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
What Russia makes of Hifter's offensive on Tripoli Russia has positioned itself as an impartial middleman in the Libyan crisis, but there's a fine blueprint that defines this position. United Arab Emirates
Kushner rejects calls to delay release of Mideast peace plan Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, said Thursday the Trump administration would issue its Middle East peace plan, though several regional experts have argued that the plan's release would cause more harm. Palestine
Yemen's cholera survivors get oral vaccines in Sanaa The World Health Organization and Yemeni health officials are offering an oral cholera vaccine in Yemen, but some Yemenis are suspicious of the vaccine. Yemen
Democrats move to defund Yemen war after veto defeat After failing to override a presidential veto on ending US support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, Congress is looking for new ways to tie the Trump administration’s hands. Saudi Arabia
Why first intifada is back on Middle East art scene In conjunction with a new exhibition, founders of the Palestinian contemporary art scene met in Beirut to discuss how the political events of their time influenced their work. Palestine
Yemen's divided parliament growing further apart Literally and figuratively, the two sides of Yemen's split parliament are miles away from each other and show no sign of reconciliation. Saudi Arabia
After local electoral wins, Tunisia's independents aim even higher After making major gains in the 2018 local elections, independent candidates expect voters' disappointment in Tunisia's ruling parties to help them win this fall's legislative and presidential elections elections. Tunisia
Remake of Turkey's favorite school flick flunks at the box office Based on novels by the popular author Rifat Ilgaz, the "Chaos Class" film series has been a Turkish favorite for four decades, but a remake of the original comedy has been widely panned. Turkey
Trump allies push back on Muslim Brotherhood terror designation Even some hawkish lawmakers question the legal validity and political wisdom of a blanket designation. Egypt
Pakistan steps up efforts to soothe Iran Pakistan is managing to maintain a delicate balance in its foreign relations despite the fierce rivalry between two of its allies, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Gulf
Intel: How Russia and Turkey are growing closer at US expense The April 30 phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan covered a broad range of topics, from trade to military cooperation to Syria, as the two countries continue to grow closer amid US-Turkey tensions. Syria
US envoy kicks off Syria safe zone talks in Ankara According to Turkish reports, US Syria envoy Jim Jeffrey discussed the contentious safe zone as well as "operations east of the Euphrates" with officials in Ankara, but deep differences between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds make a deal look just as remote as ever. Syria