Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Intel: Iraq likely to continue importing Iranian natural gas under US waiver renewal Iraqi officials have indicated that the United States is likely to renew a key Iran sanctions waiver that will allow Baghdad to continue importing Iranian natural gas to fuel its electricity needs. Iraq
Pentagon slashes funding for Islamic State fight The United States would see a diminished budget in its ability to fight Islamic State militants in 2021 if the new budget revealed by the Trump administration is approved. United States
Trump confirms al-Qaeda’s Yemen leader killed President Donald Trump has confirmed that a US operation killed al-Qaeda’s top leader in Yemen last week. Yemen
Why are more Russians buying property in Turkey? Despite political tensions between Moscow and Ankara, Russians are increasingly purchasing property in Turkey. Turkey
Small Istanbul publisher sustains Armenian literature Aras Publishing has spent nearly three decades publishing forgotten classics by Armenian writers in both Turkish and the at-risk Western Armenian language. Turkey
How Saudi Arabian farmers are trying to preserve traditional coffee production Climate change, water shortages and newcomers are challenging the traditional coffee culture in Saudi Arabia, which has the 10th largest per capita consumption in the world. Saudi Arabia
Intel: Why Russia went on counteroffensive against US criticism over Idlib The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the killing of “several Russian and Turkish military specialists” in the Idlid de-escalation zone. Syria
Key nuclear watchdog reassures Washington it can still monitor Iran as deal unravels The International Atomic Energy Agency chief is making the rounds in Washington this week to stress that his agency can still monitor Iran’s nuclear program as the nuclear deal unravels. Congress
Europe worries as Trump seems to lose interest in new Iran deal Europeans with embassies on the ground disagree with the belief by Donald Trump administration officials that the Iranian regime is on the brink of collapse, and that the administration can wait for Iran to surrender to a long US wish list. United States
Erbil court acquits pro-polygamy cleric despite women's protests An Erbil court acquitted a Kurdish cleric who called Kurdish women "dinosaurs." Iraq
Publishers, writers watch from behind bars as Cairo Book Fair wraps Egypt's restrictive cultural environment marred this year's Cairo International Book Fair with the recent arrests of publishers and closures of community libraries and bookstores. Egypt
Dawn of protest: Palestinians stand against 'deal of century' at prayers Palestinians flock to holy sites in the Great Fajr Campaign, to protest the "deal of the century" and its implications for Haram al-Sharif. Palestine