US steps up Gulf patrols amid increasing tanker seizures by Iran In an excerpt from the latest edition of Security Briefing, our Pentagon correspondent looks at efforts by Washington to stem an increasing spate of civilian tankers by Tehran. Iran
Entire UAE, Qatar, Bahrain populations vulnerable to extreme heat, study says The UAE is particularly vulnerable, with more than 80% of its population exposed to extreme heat even after a 1.5 C (34.7 F) rise in global temperatures over pre-industrial levels. Qatar
Turkey Elections: Erdogan, Kilicdaroglu court far-right endorsement ahead of runoff Far-right candidate Sinan Ogan's endorsement remains particularly critical for President Erdogan's rival, with merely nine days to go until the presidential election runoff. Turkey
Qatar emir skips Assad's Arab League speech in Saudi Arabia The leaders of Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt publicly praised Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s participation in the summit after Syria was readmitted to the Arab League. Legacy: Gulf
Germany, Italy hold talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar to strengthen energy ties Italy is looking for capital from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for a new fund Rome is setting up to help domestic companies in strategically important sectors. Saudi Arabia
Turkey Elections: Far-right Sinan Ogan throws support behind Erdogan It remains unclear how the far-right politician's endorsement will impact the outcome of the consequential presidential runoff as his electoral partners rejected to toe his line. Turkey
How much trouble is Lebanon's Riad Salameh in after Interpol's red notice? Days earlier, the French judiciary issued an international arrest warrant for Riad Salameh after he failed to show up at a hearing in Paris over his alleged involvement in an embezzlement case. Lebanon
New US sanctions target Russia-Iran military trade The sanctions come days after the White House said Russia was seeking to replenish its supply of Iranian-made attack drones. Iran
Turkey’s new parliament: 50 shades of nationalism, conservatism Turkey has ended up with the most nationalist and conservative parliament in its modern history, and where women, LGBT groups will face an uphill battle. Turkey
Antisemitism skyrockets on Twitter as Israel's requests go ignored With the number of antisemitic posts on social media on the rise, Israel’s Foreign Ministry focuses on tracing such dangerous trends and battling them on the platforms they are published on. Israel
Meet Rayyanah Barnawi, Saudi Arabia's first female astronaut to go to space Rayyanah Barnawi said she’ll be taking Arabic coffee with her to drink aboard the International Space Station, teaching children, and practicing zero-gravity space flips with her colleagues. Saudi Arabia
Intra-Kurdish tensions paralyze northeast Syria’s main border crossing Northeast Syria’s only external border crossing closed abruptly May 17 for an unknown period, disrupting trade, medical corridors and humanitarian access to the area. Syria
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