It's the mechanism of the tectonic spreading that's the news, not the fact that a new ocean is in the making. That's been known for many years. Here's the news:
"Ayele's reconstruction of events showed that the rift did not open in a series of small earthquakes over an extended period of time, but tore open along its entire 35-mile length in just days."
As I understand it, the Great Rift extends from southern Africa all the way to Mt. Hermon. The Red Sea fills one of the valleys in this rift system. The various great East African lakes are located in others.