How to support Gaza

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WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TONIGHT

THIS EVENING: EFG-backed Egypt Education Program could be launched in Saudi Arabia

Good afternoon, everyone. We hope the penultimate day of the workweek has been kind to you. More than 83% of 2023 is now in our rear-view mirror.

The BIG BUSINESS STORY here at home this afternoon: The EFG-backed Egypt Education Platform is studying the possibility of launching in Saudi Arabia within the next 12-18 months, our friend Karim Moussa, co-CEO of EFG Hermes, told Enterprise.

EEP could roll out its own brands there or acquire and invest in new brands, Moussa added. “We see a great opportunity to leverage EEP’s operational know-how in the KSA and generate further income for our operations in Egypt,” he said. “The kingdom has very ambitious plans for its education sector.”

Refresher: EEP Is an education management firm that counts EFG Hermes and the Sovereign Fund of Egypt among its anchor investors. It owns a network of schools and nurseries as well as majority stakes in academic content producer Selah El Telmeez and Option Travel, which offers student transportation.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

Foreign nationals and critically injured Palestinians are entering Egypt through the Rafah border crossing. The story is leading the conversation in the international press this afternoon.

Footage on state television (watch, runtime: 6:55) earlier today showed seriously injured Palestinians arriving in Egypt by ambulance. The New York Times reports that more than 80 people injured by Israel’s bombardment of the enclave have arrived in Egypt for treatment and that “hundreds” of foreign passport holders are crossing over after an agreement brokered by Egypt, Qatar and the United States. Reuters and the Wall Street Journal also have the story.

The news comes one day after Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly flatly rejected Israel’s pressure to accept an exodus of Palestinians into Sinai. The PM, speaking during a visit to the peninsula, left the door open to an arrangement that would see severely wounded Gazans transferred here for treatment.

HELP SUPPORT GAZANS-

Want to support relief efforts in Gaza, but don’t know how? We’ve got you. More than a mn people in Gaza have been thrown from their homes and every human being there lacks access to food, water, and fuel amid the most intense bombardment any population has endured this century. The charities we’re listing below are Egyptian organizations working on Gaza relief that we think you can trust if you want to make a donation.

#1- Egyptian Red Crescent Society is one of the nation’s leading providers of humanitarian and emergency medical services. The Egypt Red Crescent accepts donations in EGP online and is on Fawry with the service code 99981. You can also donate to the organization through this Banque du Caire account: 49/403/30 (EGP) or 1065/601/30 (USD — code: BCAIEGCX030).

#2- Egyptian Food Bank: The food bank has launched “Aid Gaza,” a hunger-relief campaign to supply essential food items to the people of Gaza. You can make an online donation through EFB’s website or the unified bank account number 888777 at every bank in Egypt. Do you live abroad? The EFB has a list of its verified accounts at major institutions (along with account numbers) here.

#3- The Mersal Foundation is a non-profit medical organization running medical aid convoys to Gaza. It is on Fawry using service code 9200 or you can donate through its EGP accounts at major national banks including CIB (100034654454), Banque Misr (5450001000003297), Emirates NBD (1019409332701), National Bank of Egypt (1953071376769426268), AAIB (1015996610010201), QNB (7352031181714268). The group lists other ways you can donate on its Facebook page.

#4- Lifemakers: The NGO, which has a record of providing medical, educational and social care services to Palestinians, has been helping to prepare aid convoys ahead of dispatch to deliver food, medical supplies, water, blankets, clothing, and other essentials to the besieged Gaza strip since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. Donate through the foundation’s website or use Fawry code 950. Lifemakers also accepts donations for Gaza relief in EGP via CIB (account 100034226827) and NBE (0773070478998401017).

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

Egypt has denounced Israel’s plan to push displaced Palestinians into Gaza in the strongest terms yet, with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly yesterday raising the threat of hostilities if officials in Benjamin Netanyahu’s government try to push ahead with the plan.
Egypt’s net foreign assets gap widened in Septemberto negative USD 26.8 bn from negative USD 25.9 bn the month prior.
Fresh financing is on its way from China: State-owned China Development Bank (CDB) announced that it gave the Central Bank of Egypt CNY 7 bn (c. USD 957 mn) on 30 October, fulfilling a loan agreement signed last month during the Belt and Road Forum.

?️ WEATHER- The mercury will dip to 20°C tonight, and you can expect a daytime high of 30°C tomorrow, with an overnight low of 21°C, according to our favorite weather app. The long-term forecast suggests we look set for another week of unseasonably warm and humid weather before temps start to cool toward a more seasonable level in the back half of next week.

Want more women partners at law firms? Don’t make them choose between work and home.

Law firms around the world are more prone than ever to promote women to the rank of partner — and are finding themselves under pressure to make the business of law a lot more family-friendly as they do. Pressure to be constantly available to clients is still blurs the lines of office and personal life, Megan Gray, a corporate lawyer tells the Financial Times in the widely read feature Law firms under pressure to make more women partners.

Making partner is a slog: You need more than 2k annual billable hours under your belt to make partner at some firms, the FT suggests — with plenty of those hours spent in the office.

IN OMM EL DONIA- Out of 170 partners at Egyptian law firms ranked on the IFLR 1000, an industry listing, 41 are female – which amounts to 24%. That’s well behind UK, where women make up 35% of partners in law firms. The situation isn’t likely to be much better across the pond: Only 19% of equity partners at North American law offices surveyed by McKinsey were partner, and women are 29% less likely than men to make it to the first rank of partnership. (Those McKinsey figures admittedly date to 2017, but are not likely to have changed radically.)

Egypt is no different to the west:The ability for women to reach the path of partner, or any role of leadership in any business, is inextricably bound to the support she receives from her workplace, her family unit, and her community, says Natasha Shirazi, legal director at Orascom Construction. And there’s too often an insidious assumption that if you’re successful at work, you are likely falling behind at home (or vice versa), she adds. Women in leadership positions in law get there, often, because their communities and backgrounds allow them to do so and are more accepting of women succeeding.

What can you do if you want to have access to the full 100% of your addressable workforce? It starts with believing in your female leaders — and with creating a system that offers them the support and flexibility they need to not have to make the choice between work and family. Shirazi says Orascom, for example, has systems and supports in place that ensure her success as a leader — without demanding to make horrible sacrifices in her personal life.

The payoff from an investment in women leaders is clear: Freshfields — a global firm well known to Egyptian lawyers — has seen women make up more than half of new partners in recent classes. That’s nearly doubled the number of women partners to 27%, and the firm is aiming to have women account for 40% of all partners by 2030.

Who would have dared rob Mussolini?

? ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-
(all times CLT)

Robbing Mussolini narrates a misfit crew’s unforgettable heist across war-torn Italy. The Italian production, based partially on a true story, revolves around Isola (Pietro Castellitto) a cunning thief who refers to himself as an “entrepreneur” operating in Italy’s black market during the Second World War. His products? Selling weapons to rebels and drugs to celebrities.

Isola decides to loot Il Duce himself. He embarks on a daring heist to steal the legendary treasure of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini from the heavily-guarded Black Zone. Isola realizes that he can’t pull off the job alone, so he forms a band of misfits and rogues. The band has an aged sniper / bodyguard, a comics nerd, a street-fighting pickpocket, and a renowned race car driver.

The film’s absurdity is entertaining as it offers moments of comedy combined with sharp action and compelling characters in an interesting epoch in history.

⚽ It’s a decisive night in the African Super League: Al Ahly hosts Mamelodi Sundowns, South Africa’s champions, in the second leg of the semi-finals of the first edition of the African Football League at 8pm. Al Ahly needs to win by two goals to qualify for the final since they were defeated in the first leg by a clean goal.

MEANWHILE- Tunisia’s Esperance are playing host to Morocco’s Wydad in the same round of the tournament at 5pm, after the first leg ended with the Moroccan team prevailing 1-0. The winner of each of the two matches qualifies for the African Super League final.

Tonight also sees round 16 matches in the quest for the EFL’s Carabao Cup tonight:

West Ham vs Arsenal (9:30pm)
Chelsea vs Blackburn (9:45pm)
Bournemouth vs Liverpool (9:45pm)
Everton vs Burnley (9:45 m)
Ipswich Town vs Fulham (9:45 pm)
Man United vs Newcastle (10:15pm)

It's a go-to option if you want a homemade meal that isn’t Egyptian.The mesemen kofta (a Moroccan fetir-pancake stuffed with minced meat) tastes like no Egyptian food. The crunchy shrimp samosas are worth a try — they had a unique flavor that fused both Asian and Oriental spices in a crispy thin dough akin to an Indian samosa.

For desserts, try the chebakia, which is the Moroccan version of the meshabek. This version is slightly healthier, as it is made of almond flour, almond paste, sesame seeds and honey, as opposed to the Egyptian version which uses flour, sugar, and simple syrup.

Same-day deliveries and catering are available,but make sure you make your order before 2pm. They also deliver across the capital city and have a pick-up option from their cloud kitchen in New Cairo.

The Discreet Charm of the Pillars of Society, directed by Ahmed El Attar, brings together two families objecting to their children’s marriage. The play is on stage tomorrow at 8pm at Falaki Theater as a part of the Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival (D-Caf). You can click here to check out the event. Tickets are available on D-CAF’s website.

The exhibition Forever Is Now is back again at the Pyramids, open 9am until 4pm daily through 18 November. Book your ticket here or buy one on arrival.

Cairocomix festival is back, kicking off this coming Friday, 3 November, and running through Sunday, 5 November, at the Mahmoud Mokhtar Cultural Center. There is no admission fee. You can explore the program here.

Great Symphonies III x Cairo Opera House. The Cairo Symphony Orchestra headed by the maestro Ahmed El Saedi will be performing at the Main Hall, Cairo Opera House next Saturday, 4 November. The concert will start at 8pm sharp. Book your ticket here.

Music enthusiasts, this one’s for you: The annual Cairo International Jazz Festival is still going at AUC’s Tahrir campus and will continue until Friday, 3 November. More here.

Sayed Ragab x Lina Chamamyan x “El hekaya b aswatna”. TV personality Mahmoud Saad will host actor Sayed Ragab and singer Lina Chamamyan live on stage at Theatro Arkan, Sheikh Zayed, on Thursday, 2 November at 8:30pm. You can book with Tazkarti.

Mahmoud Saad will also host comedian Ahmed Helmy on Saturday, 4 November, followed by a concert featuring Wust El Balad, also at Theatro Arkan. Click here to reserve your tickets.

Looking for adventure? Get into the spooky spirit with night hiking in Wadi Degla with the Egyptian Wild Animals Service (EWAS) on Friday, 3 November.

Russia’s Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra is coming to Egypt for the first time, with three concerts scheduled in Cairo and Alexandria. The Cairo concerts are scheduled for Sunday and Monday (5 and 6 November) at the Cairo Opera House in Zamalek, while the Alexandria concert will follow on Tuesday, 7 November, at Sayed Darwish Theater. You can book your tickets for the concerts from here, here and here.

The Christmas Charity Bazaar will bring on the season’s warmth on Saturday, 1 December at All Saints’ Cathedral, Zamalek. The bazaar will start from 10:30am until 4pm. Note, the event’s revenues will be given to a variety of charitable organizations in Egypt.

McRaney proposes that self-delusion and psychology can be used to persuade people, even from a single conversation. To support his argument, he uses the latest research conducted by psychologists and neuroscientists to explain the restrictions of reasoning, the potential of group thinking, and the impact of deep canvassing.

What the markets are doing on 1 November 2023

The EGX30 fell 0.5% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 3.5 bn (46.2% above the 90-day average). Local investors were net sellers. The index is up 53.7% YTD.

In the green: Palm Hills Development (+9.5%), E-Finance (+3.4%) and Oriental Weavers (+2.7%).

In the red: Mopco (-4.5%), Orascom Development (-4.2%) and Eastern Company (-4.0%).

THE ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

NOVEMBER

26 October - 18 November: Forever Is Now Exhibition, Pyramids of Giza.

12 October-5 November: D-CAF (Downtown Contemporary Arts Festival), Downtown, Cairo.

26 October - 3 November (Thursday-Friday): The 15th Annual Cairo International Jazz Festival at AUC’s Tahrir campus.

26 October-5 November (Thursday-Sunday): Cairo Jazz Festival at AUC Tahrir.

2 November (Thursday): Sayed Ragab x Lina Chamamyan x “El hekaya b aswatna, Theatro Arkan, Sheikh Zayed.

3-5 November (Friday- Sunday): Cairocomix Festival, Mahmoud Mokhtar Cultural Center, Zamalek.

4 November (Saturday): Edward Said Memorial Lecture at AUC Tahrir.

4 November (Saturday): Ahmed Helmy interview, Theatro Arkan, Sheikh Zayed.

4 November (Saturday): Great Symphonies III concert, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek.

5-6 November (Sunday-Monday): The Russian Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra concerts, Cairo Opera House, Zamalek.

7 November (Tuesday): The Russian Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra concert, Sayed Darwish Theatre.

10 November (Friday): Tamer Ashour’s concert, Zed Park Sheikh Zayed.

11 November (Saturday): El Gouna Half Marathon 2023, El Gouna.

11 November (Saturday): Russell Peters stand-up comedy show, The Marquee Theatre, Cairo Festival City Mall.

14-15 November (Tuesday-Wednesday): Destination Africa Expo at Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski.

15-24 November (Wednesday-Friday): Cairo International Film Festival (CIFF).

16 November (Thursday): ELFIT Sports and Fitness Games at New Capital Sports City.

25 November (Saturday): Masr El Gedida Carnival at Maryland.

26 November (Sunday): Souad Massi concert at Tap East.

DECEMBER

1 December (Friday): Cairo Fun Festival by Bike Zone Egypt in Heliopolis.

1 December (Friday): The Christmas Charity Bazaar, All Saints’ Cathedral, Zamalek.

EVENTS WITH NO SET DATE

2023: The inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

Q1 2024: Opening of the newly developed Pyramids Plateau in Giza.

2024

JANUARY

7 January (Sunday): Coptic Christmas.

25 January (Thursday): Revolution Day.

APRIL

9 April (Tuesday): Eid El Fitr (TBC).

25 April (Thursday): National holiday in observance of Sinai Liberation Day (TBC).

MAY

1 May (Wednesday): National holiday in observance of Labor Day (TBC).

5 May (Sunday): Coptic Easter.

6 May (Monday): Sham El Nessim (TBC).

JUNE

15-19 June (Saturday-Wednesday): Eid El Adha (TBC).

30 June (Sunday): June 30 Revolution Day (TBC).

JULY

7 July (Sunday): National holiday in observance of Islamic New Year (TBC).

23 July (Tuesday): Revolution Day (TBC).

SEPTEMBER

15 September (Sunday): National holiday in observance of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday (TBC).

OCTOBER

6 October (Sunday): Armed Forces Day.

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