On another night packed only with miscellany, we were happy to see the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) talks given some airtime.

Yahduth fi Masr’s Sherif Amer zeroed in on amendments to the Unified Building Codes, which Cabinet signed off on yesterday. Senior housing ministry official Nefisa Hashem told Amer that the amendments require building licenses to be issued within one month, a process that had previously dragged on for up to two years. If the licensing authority happens to miss the one-month deadline, it is obligated to explain the delay within one week (how reassuring).

Amer also had a chat with Ismail cabinet spokesperson Ashraf Sultan about alternativescenarios in case GERD talks completely fall through. Sultan said that Egypt’s strategy will remain grounded in its framework agreement with Ethiopia and Sudan, and that Egypt remains keen on communication and flexibility, but warned that “all options are on the table.”

Sultan also phoned in to Al Hayah Al Youm to tell host Tamer Amin that the government isestablishing a human rights unit within each ministry to ensure citizens’ rights are protected. The government’s human rights strategy will also require cooperation with NGOs and communication with international organizations to keep them abreast of the state’s efforts to promote human rights. Completing the legislative foundation for human rights is also a top priority, Sultan said (watch, runtime: 4:20).

In keeping with the theme of miscellany, Kol Youm’s Amr Adib talked about everything from singer Sherine Abdel Wahab’s “mockery” of the Nile to the latest on former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri. Adib noted that French President Emmanuel Macron has invited Al Hariri to visit Paris, but said that it would be best for Al Hariri to return to Lebanon, even if only temporarily (watch, runtime: 4:43).

Supreme Media Council head Makram Mohamed Ahmed told Masaa DMC’s Osama Kamalthat the council coordinated with Al Azhar and Dar Al Iftaa to compile a list of 50 Muslim scholars who have been licensed to issue religious edicts (fatwas). The list will be circulated among various media outlets to ensure unlicensed edicts are no longer broadcasted (watch, runtime: 8:13). There are no words.