The official launch of insurance policies to cover non-government workers was one of several topics on the brains of the nation’s talking heads last night (We have full coverage in Speed Round, below), who were also preoccupied with the media crackdown and the Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday upholding Egypt’s agreement with Saudi Arabia over the sovereignty of two Red Sea Islands.

The success of the certificates will determine whether they’re extended beyond their original tenures, National Bank of Egypt (NBE) Deputy Head Yehia Aboul Fotouh told Hona Al Asema’s Lamees Al Hadidi. He confirmed that all bank branches will process requests as of today and reassured Lamees that interest rate fluctuations will not affect the payment scheme in cases of death (watch, runtime: 49:33). Misr Insurance Company will be in charge of handing out the payments, deputy head Ahmed Fouad Selim explained to Lamees (watch, runtime: 4:21).

The Labor Ministry will attempt to create a tally of seasonal, private-sector workers, who will be able to register through the ministry’s 467 outlets across the country, the ministry’s Mohamed Abdel Rahman said. He placed the figure of seasonal workers across the sectors at 12-13 mn (watch, runtime: 6:30).

Surprisingly enough, Kol Youm’s Amr Adib was once again the voice of reason, preaching against the crackdown on the press. He argued that the arrest of two journalists reporting on Alexandria tramway and recent investigation into charges of spreading false news levelled against talk show host Khairy Ramadan are detrimental to Egypt’s global image. Adib urged authorities to drop the case and dedicate their time fighting those really plotting against the state (read: terrorists) (watch, runtime: 4:08).

On the Supreme Court’s ruling on the islands of Tiran and Sanafir (watch, runtime: 2:16), Lamees urged the authorities to release those detained for protesting the agreement since the verdict sealed the debate and invalidated any previous legal challenges to its validity (watch, runtime: 2:18). Al Hayah Al Youm’s Tamer Amin agreed, saying the ruling has “closed the door on any further talk about the case (watch, runtime: 7:05).

As for concerns over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), Lamees urged the Foreign Ministry to clarify rumors suggesting that Cairo has received Addis Ababa’s plan to fill the reservoir behind the dam over five years (watch, runtime: 2:19). Kol Youm’s Amr Adib hosted Irrigation Minister Mohammed Abdel Ati to discuss GERD’s impact on Egypt’s Nile water supply (watch, runtime: 4:26).

Also on the airwaves last night:

• President Abdel Fattah El Sisi is expected to discuss cooperation, economy, and counterterrorism with Saudi Crown Prince MbS during their meeting today, Ittihadiya spokesperson Bassam Rady told Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hossary (watch, runtime: 2:49)
• North Sinai Governor Abdel Fattah Harhour reassured Adib on Kol Youm that North Sinai residents have access to commodities and amenities (watch, runtime: 7:21).
• Presidential candidate Moussa Moustafa Moussa is holding a conference on 23 March to discuss his electoral program, he told El Hosary (watch, runtime: 5:18), who also spoke to El Sisi’s campaign spokesman Mohammed Abu Shuka about the president’s plans for the coming weeks (watch, runtime: 7:18).