Sisi keeps a lid on
Egyptians face another four years of authoritarian rule
"I want 10 Zohrs," joked President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in front of the television cameras at the official ceremony marking the start of the gas project. The reflected glory from even one more find on the scale of Zohr would, in normal circumstances, be no bad thing for a head of state seeking re-election. But Sisi needs no such lucky charm. With or without another Zohr he knows that when the votes are counted after the elections in late March he'll begin another term as Egypt's president. This is because, for a variety of reasons, all serious challengers have either decided, or been strongly persuaded, to drop out. Only one weak candidate is standing against him—presumably to give the poll
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
