Tech giants such as Meta, Sony and Adobe, together with oversight groups like the World Wide Web Consortium, have created a forum to set standards for the nascent metaverse industry. The move aims to make digital worlds compatible with each other. However, Apple and Snapchat have not joined the outfit. Plus, after being hit by a dramatic fall in visitors from Russia and Ukraine, the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh is looking to attract tourists from elsewhere. We take a closer look.