Amid the avalanche of GERD news, the New York Times is out with a visual-heavy story on the history of the Nile river and its centrality to Egypt, dissecting the lifeline along its cultural, economic and political importance to the country — which dates back to sustaining the rise of Pharaonic empires. The piece contextualizes present-day geopolitical tensions with a recap of the long struggle over control of the river.

Human rights are again on the minds of the foreign press this morning following the arrest and detention of Bologna University Graduate student Patrick Zaky at Cairo Airport late last week when he arrived in the country to visit his family. Zaky, an Egyptian citizen, is facing charges including “incitement to overthrow the state” and “promoting terrorist acts,” AFP reports. The Associated Press, the Telegraph and the Guardian have the story.

Canada asks about detained citizens: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also said he spoke to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi about Canadian citizens detained in Egypt in their meeting in Addis Ababa earlier this week.

Also worth a skim this morning:

• Egypt and Libya’s diplomatic ties will likely see “more friction and belligerence” this year as they continue to spar over Libya’s future and east Med resources, Nicholas Saidel writes in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal.
• FGM still getting attention after the death of a 12-year-old in Assiut: The recent death of a girl due to circumcision has “sparked outrage” in Egypt, and sounded an alarm that FGM is still widespread even after it was banned, says Gulf News.
• Quelling the flow of artifacts being smuggled out of Egypt remains high on the agenda for Egyptian authorities, with legislation and hefty punishments in place following estimated losses of up to USD 3 bn between 2011 and 2014, Arab News reports.