Egypt expects spending to rise by 15 per cent in its draft budget for the fiscal year that starts on July 1, as the country grapples with the economic fallout of the Russia-Ukraine war and the sustained effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, its finance minister said on Monday.
The spending increases will support the sectors and groups most affected by the repercussions of the current global economic crisis, Mohamed Maait told Parliament.
“We are able together — the leadership, the government and the people — to overcome this exceptional ordeal and turn it into promising opportunities for progress and development in our new republic,” he said, according to an Egyptian Cabinet statement.
Expenditures in the 2022-2023 fiscal year will total 2.07 trillion Egyptian pounds ($112 billion) from a projected 1.79tn pounds in the 2021-2022 fiscal year.
Revenue will increase from 1.3tn pounds to 1.52tn pounds, resulting in a deficit of 558.2bn pounds — 14.5 per cent higher than the current fiscal year.
The global economy has been adversely affected by soaring food and energy prices as well as supply chain disruptions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.
Last month, the International Monetary Fund lowered global growth projections for 2022 and 2023 to 3.6 per cent, down 0.8 and 0.2 percentage points from its January forecast. The World Bank also cut its global growth forecast to 3.2 per cent from 4.1 per cent.
As Egypt’s fiscal year runs from July to June, the war is likely to have a more significant impact in the next fiscal year than in the current one.
The IMF expects the Egyptian economy to expand 5.9 per cent in the current fiscal year, but lowered growth prospects for 2022-2023 to 5 per cent from the previous 5.6 per cent forecast.
Egypt is the world’s top wheat importer, with Russia and Ukraine previously accounting for about 80 per cent of its total wheat imports.
In addition to rising inflation, the Arab world’s most populous country is suffering from decreasing foreign currency reserves and tourist inflows.
To mitigate the economic shocks, in March, Egypt introduced a 130bn-pound relief package, raised interest rates, let its currency weaken by more than 15 per cent and asked the IMF for support.
Gulf states have pledged about $22bn in investments and central bank deposits to help Egypt weather the crisis.
Egypt aims to reduce the budget deficit to 6.1 per cent of the gross domestic product during the next fiscal year, down from an estimated 6.2 per cent in the current financial year.
Budget allocations include 356bn pounds for support and social protection, as well as 400bn pounds towards wages — an increase of 43bn pounds from the current fiscal year to finance raises and bonuses for 4.5 million state employees.
The government will also increase the personal tax exemption limit from 9,000 pounds to 15,000 pounds.
More than 90bn pounds will be earmarked to support food commodities and subsidised bread for about 71 million of the country’s 103 million citizens.
Egypt aims to increase wheat production to meet 65 per cent of its consumption needs by 2025 from 45 per cent in 2020, Minister of Planning and Economic Development Hala El Said told Parliament on Monday.
It is also looking to raise oil seeds production to meet 10 per cent of its consumption by 2025, up from 3 per cent in 2020.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
TWISTERS
Director: Lee Isaac Chung
Starring: Glen Powell, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos
Rating: 2.5/5
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
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Day 2, stumps
Pakistan 482
Australia 30/0 (13 ov)
Australia trail by 452 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the innings
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
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