The big news story of the day is the capture of special forces soldier turned terrorist Hisham El-Ashmawy in Libya. El-Ashmawy, already sentenced to death in absentia in Egypt, would by law face a mandatory retrial if he is extradited to Egypt as expected. The story is the lead piece on Egypt across platforms and countries this morning. El-Ashmawy was one of the most prominent figures in the regional terrorist ecosystem, but had fallen off the radar in the months prior to his arrest. Stories from Reuters and the Associated Press are getting the widest pickup.

Other headlines worth noting in brief include:

• Some love from China: “With Egypt’s strategic location and improved infrastructure, the North African country is becoming a regional hub for energy trade, said experts,” according to state-owned Chinese news agency Xinhua.
• Natural gas dreams, arrears to IOC nightmares: Egypt’s fulfillment of its long-awaited natural gas self-sufficiency dream is overshadowed by the never ending story of arrears owed to global oil majors — a problem not going anywhere, especially in light of rising global oil prices, MEED says.
• Australian Tribune’s Editorial Board condemned the arrest of journalists in Egypt amid accusations of fake news.
• Drones being used in the Yemen war are operating from bases in Sinai, according to satellite photos analyzed by the US-based Center for the Study of the Drone, the Associated Press reports.
• LGBT people face discrimination and harassment in Egypt when they look for real estate, a UN official tells the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
• Egypt will not impose tougher visa regulations on Tunisians, Xinhua says. This comes after reports alleged that Egyptian authorities plan to strengthen visitation procedures for tourists from Arab Maghreb states.

• Activist and artist Yassin Mohamed published a series of paintings chronicling his time in prison, the Associated Press reports.