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
Tourists stay away as Egypt reopens oldest pyramid Egypt has finally reopened its oldest pyramid after 14 years of restoration work, but the timing could have been better. Egypt
Egyptian program aims to send first Egyptian into space Egypt's young but ambitious space agency is accepting applications from cititzens who would receive training to go into space as the first Egyptian by 2026. Egypt
Bahrain pardons hundreds of prisoners as coronavirus fears spread While authorities have attributed the release to humanitarian reasons, human rights groups link the decision to efforts to contain the outbreak. Bahrain
Intel: Russia, Turkey reach deal on Syria's Idlib Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar finally announced March 13 that after four days of talks in the Turkish capital, the Russian and Turkish militaries have agreed on the details of a new cease-fire in Syria’s Idlib de-escalation zone. Syria
Pentagon retaliates after deadly Iran-backed strikes on US troops The US military targeted five weapons facilities of an Iran-backed group after an earlier rocket attack left two American and one British service member dead. Iraq
Northeast Syrian airwaves home to radio tower of Babel Multicultural northeastern Syria boasts a plethora of multilingual radio stations. Syria
For Tunisia, recovery means modernizing economy Tunisia’s new government faces the formidable task of reversing the economy's downward spiral of the post-revolutionary years with an eye toward becoming a gateway to Africa. Tunisia
Morocco shows support for Egypt in conflict with Ethiopia over Nile Dam Although Moroccan King Mohammed VI's visit to Egypt had been postponed more than five times without clear reasons, a silent alliance between Egypt and Morocco may have been formed. Egypt
3,000-year-old talking mummy creates dispute in Egypt Egyptians are arguing among themselves on a new study that has recreated the voice of a 3,000-year-old mummified Egyptian priest. Egypt
Oman’s foreign policy after Sultan Qaboos As Sultan Haitham’s reign begins, Omanis hold fast to the Gulf state’s long-standing commitment to dialogue and regional diplomacy. Oman
US prepares biting Syria sanctions as Assad pummels Idlib The United States is preparing to slap stringent sanctions on the Bashar al-Assad government as it pummels Idlib, raising questions about Syria’s long-term reconstruction. Syria