Not a great day for Egypt in the international press: Despite two solid interviews with senior members of the business community appearing in the global press, it’s not exactly a “good press day” for Egypt. Consider:

• An inappropriate ad from Gold’s Gym Egypt caused a firestorm after it went viral — globally.
• We’re allegedly showing our commitment to austerity by acquiring a new fleet of private jets at a cost of EUR 300 mn.
• The editorial board at Bloomberg tries to ape the Economist’s drive-by on the Egyptian economy and comes across as, well, simply insipid.
• Oh, and Zahi Hawass is back to “save Egypt.” (Yes, Zahi. No [redacted]. It’s Hot Tub Time Machine, the 2008 edition [parody].)

We have more in Egypt in the News, below.

Eighteen investment banks have presented technical and financial bids for Egypt’s planned USD 3 bn Eurobond issuance, Deputy Finance Minister Ahmed Kouchouk told Al Mal. Among the bidders: JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, BNP Paribas, and Citibank, he added. A decision on the winning bid could be made today.

A Russian delegation is set to arrive today to inspect airport security in Hurghada and other tourist destinations, Al Masry Al Youm says. The inspection will be a key factor in Russia’s decision on when — and whether — to allow the resumption of flights to Egypt. State-owned media (here and here) had previously pegged the visit as scheduled for 28 August. ”Egypt’s tourism hopes that Russian inspectors will come to assess security at airports for the last time in August before Russia restarts charter flight to the country,” Sputnik says.