Bahrain

• BBC: Razed mosque symbol of divided Bahrain (Bill Law, March 27)
• "The Amir Mohammed Mohammed Barbagi Mosque was more than 400 years old. It had a prominent location on Sheikh Salman Highway, which leads to a causeway linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia. The mosque was one of at least 30 religious sites, all of them Shia, which were destroyed over a two-month period at the height of anti-government uprising three years ago."
  

Egypt

• BBC: Abdul Fattah al-Sisi: New face of Egypt's old guard (Robert Springborg, March 27)
• "Key to his political skill has been his secrecy coupled with expert role-playing that duped his opponents into thinking he was an unambitious professional officer while simultaneously appealing to the Egyptian public as the man to lead them out of the post-Mubarak political morass. Who then is this rather mysterious officer and how and for what purposes is he likely to rule Egypt?"
  
• BBC: Egypt's Abdul Fattah al-Sisi 'cult' sees surge in merchandise (Ahmed Nour & Adam Robinson, March 31)
• "Former Field Marshal Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's popularity among Egyptians has been taking on some unusual forms, including a wild profusion of merchandise, prompting some to speak of almost cult-like veneration. Items as diverse as T-shirts, jewellery, perfume, chocolates and even sandwiches proudly sport the image or name of the country's new national hero, who announced his intention to stand for the presidency on Wednesday."
  

• The Guardian: Waste not: Egypt's refuse collectors regain role at heart of Cairo society (Patrick Kingsley, March 27)
• "For the waste pickers that have traditionally made a living sifting through the mountain of discarded litter that blights the streets of Cairo, there has been scant cause for celebration these past 10 years. Marginalised by a 2004 Mubarak goverment directive that placed household waste collection in the hands of multinationals, their existence has been one of ever increasing struggle for steadily declining return."
  

Israel / Palestine

• The Guardian: John Kerry returns to Middle East with peace talks close to crisis (Peter Beaumont, March 31)
• "The last 48 hours have seen a series of revolving-door meetings between Martin Indyk, the US special envoy to the negotiations, the Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat and the Israeli justice minister, Tzipi Livni, who heads the Israeli negotiating team. "They are trying to find a solution since no one wants the talks to blow up," Haaretz quoted a senior Israeli official as saying."
  

Libya

• The Guardian: Libya poised to retake oil ports from rebels in move that could split country (Chris Stephen, March 28)
• "The blockade, which has robbed the government of one of its only sources of revenue, is the most serious crisis Libya has faced since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi three years ago. It has left some observers predicting disaster. "Libya is teetering on the brink of failure," said Sarah Lean Whitson of Human Rights Watch."
  

Syria

• Reuters: Obama ready to expand covert aid to Syrian opposition - report (March 28)
• "The United States is ready to step up covert aid to Syrian rebels under a plan being discussed with regional allies including Saudi Arabia, according to a Washington Post report. The plan includes CIA training of about 600 Syrian opposition forces per month in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar, foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius wrote on Thursday. That would double the forces currently being trained in the region."
  

Saudi Arabia

• BBC: Can Obama Saudi visit stem deteriorating ties? (Kim Ghattas, March 28)
• "There have also been deep disagreements between Washington and Riyadh over the conflict in Syria during the last three years. They escalated into a very public spat in September, after Mr Obama decided to call off military strikes against President Bashar al-Assad's forces in the wake of a chemical weapons attack in Damascus that left hundreds of people dead."
  

Turkey

• Washington Post: In Turkey, prime minister’s party comes out on top in municipal elections (Liz Sly, March 30)
• "The result will be seen as a resounding victory for Erdogan and a vindication of his increasingly heavy-handed tactics, including the imposition of bans on the social media sites Twitter and YouTube in the days ahead of the vote, said Soli Ozel, professor of international relations at Kadir Has University."
  
• Reuters: Erdogan targets enemies after poll triumph (HUMEYRA PAMUK AND NICK TATTERSALL, March 31)
• "Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan looked a step closer to a presidential bid and to gaining the upper hand in a bitter power struggle on Monday, casting strong local election results as a mandate to hunt down enemies within the state "in their lair. His AK Party swept the electoral map in Sunday's polls, retaining control of the two biggest cities Istanbul and Ankara and increasing its share of the national vote as his pugnacious leadership style, beloved by a loyal, conservative voter base, trumped a stream of corruption allegations and security leaks."