CAIRO — Within days of each other, the United States and Egypt announced moves this week that, for the first time in years, would put human rights on the agenda in Egypt, a country that has become notorious for jailing activists, targeting journalists and squashing free speech. On Tuesday, theContinue Reading
CAIRO — At least 11 Egyptian troops, including an officer, were killed Saturday in a militant attack that targeted a water-pumping station east of the Suez Canal, the military said. In a statement, it said at least five other troops were wounded in the attack, one of the deadliest againstContinue Reading
CAIRO — At the height of the traditional Ramadan TV season, big-budget, star-studded shows captivate millions of Egyptians every night of the holy month with high drama and low comedy. But one episode of the most politically charged show stood out. The government-produced hit series “The Choice 3” purports toContinue Reading
It allowed the five Middle Eastern states — Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Israel — to collectively encourage the United States to remain engaged in the region, despite its focus on Russia and China. And it gave them the chance to lobby Mr. Blinken not to liftContinue Reading
Good morning. We’re covering Russia’s recalibration of its Ukrainian strategy, a landmark summit in Israel and economic turmoil in Sri Lanka. Russia struggles to take Kyiv As the war turns unpredictable, Russia may change tactics: Instead of capturing all of Ukraine, Moscow may try to split the country by consolidatingContinue Reading
JERUSALEM — Israel’s meeting with top diplomats from four Arab countries and the United States, set to start on Sunday, is one of the strongest signs yet that the country is beginning to reap the dividends of normalization deals reached two years ago, a profound realignment of Middle Eastern powersContinue Reading
CAIRO — The price of groceries was going up everywhere Souad Amer checked, so it was with nervous hope that she waded into a government-subsidized market in her Cairo neighborhood where a loudspeaker blared a jingle promising cheap essentials for Ramadan. Browsing boxes of dates — which Egyptians traditionally eatContinue Reading
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt — The five-star resort on the shores of the Red Sea offers 20 all-you-can-eat restaurants and bars, a water park, a deluxe spa, nightly entertainment, snorkeling, sunset yoga and aqua Zumba. In the soaring lobby, a woman in a red ball gown plays Chopin on aContinue Reading
The United States will increase coronavirus vaccine assistance to 11 African nations, officials said on Thursday, in an effort to prevent future variants and bolster inoculation efforts in the least vaccinated continent. Through the Initiative for Global Vaccine Access, or Global Vax, the Biden administration will provide “intensive financial, technicalContinue Reading
Last fall, Mr. el-Sisi announced a new strategy to protect human rights and in the months since has released some political prisoners. But activists and American officials said it did not go far enough. In November, five Egyptian activists and politicians, including a former member of Parliament, were sentenced fromContinue Reading