FGM in the spotlight as 12-year-old victim dies in Assiut: The death of a 12-year-old in Assiut this week after being a victim of FGM is bringing up all sorts of questions in the foreign press about the prevalence of the illegal practice in Egypt. Her parents and the doctor who performed the surgery have all been arrested and are awaiting sentencing. (The Associated Press | Reuters | Metro | The Independent | The Daily Mail).

Could the EastMed natgas reserves be the very reason our exports fail? A “global gas glut” may be emerging, threatening to continue driving down natural gas prices and challenging Cairo’s ambitions to emerge as a regional energy hub, Cyril Widdershoven writes for OilPrice.com. If prices land below LNG production costs at our liquefaction plants, “the nation will have a real issue,” says Widdershoven, who notes that the next few months will be decisive.

Also getting attention in the foreign press:

• Egypt will receive extra air defense units from the US, a US State Department official tells Al-Monitor. The decision comes in spite of the recent political fallout from the death of US-Egyptian citizen Mostafa Kassem in Egyptain custody.
• Egypt’s population will pass 100 mn next month. As we edge closer to the milestone, Reuters looks at how the growing population is increasing pressure on ordinary people’s need for housing and jobs.