Last week, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave a blockbuster interview to the American media network Fox News, speaking on a range of issues important to his country—from normalisation with Israel, to a possible US defence pact and a civilian nuclear programme. Writing in Politics, Hesham Alghannam singles out seven intended messages the crown prince wanted to send Saudi citizens, neighbouring nations, and major global powers.

Meanwhile, on her part, Anna Borshcevskaya broke down Russia’s foreign policy in the South Caucasus. She says that to understand Russia’s war in Ukraine, one must first understand Russia’s politics in the Black Sea.

Switching gears, Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy suggests that France’s African empire may have had its ‘Suez Moment’ following the coup in Niger, which dealt Paris yet another blow to its once-dominant role in West Africa. He likens the coup to Gamal Abdel Nasser’s nationalisation of the Suez Canal in the 1950s, which marked the end of Britain’s imperialist empire, but says Paris’ decline is more of a long, drawn-out one rather than a singular moment.

In Business & Economy, Abdel-Rahman Ayas pens an article, “AI and the future of jobs”, saying that adopting people-centric AI with responsible and ethical regulation will unlock its positive potential, leading to a future that strengthens human capabilities and elevates the economy.

Marcelle Nasr writes on Egypt’s embrace of AI, with its universities excelling in international competitions and global rankings. However, she questions whether the labour market will be able to accommodate the AI ambitions of its youth.

And finally, Amer Ziab Al-Tamimi writes on Iraq’s economy while pointing out the obstacles and opportunities to unlock its “massive potential” and reap the rewards of its vast wealth.

In Opinion, Ibrahim Hamidi wrote about another country with vast wealth: Libya. He says that the catastrophic Libya floods caused by the collapse of two dams in the country, killing over 10,000 Libyans, could have been avoided had leaders fixed structural problems in the dams that had been previously flagged.

On his part, Pascal Soriot, CEO of the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, pens an opinion piece about the future of healthcare. He argues that, with the MENA region warming twice as fast as the global average, we need to work twice as hard to build resilience and equity and mitigate the effects of climate change on human health.

And finally, in Opinion, Haid Haid writes that China is considering reentering Syria’s oil market after a long hiatus brought on by the country’s civil war. He says that China's proactive attempt seems to be aimed at thwarting other oil companies from gaining a competitive edge in the Syrian market.

Continuing with Syria, but writing for the Culture section, Hasnaa Aadra takes us on a tour of the ancient Damascus neighbourhood Bab Al Hara, which has been “unscathed by time and war”.

On the centenary of The Prophet, Paul Chaoul writes why Kahlil Gibran's magnum opus is considered the zenith of his literary career. He reflects on its universal message and why it resonated with so many around the world.

And finally, marking the passing of acclaimed Colombian artist Fernando Botero, Bryn Haworth pens a piece entitled, “The art world loses its heavyweight star”. Botero’s trademark was depicting fat people in his paintings and Haworth walks us through the works he leaves behind.