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
Will nature reserves law finally see the light in Egypt? The Egyptian parliament is set to discuss and approve a draft law on the Economic Commission of Nature Reserves in a bid to encourage tourism and manage investments in such reserves. Egypt
Expect trade activity boost between Egypt, Gaza Strip Egypt and Hamas are exploring trade options, including a new border crossing, that would skirt Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
Israel goes after Hamas in Sinai Recent reports suggest that Israel has been leading a campaign in the Sinai Peninsula to stop arms smuggling to the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Hamas-Fatah tension takes its toll on reconciliation Analysts fear the escalating tension between Hamas and Fatah will lead to an irreversible separation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Palestine
Egyptians decry Pompeo's 'ode to Israel' from Cairo In his recent speech in Cairo, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to explain US policy on the Middle East, but he did voice support for Israel. Saudi Arabia
Pompeo's Cairo speech panned as ‘tone-deaf,’ ‘hyper-partisan,’ ‘offensive’ Former diplomats and regional experts say Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s Cairo address fell short on substance and policy vision, while inappropriately taking domestic partisan arguments to foreign soil. Egypt
The real reason Egypt tried to quash Sisi's '60 Minutes' interview While the Egyptian president's comments on human rights and political prisoners angered Western observers, his comments on coordination with Israel pose a greater domestic threat. Egypt
Egypt’s internal debt rises on wider budget deficit Egypt announced a plan for the issuance of treasury bills and bonds worth 181.5 billion Egyptian pounds, but experts say the government should slash outlays and increase public revenues through a raft of measures to ease the country's budgetary woes. Egypt
Sisi attempts to breathe new life into Egyptian security services Increasing operations by militants in Egypt's Western Desert have led to personnel changes in the military and security forces. Egypt
Video: Egypt's 'widows' village' Al-Monitor travelled to southern Egypt to visit Samaha, a village is billed as a place where divorced and widowed women can begin a new life — with some help from the government. Egypt
Cairo food carts get street of their own Street carts selling food, books and handmade products come together on Cairo's Street 306, a new, hip space that could become the Arab world's largest food venue. Egypt
Egypt pledges continued crackdown after bomb attacks Egyptian security forces are on high alert in the wake of apparent terror attacks during the Coptic Christmas season. Egypt
