Iranian missiles can be seen with the naked eye in Egypt as they streak across the night sky like shooting stars while travelling towards Israel.
Unleashed hundreds of kilometres away in Iran and flying at high altitude, the missiles do not look particularly menacing. Yet for Egypt they serve as a potent reminder of the potential perils ahead as the Iran-Israel war rages on amid suggestions of US involvement on Israel's side.
Egypt is deeply alarmed by the conflict, knowing it is only a matter of time before the fallout hits its fragile economy so hard that it might need a global aid package similar to last year’s $50 billion bailout merely to stay afloat.
Perhaps more disconcerting for President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s government is that a deeper economic crisis could trigger unrest in the nation of 106 million, which has struggled in the past decade with double-digit inflation, additional taxes and a rapidly devaluing currency.
The war, which began on June 13, has already caused Egypt’s currency to lose ground to the US dollar. The stock market also took a beating, while on the nation’s lucrative debt market “hot money” was leaving in a hurry, putting pressure on limited foreign currency reserves.
Underscoring the depth of the alarm, some Egyptians, mostly those with deep pockets, are hoarding food and basic medicine because they fear a possible disruption of global supply chains if the conflict becomes broader.
But not all are on board with this coping tactic, or can afford it, in a country where the majority are leading a hand-to-mouth existence, or surviving from pay cheque to pay cheque at best.
“I haven’t stocked up on anything, this is nonsense,” said Ibtisam Ahmed, a 73-year-old retiree and mother of three from Cairo. "If there are shortages, then we will all suffer together as one people. What I and many others fear is not the shortage of food. We fear power cuts that will leave us living in darkness and we fear lack of security on the streets.”
Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly has advised Egyptians to curb electricity consumption. Seeking to head off a popular backlash at a critical time, his government is rushing to find alternative imports of fuel supplies to avoid power cuts in the summer and has been issuing reassuring messages on the nation’s reserves of essential food items.
On Wednesday, he said Egypt had enough stocks of "strategic" food items for six months and was on course to secure its needs of natural gas, on which many of its power stations rely, by the end of the month.
"The entry and exit of hot money is nothing to worry about," Mr Madbouly said, referring to the flight of funds from the debt market.
Addressing parliament on Tuesday, Planning Minister Rania Al Mashat made clear the government was not taking any chances. Officials, she explained, were closely monitoring the situation in the region and were prepared to revise the indicators of Egypt's 2025-2026 budget that will come into effect on July 1.
“It could prove necessary that we revise indicators in case current regional developments persist or worsen,” she told legislators, referring to the Israel-Iran war. Mr Madbouly, she added, has set up a “crisis committee” to monitor the fallout from the war.
Michael Hanna, director of the US Programme at the International Crisis Group in New York, said: “Egypt is very vulnerable and there is a lot at stake now. It does not have much of a role that impacts on what’s happening and had never been a player in years of animosity between Israel and Iran, but it stands to lose a lot from this conflict.
"This war could go on for long if Iran does not run out of missiles."
The potentially damaging fallout from the fighting comes as Egypt is struggling to shield itself from the ripples of its crisis-ridden neighbours: Sudan’s civil war, Libya’s 14 years of civil strife and the 20-month-old Israeli war in Gaza.
The challenges have prompted pro-government talk show hosts and loyal social media accounts to send out messages of support to Mr El Sisi, urging Egyptians to rally behind his leadership and place their trust in the military's ability to defend the nation.
Their seemingly state-orchestrated narrative is clearly on Iran's side, a reflection of Cairo's tense relations with Israel and, in contrast, its rapidly improving ties with Iran.
But the government's handling of the potential fallout from the war has not been met with universal approval in Egypt.
In thinly veiled criticism, one of Egypt's most-celebrated politicians, former foreign minister and Arab League chief Amr Moussa, suggested the rarely convened National Security Council led by Mr El Sisi must meet to shoulder its responsibility of "dealing with the threats facing the nation's security and take the necessary steps to contain them".
Cairo's jitters have been on display in the past week, when authorities appeared to go to great lengths to prevent foreign pro-Palestinian activists and their local peers from staging a symbolic march to the Gaza border in support of beleaguered Palestinians.
The government said the activists would need permission to demonstrate, a process that has never been fruitful since Egypt effectively banned street protests in 2013.
Scores of activists were detained and deported on arrival at Cairo airport. Many who slipped through security at the airport were detained and deported after police raids at Cairo hotels and an area outside the Suez Canal city of Ismailia, where scores had gathered.
Security sources said the crackdown was designed chiefly to stop Egypt's pro-Palestinian activists from joining the march and turning it into an anti-government rally.
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
LIVERPOOL SQUAD
Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner, Naby Keita, Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Joe Gomez, Adrian, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana, Andy Lonergan, Xherdan Shaqiri, Andy Robertson, Divock Origi, Curtis Jones, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Neco Williams
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
HAJJAN
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Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
India team for Sri Lanka series
Test squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Priyank Panchal, Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hanuma Vihari, Shubhman Gill, Rishabh Pant (wk), KS Bharath (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Jayant Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Sourabh Kumar, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
T20 squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Surya Kumar Yadav, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Deepak Chahar, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harshal Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Avesh Khan
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
The Specs
Price, base Dh379,000
Engine 2.9-litre, twin-turbo V6
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 503bhp
Torque 443Nm
On sale now
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