Turkey inks $5.1B in climate loans at COP31: What to know Ankara can count 10 loan deals worth $5.1 billion with four multilateral development banks so far at the UN climate summit, Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said Thursday. Turkey
Explainer Bilal Erdogan, floated as father’s possible successor, visits Lebanon: What to know Bilal Erdogan, the son of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, is in Lebanon for a three-day visit that will include meetings with officials and religious leaders, as well as stops in Sunni-majority cities. Lebanon
Turkey hosts Libya’s Hifter, Erdogan meets Tripoli PM as unity push gains pace Ankara is expanding ties with Libya’s eastern leadership while seeking to protect its agreements with Tripoli under a potential power-sharing arrangement. Turkey
Watchdog urges Turkey to tighten digital asset rules for $144B crypto economy A review of Turkey’s crypto-asset regulations by the Financial Stability Board acknowledged significant progress made by local authorities but called for further measures to address potential risks. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran war shadows Turkey’s COP31 summit By Gabrielle Debinski In New York City, reporting on the Middle East
Newsletter: FutureVerse Does Middle East have Nvidia problem? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Are PKK Fighters Moving to Syria? Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu claims Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters are withdrawing from Turkey toward Syria to fight against the Assad regime, writes Tulin Daloglu. Syria
PKK's Withdrawal From Turkey Shows Peace Process On Track Murat Karayilan, a leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), is taking the peace file with Turkey from imprisoned Abdullah Ocalan, signaling normalization of the process, writes Kadri Gursel. Iraq
Is Turkey Headed for Sharia Rule? Mustafa Akyol argues that even if Turkey's Islamists have a "hidden agenda" of imposing sharia or Islamic law, they don't have much chance because of societal trends. Turkey
Exclusive: Islamic Jihad Rethinks Role In Palestinian Politics In the second of four exclusive reports from Gaza on the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, Asmaa al-Ghoul reports on the movement's greater involvement in Palestinian civic and political life, including municipal elections. Palestine
Davutoglu Warns Of 'Ethnic Cleansing' in Syria Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu lectures on Syria as the Kurdistan Workers Party starts to withdraw from Turkey, writes Tulin Daloglu. Syria
PKK Challenges Barzani In Iraqi Kurdistan Denise Natali writes that the withdrawal of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) forces from Turkey and developments in Syria will keep the Kurdish nationalist movement fragmented from within and across borders. Iraq
Kerry Breaks the Ice in Moscow; Russia Sticks to 'Principle' on Syria US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Moscow came in a context of genuine good will, although the US and Russia still differ on the sequencing for a transition in Syria, writes Fyodor Lukyanov. Syria
Islamic Jihad Movement Maintains Popularity in Gaza While some Palestinian political forces have criticized the Islamic Jihad Movement, it has maintained popularity among the Palestinian public for its strong stances and refusal to work with the occupation forces. Palestine
For Erdogan, Troubles In Syria Just Beginning Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Barack Obama should devise an effective regional strategy for dealing with the crisis in Syria, wrItes Yavuz Baydar. Syria
Erdogan Says Israeli Strikes On Syria Are 'Unacceptable' Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has broken his silence on the Israeli airstrikes in Syria, declaring them “unacceptable,” writes Tulin Daloglu. Israel
Turkey-Israel: Toward A 'Cold' Normalization The second round of compensation talks between Israel and Turkey should not raise hopes in Jerusalem of re-establishing the former ties between the two countries, writes Arad Nir. Israel
The Syrian Opposition Also Needs Red Lines UN investigator Carla Del Ponte's disclosure of the possible use of chemical weapons by Syrian rebels should force Turkey to think again about its Syria policy, writes Kadri Gursel. Syria