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
US blacklists Iranian foreign minister After the United States placed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, White House officials told the media that he was merely a propaganda chief not worth negotiating with; experts, however, said Zarif was an effective messenger for the Islamic Republic. United States
Pentagon pushes Egypt to fight counterinsurgency campaign in Sinai The Pentagon used a visit by Egypt’s defense minister to push the US ally into a counterinsurgency-style approach to the fight against terror groups in the Sinai desert. Egypt
Intel: Democrats double down on probe into Trump’s Saudi nuclear dealings House Democrats on Tuesday shed more light on a years-long lobbying campaign in which Saudi Arabia and the US nuclear industry worked with some of President Donald Trump’s key allies to secure a favorable civil nuclear agreement. Saudi Arabia
Free thought, boundless hospitality define Algerian arts festival The homegrown, independent Raconte-Arts has become Algeria’s most important community arts festival, but can it cope with the challenges posed by its own success? Algeria
Intel: How Russia is deepening military ties with Iran to counter the US Russia and Iran have agreed to tighten their military ties in a joint challenge to perceived US hegemony in the Middle East. Russia
Was Boris Johnson’s great grandfather an Ottoman traitor or a hero? Boris Johnson ascending to power in the United Kingdom has triggered a debate on the role and views of his great grandfather, Ali Kemal, in Turkish history. Turkey
Lawyer couple use own wedding to advocate for civil marriage in Lebanon A high-profile civil marriage between two lawyers is pushing Lebanon's new interior minister to make a choice on civil unions in the country. Lebanon
'Broken Wings' carry Khalil Gibran home to Lebanon Addressing issues of patriarchy, immigration and religious power, beloved writer Kahlil Gibran’s century-old novel 'Broken Wings' and a musical based on it are powerfully relevant today. Lebanon
Iran says it's waiting for ‘tangible’ results of talks with Europe Iranian officials have warned that, unless Europe can facilitate trade, they will continue to reduce their commitments under the nuclear deal. United States
Turkey finesses Trump for continued support against sanctions Turkey's government is preparing to offer new incentives to the US administration to secure its lasting support against economic sanctions. Turkey
Will Pompeo be the first US secretary of state to appear live on Iranian TV? Following the US secretary of state offering Iran’s state TV to interview him, various analysts and officials reacted to the proposal with an outspoken prime minister urging state TV to go ahead and challenge Pompeo live on air. United States
Egyptian women speak freely about choice to veil at hijab summit In a summit organized by an award-winning Facebook community called Surviving Hijab, many veiled and unveiled Egyptian women discussed the many considerations and challenges involved in the personal decision to wear hijab. Egypt