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
Oman’s state-owned entities change hands As the newly-formed Oman Investment Authority takes over most of the Gulf country’s public assets, questions arise as to whether this is streamlining the administration, economic reform or power consolidation? Oman
Intel: Jordan’s King Abdullah pushes Congress to oppose West Bank annexation Jordan’s King Abdullah virtually met with several key lawmakers today, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reiterate his opposition to “any unilateral measure to annex lands in the West Bank” as laid out under President Donald Trump’s peace plan. Jordan
Israel kicks party business off beaches An Israeli court has ruled in favor of protecting Israel’s beaches from commercial use such as keeping tents and other equipment on them. Israel
Amnesty blasts Bahrain, Kuwait for 'highly invasive' COVID-19 tracing apps Amnesty International has warned apps used to trace the movements of possible COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway put the privacy of citizens at risk. Bahrain
Intel: Trump administration threatens to withhold aid over Jordan’s refusal to extradite convicted terrorist The Donald Trump administration is considering withholding military and economic assistance to aid-dependent Jordan over its continued refusal to extradite a convicted terrorist who helped kill 15 people in a 2001 bomb attack in Israel. Originals
Tunisia still has much to do to eliminate racism Racism remains heavily present in Tunisian society, as black people are subject to discrimination on a daily basis. Originals
Turkey, Qatar, UAE among donors of virus-related aid to sub-Saharan Africa The Center for Strategic and International Studies listed the countries as among 12 that have given medical aid directly to African states. Turkey
Battleground state Democrats warn against annexation after AIPAC greenlights criticism Eight Senate candidates in battleground states are warning Israel against annexing the West Bank after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee greenlit the criticism. Israel
Intel: Yemen separatists capture government convoy hauling cash to Aden Fighters affiliated with Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council hijacked a convoy carrying billions of foreign-printed Yemeni riyals near the port of Aden on Saturday. Saudi Arabia
Will Covid-19 put an end to hookah culture in Egypt? Once a symbol of Egypt’s cafes and mentioned through history, hookahs are slowly disappearing from society amid the closure of cafes across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt
Intel: US to pull more troops from Iraq as dialogue with Baghdad continues The United States said it will further reduce its troop levels in Iraq as American diplomats and their Iraqi counterparts continue a round of dialogue initiated yesterday over the future of the countries’ relationship. Iraq
Archaeologists, activists alarmed by online calls to demolish Pyramids After bringing down statues, symbolic of racism and oppression in the US and the UK during the Black Lives Matter protests, some social media activists started calling for the demolition of the Pyramids, basing their argument on the contested notion that they were built by slaves. Egypt