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
Lebanese entrepreneurs discover an appetite for snails Snails, which are part of Lebanon’s culinary tradition, are juicy business for the country’s entrepreneurs. Lebanon
Trump and Macron seek common ground on Syria, terrorism Despite tensions over the Paris climate change accord, the two leaders have common interests in the Middle East. Syria
House rejects Trump’s Middle East aid cuts The House spending bill calls for far more assistance to North Africa. Egypt
Egyptian band hopes Islamic hits will resonate in translation The Egyptian band Art Compilers has been translating well-known Islamic songs into English, but the jury is still out on its success. Egypt
'Game of Thrones' fever grips Iran Fans across Iran are waiting eagerly for the new season of "Game of Thrones," a show whose content and storytelling style resemble the epic tales Iranian children grow up with. Iran
Iran to US: Worry about your own domestic problems Iranian officials have criticized US Secretary of Defense James Mattis for accusing Iran of causing instability in the region and saying regime change in Tehran will have to precede renewed ties with the United States. United States
Pentagon braces for Islamic State insurgency after Mosul The top US commander in Iraq and Syria warned of a hard-fought insurgency but ruled out a US troop surge. Iraq
Lebanese artist pays tribute to leaving a life behind Lebanese artist Yazan Halwani’s mural in Mannheim, Germany, aims to display the mobility of his country’s youth. Lebanon
Pentagon receptive to Tunisian lobbying against proposed Trump aid cut Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed visited the Pentagon to push back against proposed military aid cuts. Tunisia
Dueling critics find US, Russia too cozy — or too far apart The US and Russian presidents covered a lot of ground — including the conflict in Syria — during their unexpectedly long meeting last week, and while the countries’ future relations remain uncertain, the men agreed to disagree on some fronts. Syria
Egyptian troupe revives art of musical sketches Egyptian troupe Masr al-Qadimah aims to revive the sociopolitical wisdom of musical sketches of the past. Egypt
Saudi king shows no signs of slowing aggressive foreign policy Saudi Arabia has overextended itself militarily and economically and it would behoove it to return to a more traditional approach in its foreign policy. Saudi Arabia
