Merz holds onto power despite “disastrous” poll numbers

Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back. Today’s lead story is about a watermelon, or rather, 28 of them. An Egyptian sculptor in London took a watermelon to a workshop in El Darb, turned it into a mold, handed 28 casts to 28 artists, and raised GBP 249k for Gaza at auction on Friday. We get into it.

Elsewhere in today’s issue: We have a review of a series about what happens when the CIA analyst who spent years studying Saddam Hussein finally sits across from him in an interrogation room and finds out how little he actually knew. No football tonight, but there’s plenty from last night to recap.

Without further ado, the news…

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

🌐 Still dominating the global front pages this afternoon are the rising tensions in Germany’s state elections as pressure mounts on Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s party. Merz, however, clings on and has vowed to remain in office after his party suffered its worst regional election defeat in post-war Germany. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) failed to clear the 5% threshold to enter parliament in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern for the first time, with Merz describing the result as a “disaster.” The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) earned the most votes in the state but is unlikely to form a government as other parties have ruled out working with it. The result adds to pressure on Merz following months of weak approval ratings and tensions within his governing coalition over his reform agenda.

^^Read more on: CNN, BBC, Reuters, Associated Press, and The Guardian.

MEANWHILE- CNN, MS Now, and Politico have filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the White House’s decision to ban their journalists from the complex, arguing that the move violates their First Amendment rights. The three outlets filed the lawsuit earlier today in federal court in Washington, seeking to restore their access to the White House grounds. The news organizations said the administration revoked their journalists’ credentials without notice or due process because of their reporting. Their joint statement warned that allowing the decision to stand could undermine press freedom and the public’s access to independent journalism.

^^Read more on: Reuters, CNN, and Politico.

Cairo Food Week’s Hoda El-Sherif on stories, flavors, and community: Is Egyptian food having a moment? And more importantly, is our cuisine finally claiming its seat at the global table?

Hoda El-Sherif says, “It’s coming.”

Hoda is the co-founder and CEO of Flavor Republic, and the force behind Cairo Food Week, kicking off its fourth edition on 24 September.

Listen to the episode on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Anghami | YouTube

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** CATCH UP QUICK on the top stories from today’s EnterpriseAM:

• Talaat Moustafa Group’s (TMG) Saudi arm inked a preliminary agreement with Roshn Group, a subsidiary of KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), to develop a mixed-use project in Riyadh. The proposed joint venture — 51% owned by TMG — is exploring a 55k-home development in the Saudi capital, alongside retail, offices, hotels, entertainment, healthcare, education, parks, and public spaces. No timeline, project value, or plot size details were given;
• UAE’s Adnoc Distribution is weighing a roughly USD 1 bn investment to add 400 service stations to its current 245 in Egypt. The buildout is split into two phases of around 200 each, with automotive and engine lubricants also part of the plan;
• E-finance received shareholders’ approval to buy 99.32% of MSME lender Tamweely Financial Services at an extraordinary general meeting late last week. E-finance will raise its capital by about EGP 73 mn to EGP 1.81 bn by issuing 146.1 mn new shares, all of them going to Turin Egypt, Tamweely’s principal shareholder, which ends up with about 4.04% of the enlarged company.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- It’s looking like a clear, beautiful day in the capital tomorrow, with temperatures rising to a high of 33°C before dropping to a chilly 22°C overnight, according to our favorite weather app.