Good morning, friends, and happy Friday. We hope you’re enjoying the long weekend, it is the last one until mid-September.

Tonight, the eyes of mns around the world will turn to the opening of the Olympic Games in Paris, which promise an unprecedented level of organization. As for us, we’ve prepared a comprehensive guide with everything you need to know about this year’s Olympics and the chances for our Egyptian athletes to shine on the podium.

LAST WEEK IN 3 MINS-

ENERGY-

#1- Your fuel bill is going up again: The Madbouly government raised fuel prices on Thursday, according to decisions published in the Official Gazette. Prices of fuel has hiked by 10-15% at the pumps as of yesterday morning:

  • 95-Octane is EGP 15 per liter, up 11% from EGP 13.50;
  • 92-Octane is EGP 13.75 per liter, up 10% from EGP 12.50;
  • 80-Octane is EGP 12.25 per liter, up 11% from EGP 11.0
  • Diesel prices rose by 15% to EGP 11.50 per liter from EGP 10.0.
  • The price of Kerosene oil also rose by 15% to EGP 11.50 per liter.

#2- Power cuts continued on the first day of scheduled break as electricity usage peaked: The beginning of an expected summer break from power cuts started not with a bang but a whimper Sunday, with widespread reports of continued outages despite government promises to halt cuts until mid-September. On Monday, the Oil Ministry announced that energy consumption reached its highest level ever on Sunday at around 165 mn cubic meters of fuel equivalent.

AROUND THE WORLD IN SEVEN DAYS-

The quadrennial drama of the US presidential elections once again stole international headlines this week as Joe Biden finally heeded the calls of many in his party to end his reelection bid for the White House. Biden immediately endorsed VP Kamala Harris, who quickly saw much of the Democratic Party coalesce around her in the hours after Biden’s announcement.

Harris is well on her way to locking up the nomination, having secured pledges of support from a majority of the delegates to the Democratic National Convention, paving the way to securing the nomination at the convention in Chicago from 19-22 August. Her team also announced Monday that the vice president had raised a record-breaking USD 81 mn in the first 24 hours after Biden’s announcement — a substantial war chest for the would-be nominee.

About 100 days til showtime: If Harris secures the nomination, she has only a little over 100 days to mount a challenge against Trump, whose campaign has already begun to attack Harris as “dangerously liberal,” according to the Washington Post. Trump has already spoken out, saying he thinks Harris will be “easier to beat” than Biden.

And in news from Gaza, Israel ordered civilians to evacuate Khan Younis as it relaunched attacks against Hamas, sending hundreds of thousands to the humanitarian area in Al Mawasi by the coast and killing 70 Palestinians in the meantime.

US officials are saying ceasefire negotiations are “in closing stages,” with Reuters reporting that Netanyahu and Biden are set to iron out the gaps today. How many times have we heard that in the past six months?

☀️ THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND- It’s just another hot weekend with highs of 38°C and lows of 26°C today and tomorrow in Cairo. It’s a bit cooler in Sahel with highs of 32°C and lows of 26°C during the weekend.

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND-

Marwan Moussa, Afroto, DJ Nooriya, and Bubblegum Kollectiv are preparing to deliver an unforgettable evening at Cairo Jazz Club Sea Shore in Ras El Hikma. The event will begin at 9pm tonight. Find your tickets here.

You can still catch Ahmed Helmy on stage in Memo. If you missed the Egyptian comedy icon’s first few shows of his original play, he will be performing once again today at the Grand Nile Tower. (tickets)

Witness a lineup of emerging talent, or take to the stage yourself at Rawabet Art Space’s open mic. Hosted by Abd El Rahman Magdy, the event, which will take place tonight at 8pm, will give you the chance to break into the scene or spot stars-to-be. Get your tickets here.

Pop icon Tamer Hosny is performing at the festival tonigh at 10pm. Find tickets here.

Musical maestro Hany Shenouda is bringing his revived pop band El Masryeen to the New Alamein Festival tomorrow at 10pm. Get your tickets here.

HAPPENING NEXT WEEKEND-

Superstar Mohamed Ramadan will perform a concert at Porto Golf in the North Coast on Friday, 2 August at 10pm. Grab tickets here before they sell out.

For the love of poetry. Don’t miss poet Mostafa Ibrahim’s Live Podcast at Rawabet Art Space. Hosted by radio presenter Zahra Ramy, this is an opportunity to experience the poet’s work live. (tickets)

Tags: