The talking heads busied themselves with a variety of topics last night, ranging from the expected signing of the Dabaa contracts today to the drop in the country’s annual inflation rate.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will be signing an accord today that will signal the start of the Dabaa nuclear power plant project, Ittihadiya Spokesperson Bassam Rady confirmed to Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary. On the agenda for Putin’s one-day stop in Cairo is also the resumption of direct Russian flights, and other bilateral and regional issues, including the latest in Libya and Syria, and anti-terrorism efforts (watch, runtime: 8:20).

Over on Kol Youm, CAPMAS head Abu Bakr El Gendy reminded everyone that a drop in inflation rates will not result in a drop in prices, as he proceeded to lecture Amr Adib on the basics of economics. He stressed that the goal is to reduce the rate of price increases, and that m-o-m rates are the most important to keep an eye on, attributing the 1% m-o-m rise in inflation in November to hiked cigarette prices and consumers stocking up on winter clothes (watch, runtime: 14:33).

Hona Al Asema’s Lamees Al Hadidi, meanwhile, whizzed through the key points in November’s inflation figures and consumer price index (watch, runtime: 4:41).

Lamees also spoke to Arab League Assistant Secretary-General Hossam Zaki about the emergency ministerial meeting on Jerusalem that kicked off on Saturday, which Zaki said was “fruitful.” Some attending ministers had called for taking more drastic steps to lay the pressure on the US, but the majority agreed on holding out and escalating their position gradually (watch, runtime: 12:16).

Yahduth fi Masr’s Sherif Amer sat down with World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva for a chat about the Business for Africa, Egypt, and the World summit and the bank’s projects in Egypt. The disbursal of the third USD 1.15 bn tranche of its USD 3.15 bn facility (which was signed over the weekend) will help Egypt become a more attractive destination for private-sector investment in energy and renewable energy, Georgieva said. She also lauded President El Sisi for his economic reform program and sending a message that Egypt is open to investors, which she says was relayed through the summit.

The bank is currently also focusing on helping SMEs in Egypt to develop and expand, she said, pointing to a program to reduce the risk levels for medium-sized enterprises in glass production as one example of the bank’s efforts. Such projects will help to spur further growth of Egypt’s economy, allowing for the creation of job and investment opportunities that will keep the country’s debt levels at a manageable level, Georgieva said.