Human rights were again front and center in the international press over the weekend: Egyptian actor Amr Waked has been sentenced in absentia to eight years in prison for "disseminating false news and insulting state institutions," according to the AP. Waked, who resides in Spain and is a vocal critic of the government, says he doesn’t know what the cases against him are about, but fears he could be arrested if he returns to Egypt. Deutsche Welle also had the story. The arrest of transgender woman Malak Al-Kashef was also picked up after Amnesty International issued a statement calling for her immediate release. The story made the Independent and ABC News, among other outlets.

And there’s still more:

• Australian-Egyptian Hazem Hamouda is being barred from leaving Egypt despite his release from detention last week, the Guardian reports.
• EU countries should hold Egypt accountable for its human rights record, Rainer Hermann writes for Deutsche Welle.
• Malaysian officials detained and may already have extradited four Egyptians who say they have been singled out for their opposition to the Sisi administration.

Egypt’s role in the development of natural gas resources in the east Med received attention from several outlets: Simone Tagliapietra writing in the FT highlights the importance of Egypt’s LNG facilities to the export ambitions of both Israel and Cyprus. A piece in Al-Monitor, meanwhile, notes that the long-standing rivalry between Egypt and Turkey is heating up as the east Med as an energy source grows in importance.

Other stories on Egypt making international headlines:

• The presidential directive to paint “uncivilized” red brick buildings is getting attention again, with the New York Times’ Declan Walsh focusing on the broader context of the scheme and local reactions.
• There are parallels between the protests in Algeria and Egypt’s January 2011 uprising, Andrew England writes for the FT.
• The collapse of Daesh’s Syrian stronghold could have repercussions for Egypt: The group’s Sinai operations may lose access to funding, but could see their forces bolstered with the return of Egyptians who fought in Syria, The Arab Weekly suggests.