It’s another relatively quiet news day for Egypt in the international press.

Egypt is the “best of the worst” option for Syrian refugees, Paul Cullen writes for the Irish Times. More than 120k Syrians have been granted asylum in Egypt, which is “one of the few countries in the developing world that does not house refugees in camps, and allows freedom of movement.” Although UNHCR-registered refugees are safe from deportation, life in Egypt is getting harder for refugees and locals alike because of the challenging economic conditions, Cullen notes. Most Syrian refugees would rather be in Europe, but they are getting messages that they are “not welcome” and the journey there is cost prohibitive and dangerous. “Egypt, despite its shortcomings, treats Syrians better than any other Arab country, according to one Syrian student. It is, he says, ‘the best of the worst.’”

The EGP float has made Egypt’s real estate market attractive to Saudis who have reportedly been flocking to buy apartments in Omm El Donia, writes Renam Ghanem for the Saudi Gazette. With apartment prices starting at around USD 80,000, many from Saudi Arabia have been buying homes primarily in Cairo, Ain Sokhna, the North Coast, and Sharm El Sheikh. And apparently it’s not just apartments, with villas also enticing Saudi buyers.

It’s hard for a journalist to cover a revolution without being involved on some level, Jack Shenker for the New York Times. Shenker draws parallels between John Reed’s coverage of the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 and his own experiences covering Egypt in 2011, writing that while traditional journalistic norms dictate a neutral stance toward the subject matter, revolutions present such a storm of passions that the real story is often lost if we ignore “the mundane spaces where norms are shifting.”

Also making the rounds this morning:

• The Hyderabad-based combat simulator Zen Technologies is looking towards Egypt under a plan to expand its business to international markets, according to Telangana Today.
• Indonesia’s parliament is considering an Egypt-style ban on LGBT-related content on TV, Reuters reports.
• African rulers are growing rather fond of Egypt and Tunisia’s 2011 example of “pulling the plug” on the internet to quell dissent, Reuters says.
• Al Azhar is organizing “intensive training camps” for imams across Egypt as part of its efforts to renew religious discourse among preachers, Menna Farouk writes for Al Monitor.
• The Chairman of Qatar’s National Human Rights Council urged his Egyptian counterpart in a meeting to try and intervene to resolve issues facing Qatari students and property owners as a result of boycott, Gulf Times says.