On a reasonably quiet end to a busy week, Afrexim Bank president Benedict Oramah is expected to hold a press conference today to present the bank’s projects to support the Egyptian economy, including a USD 500 mn initiative to boost Egypt’s exports, according to Youm7.

Investment minister Sahar Nasr is in Beirut for a business forum this morning and will lay the groundwork for a joint meeting of Egyptian and Lebanese ministers set to take place in Cairo next month, a ministry statement says.

Next time you diss Cairo or Alex, remember there far worse places to live: Cairo and Alexandria rank among the top 10 African cities in terms of quality of life according to Swiss research agency the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). Alexandria came in third place, while our congested and densely populated capital came in at seventh place (to our pleasant surprise). The institute looked at society, housing, spatial development, infrastructure, environment, governance and economy when drawing up the list. Honorable mentions: Morocco which is clearly doing something right as four of its cities (Rabat, Marrakesh, Fez, and Casablanca) made it to the top ten.

Investigators are releasing surveillance photos of the hit team that killed Kim Jong-un’s brother at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The New York Times has one of the best rundowns on the case so far.

Scientists have just announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized planets in a “nearby” star system that may harbor life. It’s one of the most exciting discoveries in recent years and could open the door to the identification of other planets given they were discovered orbiting a different type of star than astronomers typically scan for exoplanets. The New York Times and NASA’s website have great coverage and videos.

Are traveling to the US or Canada any time soon? McDonald’s is now selling breakfast all day long. Yes, egg McMuffins at any hour of the day. You’re welcome.

** We’re off tomorrow: We are not publishing a Weekend Edition tomorrow so that we can all hammer away at a special edition for the following Friday. We’ll be back at about 6:05am as usual on Sunday. Enjoy the weekend, folks!