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 Abbas turning his back on Egypt? Despite lukewarm relations between Palestine and Egypt, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will not turn his back on Cairo. Palestine
Why some are worried about Egypt's new media law Egyptian parliament has passed a new media law that places further restrictions on the press, as some argue Sisi’s reign has become the “worst ever” for freedom of speech. Egypt
Why Egypt's anti-terror efforts have failed to curb attacks Following the suicide attack on Botroseya Church at St. Mark’s Coptic Cathedral complex in Cairo on Dec. 11, some argue the state's policies for confronting terrorism need to be completely reworked. Egypt
Audio book project brings joy of reading to Egypt's visually impaired The volunteer-run project Al-Kutub produces audio books for visually impaired readers, an extremely underserved demographic in Egypt. Egypt
Will Egypt accept Iran’s offer to supply oil? Iran has found an opportunity to meet Egypt’s local market needs for petroleum products, but will Egypt seize this opportunity at the expense of its ties with the Gulf countries? Legacy: Gulf
Egyptian startup fights depression online Shezlong secures a $150,000 grant to further develop the online platform that was launched in 2015 to provide mental health care to the millions of Egyptians who seek psychological help. Egypt
Egypt's parliament under fire for controversial child custody bill A proposed bill in Egypt’s parliament that would implement sweeping changes to laws concerning women has sparked outrage as women’s rights activists are calling for its immediate withdrawal. Egypt
Will Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry restore dilapidated synagogues? The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities is deploying efforts to restore the remaining three synagogues in Cairo’s Jewish Quarter. Egypt
Egypt's newspapers face uncertainty after printing price hikes Several Egyptian newspapers may have to shut down following the increase of printing costs. Egypt
Syrian refugee brings taste of Aleppo to Gaza A Syrian refugee opened a restaurant in the Gaza Strip that is similar to the one he owned in Aleppo, Syria, before it was destroyed and he had to flee because of the war. Palestine
Al-Azhar imposters prompt calls to regulate uniform In response to unauthorized Egyptian clerics issuing radical fatwas while dressed in the traditional Al-Azhar uniform, a parliamentary committee is considering steps to ban non-affiliates from wearing the religious institute’s identifiable dress. Egypt
What's behind Egyptian campaign to delay Saudi pilgrimages? Recent calls in Egypt to postpone by one year the umrah pilgrimage for those who have already made the trip has raised controversy and is viewed by some as a means of leverage against Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
