EU-Mideast ties

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (C/L) welcomes President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at The Chigi Palace in Rome, on Feb. 24, 2025.

Meloni to attend GCC summit in Bahrain as Italy deepens Gulf ties

The summit is expected to focus on economic integration in the Gulf, but regional issues will likely loom just as large, including post-war Gaza and the conflict in Sudan.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan greets Pope Leo XIV during a welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace, Ankara, Nov. 27, 2025.

In first foreign visit, Pope Leo meets Erdogan, urges Turkey to uphold pluralism

On his inaugural foreign visit to Turkey, Pope Leo called for respect for pluralism after meeting with the Turkish president.

Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Pope Leo in Turkey, navigating faith, politics and Orthodox tensions

The visit will bolster Turkey’s image on religious tolerance and shared positions with the Vatican while Ankara navigates sensitive issues surrounding the Halki Seminary and the Greek Patriarchate’s ecumenical status.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

(COMBO) This combination created on February 24, 2025 of file pictures shows the leader and top candidate for Chancellor of Germany's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party Friedrich Merz (L, on February 24, 2025 in Berlin) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (on December 9, 2024 in Jerusalem.. Friedrich Merz, who is expected to be Germany's next chancellor after his conservative CDU/CSU bloc won national elections, said on February 24, 2025 that he would make sure Benjamin Netanyahu "can visit" G

Germany lifts Israel arms embargo: What changed in Berlin?

With the ceasefire in place, even though violated at times, Berlin decided to lift the partial arms embargo it imposed on Israel.

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Italy’s Meloni hosts Abbas amid EU Palestinian statehood push: What we know

FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UK chases elusive GCC trade deal that could boost exports, economic links

UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves, right, and Qatari Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed al-Kuwari arrive at the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 28, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Pentagon’s top general to visit Gaza monitoring center in Israel

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JULY 18: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine attends a meeting between Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz at the Pentagon on July 18, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. This is Katz's first official visit to the United States and the counterparts will discuss shared defense priorities, including Iran’s threat posture and the ongoing war in Gaza. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Culture

From viral fame to fine craft: Dubai Chocolate finds new life in London

Some Dubai-style Chocolate being made at Melt Chocolatier's masterclass in London.

United Arab Emirates

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga (L) shakes hands with Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar in Kyiv on July 23, 2025, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Tetiana DZHAFAROVA / AFP) (Photo by TETIANA DZHAFAROVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israeli FM's Ukraine visit signals shift from Russia to anti-Iran alignment

Israel has urged Ukraine to join forces against what it estimates is a joint enemy — the Iranian government.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Turkish police officers patrols next to the drilling ship 'Yavuz'

Analysis

Erdogan’s gamble: Turkey bets on Libya to pursue East Med dominance

The prospect of Libya’s eastern-based parliament approving a crucial maritime deal with Turkey is growing as Ankara-Benghazi rapprochement intensifies.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pose for the media at a hotel prior to an E3 meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 NATO summit on June 24, 2025, in The Hague, Netherlands.

Analysis

Iran maneuvers to avert E3's snapback sanctions as deadline looms

France, Britain and Germany have warned that unless significant progress is made on curbing Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, they will move to reinstate UN sanctions by the end of August.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

BERLIN, GERMANY - JULY 23: French President Emmanuel Macron talks to media prior to talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at Villa Borsig on July 23, 2025 in Berlin, Germany. The two leaders are meeting as Germany, France and the United Kingdom forge a stronger European alliance following U.S. President Donald Trump's disruption of transatlantic ties. (Photo by Christian Mang/Getty Images)

Macron: France to recognize Palestine as a state

French President Emmanuel Macron said he will formalize the decision at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

urofighter jet fighters from the United Kingdom fly over the North Sea.

Turkey, UK near deal as Germany approves Eurofighter sale: What to know

Turkey and the United Kingdom inked a preliminary agreement for the sale of 40 Eurofighter jets after Germany lifted its hold on the deal.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Analysis

'Cannot take our eyes off the ball:' Israel mulls next move as E3 preps Iran nuclear talks

While the Israeli and US strikes on Tehran’s nuclear facilities caused significant damage, they did not fully destroy them.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Giorgos Gerapetritis (L), foreign minister of Greece, speaks with Hakan Fidan (R), foreign minister of Turkey during the second meeting of North Atlantic Council of foreign ministers at NATO headquarters, Brussels, Dec. 4, 2024.

Turkey's Fidan heads to New York for Cyprus talks as Libya tensions flare

The top Turkish diplomat will attend UN-hosted Cyprus talks amid rising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi talk.

As Iran deadline looms, here’s what to know about UN snapback sanctions

As the October JCPOA snapback deadline approaches, Western powers are weighing the use of the mechanism, while Iran warns that such a move would undermine progress toward a renewed nuclear deal.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar (L) addresses a press conference with European Commission Vice-President and High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas and EU Commissioner for Mediterranean Dubravka Suica and after a meeting at the EU headquarters on the sidelines of the EU's foreign affairs council, in Brussels on February 24, 2025. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel races to avert EU sanctions by expanding Gaza aid: What to know

Facing mounting pressure over Gaza war conduct, Israel expands aid access in bid to sway EU ministers ahead of critical sanctions debate.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

An aerial view shows smoke billowing from a forest fire in the coastal Syrian province of Latakia on July 5, 2025. Syrian emergency workers were battling forest fires raging in the coastal province of Latakia on Saturday for a third day in tough conditions as neighbouring Turkey sent assistance. Syria's ministry for emergencies and disaster management said teams from Turkey began helping on Saturday morning "as part of regional coordination to face the fires", with the assistance including two aircrafts and

As wildfires ravage Latakia, Syria seeks EU support: What to know

Syria has been combating massive wildfires in coastal Latakia province for six days.

An aerial view shows a bridge, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike, in the town of in Qusayr in Syria's central Homs province on December 14, 2024. Islamist-led rebels took Damascus in a lightning offensive on December 8, ousting president Bashar al-Assad and ending five decades of Baath rule in Syria. (Photo by AAREF WATAD / AFP) (Photo by AAREF WATAD/AFP via Getty Images)

French company revives Syria agreement to rebuild bridges: What we know

The agreement covers 37 bridges in Syria, where infrastructure was severely damaged during the civil war, but may now be rebuilt following the lifting of Western sanctions.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (C) gives a statement during his visit to the mausoleum of slain Lebanese Hezbollah's Leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in September 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs on June 3, 2025.

EU FMs hold talks with Iran's Araghchi as US mulls strike: What to know

The meeting in Geneva follows President Donald Trump saying on Thursday that he will decide within two weeks whether to involve the United States directly in the Israel-Iran conflict.