Egypt's gas strategy

New natural gas coming on stream will boost the country's economy, in the short term

A few metres from a Maserati showroom on the busy fringes of Cairo a crowd of men and women were trying unsuccessfully to flag down mini-buses carrying commuters into the capital. Nearly all the buses appeared to be full. Behind the luxury-car showroom stood several blocks of flats, grimed by smog, plaster peeling off. Their inhabitants are not the buyers of the Maseratis. For millions of Egyptians, daily life is, at best, a slog. During recent summers it has been even worse. Frequent power cuts have prevented the effective use of air conditioning and fans. As President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi is aware, nothing is likely to spark social unrest more than stifling summer nights in overcrowded cit