Good afternoon, friends, and happy hump day. The press is finally chugging to a start after a slow week.

THE BIG STORY TODAY-

📍 Introducing, Yamal and Jood, Talaat Moustafa Group’s (TMG) newest overseas developments, which it inaugurated and launched sales for earlier this week, the EGX heavyweight said in a disclosure (pdf) to the bourse. The two developments in Oman span a collective 4.9 mn sqm west of Muscat and will offer around 15k residential and hotel units, which the developer thinks will bring in USD 4.7 bn in sales over the lifetime of the projects.

The largest of the two projects, Jood, will span 2.7 mn sqm within Sultan Haitham City — a planned smart city that will sit just outside of the capital Muscat. TMG boasts that the project will feature a range of residential units, large green areas, commercial and service facilities, recreational zones, and medical and educational amenities, in addition to a social sports club.

While Yamal is a coastal tourism and residential project over 2.2 mn sqm with 1.8 km of beachfront. The development is positioned as an upscale tourism and residential community featuring luxury homes, international hotels, entertainment zones, a marina, marine sports facilities, and integrated lifestyle services.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

🌐 The news cycle seems to be picking up after a slow start to the week, with few — but impactful — stories making headlines.

Russia claims to have captured Pokrovsk, a key Ukrainian city, months after fighting over its control. The claims remain unverified, with Ukraine denying them. Ukrainian opposition MP Inna Sovsun called them “overexaggerated,” noting that fighting is still ongoing. The news comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes his first trip to Ireland, after meeting with President Emmanual Macron in Paris, and hours before scheduled peace talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff kick off in Moscow. (BBC | Guardian | CNN)

MEANWHILE- Privacy concerns are on the rise in India after smartphone manufacturers were ordered to pre-load phones with a state-run cybersecurity app. The decision gives smartphone makers some 90 days to ensure the app, Sanchar Saathi, is installed. The app’s privacy policy dictates that it would have access to phone logs, text logs, media, and cameras.

Following massive criticism, Indian Communications Minister Jyotiradtiya Scindia noted that the app “could easily be deleted at any time,” he said in a post on X. “This is a completely voluntary and democratic system,” Scindia wrote. Apple has reportedly opposed the decision, and does not intend to preload the app on iPhones, Reuters reports, citing three sources with knowledge of the matter. (Reuters | Financial Times | BBC | Reuters)

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- It’s going to be a cool, cloudy day in Cairo tomorrow, with temperatures peaking at just 24°C before cooling down to 16°C, according to our favorite weather app.

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