Good afternoon, friends, and happy almost-THURSDAY. As we approach the end of the week — and the one-week mark since the beginning of Ramadan — our collective brain fog is starting to wear off.

ALSO- Did you know you can bookmark stories to read later on our newly relaunchedwebsite? Our new home on the web looks cool, loads fast, and has a raft of new features, from deep dives into topic pages, story tags to let you follow the issues and companies that matter most, to an audio feature so you can listen to our news on the go. Have a suggestion or want to report a bug? Hit reply to this email.

THE BIG STORY TODAY

Eagle Chemicals’ rival bid for Pachin goes live tomorrow: Eagle Chemicals’ mandatory tender offer (MTO) to acquire at least 75% of state-owned Paint and Chemical Industries (Pachin) will open tomorrow and run until market close on 12 April, according to an EGX statement out today. Eagle Chemicals is offering EGP 37.00 per share, EGP 1.00 higher than the rival bid submitted by National Paints Holding (NPH) last week. The NPH offer — which had been set to close on 4 April — has been extended and will now wrap on the same date.

Is Compass stepping back into the mix? Compass Capital has reportedly wrapped up due diligence on Pachin and is preparing to submit a rival MTO within days, Al Mal reports, citing unnamed sources it says are close to the matter.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

China is threatening Taiwan over President Tsai Ing-wen’s unconfirmed meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Mainland China sees the trip as a challenge and direct blow to the “One China” mandate. If Ing-wen — who is on a 10-day trip to visit other countries on the continent — proceeds with the visit, it would be seen as harmful to “China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” an official from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office has said, and the mainland has warned it will retaliate. Ing-wen meanwhile told reporters that China’s ”external pressure will not hinder [Taiwan’s] determination to go global”; Taiwan is calm and is neither giving in to intimidation nor is it intending to incite a reaction from China. A US government official stated that the threats are nothing more than an overreaction and a pretext for warmongering.

The story is featured in the global press today:The Guardian | Financial Times | Reuters | Al Jazeera| Bloomberg | Ahram Online

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

  • Fair value studies completed for Damietta, Port Said port operators:The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) is reviewing fair value studies of the state-owned Damietta and Port Said terminal operators ahead of stake sales in the two firms.
  • HoldiPharma is enlisting the private sector to help localize production: State-owned pharma manufacturer HoldiPharma plans to build five new factories in partnership with private-sector firms.

? CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

PSA- Start planning next month’s holidays now:

  • Coptic Easter falls on Sunday, 16 April;
  • Sham El Nessim is on Monday, 17 April;
  • Eid El Fitr should land on or around Friday, 21 April (it’s still not clear what days will be official holidays);
  • Tuesday, 25 April, is Sinai Liberation Day, for which we’ll likely have a day off on Thursday, 27 April.

PSA- Need funding for a green project? You can now apply to the second round of the Smart Green Projects Initiative until the end of May, according to a Planning Ministry statement. Eligible projects must use technology solutions to address environmental issues, present evidence of feasibility or innovation, and provide a written acknowledgement that no awards have been received during the initiative’s first round, among other requirements. You can view the full list of criteria here and apply here.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- Expect the weather to feel more or less like today, as our favorite weather app tells us to expect a daytime high of 22°C and a nighttime low of 9°C.

We are delighted to share with you that the Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum will be taking place on Monday, 15 May at the Four Seasons Hotel at Nile Plaza.

DO YOU WANT TO ATTEND? The first wave of invites is going out soon. If you’re a C-suite exec, exporter, investor, official, banker, or someone who should be part of the conversation, please TAP OR CLICK HEREto request a spot at this exclusive event.

WANT TO SHARE YOUR STORY ON STAGE? Drop a note to Patrick here and let’s talk.

WANT TO BECOME A COMMERCIAL PARTNER? Ping a note to Moustafa, our head of commercial, here.

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