Jordan
Egypt president meets with regional leaders in coastal city | AP News
CAIRO (AP) — President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt met Monday with the leaders of Iraq, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, his office said, as world powers and Iran seek to end 16 months of negotiations over the revival of Tehran’s landmark nuclear deal.
The Muslim World
U.S. hits Iran-backed group in third day of violence in eastern Syria - local sources | Reuters
The U.S. military on Thursday hit several targets in the Syrian city of Mayadin in parts of Deir al Zor province under government control, in the third day of skirmishes with Iran-backed groups, local military sources said.
Iraq’s Political Crisis Points to Iran’s Weakening Influence in Baghdad - WSJ
Tehran’s diminishing sway is a potential threat to its strategy to limit U.S. influence in Iraq and move weapons through its neighbor.
Death toll from floods in Afghanistan rises above 180 - Taliban | Reuters
Flooding in Afghanistan this month killed more than 180 people, the Taliban said on Thursday, appealing to the international community for help.
General News
Russian patriarch scrubs meeting where he was to meet pope | AP News
ROME (AP) — The head of the Russian Orthodox Church has canceled his planned attendance at an interfaith meeting in Kazakhstan next month where he was expected to meet with Pope Francis, a top Orthodox official said, in a sign of further deterioration in relations over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Finance and Economy
U.S. economy contracts mildly in second quarter; no sign of recession in underlying data | Reuters
The U.S. economy contracted at a more moderate pace than initially thought in the second quarter.
Analysis: Hawkish Fed, strong U.S. economy will keep dollar king of currencies | Reuters
The U.S. dollar surged this year to its highest in two decades and there are still plenty of bulls betting the greenback has legs to keep climbing thanks to a hawkish Fed and economic news that should keep America ahead of other major economies.
Quds Matters
Israel indicts militant whose arrest fueled Gaza tensions | AP News
JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military said Thursday it has filed terror charges against a senior member of the Islamic Jihad militant group whose arrest in the occupied West Bank helped spark three days of heavy fighting in Gaza earlier this month.
Israel’s Gaza Strategy Forces Hamas to Weigh the Economic Cost of Lashing Out - WSJ
The policy bypasses the militants to provide economic benefits to Gazans, which analysts say helped keep Hamas on the sidelines during recent clashes with Islamic Jihad.
Israel's premier urges West to reject Iran nuclear deal | AP News
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's prime minister urged President Joe Biden and Western powers to call off an emerging nuclear deal with Iran, saying that negotiators are letting Tehran manipulate the talks and that an agreement would reward Israel's enemies.