Good afternoon, wonderful people, and welcome to the almost-weekend. Today’s light issue brings news of efforts to jumpstart Suez Canal traffic, surprising developments in US-Syria relations, and how Apple plans to integrate their devices even further in our lives through accessibility tech.

THE BIG STORY TODAY-

Egypt urges Maersk to resume Suez Canal transits: Danish shipping giant Maersk is considering resuming its transits through the Suez Canal on the back of the recent introduction of a temporary 15% reduction on transit fees, Maersk Vice President, Head of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs Camilla Jain Holtse said during a meeting with Suez Canal Authority head Osama Rabie. The authority urged Maersk to amend its sailing schedules and encourage the gradual resumption of transits through the crossing in light of the new policy decision.

Sound familiar? Rabie urged global shipping lines earlier this week to reassess their routes and consider a gradual return to the canal amid improving security conditions in the region.

REMEMBER- Transit receipts from the Suez Canal dropped 62.3% y-o-y to USD 1.8 bn in 1HFY 2024-25 on the back of Red Sea disruptions that pushed ships to reroute away from the canal.

THE BIG STORY ABROAD-

It’s all eyes on what appears to be a turning point in US-Syria relations: US President Donald Trump met with Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa today during his visit to Riyadh, a day after he made a surprise announcement that the US would lift sanctions on Syria’s new government and look into to normalising ties with the country. The meeting — which included and reportedly followed a push from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan — signals a major shift in US policy following decades of diplomatic isolation.

Trump urged Al Sharaa to normalise ties with Israel by joining the Abraham Accords, which the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco signed in 2020. He also asked the leader to order all “foreign terrorists” to leave Syria whilst singling out “Palestinian terrorists,” as well as to help the US prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State group. Al Sharaa, who once led a branch of Al Qaeda before breaking ties with the group, was named president of Syria in January after toppling former President Bashar Al Assad.

☀️ TOMORROW’S WEATHER- Today’s pleasant and cloudy weather will be seeing us again tomorrow, with the mercury expected to cap at 31°C throughout the day and fall to 22°C at night, according to our favorite weather app.

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