The pre-Eid news slowdown appears to be in full effect, with not one major theme in business happening today. For those who have not set an internal countdown, Monday, 19 July is the Wa’fa.

THE BIG STORY TODAY- The Oil Ministry signed four gold exploration contracts worth USD 17 mn with Canada’s B2Gold and Australian gold miner and Sukkari operator Centamin. The local press had reported yesterday that Canada’s Barrick Gold was also expected to sign an agreement today, but that does not appear to have taken place. We breakdown who gets what in the Speed Round below.

HAPPENING NOW- The House of Representatives have given their sign off on a number of political and administrative pieces of legislation today as it trudges ahead before its summer recess. There is an expectation that they will sign off on the long awaited Water Resources Act today. We’ll be keeping an eye on it and will have the full rundown in tomorrow’s EnterpriseAM.

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

• More than 2.25 mn vaccines will be delivered to Egypt this week, among them Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson jabs.
• Egypt’s external debt jumped by 21% in 3Q2020-2021 to USD 134.8 bn, compared to USD 111.3 bn in the same period in the previous fiscal year, according to the CBE.
• Suez Canal revenues hit a record USD 5.84 bn in FY2020-2021, despite the Ever Given debacle that took place earlier this year.

When will we know the price of fuel at the pump for 3Q2021? The government’s fuel pricing committee, which will set prices for domestic fuel for the current quarter, was supposed to have concluded their meetings last Saturday. A decision may not be announced until the beginning of August, government officials reportedly told the local press. The meeting comes as OPEC+ has failed to reach a supply agreement, which is meant to help keep global inflation under wraps.

Globally, oil prices appear to have slipped last Friday, with futures ending the day at USD 74/bbl. Analysts speaking to Bloomberg suggest that weaker demand from China and the Delta variant threatening recovery in Europe as the likely reason.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD– Two former Jordanian officials have been sentenced to 15 years in prison on sedition and incitement charges after an alleged coup against Jordan’s King Abdullah II that took place in April. Bassem Awadallah, who served as a top aide to the monarch, and Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, a member of the royal family, are being accused of conspiring with Prince Hamzah, the king’s half-brother. The two men have denied the charges and are planning to appeal. Covering the story are Reuters | Bloomberg | The Associated Press | Deutsche Welle.

???? CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

You have three more days to visit the Cairo International Book Fair at the Egypt International Exhibition Center. The event will run through 15 July and the fair’s committee has now allowed the exhibition ground to operate at 70% capacity.

The Clean Energy Business Council’s webinar Women Entrepreneurs in Canada and the Middle East is taking place on 21 July at 3pm, showcasing female entrepreneurs working in climate tech in the two regions, and highlighting the challenges they face.

???? FOR YOUR COMMUTE-

Yes, we would like flying cars to be quieter before they’re allowed on our skies, thank you: Entrepreneurs, including former NASA engineer Mark Moore, are working on how to make the long-dreamed-of flying car quieter. Whisper Aero is designing flying taxis that are quieter than their normal counterparts, in efforts to reduce noise pollution. A Bloomberg piece notes how a buzzing drone can ruin a perfectly good day at the beach, and hundreds of flying cars in the sky are sure to make our daily commutes even more hectic. Whisper’s new “thruster” design will allow the aircrafts to blend into city noise, making a sky full of flying cars, if that is ever our reality, sound a little less annoying.

YOUR MANDATORY COVID STORY- Pfizer is pushing the FDA towards a third dose of its covid jab, and is set to discuss the need for a booster shot in the next 12 months with FDA officials today, the Associated Press reports. Pfizer said last week that a third jab increases people’s antibodies by 5-10 fold, compared to only two shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the FDA previously said that there is no need for a third dose, but didn’t rule out the possibility either.

???? ON THE TUBE TONIGHT-

Saudi animation comedy Masameer County offers a humorous view on a changing Saudi Arabia: In the eight-episode exclusive series, the Masameer Gang get stuck in the middle of a tribal feud, while also instigating a global media war. The series is refreshingly Arab-inspired and depicts a reality we can all relate to, especially the eccentric group of friends aspect that we’ve all experienced. Masameer County is a great light look at how the Gulf kingdom operates, mixing comedy with politics and societal issues.

⚽ Football comes to Rome: Italy emerged as yesterday’s victor in the Euro 2020 finals, beating England in a penalty shootout after a match that we thought felt more like a WWE showdown. The two teams were tied at 1-1, with England’s Luke Shaw scoring a goal in the first two minutes before Leonardo Bonucci brought Italy back into the game with a goal in minute 67.

???? OUT AND ABOUT-

Fusion band Code Masr is performing at The Room New Cairo tonight at 9pm.

A spike ball and archery event is taking place tomorrow at 6pm at the Bison courts in New Cairo’s Metropolitan school. Professional trainers will be available to teach and supervise the sports.

7 Rays Holistic Health Center & Community is hosting a movie night today at 6pm, showing the Egyptian movie X-Large, after which Nour Mehanna will lead a discussion on the film from a yoga perspective.

???? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

The foreign press has been all over it, maybe you should give it a read too: Midnight in Cairo by Raphael Cormack paints a picture of Egypt’s Roaring Twenties, a time that redefined Egyptian popular culture by putting female singers and dancers front and center. From Badia Masabni’s dancehall to Egyptian cinema pioneer Aziza Amir to legendary singer Umm Kulthum, these divas thrust themselves into the political and sociological spheres and had a massive impact on what it meant to be Egyptian at the time. They also paved the way for later feminist battles by breaking with patriarchial gender norms and striking out on their own to create businesses, careers, and public personas in a maligned and controversial industry for women at the time.

You can read more reviews on: The Financial Times | Al Monitor | Harper’s Bazaar | The Times | The Wall Street Journal | The Guardian.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- Surprise surprise, 40°C weather once again for the capital city, with temperatures falling to 23°C at night, our favorite weather app tells us. Meanwhile, the mercury is at 32°C in Sahel, with nighttime lows of 22°C.