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
Pro-Palestinian lawmaker shakes up Israel status quo with seat on foreign affairs panel A lawmaker supportive of boycotting Israel has joined the House Foreign Affairs Committee, complicating congressional efforts to pass anti-boycott legislation. Palestine
Intel: How Trump used his missile defense rollout to take shots at Iran President Trump chastised Iran for attempting to launch a satellite earlier this week and pledged the United States would take a harder line on Iran. Gulf
Cairo museum displays Egypt’s ancient Coptic textiles The Egyptian Textile Museum’s latest exhibition, "God is Love," offers several rare early Coptic textiles just in time for Coptic Christmas. Egypt
Pentagon warns Middle East turning to China for drone needs The Pentagon’s in-house intelligence agency says that China is cornering the market on armed drone sales to the Middle East as the United States is stifled by export rules. Gulf
Turkey, US discuss Syria buffer zone as Manbij attack kills American troops Russia's foreign minister calls for Syrian control of areas after US withdrawal; IS suicide bomber kills 16 in Manbij; more worries expressed about election fairness in Turkey. Syria
Four years into Salman's reign, Saudi Arabia more unpredictable than ever Saudi Arabia seems to have taken a number of wrong turns since Salman took the throne four years ago; can he make the decisions to get the country back on track? Saudi Arabia
Tunisians cautiously optimistic as truth commission delivers final report After five years of investigating cases of corruption and human rights abuses under former dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s Truth and Dignity Commission is concluding its mandate, though many say there is still much more to do. Tunisia
Streaming revives Turkey’s TV industry Turkish production companies are creating original content for Turkey’s internet generation that is receptive to nationally produced TV series available for a fee online. Turkey
Is Russia warming up to the Houthis? Russia has recently raised its profile in the conflict in Yemen both by endorsing UN-led peace efforts and by re-engaging with the Houthis, with whom Moscow has a long and twisted relationship. Yemen
How this royal portrait boosted Qatari national identity A sense of national identity has been growing steadily in Qatar since the Saudi-led blockade began in June 2017, and it seems as though an image of the Qatari emir has helped it along the way. Qatar