Ancient Egyptian women were considered equal to men, Egyptologist Valentina Santini tells CNN’s Ben Wedeman. “They could divorce. They could own property. They had many rights that women in subsequent civilizations didn’t have,” she adds as she shows him Turin’s Egyptian Museum.

Also worth noting in brief today:

• Egypt’s international borrowing spree has added to the country’s debt burden, David Awad writes for Al Monitor.
• Egypt has launched an unprecedented crackdown on media as President El Sisi heads into a virtually uncontested election, France24 writes.
• The Financial Times lists swimming in Egypt’s Red Sea as one of its choices for the best active beach breaks.
• Egypt continues to struggle to end FGM, Hayam Adel writes for Reuters.
• The Armed Forces’ counterinsurgency operations in Sinai are getting a lot of ink in the foreign press, with Sputnik and Asharq Al-Awsat noting that 105 terrorists have been killed since it started and the WSJ pointing out that North Sinai’s Al Arish has been on lockdown since.
• The prosecution of singer Sherine Abdel Wahab shows the state wishing to stamp out anything that deviates from its own values, Niamh Carroll writes for Nouse.
• The son of former President Mohamed Morsi says the Egyptian government will not allow the outside world reach his father for fear of being exposed, Al Jazeera English reports.