How Egypt promotes its fuel price increase An Egyptian government advertising campaign paves the way for a fuel price increase for the fifth time since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi took power — but is this in the citizens’ best interest? Egypt
New challenges for Moscow with arrest of 'Russian trolls' in Libya Following the arrest of two Russians by Libyan security forces, the Government of National Accord is trying to sway Moscow away from Khalifa Hifter. Syria
Trump’s pick for top general plays down Iran war talk A day after Iranian boats reportedly attempted to seize a British tanker in the Gulf, President Donald Trump’s pick to become the military’s top officer downplayed the potential for conflict with Tehran. Congress
What Israel’s coalition will look like after September elections The Sept. 17 elections offer a very unclear picture so far, with a multitude of possible scenarios for the composition of the next government and no clear win for either camp. Israel
Rouhani out of time, support for revised nuclear deal US sanctions and Europe's failure to come up with a satisfactory substitute for the nuclear deal are weakening the moderates in Iran's government while inflaming the hawks. United States
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood: change toward democracy? In an unprecedented step, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood issued a statement saying it no longer seeks to be in power and wants to join hands with Egypt’s different political forces. Egypt
Syrian refugees becoming scapegoats for Turkey’s troubles Turkey’s economic downturn and the lack of long-term residence options are putting pressure on the nation’s 3.6 million Syrian refugees. Syria
Israel discretely increases number of entry permits for Gaza workers Israel has increased the number of entry permits for Gaza laborers, after years of demands from farmers in the south of Israel. Palestine
IRGC denies it tried to capture British tanker The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has denied they attempted to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf. United States
Ankara goes on risky quest to cut interest rates Bent on lowering interest rates, Turkey’s president took the extreme step of ousting the central bank governor, but his insistence on rate cuts is fraught with risks that could fan fresh economic turmoil. Turkey
Egypt shifts education focus to improving quality A program currently under implementation in primary schools in Southern Egyptian provinces is building up the capacity of teachers, advancing literacy and engaging the community in education. Egypt
Egypt plans single cash transfer system for combating poverty Egypt plans to launch a new social protection system to help the poor, which would include merging a social security safety-net plan with the program known as Takaful and Karama. Egypt
Can West Bank break free economically from Israel? The Palestinian government has decided to kick-start its economic disengagement plan from Israel in the city of Hebron. Palestine
Is Russia behind Syria's security apparatus reform? The latest changes at the top levels of Syria's military and intelligence structures point to Russian influence, but was it Bashar al-Assad's game plan all along? Syria
Tehran says it will stick to phased reduction of nuclear deal commitments Iran told a French envoy that it will continue to scale back its commitments under the nuclear deal unless the other signatories honor their end of the deal. United States