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
Under public attack, Cairo film festival cancels award to French director Lelouch The Cairo International Film Festival's decision to honor Claude Lelouch, the French-Jewish film director who called Israel his homeland, caused a stir among filmmakers and intellectuals, eventually leading the festival to backpedal. Egypt
Putin, Sisi take Russia-Egypt relations to 'strategic level' Moscow and Cairo signed a strategic cooperation agreement that is supposed to open new venues for bilateral relations in the military, political and cultural domains. Egypt
Saudi sports minister leaves Egypt’s sports scene The decision of the head of Saudi General Sports Authority Turki al-Sheikh to withdraw from Egyptian sports and sell his club Pyramids Football Club after being insulted by Al-Ahli fans at one of their games sparked controversy in Egypt. Saudi Arabia
Egypt celebrates new airport servicing Giza Plateau Egypt's new Sphinx International Airport promises to facilitate travel in Giza as tourism further rebounds in the area. Egypt
Egyptians outraged by wedding photos as ancient sites tapped for revenue Egypt's cash-strapped Ministry of Antiques is making money from renting out historical venues, but the public is less than pleased with archaeological venues being used for private events. Egypt
Egypt promotes government bonds on international tour Egypt is marketing its treasury bonds in Europe and Asia, though some analysts worry that expanding foreign debt will negatively affect the local economy. Egypt
Young Egyptian engineers race ahead in electric vehicles Nine teams of Egyptian engineering students qualified for a mentorship program and funding to build their own designs and compete in Egypt's first electric vehicle competition. Egypt
Will Egypt opt for controversial steps to fight tax evasion? Economists in Egypt are condemning statements by the head of the Egyptian Tax Authority, whereby the Ministry of Finance might be granted access to the bank accounts of some customers and companies in a bid to reduce tax evasion. Egypt
Egyptian film producers turn to war, spies Despite the prolific cinema sector in Egypt, the country’s military and espionage history has hardly featured in films — but this may change. Egypt
Egypt expected to become regional gas hub The Egyptian government has recently announced that the country stopped importing liquefied natural gas and managed to achieve self-sufficiency thanks to the Zohr gas field, raising hopes that Egypt would become a regional gas trading and exporting hub. Egypt
New coach pledges facelift to Egypt's national soccer team Javier Aguirre tells Al-Monitor that his main challenge is to raise the morale of his team after their defeat in the 2018 World Cup in Russia. Egypt
Sufism enters Egypt's political arena A Sufi sheikh has been elected to lead the majority Support Egypt Coalition in the Egyptian parliament, leading some to wonder if it signals the rise of another religious current in the wake of the Muslim Brotherhood's fall. Egypt