This form of welfare eats up more than a fifth of the state budget and reform has been demanded by the IMF. Cairo says the changes will help the poorest. Others are less sure
Disruption in the Hormuz can have major implications for global trade, but it also creates opportunities for smaller nations like Iran to become global political players
Pipelines have a chequered history in the Middle East, but the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has led US Tom Barrack to conclude that a new route through Syria could solve some problems.
With Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, alternatives for Gulf energy transit are being sought. Could the Saudi landmass straddling two seas be bridged for the benefit of all?
As a route for Gulf energy exports, nothing can fully replace the Strait of Hormuz, which remains closed by Iran, but a Saudi port city on the Red Sea could hold some of the answers.
A two-week truce has sparked a cautious market rebound, but deep anxiety persists over renewed escalation and its impact on global growth and inflation
Iran's attacks on two big Gulf producers threw the industry a curveball. Although alternatives exist, the UAE and Bahrain facilities will be hard to replace.
A US envoy wants the institutions of western Libya to accommodate the son of an eastern warlord as Libyan president. Is this another doomed effort to unite the feuding factions, or could it work?
As the FIFA World Cup 2026 shows, identity, belonging, and tension combine to make football fandom unlike any other sport. So, what is going on in fans' brains?
Beijing's duty-free access for African exports promises mutual economic gains, but more importantly, it deepens its strategic influence across the continent