Newsletter: FutureVerse LEAP’s comeback The fifth edition of the gathering offers a temperature check for the Gulf’s AI ambitions amid fallout from the US-Israel-Iran war. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Xi makes first Egypt visit in decade as Cairo gets caught in US-China AI row China's Huawei last month submitted a bid to build advanced AI data centers and supply more than 2,000 AI chips for Egyptian government systems. Egypt
Analysis How Ethiopia’s new dams test Egypt’s ability to defend its Nile red lines Ethiopia’s water minister has emphasized the country’s plans to move forward with new Blue Nile dam construction, leaving Egypt to contend with the potential fallout. By Eli Siegel-Bernstein
Newsletter: Business & Tech Iran keeps Hormuz reopening on hold Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained low, with only five commodity vessels transiting the waterway on Tuesday, according to data from maritime tracking firm Kpler. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Egyptian ministers’ statements on public budget raise controversy The ministers of education and health have criticized the Egyptian Ministry of Finance for failing to provide the required budget, which prompted the government to ban public statements by some ministers. Egypt
Israel campaigns against Abbas ahead of Bahrain conference Even before the Bahrain conference started, Israel is busy explaining why Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is no partner for a peace process. Bahrain
Central Bank offers mortgages to help Egypt's middle class The Central Bank of Egypt has an ambitious plan to provide Egypt's middle class with funding to buy properties. Egypt
Egypt's parliament considering banking system draft law Egypt’s new Central Bank of Egypt draft law could raise the minimum capital requirement for banks tenfold. Egypt
Despite US pressure, expect regional players to phone in Manama meeting Several regional states will show up for the US-led conference in Bahrain, but none of them really believes it will promote Middle East peace. Saudi Arabia
Egyptian-Turkish trade: A love-hate relationship Egypt's free trade agreement with Turkey ends in 2020, but it is unclear whether it will be renewed in light of the political antipathy between the two countries' leaders. Egypt
Who will benefit from Qatar’s asylum law? Although Qatari-Egyptian ties have been strained since the ouster of Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, Qatar’s asylum law was followed with a ministerial decision that would not only protect Egyptian fugitives, but also ease their financial burden. Qatar
Female entrepreneurs fight crisis by reviving heritage Female entrepreneurs from Iraq, Palestine and Egypt show that hardship does not always impede creativity, particularly when you build on your country's artistic heritage. Palestine
Egypt’s electricity deal with Cyprus, Greece brightens energy outlook Egypt has signed an agreement with Cyprus and Greece to build undersea electrical cables allowing it to export electricity to Europe. Egypt
As Iran stirs worries, Sisi sets vision for Arab security Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offers a plan to achieve Arab security and counter threats to the Arab region, to avoid war with Iran. Saudi Arabia
Egypt's hand appears in play behind scenes in Sudan The head of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council has visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, raising questions about Cairo’s role in Sudanese affairs. Saudi Arabia
Seized newspaper reads dark times for Egypt's press The repeated confiscation of Al-Ahaly newspaper has raised complaints about press freedom in Egypt, where state oversight of the media is a long and opaque tradition. Egypt
