Last Night’s Talk Shows on 2 February 2021
There was no single story leading the conversation on the airwaves last night, but continued rumors about the Nipah virus led Al Hayah Al Youm’s Lobna Assal (watch, runtime: 07:34) and Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa (watch, runtime: 7:40) to each dedicate a portion of their evening reassuring viewers that there’s nothing to be worried about. There are still zero recorded cases of the virus in Egypt, said Agricultural Research Center Prof. Ahmed Rizk. Rizk urged citizens to go about their business normally and to wash fruits thoroughly before eating them.
A three-day inferno at a Giza building by the Ring Road is currently under investigation from the Prosecutor General’s office to determine the source of the fire, Giza Governor Ahmed Rashed told Moussa. The building was constructed without a permit in 2013, and preliminary reports suggest the fire could have been caused by safety violations from an unlicensed warehouse in the building, Rashed said. The blaze caused traffic delays on the Ring Road as authorities sealed off a portion of the highway, but it is now up and running again, Rashed said (watch, runtime: 11:01).
Egypt’s successful organization of the Men’s Handball World Championship was the main talking point for Sports Minister Ashraf Sobhi, who had an extended conversation with Assal about the state of sporting activities in Egypt. The minister stressed that the country is working on living in the “new normal” and will continue to host activities and competitions as planned, provided safety measures are put in place (watch, runtime: 34:57).
Donations to Tahya Misr: Emaar Misr is dishing out a total of EGP 110 mn to contribute towards the sustainable development of Sidi Abdel Rahman in the North Coast, where Emaar’s Marassi development is, fund spokesperson Mohamed Mokhtar told Moussa. The real estate developer signed an agreement to donate EGP 60 mn to the Tahya Misr Fund, after having previously donated EGP 50 mn. The fund is also getting EGP 3 mn from the Administrative Control Authority to develop rural villages, in addition to donations to finance Egypt’s purchases of covid-19 vaccines (which we note in Covid Watch, below) (watch, runtime: 7:27).