Culture Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary The meeting comes ahead of US President Trump’s expected attendance at next month's NATO leaders’ summit in Turkey, after Trump personally urged his Turkish counterpart to reopen the Halki Seminary. Turkey
Turkey’s Fidan heads to Moscow as S-400 sanctions issue returns to fore The visit comes weeks before Turkey hosts NATO leaders, on the sidelines of which Ankara hopes to reach a deal with Washington over CAATSA sanctions over its purchase of Russian S-400s. Turkey
Analysis Erdogan-Netanyahu war of words signals deeper rivalry for regional influence The latest Erdogan-Netanyahu clash underscored how Turkey-Israel tensions have grown beyond the Palestinian issue and into a wider regional rivalry spanning Syria, Lebanon, Iran and the eastern Mediterranean. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Feature Turkey’s World Cup return clouded by politics, dawn kickoffs Turkey finally has the World Cup moment it waited 24 years for, but much of the country will either be asleep for it or arguing over efforts to claim it. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Newsletter: Turkey Turkey rocked by abuse allegations in Imamoglu crackdown By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran says no final decision yet on deal By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis As Trump admin drops Halkbank case, S-400 last big hurdle in US-Turkey ties By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Syria, Turkey more than just neighbors A civil society platform in Erzurum in eastern Turkey has funded the renovation of a damaged school building in the Syrian city of al-Bab. Syria
Why 'vintage' in this Turkish village means confectionaries, not wine In the southeastern Anatolian village of Cirali, harvesting grapes ends with a variety of sweets to consume rather than wine. Turkey
Trump weighs Saudi Arabia’s fate in Khashoggi affair The US president said “a lot of work” is being done on the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and promised “there'll be something that has to take place.” Saudi Arabia
Turkey, US share cautious optimism as high-stakes Brunson trial to resume The mood is suddenly a bit lighter as Turkey's trial of US pastor Andrew Brunson continues tomorrow, after the suspected murder of a Saudi journalist offered Washington and Ankara an opportunity to work together for justice. Turkey
Ankara pins electoral hopes on ignoring economic realities The Turkish government’s vacillations and zigzagging in the face of the country’s economic woes reflect how squeezed it has become economically and politically and how concerned it is about it with elections scheduled for March. Turkey
Iranian media see Saudi-Turkey rift in Khashoggi case While some Iranian media see the possibility of tension between Iran and Turkey over the case of Jamal Khashoggi, one analyst in particular warns that such an atmosphere is not conducive to resolving differences. Saudi Arabia
Congress orders federal probe into Khashoggi’s disappearance Bipartisan calls for a federal probe and possible sanctions against Saudi Arabia indicate that Congress has lost confidence in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
Turkish FM heads for Iraq to greet new leadership, discuss oil Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is set for a two-day visit to Iraq widely taken as an effort to re-assert Turkey’s heft in the country amid the receding fortunes of its local Sunni Arab allies. Iraq
How Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rival operates in northern Syria Al-Monitor interviewed the spokesman of the National Liberation Front, which includes several armed opposition factions in northern Idlib, to find out its goals and plans for the future. Syria
Turkish authorities to search Saudi consulate for missing journalist As the Turkish authorities prepare to search the Saudi consulate where a dissident Saudi journalist disappeared last week, the Turkish opposition is curiously silent about the matter despite the ruling party's harsh treatment of the country's own press. Saudi Arabia