The nation’s talking heads remained happily obsessed with the USD 15 bn natural gas import agreement with Israel.

Kol Youm’s Amr Adib said people are starting to develop a better understanding of the scope of the agreement that Dolphinus Holdings signed with Noble Energy and Delek this week. He downplayed any notions about normalization with Israel and said that Egypt has a competitive edge in the region since it’s been developing its infrastructure and liquefaction capabilities for years (watch, runtime: 5:42).

House is getting in line to support the pact: House Energy Committee secretary Elsayed Hegazy thought along similar lines, telling Yahduth fi Masr’s Sherif Amer that Egypt is becoming a main regional gas hub and logistics zone, which demands we be open to all markets. Some in the House may feel differently, but objecting to the agreement would be counter to the national interest, Hegazy said. Still, he noted, the agreement will be subject to review by both the Ismail Cabinet and the House before anything is set in stone (watch, runtime: 8:30).

Still no state approval: Ministry spokesperson Hamdy Abdel Hamid confirmed the agreement has yet to receive the state approval. Abdel Hamid made the remarks in a talk with Al Hayah Al Youm’s Nahawand Serry (watch, runtime: 3:15).

On Hona Al Asema, Lamees Al Hadidi drew a distinction between political differences and the gas pact, which she said is ultimately in Egypt’s economic interests (watch, runtime: 1:13). She also spoke with Saudi analyst Abdel Aziz Al Mokbel, who said that geopolitical issues, particularly the rift between Turkey and Cyprus, will have limited impact on the industry (watch, runtime: 6:47).

Back on Kol Youm, Adib voiced out his frustration over the delay in the resumption of direct flights with Russia. He said the holdup doesn’t reflect the warming ties that both countries have tried to foster in recent years. He also said that it is flights between Moscow and Sharm El Sheikh, rather than Cairo, that should resume first (watch, runtime: 2:43) and (watch, runtime: 3:20).

Meanwhile on Masaa DMC, Osama Kamal aired a pre-recorded interview with Siemens’ CEO Joe Kaeser, who told the host that the three power plants in Burullus, Beni Suef, and the new capital are 97% complete and should be pumping 15,000 MW of power into the national grid by summer.

Siemens is also working on a 180 MW wind farm in the Suez Canal Economic Zone and planning to collaborate with France’s Engie to build another 650 MW project in the area, Kaeser also said, adding that the company is ready to build a plant in Egypt that could create as many as 1,000 new jobs (watch full interview: 28:06).

Kamal also spoke to Supreme Antiquities’ Council Secretary General Mostafa Al Waziri about the uproar that erupted after pictures of a renovated floor at Luxor’s Karnak Temple surfaced on social media, showing new tiles in place of the blocks placed there by our ancient predecessors. Waziri said the floor was only recently changed to make the temple more accessible to older people and those with disabilities (watch, runtime: 10:09).

Lamees was also on the case, calling up the man in charge of the temple, Mustafa Al Saghir, who confirmed the replacement happened back in in 2008-09 (watch, runtime: 3:42).

Speaking of the ancient, Lamees was the only host to take note of the rift between Wafd Party members over the date of their party elections (watch, runtime: 4:45). She also praised rights lawyer Khaled Ali for his bravado in handling the [redacted] harassment allegations against him (watch, runtime: 5:09).