Leading the conversation in the foreign press this morning: Satirical filmmaker Shady Habash died in Tora Prison from alcohol poisoning after reportedly mistaking a bottle of alcohol-based sanitizer for water, the prosecutor general’s office said in a statement on Tuesday. Three inmates corroborated the account, the statement adds. Habash, 23, had been in pre-trial detention since 2018 over charges of spreading false information and belonging to a banned organization after directing a music video that satirized the head of state. (AFP | The Guardian | BBC | Washington Post | Open Democracy)

Also featuring in the foreign press this morning:

  • Enforcing social distancing is an uphill struggle in Cairo: Shopkeepers are struggling to enforce social distancing as customers stock up on Ramadan supplies, despite repeated calls by authorities to take covid-19 precautionary measures seriously, Reuters reports.
  • Calls for progressive reform: The government should undertake more social spending, use competitive bidding for all public contracts, and adopt a more progressive tax regime to ensure the economy can withstand future crises, argues Timothy Kaldas in this Bloomberg opinion piece.
  • The plight of Egypt’s poor during lockdown: AVoice of America video reporthighlights the struggles faced by Egypt’s poor in a largely shuttered economy.
Tags: