Russian FM says Hifter's forces ready for cease-fire in Libya Sergey Lavrov said the Tripoli government wants to keep fighting as the war rages on with heavy foreign involvement from Russia, Turkey, Egypt and others. Libya
Iran’s Rouhani stands by foreign minister after parliament slurs The fragility of the Iran nuclear deal and its bleak prospects have given Iran’s hard-liners the upper hand in their domestic battle against moderate forces. Iran
Turkish diplomat criticizes West Bank annexation in Jordan Turkey's ambassador to Jordan is the latest Middle Eastern and international politician to criticize Israel's plans to annex parts of the Palestinian territory. Palestine
Yemeni economy in free fall amid collapsing currency, COVID-19 The majority of Yemeni society bears the consequences and stands alone, unable to confront the ravages of war, division and the ongoing economic deterioration. Yemen
Egypt offers partnership with Ethiopia on electricity projects to break stalemate in Nile dam talks Egypt is about to start studies on an electricity linkage project with Ethiopia, against the background of faltering negotiations over Addis Ababa’s construction of a dam on the Nile River. Originals
Tensions escalate between Egypt, Ethiopia with no end in sight of Nile dam dispute Ethiopia has recently accused Egypt of unilaterally using Nile River waters via a project approved in 1995; Cairo says upstream countries are not affected and that it has all the rights to use the Nile waters. Egypt
Lebanese campaign encourages art against racism amid economic crisis A recent campaign launched by artists in Lebanon called on people from all ages and groups to share their drawings of issues they believe deserve awareness. Lebanon
UAE seeks turnaround in relations with Somalia for help in Yemen war The United Arab Emirates has offered Somalia to reopen a hospital in the capital, in exchange for backing the UAE’s involvement in the Yemeni war, but Somalia rejected this amid deteriorating relations between the two countries. United Arab Emirates
Will formation of new government in Yemen lay groundwork for peace? Despite agreeing to a cease-fire in south Yemen, it seems the chances of ending the conflict between the Saudi-backed government forces and the UAE-backed southern separatists and forming a new government are dim. Saudi Arabia
As Iran applauds BLM, Afghan minority short on rights While the Iranian government points to the "Black Lives Matter" movement as proof of American hypocrisy, Iran's Afghan minority has a different take. Iran
Russia, China veto UN vote to extend aid to Syria’s opposition-held northwest Russia previously made clear its intent to veto the proposal, despite last-minute hopes the Kremlin might abstain. Syria
A way forward for the United States and Turkey Turkish-US relations, while fraught with tension, must also align with a mutual interest in stability in the Middle East and preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Turkey
House Democrats revive bid to fully restore Palestinian aid The Democratic-held House is launching another bid to increase Palestinian economic aid while facilitating people-to-people programs with Israel. Palestine
UN expert calls US killing of Soleimani 'unlawful' The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions called the US strike an “arbitrary killing” that threatens to undermine norms of military conflict between countries. Iraq
Rising EU-Turkey tensions take center stage with Borrell visit to Ankara With EU accession talks frozen, the bloc’s foreign policy chief faces the tough task of creating a new negotiation table for the bloc and Ankara to address rising tensions. Turkey
Lebanon's Baalbeck Festival moves world audience with dramatic online performance Lebanon's beloved Baalbeck Festival has survived various challenging times, and this year was no exception. Lebanon
