Intel: How US just contradicted its own justification for arming the Saudis in Yemen A key State Department official portrayed the Houthi rebels as independent from Tehran in a briefing with reporters on Thursday, a significant shift that flies in the face of years of US justification for its role in the war in Yemen. Originals
As chaos and violence consume Iraq, US keeps focus on deterring Iran The Trump administration’s realism is well suited to the crisis in Iraq, with a clear red line on keeping out Iranian missiles. Iraq
Algeria's presidential election no one wants After hounding longtime dictator Abdelaziz Bouteflika from office, protesters are now campaigning to stop the flawed process to replace him. Algeria
Erdogan in NATO: Russia’s ‘Trojan horse’? President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned from London to Ankara as a “loser” who failed to achieve anything at the NATO summit. Turkey
Turkey’s taxpayers in dark over bill of big investment projects Multibillion-dollar investment projects, built as public-private partnerships, have begun to put major burdens on Turkey’s budget, but taxpayers, the parliament and even auditing authorities remain in the dark on financial risks that might haunt the country for years. Turkey
Protests expose archaic Lebanese legal system, give lawyers hope for change As protests continue in Lebanon, a group of lawyers is working to help detainees and push for the enforcement of laws protecting freedom of expression, association and assembly. Lebanon
Palestinian election fever begins, minus the elections Some Palestinians are gearing up for elections, yet the chance of them taking place in the near future is slim. Palestine
Lebanon’s revolutionaries launch their own newspaper Lebanese activists and journalists printed the first issue of a newspaper dedicated to covering all aspects of the country's protests. Lebanon
Egypt puts forth new details in Ethiopia dam negotiations Egypt is proposing new technical conditions to Ethiopia that would diminish the major damages the Renaissance Dam operation could cause. Egypt
A first: Hamas partakes in presidential elections Hamas has announced that it is seeking a consensus candidate for the presidential elections, raising questions about the possibility of agreeing with Fatah on a name. Qatar
Egypt tells media not to report yet on reshuffle, governors Egypt has forbidden the media from reporting on the appointment of new governors and the upcoming Cabinet overhaul until authorities issue official releases. Egypt
Israel's Foreign Ministry, Netanyahu's private candy store Instead of appointing experienced and professional diplomats to fight Israel’s diplomatic battles, many of them find themselves without any jobs. Israel
University students, religious seminaries keep flame of Iraq protests burning As the Iraqi parliament fails to appoint a new prime minister, thousands of university students and religious seminary students join the protests. Iraq
White House whips Senate allies to block Armenian genocide resolution The White House has so far succeeded in keeping the Senate from passing a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, but the Trump administration is slowly running out of options. Turkey
In shift, State’s Hook says Yemen’s Houthis independent from Iran A top Trump administration Iran official praised a de-escalation proposal by Yemen’s Houthi rebels amid apparent progress in Saudi-Houthi talks to end the war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Is Iran's long-serving speaker retiring from politics? Iran's parliament speaker said he is not running in February's parliamentary elections and also does not plan to run for president in 2021; these statements brought jubilation to the camp of his hard-line rivals and triggered debate as to what his next steps might be. Iran
