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
Gaza set to become scene of Egypt-Qatar tug of war The Gaza Strip and Hamas are attracting attention from both sides as the Gulf crisis grows, but they might have to choose between longtime supporter Qatar on one side and the UAE, Egypt and Mohammed Dahlan on the other. United Arab Emirates
Egypt wheels out country's first bike-share program Cairo launches its first bike-share scheme called "Bicicletta" in collaboration with UN-Habitat Egypt to encourage Egyptians to cycle in order to reduce air pollution and save money. Egypt
Mystery shrouds disappearance of first female mayor in Egypt’s Sharqiyah After Egyptian female activists thought that the appointment of a woman as mayor would serve the cause of female empowerment, they were surprised by her disappearance 120 days ago under mysterious circumstances. Egypt
Following deadly clashes, Nile island residents keep up fight against evictions The residents of al-Warraq island in Cairo woke up July 16 to see police and army forces implementing a government decision to remove all unlicensed buildings and illegal use of state-owned land. Egypt
What a drag: Egypt’s smokers feel burn of price hikes Cigarettes are getting more expensive in Egypt thanks to rising production costs spurred by the government’s economic reforms. Egypt
Erdogan hopes to woo Saudi Arabia with Gulf damage-control tour Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his visit to the Gulf was mainly about the GCC-Qatar crisis, but analysts indicate Ankara is also trying to curry favor with Saudi Arabia. Legacy: Gulf
Egypt's traditional recipes get a makeover Ambitious restaurant owners give traditional dishes a makeover and often give them English names, while traditionalists simmer in anger over the degeneration of gastronomic heritage of Egypt's traditional dishes. Egypt
Water pictured around Renaissance Dam alarms Egyptians As negotiations to complete the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam studies remain stalled, satellite images show water pooling around the dam, raising Egyptian suspicions of unauthorized storage. Egypt
Fatwa on the go: Egypt’s Al-Azhar sets up shop in Cairo metro While Egypt’s Al-Azhar says its recently installed kiosk offering fatwas to subway commuters is aimed at countering extremism, some see it as a sign of increasing religiosity in the country. Egypt
Tillerson calls on Saudi bloc to lift blockade on Qatar The US secretary of state, after meeting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi today in Washington, called for the lifting of the blockade on Qatar as a sign of good faith. Legacy: Gulf
Terrorists in Sinai up their game In a striking development, an Islamic State splinter group in Sinai has targeted an elite Egyptian army battalion, which raises concerns that militants might be adopting a new pattern of qualitative operations. Egypt
How Sisi uses art to promote his ideas It appears that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is using art and artists to gain popular support for the government's decisions. Egypt
