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Wednesday, 15 March 2023

Last Night’s Talk Shows: The US banking crisis continues to capture the attention of Egypt’s talk shows

It was a mixed bag on the talk shows last night: The nation’s talking heads continued to focus on the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and kicked off their Ramadan coverage, with news of the Ahlan Ramadan expo and the new trading hours next week.

The one message on the airwaves last night: Don’t worry. Most of the talking heads spent the night calming fears that the collapse of SVB will end up spilling over into the local economy or have serious implications for the global economy. Masa’a DMC (watch, runtime: 4:37), Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 9:42), and Yahduth Fi Masr (watch, runtime: 5:03) had the news.

There are more Ahlan Ramadan branches to come: That’s according to Assistant Supply Minister Ibrahim Ashmawy, who joined Yahduth Fi Masr last night to discuss the government’s efforts to offer cheaper food ahead of Ramadan amid soaring prices (watch, runtime: 5:40). There are currently more than 550 branches across the country, he said, indicating that more will open in the coming days. Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly inaugurated the Nasr City Ahlan Ramadan discounted supermarket expo yesterday, promising discounts of up to 50%. The news received coverage from Ala Mas’ouleety (watch, runtime: 5:38) and Al Hayah Al Youm (watch, runtime: 1:05).

Also on the airwaves last night:

  • A new strategy to combat overpopulation: The financial incentives to control the Egyptian population (unveiled by the cabinet yesterday) have been in the works since 2020, Amira Tawadros, head of the Planning Ministry’s Demographic Center said. We have more on the story in this morning’s news well, above. (Al Hayah Al Youm | watch, runtime: 9:19) ( Masa’a DMC | watch, runtime: 6:35)
  • Ramadan trading hours also got some airtime: From 22 March, restaurants, malls, and other commercial spaces will be allowed to stay open until 2am during the holy month. (Yahduth Fi Masr | watch, runtime: 3:46) (Ala Mas’ouleety | watch, runtime: 4:09)

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