After meeting Netanyahu, Kushner agrees Hamas disarmament precedes Israel's withdrawal Israel and the Gaza Board of Peace have agreed that the Israeli military will begin withdrawing from the Gaza Strip after Hamas disarms. Israel
Analysis How Israel's rivalry, defense deals prompted Turkey to join Mecca pact Turkey’s growing rivalry with Israel and mounting regional instability are driving its defense alignment with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, despite risks of strategic entanglement and friction with NATO partners. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Israel moves against West Bank settlers after Huckabee criticism Who benefits from Lebanon’s amnesty law; Turkey's Fidan heads to Egypt amid questions over Saudi-led defense pact; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis Fidan heads to Egypt amid questions over Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan pact Conflicting accounts of why Egypt stayed out of the agreement have exposed the competing interests shaping the region’s emerging defense architecture. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: FutureVerse Red Sea tech risks resurface By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran denies negotiations with US after Trump calls off strikes By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Egyptians want preacher who justified violence against women stopped The statements of an Egyptian preacher who justified violence against women raised the ire of social media users and prompted activists to demand that he be prevented from appearing in the media. Egypt
Archaeologists scoff at claim of second Sphinx statue An Egyptian tourism official claimed the discovery of a second statue of the Sphinx, sparking controversy and surprise in Egypt. Culture & Society
New discoveries found under demolished historic palace in Egypt After the demolition of the 120-year-old Tawfic Pasha Andraos Palace in Luxor, which drew much criticism, several Byzantine artifacts, including oil lamps, were recently discovered at the site of the palace. Egypt
Egyptian clerics denounce first pig kidney transplant into human body The global medical community has welcomed the US operation as a breakthrough, but some Egyptian clerics say the procedure violates Islamic law. Egypt
Military coup opens new chapter in Sudan's regional ties The Sudanese army carried out a military coup that will undermine the fragile democratic transition process in the country and deepen its economic crisis. Egypt
Cairo airport security detains robot Egyptian security forces detained robot artist Ai-Da, upon arriving at Cairo airport for 10 days, before the British embassy intervened to resolve the issue and ensure their release. Egypt
Egypt boosts medical cooperation with African Nile Basin countries Egypt is expanding its influence in the Nile Basin region, through the establishment of medical and pharmaceutical centers, amid the stalled negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta denounces fatwa on marital intimacy A fatwa by an unofficial body on the number of times a husband must have intercourse with his wife sparked controversy on social media, prompting Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta to denounce the fatwa as it belittles women’s rights. Egypt
Egyptian preacher's fatwa against bodybuilding stirs controversy After Egyptian bodybuilder Big Ramy won the Mr. Olympia 2021 championship, cleric Abdullah Rushdy issued a fatwa prohibiting men from participating in the sport because it reveals intimate parts of the body. Egypt
Despite reaching all-time high, Egypt’s external debt is within safe levels Inflows of foreign currency debt were spent on infrastructure, health care and overhaul of shantytowns across the country. However, Egyptian banks’ net foreign liability position stands out as a risk. Egypt
With Nile talks stalled, Ethiopia plans to fill dam, buy Turkish drones Meanwhile, Sudan’s democratic transition faces ‘worst and most dangerous’ crisis. Egypt
Eastern Sudan crisis threatens stability in Khartoum Protests are sweeping eastern Sudan, which includes three of the country's poorest states. Egypt