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
Khashoggi killing undercuts Trump campaign against Iran The US campaign to convince the world to cut off Iran has taken a hit two weeks before oil sanctions are set to kick in. Saudi Arabia
Trump policies fire up evangelicals but divide Middle East Christians The US president is highlighting Middle East policies championed by American Christians as he seeks to energize his evangelical base ahead of next month’s elections. Egypt
US warns Lebanon that Hezbollah Cabinet pick would cross ‘red line’ The Trump administration might take limited measures that are not likely to alter the fundamentals of US policy in Lebanon should Hezbollah get the Health Ministry in the new Cabinet formation. Lebanon
Aynur Dogan gets Americans to sing her tune "In the US, unlike Europe, many in the audience heard Kurdish music for the first time," says Aynur Dogan, a Kurdish-Alevi musician from Turkey, after her tour. Turkey
Egypt reaches out to expat kids with free language program Cairo's “Speak Egyptian” initiative aims to teach Egyptian children abroad the Egyptian dialect Arabic along with Egyptian history, values, customs and traditions. Egypt
Under public attack, Cairo film festival cancels award to French director Lelouch The Cairo International Film Festival's decision to honor Claude Lelouch, the French-Jewish film director who called Israel his homeland, caused a stir among filmmakers and intellectuals, eventually leading the festival to backpedal. Egypt
Saudi Arabia's shifting narrative on Khashoggi reveals fragility The Khashoggi affair is the latest example of how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has become a liability for Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia says Khashoggi killed in ‘brawl' In a statement Friday night, Saudi Arabia said Jamal Khashoggi died in an Oct. 2 fistfight at the country’s Istanbul consulate, after days of denying knowledge of the dissident journalist’s whereabouts. Saudi Arabia
Dogs get their day in Beirut A dog festival in Lebanon urges the government to create more animal friendly policies, as well as more public spaces for the country's dogs. Lebanon
Gulf countries concerned as Turkey cozies up to Kuwait Turkey’s military cooperation accord with Kuwait raises eyebrows in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia