Facing skyrocketing energy costs tied to the Strait of Hormuz blockade, Egypt has ordered shops, restaurants, and cafes to shut down by 9:00 p.m. for the next month. The government is also dimming streetlights, rolling out weekly remote work, and scaling back state projects to ease the strain. With its fuel import bill more than doubling in recent months, the nation is feeling the ripple effects of a conflict it is not directly involved in. Hotels and tourist sites are exempt from the restrictions, though some are already preparing backup generators. As global oil prices surge, Egypt’s urgent measures highlight just how vulnerable frontier economies can become when critical supply routes are disrupted.
BBC