National projects were the topic du jour on the airwaves last night, starring Aswan’s Benban solar complex and new Suez Canal tunnels. Benban earned some airtime thanks to World Bank President David Malpass’ visit to the site, which Al Hayah Al Youm’s Khaled Abu Bakr reminded us was recently named by the World Bank as its top project for the year (watch, runtime: 1:28). We have chapter and verse in this morning’s Speed Round, below.

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi inaugurated four tunnels in Ismailia and Port Said, which should reduce the time it takes to cross the Suez Canal into and from Sinai to ten minutes or less, Hona Al Asema’s Reham Ibrahim highlighted (watch, runtime: 4:49). Reham had a chat with road and transport consultant Emad Nabil, who said the tunnels are “the second most important project after the Suez Canal,” and are a necessity for the Afro-Asian integration project.

Tunnels are key to Sinai development: Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary, meanwhile, got her sage advice from Hisham Okeel, Ain Shams University transportation expert. Okeel said the tunnels will facilitate the reconstruction process of Sinai, in addition to linking the region to the rest of the country (watch, runtime: 7:15). Sinai is “strategically important” to national security, Okeel pointed out, adding that the construction of tunnels and bridges in the area will prove economically beneficial to the Suez Canal Development Axis.