Analysis Trump’s intervention fuels debate in Israel: Will Netanyahu accept plea deal or pardon? Many in Israel were stunned when President Donald Trump slammed the trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and called it a "witch hunt." By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Lebanon arrests fmr economy minister Amin Salam on embezzlement charges The arrest comes nearly a year after the former central bank chief was arrested on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, among other things. Lebanon
EU commission removes UAE, adds Lebanon and Algeria to money laundering list: What to know The changes to the list are still pending approval from EU member states and the European Parliament, likely within the next month. United Arab Emirates
Pentagon formally accepts Qatar’s luxury megajet for Trump: What to know Qatar's offer to provide the US president with $400 million aircraft is likely to reinforce Democratic opposition to recently announced major arms sales to the Gulf kingdom. United States
Analysis Emboldened by Trump, Netanyahu is driving Israel into judicial crisis By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Videos alleging corruption open public debate on Egyptian military’s economic empire An Egyptian construction contractor's viral videos call for an uprising in Egypt, alleging corruption among the military and authorities. Egypt
Palestinian school to produce anti-corruption experts The Palestinian Anti-Corruption Academy plans to launch next year to train Palestinians with skills to curb corruption. Palestine
Egypt's expansion of no-bid contracts raises ethical issues The Egyptian government issued a decision allowing the disposal of state-owned lands through direct agreement without putting them up for public bidding, which some critics say invites corruption. Egypt
Is hard-line Ayatollah Larijani facing the beginning of his end? Iran's powerful Larijani family has made many enemies over the years, a legacy that might be catching up with at least one member, Expediency Council Chairman Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani. Iran
Abbas starts austerity measures by sacking his advisers Several reasons pushed President Mahmoud Abbas to suddenly end the services of his advisers, most notably his intention to downsize the number of his many advisers amid the crippling financial crisis hitting the PA. Palestine
Iran judiciary chief defends internal corruption probe Iran’s judiciary has embarked on an anti-corruption probe that has involved members of the former judiciary team. Iran
Can Iran combat corruption in petroleum sector? Iran is showing a greater transparency about corruption, perhaps in part because of the problems caused by sanctions, but has a long way to defeat this scourge. Iran
Corrupt economy fuels Algerian revolt The North African country’s rentier model is collapsing. Algeria
Kirkuk court issues arrest warrant for acting governor An integrity court in Kirkuk has issued an arrest warrant for Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri, the acting governor of Kirkuk, on financial corruption charges. Iraq
Iran chief justice dismisses 60 judges to uproot internal corruption An iron-fisted policy against corruption promoted by Iran's new chief justice, Ebrahim Raisi, has seen 60 judges dismissed within a few weeks. Iran
Five years later, calls for accountability over fall of Mosul continue On the fifth anniversary of the fall of Mosul, people decry that no one has been held accountable for the tragedy. Iraq
Iran’s hard-liners take aim at conservative former judiciary chief Under fire from hard-line foes, Expediency Council chairman Sadegh Amoli Larijani appears to be gearing further to the right — but such maneuvering appears bound to fail. Iran
