Brazil, fueled by a robust 3.1% GDP growth, is set to leapfrog two places and claim the title of the world’s ninth-largest economy in 2023, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announcement on December 19th. The IMF further predicts continued progress, with the potential for Brazil to reach eighth place by 2026, boasting a projected GDP of $2.476 trillion. The IMF anticipates further deceleration in 2024, with global growth dipping to 2.9%. As for Brazil, the IMF expects a more moderate growth of 1.5% next year. This latest development highlights Brazil’s increasing presence on the global economic stage, showcasing its potential as a major player in the years to come.

CAIRO – 27 December 2023: El Arish International Airport in Egypt’s North Sinai received on Wednesday two planes from Qatar and the UAE carrying humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, state’s news agency MENA reported. Khaled Zayed, the head of the Egyptian Red Crescent (ERC) in North Sinai, said the Emirati plane brought to Egypt 46,260 tons of aid, while 41,068 tons of food and blankets were delivered through the Qatari plane. Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing is preparing to receive a new group of injured Palestinians from the Gaza hospitals to be treated in hospitals in Egypt. Ambulances affiliated with North Sinai governorate are ready to receive the injured Palestinians at the crossing. On Tuesday, the crossing received six injured Palestinians and 10 of their relatives accompanying them.

Moscow played host to the XIV India-Russia Business Dialogue, a pivotal forum dedicated to fostering cooperation, establishing partnerships, and charting pathways for mutual growth between the two nations. In an exclusive commentary to TV BRICS, Sammy Kotwani, President of the Indian Business Alliance (IBA), revealed that a staggering 796 individuals applied to participate in this year’s forum. The XIV India-Russia Business Dialogue attracted a diverse audience, including business representatives, heads of federal ministries, agencies, constituent entities of the Russian Federation, development institutions, and public organisations. Throughout the event, participants engaged in discussions aimed at developing business cooperation in key sectors such as energy, technology, manufacturing, and agriculture. The dialogue served as a platform for envisioning and propelling future collaborations between India and Russia, reflecting the shared commitment to fostering economic synergies.

In a significant announcement during the India-Russia business dialogue, Dmitry Volvach, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, declared that the trade volume between Russia and India is poised to reach a historic peak this year. TV BRICS reported on the positive projection made by the Russian representative during the business dialogue. Attributing the robust growth to Moscow’s strategic measures aimed at facilitating imports, Volvach highlighted a consistent uptick in the supply of goods from India. Volvach elaborated on the statistics, noting that the overall growth rate in the first three quarters was an impressive 38%. Furthermore, the deputy minister emphasised that exports from Russia to India demonstrated remarkable strength, more than doubling over the same period and surpassing an impressive 3.5 trillion rubles.

The film, starring Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo, features Ramy Youssef, an Egyptian actor who rose to fame with his show, Ramy. In the previous years, many Egyptian actors have broken through the barrier and made it in Hollywood. These are some of the leading Egyptian actors on the big screen:Born in Cairo and raised in London, Amir El-Masry is an Egyptian actor who rose to fame in the movie Ramadan Mabrouk Abul-Alamein Hamouda, alongside Mohamed Henedi. While Malek has not premiered on the Egyptian scree, he has been outspoken about his Egyptian background, and shared that he speaks Arabic with his family. Ramy allowed many Egyptian and Arab actors the opportunity to make their first appearance in Hollywood.

The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) had previously proposed a meeting between the two generals, but Burhan rejected the proposal. According to the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Burhan set a condition that the Rapid Support Forces must evacuate the homes of civilians. No date has been set for the meeting, but expectations indicate that it will take place within the next few days. Bakhit added that this meeting could lead to the RSF becoming an involved party within Sudan’s future, though he noted that civil parties reject the RSF as part of Sudan’s future equation. He also referred to breakthroughs within the Sudanese army during the recent period.

Cairo – December 26, 2023: The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has announced that banks operating in the local market have six months to apply new anti-money laundering and terrorism financing regulations. In a new circular released on Sunday, the central bank shared that the new guidelines represent the bare minimum that banks are required to follow, adding banks should implement further measures according to their own risk assessments. Replacing the 2008 regulations, the latest amendments to the CBE’s guidelines empower the bank to better monitor cash flows and transfer activity. The CBE highlighted that the updated regulations are part of its commitment to keeping up with international standards in fighting money laundering and terrorism financing. The CBE explained that the new regulations apply to all banks operating in Egypt and their branches abroad, and includes the local branches of foreign banks operating in the country.

Egypt’s developer Madinet Masr held a ceremony to celebrate the fruitful and strategic partnerships with its successful partners, comprising all third-party suppliers, with a total monetary value of EGP 7bn achieved throughout 2023 divided into; EGP 5.3bn for construction, EGP 1.35bn for infrastructure, EGP 250m for landscape, and EGP 100m for consultancy services. The ceremony was attended by 73 companies of Madinet Masr success partners in the field of contracting, engineering, telecommunications, construction, suppliers, and facilities including the Arab Organization for Industrialization, Telecom Egypt, El Hazek, ASEC, Sadek Elsewedy, Medcom, Madkour, Cemex, Giza Cable Industries, Ali Tawfik Group, A-One Trading & Contracting, Gila, Pink Group, Electro Home, El Motaheda Co. for Aluminum Trade, Al Safwa Co. for Aluminum Works and more. This comes along with the MoU signed with ASEC Automation (ASA), a subsidiary of Qalaa Holding, to execute the construction of 13 buildings in the Lake Park project in Taj City, amounting to EGP 100m, among other collaborations. Madinet Masr aims to develop its land portfolio, exceeding 9 million sqm, through establishing new residential units and projects adhering to the highest standards of efficiency and quality, stemming from the company’s 64 years in the real estate market.s Egypt. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).

This year, there were many albums that came out worth mentioning, with artists across all genres having composed albums for their fans. With his last album, Certified Lover Boy, dating back to 2021, Drake put out his eighth studio album, For All the Dogs in October. Brent Faiyez, the prominent R&B artist, released his third studio album, Larger Than Life, earlier this year. His fourth studio album, the 19 track playlist was widely praised by fans globally, garnering over a million listeners. Scott, a famous rapper in the industry, has had a major influence in the music realm, working with many other prominent artists.

Egypt has tabled a comprehensive initial proposal aimed at putting an end to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The proposal, crafted in collaboration with the Gulf nation of Qatar, has been formally presented to key stakeholders, including Israel, Hamas, the United States, and European governments. However, it is important to note that the proposal is still in its early stages and does not align with Israel’s publicly stated objective of decisively defeating Hamas. Furthermore, the willingness of Hamas to relinquish power remains uncertain, adding complexity to the negotiations. However, Reuters reported Monday that Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, citing two Egyptian security sources.

The ministry added that 250 Palestinians died in Israeli raids in the past 24 hours, while 500 others were wounded. Moreover, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) called on the International Red Cross to accompany Palestinian Red Crescent crews that were targeted by Israel. Hamas stressed that there was no justification for the Red Cross’s absence from its duties of protecting medical teams from Israeli attacks in Gaza. The movement added that the latest attacks on the Palestinian Red Crescent crews were in Jabalia, where its ambulances were destroyed, and the occupation forces surrounded a Red Crescent center. In the meantime, the Israeli army admitted that 27 soldiers were injured in the battles in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours.

Houses destroyed by Israeli shelling in the Gaza Strip- photo from Palestinian journalists in the StripCAIRO – 25 December 2023: Hamas will not negotiate with Israel unless the latter stops its aggression against the Gaza Strip, said Hamas leader Izzat al-Rishq in a statement on Monday. He added that Hamas leadership seeks with all forces to stop the aggression and massacres against the Palestinians completely not temporarily. A delegation of the Palestinian Jehad Movement led by the movement’s Secretary General Zeyad Nakhala arrived in Egypt Sunday to discuss the conditions in Gaza Strip. In the second stage, Hamas releases female soldiers and bodies, in exchange for Israel releasing prisoners and agreeing to a truce. They also insist on releasing all Israeli captives for all Palestinian prisoners who are inside Israeli prisons.

CAIRO – 25 December 2023: Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al Sisi received a phone call, Monday from the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman to congratulate him on his reelection for a new presidential term. The Spokesman for the Presidency, Ahmed Fahmy, said the Saudi Crown Prince extended his congratulations to President Sisi on his reelection for a new presidential term and underscored KSA’s commitment to further enhancing coordination and consultation and to strengthening joint action with Egypt to serve the interests of both peoples and the Arab nation. President Sisi expressed his appreciation for the kind gesture and confirmed Egypt’s mutual interest in boosting cooperation between the two countries across various fields as well as continuing coordination on issues related to joint Arab action.

Huawei, a leading provider of information and communications technology solutions, has partnered with Entlock Holding, a company that supports entrepreneurial projects, to provide opportunities for promising technology startups. Mohamed Ehab, CEO of Entlak Holding, said he is pleased to work with Huawei to support startups in Entlak Holding's accelerator program. Entlac Holding and Huawei will provide comprehensive support to startups in Entlac Holding's portfolio by providing cloud services and technology. Huawei also launched the “Huawei Cloud for Startups 2024” program, which aims to accelerate the growth and development of startups in Egypt. Antlock Holding will provide lectures and consulting to startups participating in the “Huawei Cloud for Startups” program.

CAIRO- 25 December 2023: Rafah border crossing has received 44 wounded Palestinians and their escorts coming from hospitals in the Gaza Strip to receive medical treatment in Egypt, a reliable medical source said Monday. Meanwhile, several humanitarian aid trucks sent by Egypt and other countries and organizations have crossed into the Gaza Strip through Rafah checkpoint. On Saturday, Six fuel trucks had arrived in the Gaza Strip, and 250 holders of dual nationalities had arrived at the Rafah crossing from the Palestinian side, on Saturday, reported Al Qahera News. The Israeli occupation continues its intense and unprecedented aggression against the Gaza Strip, by air, land and sea, since October 7, 2023, killing more than 20,000 people, including 8,000 children. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution demanding immediate, safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale directly to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip.