Egypt’s talk shows: The latest in Lebanon + Senate elections + covid-19 second wave preparations
The latest developments in Lebanon and Egypt’s Senate elections were the main talking points on the airwaves last night.
A donor conference for Lebanon yesterday organized by French President Emmanuel Macron was of particular interest to Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa (watch, runtime: 6:43) and Masaa DMC’s Eman El Hosary (watch, runtime: 1: 07), who gave viewers a rundown of the key outcomes. International donors pledged EUR 250 mn in emergency aid at the conference. Damage to Beirut in last week’s explosion is more likely in the USD 15 bn range.
The Arab League cannot carry out an independent investigation into the Beirut explosion, but can work with any relevant Arab bodies that decide to probe the incident, Assistant Secretary General Hossam Zaki explained to Moussa (watch, runtime: 15:45).
Closer to home, Immigration Minister Nabila Makram explained how Egyptians living abroad can vote in the Senate elections. The polls close for expats today, and voters living here in Egypt will be able to cast their votes tomorrow and Wednesday (watch, runtime: 9:00).
Electricity Act amendments also got some airtime: Moussa had a chat with House Legislative Committee deputy head Ehab El Tamawi to explain the proposed amendments to the Electricity Act, which we cover in this morning’s Speed Round, below (watch, runtime: 19:09). Electricity Minister spokesman Ayman Hamza also phoned in to Moussa’s show to discuss the bill and the ministry’s plans to improve the quality of service of distribution companies (watch, runtime: 17:01).