Digital detectives

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WHAT WE’RE TRACKING TONIGHT

Sokhna Industrial Zone welcomes USD 55 mn in Chinese textile investments

Good afternoon, friends, and congratulations on making it to the weekend. It’s a calm day on the home front, meanwhile Trump’s trade war continues to dominate headlines.

THE BIG STORY TODAY-

New day, new Chinese investment in SCZone: China’s Bridge Textile International Egypt and F-Tex International kicked off construction of two textile projects, with combined investments exceeding USD 55 mn, in the China-Egypt Teda industrial zone within the Sokhna Industrial Zone, according to a Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) statement.

Bridge Textile International Egypt will develop an integrated textile complex on a 40k sqm plot, with investments exceeding USD 25 mn. The complex will feature 18 spinning lines, over 100 fabric production lines, and 6 printing and dyeing lines, with a planned annual output of 25 mn meters of high-quality fabric and 105k tons of fiber. The project is expected to create 500 direct and 1k indirect jobs. The facility is projected to generate USD 120 mn in annual sales, of which USD 100 mn will be in foreign currency, according to Bridge Textile Director Zhang Lihua. Around 80% of production will be exported to Europe and the US.

F-Tex International will develop a USD 30 mn production plant for Draw Textured Yarn (DTY) polyester fibers on a 55k sqm site. The plant will house 60 production lines for DTY, with planned annual output of 130k tons and is expected to generate USD 150 mn in annual export revenues.

Timeline: The DTY facility is expected to begin trial operations within a year, according to F-Tex director Lou Xinrang. It is projected to become fully operational by the end of 2027, creating approximately 400 jobs.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

US President Donald Trump threatens trade agreement with Canada following Prime Minister Mark Carney’s announcement that the country plans to recognize the Palestinian State in September, unless Israel concedes to a ceasefire. “That will make it very hard for us,” the US President wrote on Truth Social.

ICYMI- On Wednesday, Canadian PM Mark Carney joined two other G7 nations — France and the UK — in announcing that Canada would recognize the Palestinian State at the upcoming UN General Assembly in September. Carney’s announcement came just one day after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the UK would “recognize a Palestinian state as a contribution to a proper peace process.” Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron was the first to make a similar statement.

REMEMBER- Trump set a deadline of 1 August for countries to reach deals with the US to avoid higher tariffs. If a deal between the US and Canada is not reached today, the latter is set to face a 35% tariff on most goods sold to the US starting Friday. (BBC | NYT | Guardian | Independent)

MEANWHILE- More than 50 Palestinians were killed and 400 injured in Gaza earlier today as they lined up for aid, according to a Gazan hospital that received the casualties. The Israeli military claimed that it had intended to fire warning shots, and was “not aware of any casualties." The news comes just days after Israel announced a daily 10-hour pause on military operations in Gaza to allow for more aid corridors. (BBC | Guardian | AP)

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- We’re looking at a relatively cool Friday, with temperatures in Cairo set to peak at 35°C before cooling down to 23°C. Up north, we’re expecting some wind with a high of 29°C and a low of 27°C, according to our favorite weather app.

The rise of the TikTok detectives

? The age of surveillance has reached new heights in the form of TikTok detectives. Private investigators are experiencing newfound fame through turning their cases into content, feeding a growing appetite online for real-time surveillance and public shaming, according to Wired.

TikTok storytimes are taking a turn into true-crime style surveillance. From cheating suspicions to background checks, people’s lives are going viral through the work of private investigators in the name of reassuring their clients. Private investigator Stephanie A. — who’s behind Your Fav Investigator on TikTok — has garnered mns of views posting videos as she monitors people from afar and casually narrates their actions along with the clients’ suspicions. As with all investigative content, the people in her videos remain anonymous — but that doesn’t take away from the drama.

Infidelity content drives the trend, with PIs such as Lisa Allen-Stell, who runs Pink Lady Investigations, and Cassie Crofts, who runs Venus Investigations, dedicating their content towards marital suspicions. Their content follows them surveilling individuals accused of having an affair.

Online policing has become a staple in internet culture. The rising trend is fueling the growing “name and shame” internet fire — and is exacerbating cyberbullying. While the PIs interviewed by Wired were all licensed and kept their cases anonymous, similar accounts have been surfacing that don’t extend the same courtesy of anonymity. To add fuel to the fire, some avid content consumers have taken it upon themselves to follow-up on certain cases themselves.

The witchhunt: One Reddit user who once happened to be on the receiving end of the digital investigation craze shared his experience online, noting that public exposure led to “being torn down by hundreds of thousands of people,” impacting job prospects alongside other personal matters. Guilty or not, the fact of the matter is that the general affairs of private individuals are being unlawfully showcased to global audiences, left to the judgement of a jury of digital peers hungry for real-time entertainment.

Big Brother has arrived. The virality of these private investigation videos seems to be an extension of a pre-existing intrigue with strangers’ online lives. While these videos are meant to serve dopamine-driven content for online audiences akin to true-crime shows, they have raised major privacy concerns and exacerbated the threat of digital surveillance.

This Egyptian Netflix original will have you weeping from the get-go

? Netflix’s latest limited series is what Egyptian television needed. Having recently dropped on Netflix, Catalog — starring Mohamed Farrag, Riham Abdel Ghaffour, Tara Emad, and a slew of other familiar faces — is a heartbreaking (and heartwarming) tale of a family picking up its pieces after the sudden passing of its matriarch, Amina (Abdel Ghaffour).

The plot: Amina is a devout wife, a dedicated, caring parent, and an internet celebrity. Her channel — Catalog Amina — has a far-reaching audience of Egyptian mothers, tackles all sorts of parenting issues, and offers advice on the most niche of topics. When Amina loses the battle against cancer, her family — her husband Youssef (Mohamed Farag), her brother Osama, and her children Karima and Mansour (Lam Shamseya’s Ali El Beialy) — as well as a number of other family members and friends — find themselves in a state of loss. Their lives are suddenly turned upside down, as they realize just how much Amina had filled in them.

Parenting from beyond: As Youssef desperately tries and fails to cater to his children’s needs, he comes across his late wife’s YouTube videos. Through them, Youssef’s hope is lit anew; he’s able to quickly turn the situation around by following Amina’s advice by the book. Soon enough, the family begins finding its footsteps once more. Yet, new problems are arising that Amina never had the chance to address. As Youssef struggles to balance work with home, and meets a new potential love interest, tensions begin to rise within the already-fractured household. To make matters worse, Youssef discovers a secret that completely shatters his perception of his marriage.

The series does an incredible job of discussing grief, parenthood, and marriage. While many Egyptian series that attempt to tackle nuanced topics tend to do so with some level of cliché, Catalog lets the dialogue flow naturally. The series has its fair share of tear-jerking moments, uncomfortable conversations, and delicate topics — and they’re all tackled with ease.

It’s not all tears — you’ll laugh quite a lot, too. Catalog has its fair share of comedic moments; from household disasters to nanny Umm Hashem’s (Samah Anwar) perfectly-timed one-liners, the show knows when to break the silence for something a little more fun — though the first couple of episodes may not be brimming with comedy, to say the least. Our humble verdict? Catalog is a must-watch.

WHERE TO WATCH- You can stream Catalog on Netflix, and watch the trailer on YouTube (runtime: 2:01).

More friendlies on our radar

⚽ With the upcoming football season still two weeks away, we’ve got a few more friendly matches on our radar over the weekend and through Sunday.

Friday’s matches:

Elche vs. Al Ahli Saudi (Friday 11:30 am).
Augsburg vs. Crystal Palace (Friday 5:00 pm).
Fortuna Sittard vs. Leverkusen (Friday 8:00 pm).

Saturday’s matches:

Juventus vs. Reggiana 1919 (Saturday 12:00 pm).
Bayern Munich vs. Lyon (Saturday 4:30 pm).
Queens Park Rangers vs. Brentford (Saturday 5:00 pm).
Lens vs. Roma (Saturday 7:00 pm).
Galatasaray vs. Lazio (Saturday 9:00 pm).

Sunday’s matches:

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Newcastle (Sunday 2:00 pm).

Don’t miss out on Massar Egbari’s concert tonight

HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND-

?Feel like rocking out? Egyptian rock band Massar Egbari will be taking the stage at Nile University’s El Sawy Culturewheel Theater in Sheikh Zayed tonight. You can grab your tickets from El Sawy Culturewheel’s website.

Looking to change it up in Sahel? Medhat Saleh is bringing opera by the beach, performing with Maestro Amr Selim and his band at Porto Golf Alamein City tomorrow. Head to Ticketsmarché for tickets.

A Sahel night with El Hadaba. Join Egyptian megastar Amr Diab for a night of summer hits and timeless classics at U Arenas in Al Alamein tomorrow, as part of the New Alamein Festival. You can grab your tickets through Tazkarti.

The Martinez Brothers will be giving the North Coast’s Sol Beach a taste of what New York City’s nightlife scene has to offer tomorrow. The DJ duo — and brothers from the same mother — will be joined by Lebanese DJ and producer Rolbac, so you know things will be heating up quite fast. You can grab your tickets from Ticketsmarché.

Up for a treasure hunt? This weekend, Maadi’s Darb 15 is hosting a garage sale brimming with fashion pieces looking for a new home. The sale will run from 12pm to 10pm on both days, and we’d suggest getting there fast if you plan on digging for gold.

HAPPENING LATER-

Sometimes what you really need is just a few minutes of singing Kelly Clarkson’s “Stronger” to a room full of strangers. On Monday, 4 August, you can do just that at CJC 610’s karaoke night. You can book your tickets through CJC’s website.

Need a dash of folklore in your life? Reconnect with your Egyptian roots at Madinaty’s Boom Room on Tuesday, 5 August, as the all-Egyptian, all-women band Tablet el Sitt take the stage. Tickets are available through Ticketsmarché.

In the mood to party by the Pyramids? On Friday, 19 December, world-famous Dutch DJ and Producer Tiësto is coming back to Egypt for a solo show at the Giza Plateau. Once voted “The greatest DJ of all time,” Tiësto will surely make this upcoming show one to remember. Tickets are available on Ticket Egypt.

What the markets are doing on 31 July 2025

The EGX30 rose 1.0% at today’s close on turnover of EGP 4.2 bn (17.1% below the 90-day average). Local investors were the sole net buyers. The index is up 15.0% YTD.

In the green: GB Corp (+4.9%), Beltone Holding (+4.7%), and Rameda (+4.2%).

In the red: Edita (-2.0%), Abou Qir Fertilizers (-0.6%), and Orascom Construction (-0.3%).

ENTERPRISE ENTERTAINMENT CALENDAR

? JULY

31 July (Thursday): Mohamed Ramadan at Porto Golf Alamein City.

31 July (Thursday): Massar Egbari at El Sawy Culturewheel Theatre, Nile University.

AUGUST

1 August (Friday): The Martinez Brothers at Sol Beach.

1 August (Friday): Amr Diab at U Arenas.

1-2 August (Friday - Saturday): Garage sale at Darb 15.

4 August (Monday): Karaoke night at CJC 610.

5 August (Tuesday): Tablet El Sitt at Madinaty’s Boom Room.

6-30 August (Wednesday - Saturday): Egypt Sculpture Symposium at New Alamein.

7 August (Thursday): Peggy Gou at D-Bay.

8 August (Friday): Hussein Al Jassmi, Disco Misr, and Ahmed Saad at Seashore.

8 August (Friday): &ME at Sol Beach.

8 August (Friday): All Day I Dream at ESCĀ Beach Club.

15 August (Friday): Marwan Pablo and Lege-cy at U Arena.

SEPTEMBER

4 September (Thursday): Al Mawlid Al Nabawi.

OCTOBER

6 October (Monday): Armed forces day.

7 October (Tuesday): Enterprise Egypt Forum 2025.

15 October (Wednesday): Scorpions concert at New Capital.

16-24 October (Thursday-Friday): Gouna Film Festival.

30 October - 22 November (Thursday-Saturday): Forever is Now at the Great Pyramids of Giza.

DECEMBER

19 December (Friday): DJ Tiësto at the Giza Plateau.

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