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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

(From L) Director Ahmed Maher, actress Basma Hassan, actor Sherif Ramzy, actor Omar Sharif, actor Khaled Elnabawy pose during the photocall of "Al Mosafer" (The Traveller) at the Venice film festival on September 9, 2009. "Al Mosafer" is competing for the Golden Lion of the 66th Mostra Internationale d'Arte Cinematografica, the Venice film festival. AFP PHOTO / Damien Meyer (Photo credit should read DAMIEN MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)

Obstacles could impede Christ biopic's path into Egypt

Egyptian film director Ahmed Maher speaks to Al-Monitor on how he is moving ahead with his next film on Jesus Christ's infant years in Egypt.

U.S. based cleric Fethullah Gulen at his home in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 29, 2016. REUTERS/Charles Mostoller/File Photo - RTSL85T

Will Egypt offer asylum to Gulen?

If the United States ever agrees to extradite Fethullah Gulen to Turkey, he has avid supporters who would welcome him in Egypt.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (L) attends during the first anniversary of launching the New Suez Canal and the 60th anniversary of nationalizing the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt August 6, 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. - RTSLH8E

Sisi on corruption in local governments: 'What can I do about it?'

With the enactment of a new law on local governments, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi hopes to curb corruption in municipalities.

Can new 'women’s government' advance gender equality in Egypt?

The Egyptian Heritage and Traditional Arts Association has launched a “parallel government” comprising almost entirely of women in a move aimed at promoting public participation of female figures in the country.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi speaks during the opening of the first and second phases of the housing project "Long Live Egypt", which focuses on development in the country's slums, at Al-Asmarat district in Al Mokattam area, east of Cairo, Egypt May 30, 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. - RTX2ETMH

How one initiative aims to help Egypt's most vulnerable women

A new initiative called “Belonging to Egypt” hopes to improve conditions in the country’s slums by focusing on improving the situation for women in these areas.

Play spotlights hardships of hearing-impaired in Egypt

A popular new play integrates the deaf community into the art world while calling attention to the plight faced by millions of hearing-impaired Egyptians.

Cairo, EGYPT: TO GO WITH STORY BY JOELLE BASSOUL Zar musicians and healers perform their ritual in Cairo late 21 June 2006. The Zar trans religious ceremony, which uses drumming and dancing to cure an illness thought to be caused by a demon, is most prominent in southern Egypt and is practiced further south into the Sudan, though in fact it may be performed anywhere in Egypt. The ritual, a type of a healing cult, is prohibited by Islam as a pagan practice but it continues to be part of Egypt's popular cult

Can this mystical musical tradition make comeback in Egypt?

Some Egyptian artists are attempting to revive Zar folk music, believed to have been brought to Egypt from Ethiopia and Sudan.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts during a test-fire of an anti-tank guided weapon in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang February 27, 2015. REUTERS/KCNA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY

Is North Korea supplying arms to Palestinian factions?

The Palestinian resistance factions are seeking to conclude weapons deals with Russia, North Korea and China through the black market, yet some say a recent display of weapons was merely for propaganda purposes.

Egyptian authorities ban social media satire pages

Egyptian satirists and the public figures they mock play a cat-and-mouse game on the internet.

Three years on, wounds of Egypt's deadly sit-in dispersals linger

Many protesters who had participated in the Rabaa al-Adawiya Square sit-in continue to suffer emotionally and physically following the violent dispersal by the police on July 3, 2013.

Egypt’s state TV under fire after suspending anchorwomen until they shed pounds

Despite once being a victim of discrimination herself, the head of an Egyptian broadcasters' union has forced eight female public employees off the air, demanding they lose weight.

An Egyptian army tank is seen stationed outside a school taken over by soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula between the northern Sinai cities of Al-Arish and Sheikh Zuwayed, May 25, 2015. Authorities in the Sinai Peninsula are battling insurgents who support Islamic State, the militant group that has seized parts of Iraq, Syria and Libya. The Sinai conflict, which has has displaced hundreds of Egyptians, is the biggest security challenge for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has promised to deliver stability a

North Sinai students face extremes to reach their dreams

As school resumes, dedicated students in volatile North Sinai have more to worry about than homework.