Tensions Mount Across Middle East and Beyond

Ali Hosseini Khamenei was an Iranian politician and Shia cleric who served as the second supreme leader of Iran from 1989 until his assassination in 2026. He previously served as the president of Iran from 1981 to 1989. His tenure as supreme leader, spanning 36 years and six months, made him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East at the time of his death.

In medicine, not otherwise specified (NOS) is a subcategory in systems of disease/disorder classification such as ICD-9, ICD-10, or DSM-IV. It is generally used to note the presence of an illness where the symptoms presented were sufficient to make a general diagnosis, but where a specific diagnosis was not made. The DSM-IV, for example, "applies the term not otherwise specified (NOS) to a disorder or disturbance that does not meet the criteria for the specific disorders already discussed". The term was introduced because "it is sometimes impossible for the practitioner completing the diagnostic assessment to categorize all the symptoms that a client is experiencing into one diagnostic category". In the context of mental health diagnoses, four situations have been outlined for which such a diagnosis may be considered appropriate: Client meets the general guidelines for a disorder, yet not all of the criteria are met, or the ones present are not considered clinically significant. Significant behaviors are noted affecting social and occupational functioning, but are not considered part of the usual presentation for a disorder. Uncertainty about etiology or the cause of the disorder exists. This is especially important when it is suspected that the disorder may be related to a general medical condition. Insufficient information exists to fully support assigning behaviors to a particular mental disorder in the category, but the general criteria for the category of disorders are evident.

Vincent Clerc is a former French professional rugby union player who played on the wing.

A ministry of defence or defense, also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided into ministries or departments. Such a department usually includes all branches of the military, and is usually controlled by a defence minister or secretary of defense.

Elon Reeve Musk is a businessman and entrepreneur known for his leadership of Tesla, SpaceX, X, and xAI. Musk has been the wealthiest person in the world since 2025; as of February 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be around US$852 billion.

Veronika Sentsov-Velch, PhD is a Ukrainian advocate and a specialist in corporate and crisis communications, as well as international lobbying. She holds a PhD in international relations. Since April 2024, Veronika has served as Country Director of Amnesty International Ukraine. She previously worked as Senior Advocacy Director at the U.S. public affairs consulting agency Ridgely Walsh and as co-coordinator of Euromaidan SOS (Ukraine).

The president of Turkey, officially the president of the Republic of Türkiye, is the head of state and head of government of Turkey. The president directs the executive branch of the national government and is the commander-in-chief of the Turkish military. The president also heads the National Security Council.

Donald John Trump is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 45th president from 2017 to 2021.

The 2026 United States Senate election in North Carolina will be held on November 3, 2026, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of North Carolina. Republican former national committee chairman Michael Whatley and Democratic former governor Roy Cooper are seeking their first term in office. The winner will succeed Republican incumbent Thom Tillis, who is not seeking re-election after two terms.

Toyin Omoyeni Falola is a Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies. Falola is a Fellow of the Historical Society of Nigeria and of the Nigerian Academy of Letters, and has served as the president of the African Studies Association. He is currently the Jacob and Sanger Mossiker Chair in the Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

Edmund Abaka is a Ghanaian-born American photographer and historian of Africa at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida.