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
Egypt’s economists laud new residency-for-deposits law In an effort to bolster Egypt’s economy, parliament passed a law that grants residency to foreigners in return for bank deposits in hard currency. Egypt
Specter of death penalty haunts Egypt’s Brotherhood An Egyptian court issued the first death sentence against a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Fadl al-Mawla, in what some fear will be a precedent for the regime. Egypt
Is Sisi undermining independence of Egypt's judiciary? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi approved legal amendments that allow him to appoint the heads of the judicial bodies in the country, which forecasts a never-ending clash between the state and judges. Egypt
Cotton revival could keep Egypt’s economy spinning The production and export of Egypt’s most famous crop is seeing a revival after quality assurance measures are enacted. Egypt
Jordan and Egypt key to Abbas' Washington visit With the support of Egypt and Jordan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is hoping that he can slightly change the balance of forces in favor of a fair process in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict ahead of his visit to the United States. Palestine
Is Pope Francis' Egypt visit new beginning for Vatican-Azhar ties? With the visit of Pope Francis to Cairo on April 28-29, ties between the Vatican and Al-Azhar have been strengthened, putting interfaith dialogue high on the agenda of the Christian and Muslim representatives. Egypt
Egypt's pole dancing studios wipe out stigma Egyptian society is warming up to the idea of women getting fit through pole dancing. Egypt
Is Sufism answer to extremism in Egypt? Sufism may well be a tool to spread values opposing extremism in Egypt, but Egyptian Sufis also view their politics through the lens of an existential crisis. Egypt
How Palestinian filmmakers are promoting their message in Egypt The third edition of the Palestinian Film Week screened 17 films and documentaries about the lives of the Palestinian people, to shed light on their suffering and revive the Palestinian cause in the world. Palestine
How Egypt hopes to protect, educate street children Egypt wants to save its street children and bank on them as a future workforce to develop the society. Egypt
Trump’s Mideast plan starts taking shape US President Donald Trump’s Middle East team is exploring the possibility of a double-track initiative for Israeli-Palestinian and Middle East regional talks. Saudi Arabia
'Beauty and the Beast' romances Egypt despite controversial content Some in Egypt criticized the state censors for allowing "Beauty and the Beast" to be screened in local movie theaters, as the movie contains scenes suggesting homosexuality. Egypt
