The ongoing Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations in Addis Ababa is earning digital ink in the foreign press this morning: The National’s Nick March says — perhaps prematurely — that the trilateral talks between Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan mark “a new and positive phase of diplomacy” in the region that steps away from traditional alliances. Meanwhile, AFP highlights the importance of the dam for regular Ethiopians, who are banking on it to end a severe electricity shortage. “This is about the existence of our nation and, in my opinion, it will help us break free from the bondage of poverty,” one GERD worker tells the newswire.

Scottish tycoon vanishes off Egyptian coast: A 67-year-old Scottish businessman who embarked on a 5k mile sailing trip has been pronounced missing after his yacht was found washed up on a Red Sea reef.The story has been picked up across the UK media: BBC | Sky News | Telegraph | Times | Daily Mail | Sun | Scotsman.

Controversial pop song continue to make headlines: The Egyptian pop song Salmonella is still grabbing the media’s attention, with debates raging on whether the song is a sarcastic take down of male chauvinism or a boon to harassers, Menna Farouk writes for Reuters.

Cairo is getting some love from Bloomberg’s Where to Go in 2020 podcast, mainly thanks to this year’s opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) (runtime: 29:48, with the discussion on Egypt running from approximately 06:00 to 08:00). Not only will GEM serve as an “extraordinary new showcase for Egypt’s treasures,” the podcast says, but Cairo’s new hotels and a generally revamped experience will offer visitors comfort alongside their culture fix.