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Tuesday, 15 January 2019

Energy, open-book exams and controversial hugs dominated airwaves

The first East Med Gas Forum that kicked off in Cairo yesterday (the full details of which we have in Speed Round, below) was in the limelight on the airwaves last night.

The inclusion of the Israeli energy minister in the forum was apparently the subject of criticism, but Al Hayah Al Youm’s Khaled Abu Bakr wasn’t having any of it. He slammed these reports, saying the forum is a positive step for Egypt particularly as it looks to become a regional energy hub (watch, runtime: 03:23). Hona Al Asema also dedicated a segment to the forum, which included seven countries and is expected to reconvene in April (watch, runtime: 03:51).

Education Minister Tarek Shawki tried to improve public opinion on Egypt’s first open book exam for Thanaweya Amma students, telling El Hekaya’s Amr Adib that the approach will help students gain key skills amid a less stressful learning environment. He also noted that students will soon be equipped with tablets, which will help ensure efficiency and transparency in the examination process (watch, runtime: 07:23).

Madbouly unhappy with progress on new capital industrial zone? Cabinet spokesman Nader Saad downplayed Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly’s apparent dissatisfaction with progress on the Rubiki Industrial Zone at the new administrative capital, which he visited yesterday. Local reports suggested Madbouly threatened to dismiss those in charge of the project if they fail to deliver by the 30 March deadline (watch, runtime: 06:01).

Al Azhar Grand Imam, higher education minister intervene in Hug-Gate: Higher Education Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar told Amr Adib that he is personally intervening to reverse Al Azhar University’s decision to expel a female student from its Mansoura branch after a video of her hugging her fiancé went viral (watch, runtime: 06:26). Adib also praised Al Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Ahmed El Tayeb for his own intervention to soften the punishment (watch, runtime: 02: 01).

Exhibition fees at the Cairo International Book Fair have more than doubled to c. EGP 6k / sqm, Egyptian Publishers Association Head Saaid Abdo told Hona Al Asema’s Lama Gebril (watch, runtime: 01:59). This year’s fair will include 750 Egyptian publishers, he added.

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