Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Congress presses Biden administration for answers on Yemen war Pressure is building on Capitol Hill as lawmakers await clarity about US support for Saudi Arabia in an upcoming briefing. Washington Pulse
Turkish-Russian ties marked more by rivalry than cooperation today President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believed Russia would provide him leverage against the United States and Europe after Turkey’s ties with the West took a nosedive. Turkey
US Yemen envoy: Houthi attack on Americans in Saudi Arabia is 'greatest fear' The US special envoy for Yemen gave an update to Congress on the Biden administration’s efforts to engage with Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi forces in the war-torn country. Washington Pulse
Egypt recovers new part of sunken ship from Red Sea Cairo is celebrating the discovery of another portion of a ship sunk in the Red Sea in the 18th century carrying a treasure trove of artifacts. Culture
Studio Photo Kegham: disrupted archive of Gaza The grandson of Kegham Djeghalian, a survivor of the 1915 Armenian genocide and founder of the first photography studio in Gaza, recently organized an exhibition with the negatives he found three years ago. Culture
Senate Democrats push for additional checks on UAE F-35 sale The bill comes amid a fresh wave of scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers over the Biden administration's plan to move forward with the Trump-era arms sale. Congress
Taliban, Assad continue to unite Russia, Iran While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed ways to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal in his visit to Tehran this week, the topics of Syria and Afghanistan also featured prominently on the agenda. Russia
Production stalls on Egypt's 'The King' over Pharaonic accuracy While some Egyptians see the suspension of work on the series "El-Malek" as controlling creative expression, others feel that the move is necessary to protect Egypt's identity from historical inaccuracies. Egypt
Russian FM’s visit to Egypt helps counter Erdogan’s regional moves Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Cairo is seen as a further cementing of increasing Russian-Egyptian ties and as a counterpoint to the Ukrainian president's visit to Turkey. Russia
First TV series starring people with disabilities to be released in Egypt During Ramadan, an Egyptian series starring 25 actors with disabilities will be aired on social media, amid efforts to shed light on the marginalization and stigma that Egyptians with a disability face. Culture & Society
Gaza animal shelter gets stray dogs off streets With help from the Gaza municipality, a rescue group has established a rare animal shelter in the enclave. Palestine
Egypt plans another royal parade, this time for King Tut's gold mask After the grand success of the Pharaoh's Golden Parade, Egypt is preparing for another major event involving the relics of Tutankhamun, one of ancient Egypt’s most famous kings. Egypt
