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
Why one IDF soldier continues to cause controversy in Egypt The case of Dina Ovadia, an Egyptian woman from Alexandria who was stripped of her citizenship after moving to Israel and joining the IDF, has returned to the headlines in Egypt. Egypt
Head of Egypt’s Nour Party bloc speaks out In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ahmed Khalil, the head of the Islamist Nour Party’s parliamentary bloc, speaks about the party’s role and plans in the legislature. Egypt
Are Egypt's new water discoveries just a distraction? Egypt keeps stacking its stories up higher as its water woes deepen. Egypt
Egyptian women launch 'One Girl is Worth 100' campaign Rania Ayman, a founding member of the campaign "One Girl is Worth 100," speaks to Al-Monitor about women who struggle to make a living in jobs traditionally limited to men. Egypt
How heavy metal music is causing a stir in Egypt A concert in Cairo scheduled for later this month has revived a decades-long controversy over heavy metal music and accusations of devil worship. Egypt
Will Egypt's 'luxury tax' hurt everyday citizens? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued a decree raising customs tariffs on so-called luxury products, a new development that some say threatens the country with a potential wave of inflation. Egypt
In last interview, former UN Secretary-General defends Cairo's crackdowns In an interview with Al-Monitor a week before passing away at the age of 93, former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali spoke about the challenges of ensuring full freedoms amid a precarious security situation. Egypt
Can Sisi reconcile with Egypt's youth? Does he even want to? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proclaimed 2016 to be the Year of the Youth, yet young people continue to be arrested and oppressed, which could result in the emergence of secret activities, especially by Islamists. Egypt
Displaced Yemenis suffer in silence in Egypt Despite the war raging in their country, Yemen’s displaced citizens in Egypt await the day they can return. Saudi Arabia
How Egypt plans to boost its stock exchange The Egyptian government's decision to sell shares of some state-owned banks and companies is drawing both praise and criticism. Egypt
Egyptian taxi drivers protest 'unfair competition' from Uber Taxi drivers in Egypt say ride-sharing services Uber and Careem do not have to meet the same regulations taxis do and do not pay their fair share of taxes. Egypt
Israeli slip of the tongue embarrasses Egypt The statement by Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz in regard to alleged security cooperation with Egypt angered Cairo and complicated the battle against Hamas. Palestine
