Talking Tunisia and GERD — and new EGP 10 and EGP 20 polymer banknotes
It was a slow night, as is often the case in August when the talking heads pine for sand and surf. Among the few business-relevant stories on the airwaves:
Everyone is still talking about the upheaval in Tunisia, with Sada El Balad’s Ahmed Moussa covering reports of a plot to assassinate Tunisian President Kais Saied, who has suspended parliament and sacked the prime minister (watch, runtime: 2:18 | 7:57).
Speaking of Tunisia: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra pledged full support for Tunisia’s “transition to democracy and economic stability” under President Kais Saied. The two made the remarks during a meeting in Cairo yesterday, according to an Ittihadiya statement.
Elsewhere, there were more GERD talks on the heels of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s sitdown with Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra. Cairo University political science professor Tarek Fahmy told Ten TV Algeria could pour oil on troubled waters between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia to resolve the GERD impasse (watch, runtime: 6:27). Algeria’s possible intervention on GERD also got attention from CBC Egypt’s Men Masr (watch, runtime: 6:35).
New EGP 10 and 20 polymer banknotes set to be released in November were also on display by Ahmed Moussa (watch, runtime 5:56), though central bank sources have said that these notes are prototypes and do not reflect the final design.