Axios

Two Russia-related controversies are gripping South Africa: U.S. accusations that weapons were shipped from Cape Town to Russia, and Vladimir Putin's invitation for an upcoming summit despite an international arrest warrant.

Why it matters: South Africa is trying to maintain its warm relations with Russia, its official neutrality on the war in Ukraine, and its economic relationship with the U.S. That juggling act is proving very difficult to sustain.

Ronen Bar, the director of the Israeli domestic security agency Shin Bet, is visiting Washington this week for talks with senior Biden administration officials about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other intelligence issues, two U.S. and Israeli sources said.

Why it matters: As one of the most influential national security officials in Israel and the most senior Israeli intelligence authority on the situation in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, Bar has a lot of influence on the Israeli government’s policies.

The U.S. and Saudi Arabia announced on Thursday that they were suspending cease-fire talks between the warring Sudanese military and Rapid Support Forces militia, saying both sides had repeatedly committed "serious violations" of the truce.

Driving the news: The talks broke down on Wednesday after the Sudanese military said it was pulling out of the negotiations, which began last month in Jeddah. The military accused the RSF of violating the truce and failing to implement the commitments it had made during the negotiations. The RSF accused the military of violating the cease-fire first.

"Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" — one of the most anticipated movies of the summer — is defying the boundaries of animation.

Why it matters: The film, out Thursday, comes as the industry faces growing fears that studios will increasingly turn to generative AI, which some believe could threaten jobs, risk copyright infringement and hurt the art form itself.

U.S. Latino and Latin American artists behind one of the most anticipated movies of the summer tell Axios Latino that working on the film was invigorating because they see themselves in the diverse leading characters — a rarity in Hollywood.

Driving the news: "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," out in theaters this weekend, is a sequel to the 2018 Oscar-winning "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse."

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides sent a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week urging him not to move forward with legislation that would limit the ability of Israeli nongovernmental organizations to raise money from foreign governments, two Israeli and U.S. officials told Axios.

Why it matters: Netanyahu took the legislation off the table for further review following U.S. and European pressure.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry will boycott a conference in Jerusalem next week that will focus on the growing wave of attacks by Jewish Israelis against Christians in Jerusalem, according to the organizers and Israeli Foreign Ministry officials.

Why it matters: It's a highly unusual decision. Israel's Foreign Ministry is the main government agency tasked with strengthening relations with the Christian world and Israel's ties with the different churches.

A bipartisan group of senators is introducing a bill to enhance cybersecurity cooperation between the Department of Homeland Security and Abraham Accords countries — Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco, according to a statement shared with Axios.

Why it matters: The bill is aimed at boosting the partnerships between the U.S. and the Abraham Accords countries to help defend against shared cyber threats from Iran and other "hostile cyber actors," including targeting critical infrastructure and ransomware attacks, the senators said in the statement.

Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to give a speech next week at the Israeli Embassy's reception celebrating Israel’s 75th anniversary, according to a White House official and an Israeli source.

Why it matters: Vice presidents, including Joe Biden and Mike Pence, have attended the reception in the past. But President Biden's decision to send such a high-level representative to the event carries extra weight considering Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still hasn't received a White House invitation — five months after taking office.

Asian American voters tend to lean away from the Democratic Party as their roots in the U.S. deepen, according to data from a Pew Research Center study published this month.

Why it matters: The latest findings show that ballots from the fastest-growing racial or ethnic segment of the population could be up for grabs in future elections — not unlike Latino voters.

America's biggest corporate titans are resuming trips to China and going out of their way to defuse — or at least downplay — tensions between the world's two largest economies.

Why it matters: D.C. and Beijing's growing antagonism contrasts sharply with business leaders who hope to showcase China's importance to economic growth.

Residential areas of Moscow came under attack on Tuesday for the first time since explosions first sounded in Kyiv 460 days earlier — the latest instance of the war in Ukraine coming home to Russia.

The big picture: Tuesday's drone attack was the second in Moscow this month after two drones exploded near the roof of the Kremlin on May 3. The Russian capital had previously been largely shielded from the conflict apart from the effects of sanctions.

Plumes of smoke from wildfires scorching southeastern Canada's Nova Scotia province are drifting across the Northeastern U.S. and prompting air quality alerts in several cities through Wednesday.

The big picture: Fires have been burning in Canada for weeks, as much of the country experiences above-average temperatures and while it's not unusual for Canadian wildfire smoke to reach the U.S., it's normally Northwestern states that are affected.

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz is retiring next month after serving in various roles with the agency for 32 years, officials announced Tuesday.

The big picture: The career official has in recent years helped navigate historic numbers of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border amid a wider global humanitarian crisis and, more recently, the end of the pandemic-era Title 42 immigration policy.