Leading the conversation on Egypt in the foreign press this morning are tensions between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam as Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn visits Egypt. While Cairo has shown relative flexibility in negotiating the terms of the dam — which it has been opposed to since the start — talks have yet to bear fruit, Abdi Latif Dahir writes for Quartz. What little progress has been made might unravel altogether due to geopolitical rivalries between Sudan, Egypt, and Eritrea. “The current tensions are also being exacerbated by what Cairo sees as Turkish meddling in the region … Cairo also accuses both Khartoum and Ankara of supporting the [Ikhwan],” Dahir notes.

The GERD is a major cause for concern for farmers in Egypt, who worry that the dam will reduce their already limited access to irrigation, according to the Wall Street Journal (paywall). The WSJ tells the story of farmers in Arab El Raml through a photo essay documenting the impact of water scarcity.

Egypt must work to give Christians “rightful equality” and hold accountable individuals who attack Christians with relative impunity, Congressman James French Hill writes for The Hill. “Copts live in constant fear for their future, as they have been targets of societal aggression resulting in loss of life, property and destruction of churches. They face severe discrimination in both public and private employment.” Hill says he put forth a resolution in Congress calling on Egypt to reform education to teach religions impartially and enact political reforms that would improve human rights, freedoms, and the rule of law.

Also worth noting in brief:

• Two of the Egyptian mummies in Britain could be at the center of a “family scandal,” Sarah Knapton writes for The Telegraph. DNA tests showed the two mummies, who were presumed to be brothers, having had the same mummy (sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves), but different fathers.
• Tourism portal TTG profiled Egypt’s new Tourism Minister, Rania El Mashat.
• “Egypt is facing challenges in the agricultural sector, such as: rapidly growing population; land fragmentation; urban encroachment on agricultural lands; limited water resources; and the need for more health nutritious food,” a food security forum in Egypt suggests, according to UkrAgroConsult.
• Cambridge University rejected suggestions “that one of its tutors might have been implicated in the death of graduate student Giulio Regeni,” Reuters reports.
• A church in Minya celebrated getting its official permit to open last week. It was built in 2015, World Watch Monitor reports.