zabaleta told the BBC. If you've watched Lionel Messi play live you are truly blessed," the ex-England international Neville told ITV. Neville added that Argentina's win would inspire a new generation of players, pointing to his own experience of watching Maradona play at the 1986 World Cup.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Monday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, and Presidential Advisor for health Mohammed Awad Taj El-Din. Ambassador Bassam Radi, the spokesperson of the presidency, said that the meeting followed up on public health initiatives and developing health services nationwide. In this context, the President was briefed on the mechanisms to develop the health service delivery system in basic care units, including those under the Decent Life initiative, with a view to increasing operational rates, increasing their structural efficiency and supporting the services provided. The president directed the allocation of incentive packages for medical staff working in the basic care units, as well as providing them with all the necessary medicines and devices to carry out their role to the fullest. The minister of Health also presented the existing efforts to improve the health of the Egyptian family and strengthen reproductive health and family planning programs.

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat hosted Sunday a concert by famous Egyptian marimba player Nesma Abdel Aziz. Abdel Aziz presented a collection of the most famous traditional and contemporary oriental compositions and songs, in addition to a group of western musical compositions, which won the admiration of the audience. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, said that this concert comes within the framework of the cultural and artistic programme that the museum organizes periodically, which would emphasize the role of the museum as an educational, community and awareness institution, in addition to its role in raising tourist and archaeological awareness, improving artistic taste and connecting the people. Former Yemeni President Ali Nasser and a number of former ministers and ambassadors of foreign countries in Egypt attended the concert. The event included presenting a documentary film about the museum, showing its artistic and cultural activities and various events since its opening in April 2021.

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi met on Monday with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, and Presidential Advisor for health Mohammed Awad Taj El-Din. Ambassador Bassam Radi, the spokesperson of the presidency, said that the meeting followed up on public health initiatives and developing health services nationwide. In this context, the President was briefed on the mechanisms to develop the health service delivery system in basic care units, including those under the Decent Life initiative, with a view to increasing operational rates, increasing their structural efficiency and supporting the services provided. The president directed the allocation of incentive packages for medical staff working in the basic care units, as well as providing them with all the necessary medicines and devices to carry out their role to the fullest. The minister of Health also presented the existing efforts to improve the health of the Egyptian family and strengthen reproductive health and family planning programs.