It appears the foreign press is just as interested in our prospects of reaching the World Cup as we are, with the story topping coverage of Egypt in this very slow morning.

Meanwhile,the Associated Press suggests that the border dispute between Egypt and Sudan over Halayeb and Shalateen could hurt Egypt’s chances in Nile Basin talks. With Ethiopia pressing ahead with its plans to build a grand dam that could affect Egypt’s water supply — not to mention tensions escalating between Cairo and Khartoum — Egypt may find itself waging a lonely battle once push comes to shove.

Conventional wisdom appears to favor the Oil Ministry’s narrative that Egypt is emerging as a major energy hub, writes Haley Zaremba for Oil Price. Beyond the Zohr gas field being on track for production at the end of the year, investments in the sector made up half of foreign direct investments to Egypt. Zaremba points to last week’s agreements signed with APEX and Shell as a further sign of the resurgence of the sector.

The Health Ministry is working on educating Egyptians in rural areas on family planning and birth control, Nadine Awadalla writes for Reuters. Awadalla says the plan, named Operation Lifeline aims to save the Egyptian government as much as USD 200 bn by 2030, if implemented successfully. 6,000 family planning clinics are in place to provide women with free check-ups and subsidized contraceptives.

Other stories worth noting in brief this morning include:

• Extrajudicial killings in Egypt have been on the rise since US President Donald Trump’s Middle East tour in May, The Washington Post’s Sudarsan Raghavan writes.
• Police in some areas of Upper Egypt are allegedly blocking Christians from praying in churches, citing permit requirements and security concerns, Ashraf Ramelah writes for Canada Free Press.