As Syria finalizes candidates for parliament, women make up 14% of list Syria’s parliamentary elections are set for Sunday, when electoral committees will select 140 lawmakers before President Ahmed al-Sharaa appoints the remaining 70. Syria
Saudi Arabia and Qatar pledge $89M for Syrian public sector: What to know The new Syrian government has struggled to pay public workers sufficiently and is implementing a plan aimed at rooting out “ghost employees" who do not show up to work. Syria
Egypt holds second Senate vote as pro-Sisi parties dominate: What to know The Senate elections, dominated by pro-Sisi government parties, feature fewer party list and individual candidates compared to elections held in 2020. Egypt
Analysis Sudan’s new PM dissolves government but military control remains firm In his first public address, Prime Minister Kamil Idris set ambitious goals to restore security by eliminating “rebellious militias,” though analysts warn the goal may be beyond his reach. By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Analysis Hussein Sheikh as PLO's first vice president: Palestinian reform or Abbas gesture? By Rosaleen Carroll In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East
Analysis Can Modi leverage Saudi-China ties to reshape India’s global standing? By Sabena Siddiqui In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran
Why this political movement is turning its back on the Iraqi PM Ammar al-Hakim's National Wisdom Movement, which once supported Adel Abdul Mahdi for the premiership, has turned against the prime minister, organizing protests against his government. Iraq
Egypt plans single cash transfer system for combating poverty Egypt plans to launch a new social protection system to help the poor, which would include merging a social security safety-net plan with the program known as Takaful and Karama. Egypt
Shiite militias react angrily to decree integrating them into Iraqi forces Pro-Iran Shiite militias in Iraq reacted with displeasure to the prime minister's decree to integrate the Popular Mobilization Units into the Iraqi military forces, but the majority of the PMU are pledging allegiance to Baghdad. Iraq
NGOs will watch, work with new Palestinian government Nongovernmental organizations will help evaluate the new Palestinian government, its transparency and its efforts to improve communication with the public. Palestine
A century of Lebanese documents preserve shifting identities The exhibition “Identity Papers” uses old government documents and artworks to show how identity is created, informed and changed by official papers. Lebanon
Lebanon’s interior minister pushes for prison reform amid calls for radical change Unless broad, structural reforms to the administration of prisons and military detention centers are passed in conjunction with changes to the criminal justice process itself, the reforms announced by Lebanon’s interior minister so far will likely only have a moderate impact on the penal system. Lebanon
How Iran's hard-liners aim to sideline traditionalist clerics Iranian hard-liners are establishing parallel entities to train clerics in order to marginalize traditionalist clerics at the Qom seminary. Iran
Why Iran-US confrontation may intensify under new IRGC commander A sharp-tongued commander taking the helm of Iran's most powerful military force has been interpreted by many as a signal that Tehran is bracing for more tensions, including a possible military conflict with the United States. Iran
Bill to restrict consecutive MP terms raises debate in Iran A bill to limit the number of consecutive terms of Iranian parliamentarians is stirring debate amid accusations that it may be a hard-liner plot to seize the legislative branch. Iran
Iraq's Basra province seeks upgrade to federal region Basra governorate hopes the third time will be a charm as it once again seeks to become an Iraqi federal region. Iraq
Gaza’s Justice Ministry has a new delivery service For the first time, judicial notification and papers in Gaza will be delivered by a private company. Palestine
Mosul faces political crisis after governor dismissed An arrest warrant has been issued for the governor of Ninevah province, of which Mosul is the capital, following a ferry accident that killed nearly 100 people. Iraq
