By Lili Bayer and Andrew Gray

BRUSSELS, July 6 (Reuters) - NATO leaders will gather in Ankara for a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday, amid pressure from President Donald Trump for Europe to step up defence spending and following months of transatlantic friction over the Iran warand Greenland.

The U.S.. president's frequent criticism of NATO, along with announced troop withdrawals from Europe and a six-month review of the U.S. military presence on the continent, has fuelled uncertainty within the alliance.

Here is what you need to know about the summit:

KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Reuters) - A Malaysian parliamentary committee will hold a hearing on July 16 to discuss a $96 million rare earths supply deal signed between Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and the U.S. Department of Defense earlier this year, a senior lawmaker said on Monday.

A Syrian ex-general and a former police officer were handed eight-year jail sentences by a Viennese court on Monday for torturing opponents of ousted leader Bashar al-Assad.

The trial is the latest to see suspects from the Syrian civil war tried in European courts under the legal tool of universal jurisdiction, allowing judges to rule on serious alleged crimes committed abroad.

LONDON, July 6 (Reuters) - Britain tightened its rules on overseas political donations on Monday, as part of efforts to stop foreign money influencing elections, and as concerns swirl around what Housing Minister Steve Reed called "dodgy funding".

Last year, the government ordered a review into foreign financial interference in politics after a former politician in Reform UK was jailed for taking bribes to make pro-Russia speeches and statements.

(Fixes typographical error in TKP secretary general's name in paragraph 6)

ANKARA, July 5 (Reuters) - Turkish authorities detained more than 100 people taking part in an anti-NATO protest march organised by the Communist Party of Turkey (TKP) on Sunday, ahead of an alliance summit in Ankara next week, the party said in a statement.

By Steve Holland and Gram Slattery

WASHINGTON, July 5 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy while in Turkey this week for a NATO summit to make a renewed push to end the war in Ukraine, a senior U.S. official said on Sunday.

Trump is scheduled to arrive at the summit on Tuesday. His first meeting will be with the summit host, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. Trump will also meet with Syrian ⁠President Ahmed al-Sharaa and hold a news conference, the White House said.

By Steven Scheer

JERUSALEM, July 5 (Reuters) - Israeli cabinet members on Sunday voted to defy a Supreme Court decision regarding the country's broadcast regulator, raising concerns of a constitutional crisis.

This is the first time Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has flouted a Supreme Court ruling, although it has clashed with the judiciary in the past. After elections in 2022, it sought to limit the court's powers, drawing global criticism and mass protests in Israel.

Formula 1 president Stefano Domenicali says he wants to restore to this season's calendar at least one of the two races in the Middle East which were cancelled because of the war in the region.

The two rounds scheduled for Bahrain and Jeddah in April were scrapped following the attack by the USA and Israel on Iran which spilled over to all the Arab Gulf states.

July 5 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Syria to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations and issues of mutual interest, Syria's presidential media directorate said on Sunday.

Macron, accompanied by a delegation of investors and representatives from French companies, will hold a roundtable session with President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian delegations.

The directorate gave no date for the visit.

(Reporting by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Joe Bavier)

July 5 (Reuters) - Qatar said on Sunday that maritime activities would resume with immediate effect, according to a Transport Ministry statement posted on X.

This reverses a June 29 advisory that had urged the temporary suspension of sailing and fishing boats until further notice, though commercial shipping was exempted.

The ministry on Sunday urged all maritime vessel operators and users to "abide by the maritime regulations and instructions in effect, to ensure the highest levels of safety and security for all trips".