Human rights is continuing to drive the conversation on Egypt in the foreign press this morning after imprisoned activist Alaa Abdel Fattah started a full hunger strike on Tuesday. A group of 15 Novel Laureates yesterday called on world leaders and diplomats to push for the release of prisoners and said Abdel Fattah was “at risk of death,” according to the Associated Press and the Guardian. Al Monitor reports that Democratic lawmakers are calling on President Joe Biden to put pressure on Cairo to pardon detainees, while the Washington Post’s editorial board demands that our rights record be talked about at COP27.

COP27 is a reminder to the world just how badly the climate crisis is affecting Egypt: Bloomberg has a Big Take about the disastrous effects rising temperatures and higher sea levels will have on Egypt while the Associated Press and AFP carry similar pieces. Meanwhile, AFP writes that Alexandria is at risk of “disappearing” within decades.

And a word about one of our sponsors: The Financial Times is continuing to focus on Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of the event, writing yesterday that the soft drinks company has increased its use of new plastic by 3.5% since 2019, instead of expanding use of recycled material.

Also making headlines:

• More on the state of the economy: Foreign Policy is the latest to do a deep dive on Egypt’s economy in light of the USD 3 bn loan we received from the IMF last week.
• A balancing act: Egypt trying to carefully maintain a balance between its relationship with Western allies and Russia is getting a mention. (DW)