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Egypt desperately needs foreign assistance to keep its economy from collapsing. The country's neighbors have been stepping up, dwarfing U.S. economic aid since the fall of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. To discuss Egypt's immediate financial issues, Renee Montagne talks to Mohsin Khan, a senior fellow at the Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council and the former director of the Middle East Department at the International Monetary Fund.

Egypt's interim president will shortly appoint the members of two panels who will draft amendments to the constitution that will then be put to a nationwide referendum. It's the first step in the transition plan announced by the military after the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.

Human Rights Watch says mobs attacked, and in some cases raped, nearly 100 women in and around Tahrir Square during the massive protests this week, but authorities have done little about it.

On Friday, thousands of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi are protesting the military coup, in demonstrations that have reportedly turned violent.

Robert Siegel talks to NPR's Scott Horsley about the White House's reactions to Wednesday events in Egypt, where President Mohammed Morsi was ousted from power. In a statement, President Obama said he was "deeply concerned" by the Egyptian military's actions and that "ultimately the future of Egypt can only be determined by the Egyptian people."

It's been four weeks since Pakistan's new prime minister Nawaz Sharif was sworn into office. He's had a difficult start. He's faced a wave of militant attacks and an economically crippling electricity crisis. Now his job has become even harder. Many Pakistanis consider U.S. drone attacks against targets in their tribal belt as a violation of sovereignty. Recently, there's been a lull in these attacks. But overnight there was a fresh missile strike that killed at least 17 people and presented Sharif's government with a quandary.

The term shuttle diplomacy may be over-used, especially in the pursuit of peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But that is exactly what Secretary of State John Kerry did on his latest visit to the Mideast. Kerry spent long, separate sessions with Palestinian and Israeli officials.

"With a little more work, the start of final status negotiations could be within reach," the secretary of state said Sunday after four days of shuttle diplomacy. He met with Israeli and Palestinian officials.

Palestinians picked a new president this week — on a reality show, that is. Meanwhile, the real political leadership in the West Bank is in disarray, even as Secretary of State John Kerry works to restart peace negotiations.

NPR's Kelly McEvers found herself crying unpredictably during the Arab Spring, when friends were being kidnapped and worse. Why do otherwise intelligent people risk their lives to report on conflicts? In a new hourlong radio documentary, she turns the mic on herself to search for an answer.