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 backpacker cycles to World Cup in Russia An Egyptian backpacker is on his way by bike to Russia for the World Cup. Egypt
US Syria effort hinges on unreliable Egypt The Donald Trump administration has reportedly asked Egypt to contribute money and troops to the Syria fight even as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has proven a challenging ally in battling the Islamic State at home. Egypt
Wafd Party elections raise issue of female empowerment in Egypt While five candidates contended for the leadership of the Wafd Party, none of them were women, which raised several questions about the future of women in Egyptian partisan life. Egypt
Egyptian mosque bill could pit government against top religious body The Egyptian government presented a draft bill to parliament to change the conditions of the use of endowments, which raised the ire of Al-Azhar. Egypt
Egypt's parliament moves forward on anti-cybercrime law The parliamentary communications committee has approved a draft law to combat cybercrime amid criticism that this draft law, if approved, would further stifle freedom of expression. Egypt
Shared airspace helps Egypt, Russia gain common ground Tourism and joint development projects should get a boost from recently resumed flights between Cairo and Moscow. Egypt
Curbing inflation tops Sisi’s list of economic priorities With Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi securing a second term, many economists are still wondering how to deal with inflation and soaring prices, while questioning the future of the armed forces' participation in the economy. Egypt
Russia seeks to extend role in Mideast peace beyond Syria Moscow faces many challenges in its efforts to help resolve Palestinian issues, especially as Israel rejects any mediator other than the United States and Egypt continues to be the sole sponsor of intra-Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
Egyptian women replace smoking with qatrouna In Upper Egypt, while men come together for shisha, women relax by chewing a mix of tobacco and tar — yet health professionals warn of the many dangers. Egypt
Egypt’s science-minded women show off their skills A competition organized by the British Council shows that young Egyptian women neither shy away from science nor think it is a man’s domain. Egypt
Egypt debates how to block dangerous viral games Following claims that the suicide of an Egyptian politician’s son was due to the "Blue Whale Challenge," Egyptians are seeking tighter restrictions on these types of online games. Egypt
Sisi loyalists call for six-year term Media figures close to the regime have started campaigning for amending the constitution so as to extend President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s second term. Egypt