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 to ramp up ties with Belarus as Russia opens Red Sea consulate Russia plans to open a new consulate in coastal Sharm el-Sheikh, following Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s visit to Moscow and signs of growing ties between Egypt and Belarus. Egypt
China expands foothold in Egypt’s Suez with $17M garment deals China has signed more than a billion dollars' worth of deals in the Suez Canal Economic Zone this year as the waterway reels from the Red Sea crisis. Egypt
After Kuwait, Lebanon’s Aoun visits Egypt seeking reconstruction support Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is in Egypt on a tour seeking support for Lebanon’s reconstruction. Lebanon
Analysis Against Ethiopia, Egypt courts East African states over Nile dam dispute Tensions over a wide range of issues, including Ethiopia’s ambitions for Red Sea access, are likely to worsen the dispute with Egypt over Addis Ababa’s controversial dam on the Nile River. By Jonathan Fenton-Harvey In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics
Egypt’s Sisi in Russia, meets Putin after military parade: What to know Egypt and the Palestinian Authority both sent representatives to Russia for the annual World War II parade as they court ties with Moscow. Egypt
On fifth Greece visit, Egypt’s Sisi and Mitsotakis advance energy projects: What to know The new partnership agreement appears to further cement the two nations' growing ties even as migration challenges persist. Egypt
Egyptian chip startup carves unlikely AI niche amid US-China tech race Cairo-based startup InfiniLink is taking on a world tech problem in an unlikely site as the AI boom reshapes global competition. Egypt
Israel intercepts weapons-laden drone from Egypt: What we know The Israeli military said it intercepted a large drone carrying rifles and ammunition from Egypt. Egypt
Egypt's Sisi hosts Burhan, eyes reconstruction in Sudan: What to know Egypt’s president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Sudanese army head Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan met in Cairo for talks on the latest developments in Sudan as Cairo seeks lucrative reconstruction deals in the war-torn country. Sudan
Analysis Can Egypt’s economic comeback absorb Trump’s global trade shocks? Buoyed by foreign investment and cautious reforms, Egypt’s fragile recovery faces a new test from Trump’s tariff-fueled trade turbulence. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Middle East churches, Al-Azhar, leaders mourn Pope Francis Pope Francis was praised by several regional leaders and churches, including Lebanon's Maronite Church and Iraqi officials, who noted his historic visit to Iraq in 2021. Lebanon
Newsletter: China-Middle East Al-Monitor China-Middle East: China-Egypt first-ever joint air force drills By Joyce Karam