Last Night’s Talk Shows on 1 February 2021
Besides the AstraZeneca vaccine updates, the talk of the town on the airwaves was a rumor of a fresh viral outbreak in China. Chest disease professor Ali Al Waari poured cold water on the reports that the Nipah virus is spreading in Wuhan in a phone-in to Kelma Akhira with Lamees El Hadidi (watch, runtime: 9:10).
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi reiterated Egypt’s commitment to reaching a binding agreement on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) with Sudan and Ethiopia during a meeting yesterday with African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Fakih. Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry also sat down with Fakih for similar talks
The AU is now headed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but the organization is still being held responsible for resolving the impasse, Egypt’s ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative at the AU Osama Abdel Khalek told Al Hayah Al Youm’s Lobna Assal (watch, runtime: 6:09)
Also on the airwaves last night:
- The IMF’s review of Egypt’s USD 5.2 bn standby loan agreement earned coverage after Finance Minister Mohamed Maait presented the report to cabinet members. (Lobna Assal on Al Hayah Al Youm | watch, runtime: 2:33 and Ahmed Moussa on Ala Mas’ouleety | watch, runtime: 19:24).
- Oil Minister Tarek El Molla broke down the government’s natgas conversion scheme for MPs in his policy address yesterday, while Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir vowed to patch up more roads and push ahead with developing the country’s railways, MP Alaa Essam said (Lobna Assal on Al Hayah Al Youm | watch, runtime: 8:47).