Driving the agenda this morning in the international press: How quiet a morning is it for Egypt in the international press? With wire services covering Egypt’s IMF talks, the mainstream press is yawning, leaving the blogosphere to link to pieces such as Al Arabia’s disappointing “Meet one of Egypt’s first female bodyguard” (lack of plural in the headline and all) and Transparency International taking a swipe at the PM.

Meanwhile: The Guardian picks up a piece originally published in Mada Masr in July on the increasing popularity of amateur news outlets like Sinai News 24 and Khawater Sinawy when it comes to disseminating information coming out of North Sinai. Residents have come to see them as vital in plugging the gap conventional media has left behind, regardless of whether they have connections to militant groups. “They are the only option we have to find out about what we don’t see with our own eyes, and if they write wrong information, there are so many people to go in and correct them,” said a resident.