It was a mixed bag on the airwaves last night, with a few stories capturing the attention of the nation’s talking heads.

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Talks with the IMF: Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly held a presser (watch, runtime: 12:41) with IMF Deputy Managing Director Nigel Clarke, who is in town along with an accompanying delegation as part of the fund’s fifth review of Egypt’s Extended Fund Facility Arrangement. During the presser, Clarke touched on efforts to bring down inflation and unemployment rates. Clarke also held talks with Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk and central bank governor Hassan Abdalla for further discussions on the fifth review.

REMEMBER- The fifth review has been underway for a couple of weeks now — a team from the IMF arrived in Cairo early May to kick things off. The date for the conclusion of the review and the subsequent disbursement of the USD 1.3 bn tranche is yet to be decided, but it could be agreed upon within the next month, our sources previously told us.

On the airwaves: Cabinet spokesperson Mohamed El Homsani joined Al Hayah Al Youm’s Lobna Assal (watch, runtime: 2:03) to discuss the loan program and Madbouly’s meeting with Clarke.

AND- President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met with Senior Advisor to the US President for Arab and Middle Eastern Affairs Massad Boulos to discuss ways to restore regional stability. El Sisi stressed the urgency of a ceasefire in Gaza and the delivery of humanitarian aid, while commending ongoing mediation efforts by Egypt, the US, and Qatar. They also touched on the situation in Libya, Lebanon, Sudan, and Yemen. Al Hayah Al Youm had coverage (watch, runtime: 2:42).

ALSO- Lawyers are still on strike over court fee hikes, with court operations heavily disrupted as a result, adding pressure to an already overburdened judicial system, El Hekaya’s Amr Adib said (watch, runtime: 11:10).

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