Egypt vs Ghana tonight

1

WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TONIGHT

THIS EVENING: It’s a slow news day in Cairo as regional events dominate our newsfeed

Good afternoon friends, and happy Thursday. It is a slow news day in Om El Donia as the first full business week begins to wind down.

We have no local Big Story — but the regional events have begun to dominate our news cycle.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD

Tension between Pakistan and Iran is taking over the international press, but both sides want to nip it in the bud. After Iran attacked the Pakistani separatist group Jaish al-Adl two days ago, Pakistan retaliated with “killer drones and rockets” targeting Iranian separatist Baloch militants and killing more than nine people in a neighboring village. The two sides have never been chummy, but this marks the biggest conflict between them. With instability in the region already at a high from Israel’s war on Gaza, officials from both parties want to stop the tension before it escalates, with the Foreign Ministers from each nation hopping on a call to settle the dispute. China, an ally to both countries, is also keeping an eye on the situation. (Reuters | Bloomberg | Associated Press)

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

A record 14.9 mn tourists visited Egypt in 2023, in line with the state’s target to reel in 15 mn tourists during the year, despite the headwinds that the industry has been facing, Tourism Minister Ahmed Issa said at a cabinet meeting yesterday.
Prepare to bid farewell to a number of landmark retail shops? Kuwaiti retail conglomerate Alshaya Group, one of the region’s largest retail franchise operators, will be curtailing its business activity in Egypt on the back of FX pressure and difficult economic conditions.
We’re catching up with our 5G ambitions: The National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) has given state-owned Telecom Egypt the country’s first license to install and operate fifth generation (5G) networks at a cost of USD 150 mn.

?️TOMORROW’S WEATHER- Look out for a partly cloudy day with a high of 23°C in the morning before dropping down to 16°C, according to our favorite weather app.

Oscar buzz has started + Apple will cut the oxygen-measuring feature on their watches after losing the patent case against them

The Oscars will soon be upon us, and no one knows what’s going on… in a good way.2023 was chock full of great movies, and who will go home with the golden man is anyone’s guess. The awards ceremonies from earlier this month (specifically the Golden Globes and Emmys) may be able to point us in the right direction, but we’ll have to rely on industry chatter (and personal bias) to predict who’s getting an Academy Award.

BEST PICTURE- If we were wagering, we would — under normal circumstances — go all in on Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, or even The Holdovers and Poor Things. The former two films each scored 51 nominations across the boardand are expected to take home several of the little gold guys.

But this year, we see a plot twist coming. Past Lives and American Fiction might be in the running, and we see a lot of people lobbying for Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest this year in the name of international inclusion.

BEST DIRECTOR- This may be the wild card this year. Christopher Nolan for Oppenheimer is our safe guess for frontrunner, but Martin Scorsese might clinch the gold for what has been called his magnum opus, Killers of the Flower Moon. The Holdovers’ Alexander Payne may give them a run for their money, though. While Greta Gerwig and Yorgos Lanthimos may deserve recognition for Barbie and Poor Things, we don’t see the statuette in their cards.

BEST ACTOR- If there was ever a deservedly overpopulated category, this would be it. We loved Paul Giamatti as Professor Hunham in The Holdovers, but a more traditional choice would be Cillian Murphy for his performance in Oppenheimer, or Bradley Cooper for Maestro. We hope Jeffrey Wright gets a nod for American Fiction, and wouldn’t be surprised if Leonardo DiCaprio gets his second Oscar for Killers of the Flower Moon.

BEST ACTRESS- Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone are head-to-head for Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things, but Carey Mulligan seems to tick all the Academy Award boxes for her performance in Maestro. If international actresses had a history of victory in this category, we would have rooted for Sandra Hüller in Anatomy of a Fall.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR- We would be surprised if Robert Downey Jr. didn’t go home with this award for his role as Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, but we kind of want to see Ryan Gosling nab it for Barbie. We wouldn’t be upset if it went to Robert De Niro’s malevolent William Hale from Killers of the Flower Moon. Dominic Sessa, a newcomer with a great track record so far with The Holdovers, deserves recognition, but it might be too early for this budding actor.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS- Could The Holdovers’ Da’Vine Joy Randolph be this year’s heir apparent? Many seem to think so after bagging every televised trophy so far. Emily Blunt could be another actor to watch, playing Oppenheim’s troubled but ultimately supportive wife Katherine, alongside Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple, yet to debut in Om El Donia.

The Oscar nominations will be announced on Tuesday, and the awards ceremony will air on March 11 at 1am CLT.

Apple is doing away with the blood-oxygen measurement feature on its Watches after losing the patent case: After racing to rework the Ultra 2 and Series 9 Apple Watches, the tech giant lost its patent case with the International Trade Commission (ITC) over the blood-oxygen measurement technology, with the ITC ruling that the feature infringed on patents held by medical tech company Masimo. Rather than discontinuing the two Apple Watch models, the company is instead getting rid of the detection system, reports the New York Times.

If you already have one of these watches, it’s not getting recalled and you won’t be required to hand it back over to Apple. Other features such as timers, irregular heartbeat detection, and sports tracking, will not be affected.

More went down behind the scenes: Masimo claimed in court that after talks of an Apple acquisition, they turned around and nabbed their top employees then dropped pulse oximeter technology similar to their patented work. That’s when Masimo took it to the ITC.

Apple (naturally) isn’t thrilled: The decision gets in their way of increasing health utility to their devices and competing with medical companies like Medtronic and Abbott. Now in the process of appealing, the company already lost an attempt to push back the ban on selling their watches until the appeals court makes a decision. US Customs allowed the company to continue sales as long as they remove the disputed feature in the meantime.

Two talented siblings with Champion in their names battle for stardom

? ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-
(all times CLT)

Champion might overthrow Top Boy from its throne: The series is centered on the battle of rap royalty amongst the Champion siblings in the London rap scene— with certified bangers that’ll surely be added on your playlist after.

Vita (Déja J. Bowens), a talented singer and songwriter, is overshadowed by her famous brother Bosco (Malcolm Kamulete). The series starts by showing Bosco, recently released from prison and attempting to revive his career, with Vita writing his songs and managing his affairs. Vita, who is used to being the overlooked sibling, seizes the opportunity to pursue her music career.

Big girl moves disrupt the family dynamic, where Bosco is the favored child, and Vita has always been in the background, managing her brother's career and handling various tasks for him. This causes an explosive tension between the siblings where Vita explores the challenges and conflicts that arise as a woman striving to establish herself independently in the music industry.

While it may seem a juvenile spat, news outlets are on opposite ends. One deemed it ‘ a love-letter to black music ’, while another called the show’s ‘ pace is slow ’ and ‘ too low-key for prime time.’ All in all the series will move you but not in the way you expect it to.

WHERE TO WATCH IT — You can watch Champion on Netflix.

Copa del Rey’s most exciting matches are coming up. Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are going head to head tonight at 10pm in what we expect to be a heated match during the 16th round of the Spanish cup. Barcelona might have an easier go of it against Unionistas de Salamanca, a third division team, at 8:30pm.

The European leagues are kicking off new rounds this weekend. Here are the confrontations we’re looking forward to:

Arsenal vs Crystal Palace — Premier League (Saturday at 2:30pm)
Brentford vs Nottingham Forest — Premier League (Saturday at 7:30pm)
Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao — La Liga (Saturday at 7:30 pm)
Roma vs Verona — Serie A (Saturday at 7pm)
Udinese Calcio vs Milan — Serie A (Saturday at 9:45pm)
Cologne vs Dortmund — Bundesliga (Saturday at 4:30pm)
Leipzig vs Leverkusen — Bundesliga (Saturday at 7:30pm)

Picasso Art Gallery has opened its doors to solo exhibitionist Hicham Rahma. Each of his paintings will exhibit “mixed tales with rich folkloric elements” with “magical strangeness and astonishing interaction.” This exhibition opens from 11am to 9pm, except for Sundays, until Friday, 2 February. Click here for more information.

Doodlers, unite. If you’re interested in learning how to tell stories through comic form, comics artist Magdi El Shafai is teaching a Flash Masterclass tonight from 7pm at 302Labs. Learn how to storyboard, perfect dialogue for the medium, and hone your panel design skills. Register here.

Practice your knitting and needling skills at a crochet workshop at the Monalisa ArtStudio. This three-hour course will teach you all the fundamentals from basic stitching shapes to making scarves. The course will be taking place every Saturday and Wednesday until Wednesday, 28 February from 1-4pm. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

Only a few more weeks until The Fujifilm festival starts on Thursday, 1 February, and ends on Sunday, 4 February. You’ll have four full days of activities, meetups, and talks, as well as a photography contest and an exhibition that you can partake in. You can bring your camera along to get a gratuitous CMOS and lens cleaning and check out the GFX 100 ii Studio on-site. Fujifilm X-Photographers and creators will be there too — don’t miss out on the networking potential. Check out their Facebook page for more information.

BOOKS-

The Cairo International Book Fair is starting on Wednesday, 24 January until Tuesday, 6February. The event will be open to the general public on 25 January from 10am to 2pm, except Friday and Saturday, when their doors will close at 9pm. The fair will be in the Egyptian Center for Fairs and Conferences in the Fifth Settlement, New Cairo.

MUSIC-

Warm up your vocal cords, gang. Karaoke Night is back at ROOM Art Space and Cafe. ROOM’s doors are open every Tuesday through to 27 February for you and your friends to belt out your favorite tunes, starting at 8pm and ending at 10pm. You can reserve your spot here.

Soothe your ears with the sound of harmonious music at the Harp classic concert with Manal Mohei Eldin on the string quartet playing pieces by Mozart and Boïeldieu. The performance will also feature Huda Abde Elazim on the flute as the guest of honor. This is a one-day concert at Cairo Opera House’s small theater on Sunday, 21 January from 8pm. Reserve your seats here.

The Cairo Opera House is reserving its Main Hall for a Rageh Daoud homage concert next Sunday, 21 January. The concert will be conducted under the tutelage of Maestro Ahmed Farag, and will kick off at 8pm. Before you book your tickets, note that there is a strict black-tie dress code for the night. Gentlemen, that means a full suit, tie included.

Brooklyn Babies are bringing Lana del Rey to Cairo. The tribute band will perform at El Sawy Culturewheel on Thursday, 25 January from 7-9pm. Click here to book your tickets.

Hamza Namira will be dropping his album at a concert hosted by ZED park on Friday, 9 February at 8pm. The park’s gates will open at 2pm but the concert gates will open later at 6pm. You can get your tickets here, with the option of regular standing, VIP standing, or VIP seated.

Amr Hassan will be performing at El Sawy Culturewheel for their annual end of winter show. Alongside his band, he will perform two concerts on Friday, 16 February, one at 3:30pm and one at 7pm. Find out more here.

FILM-

The Panorama of European Film is back. The annual awaited event for film lovers is running from until Saturday, 20 January. Films will be screened at Zawya, Cima Arkan, Point 90, and Zamalek Cinema. You can find the schedule as well as other important information here.

The Oscar nominations for all 23 categories are to be announced on Tuesday, 23 January at 3:30 pm. As for the actual academy ceremony, it’ll take place on Monday, 11 March at 2:22pm. You can watch the ceremony on OSN, OSN+ and Dubai One.

FOOD-

If you missed the cheese fondue brunch at Villa Belle Epoque you can plan to be there next Monday or Wednesday.The brunch will be on every Monday and Wednesdayuntil 28 February from 2-6pm. The meal is reservation only and click here to find out how to book your spot.

Why go to Dubai Village when the Walk of Cairo has a day of street foods. This one-day street food and tasting event, happening on Friday, 26 January, will bring together artisanal, farm and comfort food from all of the best bites around. There will also be activities and entertainment for the kiddos — all you have to do is bring yourself.

SPORTS-

Watch the African Cup on the big screen. Mivida is hosting The Stadium, screening upcoming matches from today through to tonight and again on Saturday and Sunday. The Lake District is within arm’s reach in case you need to fuel up before or after the matches. More of a doer? The Stadium is also hosting sports activities you can partake in. You can book your tickets through Ticketsmarche.

Put on your hiking boots and hike up Wadiwith the Wadi Clan this Saturday, 20 January at 8:30am. The mid-level hike, made for all fitness levels, is part of their gradual increase in difficulty with the chance to work up to join their group on their Sinai mountain climb. Click here to reserve your spot and for more details.

The Cairo Half Marathon is taking place in less than two months: Mark your calendars for Friday, 1 March, and start stretching. Cairo Runners is bringing back a fan favorite, offering 5km, 10km, and 21km runs as well as a Family Run. Tickets are available until 27 February, giving you ample time to convince seven of your friends to join, which will get a 10% reduction in price when you register.

EVENTS-

Listen up, brainiacs. Darb15 is bringing Trivia Night back. Grab 3-5 friends and head over to Maadi tonight to test your general knowledge. If you do well enough, there may be some prizes in it for you. Interested? Book ahead of time through their Facebook page.

Cairo Vintage Souq is back with more old finds for you to scavenge. Bring your thrifting skills to Al Ismaelia venue in Downtown Cairo from 12pm till 9pm on Saturday, 3 February to get the best retro and vintage finds. For more information go to their instagram page.

Ezra Klein wants to sit you down for a conversation twice a week. His podcast, The Ezra Klein Show, aims to discuss things that matter. The topics are never black and white and invite nuance to the discourse. Klein is essentially trying to make his audience more informed and open to varying perspectives when approaching sensitive topics.

Klein doesn’t shy away from controversy. In fact, that’s what he’s built his platform on. He’ll bring on guests from both sides of the aisle on each episode’s topic, even when it’s difficult to hear, to make sure listeners get the full picture.

Theepisode on information consumption is one of our favorites. Every day our brains are bombarded with info and it’s tricky to retain it all. So what ends up sticking? It seems like we can read an article and forget about it the next day but some linger on in our memory. Why is that, and how do we make sure to actually process what we’re reading/watching/listening to? Klein brings on researcher Maryanne Wolf to discuss the relationship between the process of reading and the neuroscience of the brain.

Warning- This is not a podcast you can skip through, or listen to on 2x speed. You’ll have to really digest the conversation to keep up so we’d say it’s more educational than a time-filler.

You can listen to The Ezra Klein Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or the NY Times.

What the markets are doing on 18 January, 2024

The EGX30 rose 0.3% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 4.4 bn (45.1% above the 90-day average). Local investors were net sellers. The index is up 7.8% YTD.

In the green: Credit Agricole (+6.0%), Palm Hills Development (+5.8%) and B Investments (+4.2%).

In the red: Telecom Egypt (-2.3%), Eastern Company (-2.0%) and Alexandria Containers and Cargo Handling (-1.8%).

The merits of TikTok as an educational platform

Can we learn using TikTok? The widely popular social media app that posts short videos ventured into the realm of education back in June 2020. They committed a USD 15 mn investment across Europe to begin #LearnOnTikTok, their long-term initiative to create “a whole ecosystem of education content.” But, has it really taken off and — more importantly — is it effective?

Viewership numbers for #LearnOnTikTok content are soaring: The learning hashtags that allow students to find educational content directly pulled in over 870.5 bn views in Egypt as of today, and #TipsAndTricks (hashtags presents videos in your location or popular within your region) amassed significant attention accumulating 61.1 bn views — a sizable increase since 2021, when #LearnOnTikTok had 1.89 bn views and #TipsAndTricks stood at c.113 mn.

As of this year, TikTok has launched another in-app educational hub: In March, TikTok introduced #schoolready, a learning hub merging entertainment with education that focuses on high school education and exam preparation. It features a dedicated landing page offering tutoring content across multiple subjects for Grade 10 to Grade 12 students. They’ve teamed up with e-learning platforms like Abwaab, Noon Academy, and Nafham in Saudi Arabia and Egypt to revolutionize learning by keeping up with the new generation trends and making learning more interactive.

But what we can see is that TikTok videos seem to be using the precepts of microlearning. This teaching strategy bodes well with TikTok’s formula — it focuses on giving information in short 3-5 minute segments which can cater to a generation whose attention span doesn’t extend beyond 15-20 minutes, or employees in a corporation who have little time to spare for corporate training.

But is the content actually relevant?The videos found using the hashtag have content that ranges from how to draw a mouse, how to make carbonara pasta, and a few videos by Bill Nye the Science Guy — which goes to suggest that finding learning content on the platform may need a bit more refining.

“[Tik Tok] is no more harmful than any other social media platform, it just has the appeal of this younger generation, and we’re facing the constant renewal of technological input within education and I guess TikTok is a ‘little bit sexy’ at the moment but it won’t be for longer,” Lynn Howard-Mitchell, who teaches English, tells Enterprise.

TikTok’s search engine has its advantages — but there are potential risks. The app’s algorithm is designed to keep users within the app, limiting their ability to fact-check information from external sources. This raises concerns about the spread of misinformation and disinformation on the platform.

But they say they have it under control: “Our Community Guidelines make clear that we do not allow harmful misinformation and will remove it from the platform. We partner with independent fact-checkers who help us to assess the accuracy of content,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement. But in the end, if it were to be used as a tool or means of enhancing participation in students’ learning, Howard-Mitchell adds that the only way to manage it would be by implementing a protocol of use.

Agree to disagree? A research report has found that out of 540 videos, nearly 20% presented as search results on TikTok contain misinformation on topics such as covid-19 vaccines and health inquiries.

There are threats to the educational system and users in the long run: It’s no surprise that each individual has a certain learning style, with research indicating that visual learning is 83% more effective than text-based methods. Another study also reported a decrease in human attention span to eight seconds, which pushed many entertainment platforms to adapt by shortening their content as much as possible.

…which explains the reduced attention span extended among kids and teens struggling to concentrate in classrooms — this proliferation of screen time during the pandemic, particularly among the covid generation, aids short attention spans and worsens mental health issues.

Nevertheless, some institutions have already started incorporating TikTok into their learning. In Heriot-Watt Global College Malaysia, Natasya Saat, an assistant professor of Accounting has created TikTok videos for two semesters — which cover key points from various lessons. Out of 56 respondents, around 80% found the videos useful and suggested they be used as teaching materials.

ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

JANUARY

5 January-2 February (Friday-Friday): Intro to Improv with Ramsi Lehner.

6 January-28 February (Saturday-Wednesday): Crochet courses at Monalisa Art Studio.

19 January (Friday): Amr Selim Live in Concert at the Cairo Opera House.

20 January (Saturday): Wadi Clan morning hike at the Wadi Degla Reserve.

23 January (Tuesday):The Oscar nominations announcements

25 January (Thursday): Revolution Day.

26 January-6 February (Friday-Tuesday): Cairo International Book Fair.

26 January (Friday): Streats at Walk of Cairo.

FEBRUARY

1-4 February (Thursday-Sunday): Fujifilm Egypt Festival at Consoleya.

3 February (Saturday): Cairo Vintage Souq at Al Ismaelia Downtown.

16 February (Friday): Amr Hassan concerts at El Sawy.

21-22 February (Wednesday-Thursday): Omar KhairatHafliti concert at the Cairo Opera House.

MARCH

1 March (Friday): Cairo Half Marathon by Cairo Runners.

11-12 March (Monday-Tuesday): Creative Industry Summit.

11 March (Monday): The Oscars

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.

EVENTS WITH NO SET DATE

2023: The inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum.

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

Sections

About

Privacy & Support

Get EnterpriseAM daily