The Foreign Ministry last week opened its first “virtual embassy” – a Twitter account through which it hopes to conduct a dialogue with the people of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. The new account is called Israel in the GCC – the Gulf Cooperation Council, an umbrella group for every Arab state in the Gulf except Iraq. These six Sunni Arab countries have a mutual interest with Israel: coping with the Iranian nuclear threat.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned that US was "not trustworthy", after former US officials and legislators urged diplomacy with Iran’s incoming president Hassan Rowhani. “I said at the beginning of the (Iranian) year that I am not optimistic about negotiations with the US, though in the past years I did not forbid negotiating (with US) about certain issues like Iraq,” he said on Sunday during an “Iftar” party meal that breaks the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The US is to host talks with Israel and Palestinian negotiators in the next week following a breakthrough in the drive to revive the moribund Middle East peace process. John Kerry, US secretary of state, called the move a "significant step forward". The agreement, announced on Friday evening after four months of intensive diplomacy, fell short of a hoped for face-to-face meeting between leaders of the two sides.

Initially founded in August 2011, VLW focuses on the political, economic, and social empowerment of women. Since then, the organization completed a national assessment focusing on women in security—the first and only of its kind in Libya—as well as conducted interviews with key stakeholders and organized our annual One Voice conference, which brings together the acting head of state, members of Parliament, international ambassadors, and more than 150 local activists to address women's role in the increasingly complex security situation in Libya.

We’ve heard of the Grammys, the BRITs, the VMAs and the MOBOs, but now there’s an awards show to spotlight a different kind of talent. A groundbreaking new awards ceremony, The Music of Muslim Origin & Media Awards 2013 (the MOMOs), will celebrate the achievements of Muslim artists, entertainers and media professionals later this year. With categories such as “Best Nasheed” (Islamic vocal music), “Best Muslim TV Show” and “Best Muslim Presenter” the awards will put a spotlight on global Islamic talents.

Burns emphasized repeatedly that the United States did not back any individuals or parties in Egypt, only the principle of an open and inclusive transition to a democracy. He said Washington hoped the “ongoing transition” would be “a chance to learn some of the lessons and correct some of the mistakes of the past two years.”

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reemerged as the Middle East’s most powerful influential country, Richard Spencer said in article published in the UK’s The Telegraph. “The Saudis are our brothers,” said Sayed Sami Hassan from a tent in Cairo’s Tahrir Square. “They are Muslims, they believe in God. [Egypt’s ousted Islamist] President Mursi, now he was an agent of America and Qatar, but the Saudis are helping us.”

Summer exchange programmes are a vibrant way for universities around the world to swap intellectually stimulating dialogues, cultures, friendships and create memories. If one wants to learn outside the textbook and curriculum, learning from the ‘university of life’ through summer exchange experiences remains a very credible way for the international community of students. Linda Agnell, director of exchange programmes, American University of Sharjah, details how students can make the most of them.