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
Is 'The Wedding' new beginning for LGBTQ cinema in Egypt? Film director Sam Abbas' "The Wedding," which tells the story of a gay man forced into a heterosexual marriage, will be screened privately and by invitation only in the Middle East, making the already controversial movie even more controversial. Egypt
The reasons behind Abbas' all-or-nothing Gaza policy By refusing to reconcile with Hamas, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is blocking an Israel-Hamas agreement that would rock Palestine during a delicate transition in leadership. Palestine
Trump administration releases another $195 million in Egypt aid The Donald Trump administration has issued a national security waiver allowing it to release more military aid despite congressional concerns over Cairo’s human rights record and ties to North Korea. Egypt
Will Hamas, Israel call Qatar-brokered truce? Qatar has been increasingly involved in talks between Hamas and Israel in what raises questions about its exploitation of the Gaza card in the Gulf crisis. Qatar
False rumor reignites row over Egypt’s mixed-gender classes The Egyptian government once again has managed to quash a recurring false claim that men and women will be banned from attending university classes together. Egypt
Will Egypt's public sector get longer weekend? The Egyptian government is considering adding Thursdays to the weekend for public sector employees. Egypt
Will Gaza factions accept Israel-Hamas arrangement? Some Gaza factions demand that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas be included in the Israel-Hamas arrangement. Palestine
Egypt's large secondhand book market delivers bargains, rare gems In Egypt, book prices have doubled or tripled in the last few years, driving people to secondhand book stalls in Soor al-Azbakeya. Egypt
'Lived here' initiative spotlights homes of Egypt's most famous residents In an effort to introduce Egypt's famous figures to the next generation, 100 signs now mark where celebrated Egyptians like Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz or diva Umm Kulthum once lived. Egypt
Israel-Hamas talks isolate Abbas Israel negotiates with Hamas, despite its ideology of destroying the Jewish state, while ignoring Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, its only security partner against terror. Qatar
Egypt selectively legalizing land ownership in Sinai The Egyptian state is refusing to certify the legal ownership of some land in Sinai despite citizens meeting the necessary requirements. Egypt
Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt to employ women for first time As Egyptian women struggle to fight for their professional rights in the banking sector, the Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt announced for the first time in 38 years that it was willing to employ women. Egypt
