It’s a relatively quiet morning in the foreign press: The Washington Post is once again pointing to US President Joe Biden’s stance on Egypt as a test for his commitment to democracy. Egypt’s new polymer banknotes have come under fire, the Times of London reports, with some social media users claiming the design of the EGP 20 note contains a rainbow watermark — an LGBTQ-positive message — while the CBE says the security feature is meant to discourage counterfeiters and designs are only preliminary.

Also making headlines:

• Suez Canal Economic Zone (SC Zone) aiming to draw more foreign investors: Egypt is hoping to attract 250 industrial parks to the SC Zone, according to the head of the Egyptian Forum for Economic and Strategic Studies. (Xinhua)
• Spotlight on Egyptian playwright Sara Shaarawi: Niqabi Ninja — Shaarawi’s play exposing [redacted] violence in Egypt during the 2011 uprising — will be performed at the Edinburgh International Festival this month. (The Scotsman)
• Egyptian researcher makes a scientific breakthrough: A Tanta Uni professor has discovered new bacterial strains in termites that could potentially be used to produce biofuels. (Gulf Today)