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President Sisi and 'children with determination' pose for a picture at the 2021 Differently-Abled celebration - press photoCAIRO – 5 January 2021: The House of Representatives’ solidarity committee approved on Wednesday a draft law to establish “Qadiron Be Ekhtilaf” (Differently Able) fund to support people with disabilities. 200/2020 to establish the fund during a meeting that included more than 60 MPs. Representatives from the ministries of justice, finance, social solidarity, health, education, higher education, housing, local development, sports, and trade and industry attended the committee’s meeting. In December, President Abdel Fattah El Sisi proposed the establishment of the “Differently Able” fund during a celebration for people with disabilities at Manara Conference Center in New Cairo. The president urged Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the House, and the Senate, to prepare a legislation to allow the fund to receive donations.

CAIRO – 5 January 2022: In January 1493, after completing his first expedition, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus left the New World for Spain. The Italian traveler, Christopher Columbus, is credited with discovering the New World. There are some traces that indicate a connection between the European and American continents even long before Columbus discovered that land. When Columbus discovered the New World, he believed that he had reached the so-called West India. His voyages were successful, as he was able to bring a lot of gold, and reach many undiscovered islands.

The Public Prosecution announced the release of the suspect, Fikry al-Hawary, on a bail of LE 10,000, pending the investigations with him on charges of insulting the police and state institutions. The police had arrested the suspect of insulting state agencies and policemen in Sheikh al-Zayed City, and he was referred to the Public Prosecution office for investigation. The police said that the Hawary leaks spread hostility and drive a wedge between these institutions and groups in society. The suspect said that these disputes are the subject of a lawsuit in which this person was convicted on January 2nd. The businessman stressed his respect and appreciation for the police forces and its national role in protecting security and stability.

Electronic blackmail is a more recent crime plaguing Egyptian society based on threatening victims, by publishing explicit pictures or fabricated personal news – with the majority of victims being women. Abdel-Hamid urged to reconsider the punishment prescribed for this crime as it is currently insufficient for the material and moral harms it inflicts. She demanded to reconsider the penalties to ensure further deterrence and prevent such tragedies. In her proposal, the deputy said that a lot of extortion crimes have spread recently, especially electronic extortion online. “Some misuse these means to defame the personal lives of others and leak personal information and photos, which causes harm to the victims,” she said.

Egypt's exports achieved a high record in 2021 to hit nearly $31 billion, the highest ever in the country's history, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said. The meeting tackled the most prominent sectors that contributed to increasing the country's exports, with President Sisi affirming the necessity of enhancing the efficiency of the export support system. The meeting also reviewed the soft loan agreements signed with development partners in 2021 at a total of 10.2 billion dollars to support national development priorities. The president stressed that development inflows should be consistent with the national goals of sustainable development in various sectors as part of Egypt Vision 2030. The meeting reviewed a vision adopted by the State to maximize a role played by the private sector in the economic development process.

CAIRO – 4 January 2022: Minister of Environment Yasmin Fouad stated in a phone-in Monday that Egypt currently has 28 recycling factories, noting that the target is raising the figure to 56. Speaking of carbon emissions, Fouad clarified that the ministry had installed 115 observatories. She added that the plan is making them 300 by 2030, where emissions should be cut by 50 percent. The minister explained that the sources of carbon emissions in Egypt have been identified as vehicles, factories, and garbage. Fouad pointed out that 90 factory chimneys have been connected to the national emissions network, while biogas units have been supplied to farmers, eliminating the burning of rice straw.

Egyptian Transport Minister Kamel al-Wazir announced Monday that the first 10 stations of the bus rapid transit (BRT) system will begin to be established, with architectural and construction diagrams already completed. Wazir made the announcement during his inspection tour to the stations that have been started/These are the Suez – Asher Station – al-Marj – Mostorod – Bahtim – stations, and the intersection of the Ring Road with Cairo-Alexandria Agricultural Road. The minister added that there are some global alliances interested in cooperating with the Transport Ministry in managing and operating the BRT buses, noting that the optimal advertising and investment exploitation will be made for all BRT stations. Wazir said in May that his ministry will incorporate Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) into the Ring Road, making it the first road in Egypt to use this system. The ministry has signed an MoU in May with a consortium led by the French company Transdev to prepare technical and economic feasibility studies for the establishment of a BRT system on Cairo’s Ring Road.

CAIRO - 3 January 2022: The Egyptian Tax Authority announced the commence of the tax returns season of the fiscal year 2021-2022. The authority indicated in a statement, Monday, that the authority receives tax returns of 2021, starting from the first of January until March 31, 2022 for normal persons electronically, and it receives the returns of legal persons represented in (money companies and people companies) starting from the first of January until the first of May 2022, or within four months from the date of the end of the company’s financial year electronically. Head of the Egyptian Tax Authority, Reda Abdel Kader, said that the authority provides technical support to the financiers free of charge through an integrated plan to provide all means of support in all tax missions at the level of the Republic. He noted that if the taxpayer forgets the username and password that he used to submit his tax return during the previous tax season or loses it, he must immediately go to his tax office and they will provide him with a solution and free support.

A temporary exhibition dubbed “Your Coffee is Royal” opened at the Royal Jewelery Museum in Alexandria, including part of a coffee set from King Farouk’s possessions, the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced in a statement on January 3. The event is scheduled to run for three months. The Royal Jewelery Museum is an important European-style architectural masterpiece built by Italian engineer Antonio Lasciac in 1919. The museum building is a palace belonging to Princess Fatima Haider, one of the princesses of the Muhammad Ali family, and us distinguished by its architecture, decorations, and artistic units. The palace was turned into a museum in 1986 and includes 1,045 pieces of rare collectibles of gold, silver and precious stones belonging to the family of Muhammad Ali Pasha.

CAIRO – 3 January 2022: January 2022 has just started, but what is the secret behind naming the first month of the year that name? By referring to the historical sources, it was found that the first month of the year was named after the Roman god Janos or Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions, because it is the month of beginning, i.e. According to the Roman mythology, he is considered the decisive factor in conflicts, wars and peace. During ancient times there was a temple called Janus in France and it was dedicated by Gaius Doilius in 260 BC after the Battle of Millai at Holtorium. The ancient people of Saxony called January the month of the wolf, Charlemagne called it the month of winter, and in the Japanese calendar it is called Mutsuki.

CAIRO – 3 January 2021: A military plane carrying large quantities of medical and humanitarian aid took off from Eastern Cairo Air Base to South Sudan as per the directives of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The aid was prepared in cooperation with the Egyptian Red Crescent to ease the burden of citizens in South Sudan, the Egyptian military spokesman said on Monday, adding that the plane headed to Juba International Airport. “This comes within the framework of continued Egypt’s support and solidarity with South Sudan in the different crises,” the spokesman said. The aid also “confirms the depth of the historic relations and ties gathering Egypt and South Sudan based on Egypt’s pioneering role toward the countries of the African continent in the times of difficulties and crises,” the spokesman added. Egypt also sent a military jet to South Sudan last month loaded with tons of medical and pharmaceutical aid and provided by the Egyptian Ministry of Health.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly issued a decision stating that Thursday will be an official paid holiday for workers in ministries, government departments, public bodies, local administration units, public sector companies, and public business sector companies on the occasion of Christmas. The Coptic Catholic Church celebrated Christmas late December, as the Patriarch of the Coptic Catholic Church in Egypt Ibrahim Ishaq spoke on how the coronavirus pandemic has brought with it isolation, fear and distance. While presiding over the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Virgin in Nasr City, Ishaq said that human solidarity is the only way out of this crisis, and personal human presence is indispensable, and it cannot be replaced by any other meansThough social media has advanced, he stressed that it cannot replace human contact.

CAIRO - 2 January 2022: The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) approved the first issuance of securitization bonds for the Upper Egypt General Contracting and Real Estate Investment Company and its sister companies, with a total value of LE 332.69 million. The securitization bonds aim to provide current cash flow for the company's expansion in the volume of its activity to meet its development needs in the field of real estate development. It added that EFG Hermes acted as the financial advisor, arranging manager, promoter and underwriter for the issue. The Upper Egypt General Contracting and Real Estate Investment Company achieved profits of LE 67.03 million during the period from January to the end of September 2021, compared to profits of LE 78.73 million in the comparative period of 2020. The company achieved standalone profits during the period, amounting to about LE 67.08 million at the end of September 2021, compared to profits of LE 79.11 million in the comparable period of 2020.

Cairo: The revenues of Egypt’s Suez Canal in 2021 reached $6.3 billion, the highest in the waterway’s history, a top official said here. The revenues of the Suez Canal during 2021 achieved a significant increase of 12.8 per cent, said Rabie, noting that the revenues of the canal recorded $5.6 billion in 2020. A total of 20,694 ships passed through both directions of the canal, compared to the transit of 18,830 ships in 2020, an increase of 10 per cent. In November 2021, the SCA announced it will increase the toll fees for the ships transiting through the canal by 6 per cent as of February 2022. Some 12 per cent of the world trade volume passes through the man-made canal, which is a major source of hard currency in Egypt.