Congress preparing new round of Syria sanctions The House and Senate are ready to take on Russia's support for Damascus but differ on timing. Syria
Egyptian artist turns home into cultural venue The Artellewa Art Space in a poor neighborhood in Giza province is a great success and lauded by the local community. Egypt
Turkish daily scraps anti-referendum interview with Nobel laureate In the Turkish press' latest act of self-censorship, Hurriyet has axed its interview with Orhan Pamuk after the celebrated novelist said he will vote no on the upcoming presidential referendum. Turkey
Can Turkey take on Raqqa before concluding al-Bab? Turkey is expanding its targets by proposing to partner with the United States at Raqqa before ending its al-Bab operation, a course that is laden with traps. Iraq
Can fragile Ankara-Moscow friendship survive Russian strike? Though Turkey and Russia are working ever more closely together in Syria, the two cautious allies are holding back over their policy disconnects and incidents like the Russian airstrike that killed four Turkish soldiers near al-Bab. Syria
Do Iranian MPs want to send working women back home? The Iranian parliament’s approval of a law to allow women to apply for early retirement after only working for 20 years triggers heavy criticism of the economic and social consequences. Iran
Controversy surrounds hijab during Swedish visit to Iran Iranian hard-liners took the government to task for allowing an event where female Swedish diplomats did not wear the hijab, while the Swedish women faced blowback at home too. Iran
How Hamas' new Gaza leader came to power With Hamas’ military commander Mohammed al-Deif suffering from multiple injuries, Yahya Sinwar has been elected the overall leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Netanyahu won't cut any deals in Trump's office Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's commitment to the two-state solution changes entirely depending on the public or person he is trying to please, and he couldn't advocate it at his Feb. 15 meeting at the White House even if he wanted to. Palestine
Radiation danger raises concern, controversy in Iraq In light of an apparent increase in the amount and impact of radioactive contamination in some areas of Iraq, and the inability of the Iraqi government to deal with this matter, Iraq needs international financial and technical support to deal with pollution caused by the remnants of war. Iraq
Trump nominee’s support for Israeli settlement draws scrutiny David Friedman has played a key role in supporting Bet El near Ramallah. Palestine
Male belly dancers break taboos in Egypt While being shunned by conservative Egyptian society, male belly dancers are claiming their right to participate in the art form. Egypt
Russia’s strategic vision for Israel Russia considers itself a potential major partner to Israel and a key player in bringing stabilization to the Middle East. Palestine
Erdogan caught between Trump, Putin in Syria war The Turkish government's spokesman says al-Bab will be the last stop of the Turkish army in Syria, while President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkish forces will march on to Raqqa. Syria
Turkey wants safe zone, but can it maintain one? The US president is listening to Turkey’s continuing calls for a "safe zone" in northern Syria, but resistance to it is still strong, as all is not quiet in the areas already under Turkish control. Syria
Iran's Zarif criticizes hard-liners for leaks on nuclear talks In an exclusive interview, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator criticized those attacking the nuclear deal. United States
