The only story on Egypt to have reached escape velocity is the news that “Israel has quietly withdrawn its ambassador to Egypt” over unspecified “security concerns.” The news has been widely picked up by the Israeli and European press, but has yet to make a dent on America, where the dominant story on Egypt this morning is writer and activist Mona Eltahawy’s claim that the Egyptian government is targeting her and other activists in a sweeping cyberespionage campaign, according to The Associated Press.

It’s otherwise a mixed bag, led by Le Monde’s story on press freedom in Egypt (a recap of the usual) and a 66-year-old South African Ikhwani who was unhappy with the conditions during his sojourn in one of our nation’s finer prisons.

Meanwhile, Egyptian javelin silver-medalist Ihab Abdelrahman was suspended from the game for two years, after his ‘B’ sample tested positive for drug use, Inside The Games says. Last year the Egyptian National Olympic committee had been accused of framing Abdelrahman after his first sample tested negative.

Other coverage worth noting in brief included:

• Egypt has “Israel’s blessing and intelligence cooperation” to battle the growing threat of terrorism in the Sinai, even if that means exceeding the maximum number of soldiers it is allowed to deploy to the area under its peace treaty with Israel, Amos Harel writes for Haaretz.
• Ethiopia welcomes agreement with Egypt: Ethiopia has garnered “huge diplomatic success” from its participation in the most recent African Union summit, Ethiopian portal Walta Info says. It says an agreement with Egypt strengthens bilateral relations and limits actions that could harm either country.
• Egyptian officials’ two off-the-books visit to Syria in only two weeks are starting rumors about a potential reconciliation between Cairo and Damascus, Al-Monitor says. Meanwhile, displaced Syrian actors and artists are trying to rekindle their careers in Cairo, but it’s no easy feat. Al-Monitor also has the story.
• Egypt’s Catholic bishops paid Pope Francis a visit earlier this month for words of encouragement and have extended a formal invitation to the Pope to visit, Catholic News Agency reports.
• Egypt hub a challenger to Gazprom? Russian state-controlled energy company Gazprom is trying to defend its gas market share by tapping into the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) carrying gas from Azerbaijan to Europe. The hub of Egypt, Cyprus and Israel stands as a potential challenger, Reuters reports.
• The Smithsonian Magazine has a piece on the “triumphant” reopening of Cairo’s Museum of Islamic Art.
• Illegal parking in NYC is a “sketchy norm” that the US’ immigration policies risk bringing in from “more corrupt countries like Egypt and Pakistan,” Eduardo Porter writes for The New York Times, making us wonder if he himself has ever taken a walk down any street in that fine mess of a city.