'Nile Hilton Incident' tops box offices everywhere but Egypt Egyptian-Swedish Tarik Saleh’s award-winning noir thriller offers both a glimpse into Egyptian police corruption and the expanding power of the state security forces over the art world. Egypt
Huntsman heads to Russia to tackle Mideast, China New US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr., a seasoned diplomat and no close friend of President Donald Trump, has his work cut out for him. Russia
Turkey convicts WSJ journalist of terror propaganda A Turkish Wall Street Journal columnist has been sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for engaging in terrorist propaganda, the latest dual citizen to be caught up in the government's sweep of remotely critical journalists. Turkey
International boycott hits labor meeting in Istanbul Protesting Ankara’s crackdown on dissent, two of the largest international labor organizations and dozens of national trade unions have boycotted a major multilateral meeting in Istanbul. Turkey
IRGC detains brother of Iran’s first vice president Fresh controversy erupts in Iran with the arrest of the brother of the first vice president. Iran
Are we headed for Turkish-American breakup? Former diplomats and analysts warn that Turkish-US ties could be heading for a point of no return. Turkey
Congress clashes with Trump administration over aid for Iraqi Christians The Senate is under pressure to quickly pass a House bill encouraging the State Department to bypass the United Nations in doling out humanitarian assistance. Iraq
Iran's parliament speaker moves to position himself as Rouhani’s successor Moderate-conservative parliament Speaker Ali Larijani’s public appearance next to former Reformist President Mohammad Khatami raises debate on whether he’s preparing to succeed President Hassan Rouhani. Iran
Amman Design Fair pays homage to disappearing crafts Amman Design Week, one of the budding events in the region, underscores the need to modernize traditional crafts with new design. Jordan
PMU spearheads Hawija battle, as IS fighters 'vanish' A long-besieged pocket of Islamic State-held territory and surrounding villages in north-central Iraq have been retaken by a mixture of local Sunni and non-local Shiite-led Popular Mobilization Units, alongside Defense and Interior Ministry forces. Iraq
Syrian refugee athletes struggle to get back in the game Some Syrian competitors in the martial arts who fled the war and now live in Egypt have established their own sports clubs to help other Syrian athletes based in Egypt get back into competitions. Egypt
Waiting for Abbas Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Gaza in recognition of the reconciliation efforts between Hamas and Fatah and reassertion of Palestinian Authority control over the territory. Originals
Israel’s Labor Party loses Knesset stars With Labor’s new chair Avi Gabbay controlling the party institutions, Knesset members Manuel Trajtenberg and Erel Margalit have decided to resign from their posts. Israel
Netanyahu's fuzzy math on settlement construction Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a tough spot trying to please his right-wing electoral base with more settlement construction without upsetting President Donald Trump with too much construction. Palestine
Egypt’s army destroys Sinai homes to expand Gaza buffer The Egyptian army is bulldozing the homes of citizens in the Egyptian city of Rafah as part of a plan to build a buffer zone with the Gaza Strip, with no alternative plan to relocate the citizens who are left homeless. Egypt
Egyptian military breaks into movie business The Egyptian movie world is chock full of films glorifying the country's military and security forces, and security bodies are becoming increasingly involved in the industry. Egypt
