Egypt’s Al-Azhar retreats from fatwa on beating women Al-Azhar's Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayeb ruled that women cannot leave the house without their husbands’ permission and may be beaten as long as no bones are broken, sparking an uproar in Egypt. By A correspondent in Egypt
Elections expose the Pandora’s box of Israel’s religious right The ideological differences and open hostility among the national religious and ultra-Orthodox parties exposed by the April elections could backfire on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to call for new elections, in September. By Yossi Beilin
How Russia plans to take part in building Syria's IT sector As Syria seeks to restore some of its damaged IT facilites and build "an information society" in the country, Russian companies consider opportunities to chip in. By Igor A. Matveev
Erdogan seeks lifeline from Trump to salvage US-Turkey ties It will take Donald Trump to close a deal with Turkey on a Syrian "safe zone." By Week in Review
Off The Hookah with Phil and Cooper Episode #102: Thrown for a Loophole (feat. Bryant Harris) Phil & Cooper
Furious Iranian officials claim sabotage in tanker incident After the United States accused Iran of being behind the attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Tehran accused Washington of "sabotage diplomacy." By Al-Monitor Staff
Iran’s central bank tightens grip on national payment system Iran’s central bank is increasingly closing loopholes in the country’s payment system that allowed for destabilization of the monetary and foreign currency markets. By Maziar Motamedi
Cancer hits residents of Iraqi oil city of Basra The cancer rate has been on the rise in the Iraqi oil-rich province of Basra, and many blame this on increasing pollution and on depleted uranium dust from weapons used in the 1991 Gulf War. By Mustafa Saadoun
Iran-backed militias struggle to resist US pressure Feeling the burden of US sanctions on Iran, the Popular Mobilization Units are flexing their muscles in Iraq, trying to strengthen their position. By Ali Mamouri
Heavy rains hit IDP camp in Sanaa, adding to their misery Yemen's internally displaced not only suffered because of the heavy rainfall but also could not celebrate Eid al-Fitr as international humanitarian assistance has been mostly suspended. By Naseh Shaker
How formerly embattled Tripoli neighbors are now struggling together Several NGOs and local government are helping residents in two Tripoli neighborhoods to overcome years of animosity and hostilities between them, and progress has been made, but more governmental assistance is needed to pull them out of crisis. By Michal Kranz
Is cleaning Lebanon’s shores enough to solve waste crisis? Hundreds of volunteers took part in a campaign launched by the Ministry of Environment to clean Lebanon's shoreline, but some say this is a cosmetic move that will not come close to solving the country's endemic waste problem. By Hanan Hamdan
Does shootout threaten Israeli-Palestinian security ties? A recent run-in between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian security forces in the West Bank raises questions about the future of their security coordination. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Iran determined to arm West Bank Palestinian factions Iran has been very busy on the world stage recently, but it is reiterating its intention to provide weapons to Palestinian factions in the West Bank to help them carry out operations against Israel. By Ahmad Abu Amer
US, Israeli, Russian security chiefs to meet in Jerusalem The upcoming meeting of Israeli, American and Russian national security leaders in Jerusalem is a major diplomatic achievement for the Israelis, particularly their prime minister. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense