The sale of a 3000-year-old bust of King Tutankhamun at auction for GBP 4.7 mn (USD 6 mn) tops coverage of Egypt in the foreign press today (BBC | New York Times | Washington Post | Financial Times). Despite repeated calls from Egypt to return the bust, auction house Christie’s went ahead with the sale, denying claims by Egypt’s foreign ministry that the bust was probably stolen from Karnak temple in the 1970s. The Antiquities Ministry, disgruntled by the sale, will hold an “urgent meeting” at the start of the week to discuss measures it could take, including a potential lawsuit, it said in a statement.

The Egyptian market is of great importance to Israel’s attempts to export its surplus natural gas,even as Egypt itself becomes a bigger producer, the New York Times’ Clifford Krauss says. While energy executives say gas could strengthen the relationship between the two countries, they also acknowledge that doing business is risky for both sides, especially considering the 2012 gas pipeline sabotage.

Other headlines worth a skim this morning:

• A theory that ancient Egyptian merchants used reed boats to journey some 3k km across the Mediterranean and as far as the Black Sea is about to be put to the test by adventurers who will set off from Bulgaria next month, Reuters reports.
• Mo Salah continues to face heavy criticism for his defense of teammate Amr Warda against allegations of [redacted] harassment, with the Washington Post highlighting the disappointment felt by women in Egypt who had viewed him as an ally.
• A British tourist’s claim that his wife died from food poisoning in Egypt is “entirely speculative,” a coroner has ruled, according to Metro.