Leading the conversation on Egypt in the international business press this morning: Reuters says we’ll face challenges plugging the budget deficit thanks to rising interest rates, a weaker EGP, and volatility in emerging markets.

Human rights is still getting plenty of ink: The Independent is the latest outlet to cover imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel Fattah’s ongoing hunger strike, while Voice of America interviews the Committee to Protect Journalists’ Middle East head on the detention of journalists in Egypt. ITV, meanwhile, looks at TikTok influencers.

Lighter diversions: Female filmmakers are helping Egypt’s film industry stage a comeback following two years of disruption caused by the covid-19 pandemic, CNN reports. Lonely Planet gives its rundown of Egypt’s seven most spectacular beaches, while the Guardian reports on newly declassified documents that reveal the British government’s covert “black propaganda” operations during the Cold War that sought to destabilize Egypt and other countries in the Middle East.

Also in the news:

• The US will remove Gama’a El Islamiyya from its terror list, 25 years after it was first designated as a foreign terrorist group as it launched deadly attacks against Egyptian police through the 1990s. (Associated Press)
• Did the Great Sphinx really close its eyes? Photoshopped images of the Sphinx closing its eyes took social media by storm over the past few days. (Gulf Times)