Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul “Form-Craft-Activism” spotlights the labor behind making Also this week: A century-old lokanta, cartoonists and labor cinema By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Turkey warns France over Cyprus troop deployment: What to know A potential French deployment to Greek Cyprus comes amid Turkey’s growing concerns of strategic encirclement in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Turkey advances gas pipeline plan to northern Cyprus as East Med rivalry grows The Turkish energy minister said the country's oil and natural gas pipeline operator, BOTAS, has started the engineering work for the pipeline. Turkey
In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know The move follows the first joint exercise inside Libya amid renewed international efforts to unify the country. Turkey
Analysis Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Contemporary art takes over restored Byzantine cistern By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
The Syrian funeral that divided Turkey A funeral ceremony for a controversial Syrian militant, known as “the singer of the revolution,” has sparked indignation in Turkey. Syria
Will the AKP reinstate Kurdish peace talks to win Istanbul elections? Ruling party officials have adopted the Kurdish issue as a campaign strategy in the upcoming Istanbul elections. Turkey
Istanbul mayoral candidates to debate in rare TV face-off Turkey will have its first major political debate since 2002 as the ruling party takes extraordinary measures ahead of the second vote for Istanbul mayor. Turkey
Turkey becomes new dump for global plastic waste Due to lax regulations, plastic scrap imports to Turkey have skyrocketed since 2018; why is the AKP letting the country turn into a global wastebasket? Turkey
Egyptian-Turkish trade: A love-hate relationship Egypt's free trade agreement with Turkey ends in 2020, but it is unclear whether it will be renewed in light of the political antipathy between the two countries' leaders. Egypt
Ankara plays down US ultimatum on S-400 Despite the US announcement that Ankara will be excluded from the F-35 fighter jet program if it goes ahead with its purchase of a Russian missile system, Turkish officials continue to behave as if Washington is bluffing. Turkey
Turkey’s risky route in Idlib Turkey is struggling to maintain a balance with Russia as it takes action to block the Syrian army at Idlib. Syria
Beneath tough exterior, Putin may be ready to deal on Iran Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to hold all the cards in the region, but is Moscow ready to show its hand? Syria
Egypt's hand appears in play behind scenes in Sudan The head of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council has visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, raising questions about Cairo’s role in Sudanese affairs. Saudi Arabia
US Syria envoy says ‘no role’ for Europe in proposed safe zone The United States has a “general” deal in place to establish a safe zone in northeastern Syria, the Trump administration’s top Syria policy official said, but the effort will not include European countries. Syria
AKP's Istanbul campaign sinks to new lows Turkey's ruling AKP has insinuated that the opposition's winning mayoral candidate for Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu is secretly Greek to discredit his campaign in a move that seemed to backfire. Turkey
Can Erdogan mend fences with US, Europe while saving face? Turkey is seeking to improve relations with the West to stave off further damage to its ailing economy, but wants to do so without appearing to concede any ground or make concessions. Syria