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
Israelis, Palestinians to meet in Egypt in bid to lower tensions before Ramadan With Ramadan only days away, Israel, the Palestinians, the United States, Egypt and Jordan fear that West Bank tensions could explode. Israel
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt rank among world’s top 10 arms importers: SIPRI Middle East countries made up more than a fourth of the top 40 global arms importers from 2018 to 2022, according to a new report. Legacy: Gulf
Egypt’s exports to China up more than 20% in 2022 China is making inroads in the Middle East, including by strengthening economic ties to Egypt. Egypt
Major bitcoin fraud case rattles Egypt Hundreds of Egyptians were swindled by an international crypto mining company, raising controversy over the digital currency that has grown in popularity in cash-strapped Egypt. Egypt
MidEast freedom rankings: Syria worst, Tunisia in decline, says Freedom House Syria remains to be the least and Israel the best performing country when it comes civil and political freedoms while the biggest one-year decline has been observed in Tunisia. Turkey
Inflation in Egypt at 32.9% in latest spike The Egyptian government’s inflation statistics in February could prompt an interest rate increase when the central bank next meets. Egypt
UAE, Egypt to develop major green hydrogen project in Mauritania The UAE is interested in Africa's green hydrogen potential, but the lack of development in the country could prove challenging. Legacy: Gulf
Train crash in Egypt leaves 4 dead, 23 injured Train crashes are not uncommon in Egypt, where the railway system is plagued by years of neglect. A new high-speed rail system could soon come to the country, however. Egypt
Egypt seeks to attract Islamic investors with debut sukuk, EGX Sharia index While the move to allow Islamic bond sales will diversify the government's funding sources, Islamic finance is still a relatively small part of the Egyptian economy. Egypt
Return of hot money foreshadows even more debt for Egypt Egypt has witnessed a large inflow of short-term debt in recent weeks. Al-Monitor Pro explains why the government hasn't been able to wean itself off of "hot money" and the economic impact. Marc Español
Egypt, Russia find opportunity in crisis Analysts say boosting trade between Russia and Egypt in the ruble and the pound is a win for both countries amid Western sanctions on Moscow and the dollar crunch in Egypt. Egypt
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to visit Israel, Jordan, Egypt The Pentagon chief's second tour of the Middle East comes as diplomatic efforts to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal appear to have run out of gas. Legacy: Gulf
