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October 24, 2026

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Analysis

What's at stake as Libya's eastern parliament approves Turkey maritime deal

Libya's eastern-based parliament's approval of a long-disputed maritime deal with Turkey marks a strategic win for Ankara as Saddam Hifter seeks Turkish backing for his presidential ambitions, according to analysts.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends a joint statements and agreements during the EU and Egypt summit in Brussels, on Oct. 22, 2025.

Sisi says Egypt has no ‘territorial ambitions’ after Israel’s Smotrich threatens Sinai

The Egyptian president’s remarks follow a warning from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that Israel would seize the Sinai Peninsula if Egypt attacks.

China's President Xi Jinping (center L) walks along with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi followed by their wives Peng Liyuan and Entissar Amer (R) upon their arrival at the Cairo International Airport on September 1, 2026. President Xi Jinping arrived in Egypt on September 1, making a rare trip to the Middle East as both countries face the threat of US sanctions over financial links to Iran. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Why renewed Egypt-Ethiopia tensions are a problem for China

For Beijing, the renewed Egypt-Ethiopia standoff is a zero-sum bind that threatens vital strategic interests on both sides of the Nile.

Joyce Karam

A quadrilateral summit was held on Oct. 4, 2026, attended by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al‑Sisi, Eritrea President Isaias Afwerki, President of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and Chairman of the Transitional Sovereignty Council of Sudan Gen. Abdel Fattah al‑Burhan, in New El Alamein City, Egypt.

Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia and Sudan hold summit amid Ethiopia tensions

All four countries have increasingly tense relations with Ethiopia, driven by disputes over the Nile, Red Sea access and security.

Latest News

Explainer

Why are Egypt and Ethiopia clashing over Tigray, Somalia and the Nile?

This general view shows the site of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on February 19, 2022. - Ethiopia's massive hydro-electric dam project on a tributary of the Nile has raised regional tensions notably with Egypt, which depends on the huge river for 97 percent of its water supply. Government officials said the dam would begin producing electricity on Sunday, more than a decade since work first started. (Photo by Amanuel SILESHI / AFP) (Photo by AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Ima

Ex-Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to sue Netanyahu over Oct. 7 accusations: What to know

Ronen Bar, former chief of Israel's domestic Shin Bet security agency

On secret UAE visit, Netanyahu asked MBZ to deny pre-Oct. 7 warnings

Israeli PM

20 Israelis stranded in Ethiopia seek evacuation as fighting resumes: What to know

A general view of the damaged building housing Tigray TV, the state broadcaster of the Tigray region, following a drone strike in Mekelle, Ethiopia, Sept. 27, 2026.

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohammed Magdy

In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics

Ayah Aman

In Cairo, reporting on politics and culture

Salwa Samir

In Giza, reporting on politics

Nada Shaker

In Cairo, reporting on culture

Al-Azhar imposters prompt calls to regulate uniform

In response to unauthorized Egyptian clerics issuing radical fatwas while dressed in the traditional Al-Azhar uniform, a parliamentary committee is considering steps to ban non-affiliates from wearing the religious institute’s identifiable dress.

What's behind Egyptian campaign to delay Saudi pilgrimages?

Recent calls in Egypt to postpone by one year the umrah pilgrimage for those who have already made the trip has raised controversy and is viewed by some as a means of leverage against Saudi Arabia.

How Al-Azhar plans to strike back against 'fatwa chaos'

Egypt's Al-Azhar faces an uphill battle to confront religious extremism as it continues its efforts to launch a TV channel that promotes moderate Islam.

Egyptian security forces and members of the clergy inspect the scene of a bomb explosion at the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Coptic Orthodox Church on December 11, 2016, in Cairo's Abbasiya neighbourhood.
The blast killed at least 25 worshippers during Sunday mass inside the Cairo church near the seat of the Coptic pope who heads Egypt's Christian minority, state media said. / AFP / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Who was behind Cairo church bombing?

Authorities have arrested suspects in a weekend attack on a Coptic church in Cairo, as Copts call for the government to deliver on promises to protect the religious minority.

Egypt's shrinking space for civil society

The Egyptian government crackdown on civil society organizations has intensified with the arrest of a prominent human rights lawyer.

Egypt pivots to medical tourism

An Egyptian pharmaceutical company launched a campaign that highlights low-cost treatment to hepatitis C patients from all over the world as part of efforts to promote medical tourism to the country.

Why Egyptian women are taking to the streets in 1960s-style dresses

In their latest demonstration against sexual harassment, Egyptian women in 1960s-style dresses took to the streets of downtown Cairo for a photo shoot in celebration of how tolerant Egyptian society once was — and could be again.

An Egyptian archaeologist shows one of the three ancient artefacts recovered from Germany during a news conference at Cairo airport, May 3, 2014. Egypt's antiquities ministry celebrated the return of three stolen ancient artefacts smuggled into Germany in 2009. Egyptian authorities held a ceremony at Cairo International Airport on Saturday to herald the recovery of the items, that were promptly placed on display as a new conference was held. Authorities believe the artefacts were bound for sale in Belgium w

How Egypt intends to stop sale of its relics around the world

The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities is trying to stop the sale of Egyptian relics in world auctions and is calling for the need to amend the 1970 UNESCO convention on the illicit trade of cultural property.

Syrian refugee Reem al-Sawaa, 28, originally from Daraa in southern Syria, sits with her one-year-old son Khaled at their home in the Helwaan district of the Egyptian capital of Cairo on November 1, 2013. Reem fled Syra with her four children and husband Yussef al-Talha, who works as a computer technician. AFP PHOTO / KHALED DESOUKI (Photo credit should read KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images)

Why some Egyptians prefer Syrian wives

Syrian women in Egypt are sought after by some Egyptian men who think they are preferable to their Egyptian counterparts, amid fears of exploitation of their financial status.

New documentary on Egyptian conscription faces strong criticism

An Al Jazeera documentary about Egypt’s military conscription was broadcast to a wave of protests from officials in Cairo.

A groom dances as Nubians celebrate at a traditional Nubian wedding in the Nubian village of Adindan near Aswan, south of Egypt, September 30, 2015. For half a century, Egypt's Nubians have patiently lobbied the government in Cairo for a return to their homelands on the banks of the Nile, desperate to reclaim territory their ancestors first cultivated 3,000 years ago. Yet all their efforts to gain political influence have brought next to nothing. In Egypt's incoming parliament, which will be finalised afte

Nubians give Egyptian government deadline

Nubians are prepared to seek international intervention to regain their rights to expropriated lands.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) and Egypt's Defense Minister Sedki Sobhi attend the graduation of 83 aviation and military science at the Air Force Academy in Cairo, Egypt July 20, 2016 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTSIXH4

Is Egypt considering military intervention in Syria?

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced his support for the Syrian army, while the media have reported that Egypt has elite forces on Syrian soil.