First we head to Egypt, where the incumbent President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is running for a second term. Ahead of the vote, Egyptian authorities carried out a string of arbitrary arrests as part of a crackdown on the opposition and human rights activists. Leslie Piquemal of the ‎Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies gives us her analysis on the climate in Egypt as the elections are underway. And Turkey is seeking to bolster its military operation in Syria's northwestern region in a bid to oust Kurdish fighters. This includes the city of Manbij, prompting fears over a possible confrontation with nearby US troops.

Finally, we go to Lebanon where we report on the country’s long-festering garbage crisis which peaked three years ago. The heaps of rubbish that are piling up have raised concerns about public health and sparked a protest movement. Our team on the ground takes a look at a problem that seems to have no solution in sight.