Analysis Iraq’s Zaidi offers economic promise for Turkey but unknowns loom Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali al-Zaidi, is expected to sustain growing economic and strategic ties with Turkey thanks to his business-oriented approach, though uncertainty over his political stance could test cooperation on sensitive issues. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
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
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
Egypt’s would-be couples get training before tying the knot In an effort to lower the country's divorce rate, Egypt launches yet another program to provide pre-marriage training to would-be couples. Egypt
Turkey’s army of jobless swelling to record level Despite extensive incentives and other initiatives to create jobs, Turkey’s government has failed to reduce the unemployment rate to single digits during its 16-year rule and is now likely to bring it up to 15%, the highest level in three decades. Turkey
Barzani: Russia key to settlement between Assad and Syrian Kurds Manbij leaders prefer the United States, but would rather deal with Russia and Syria than Turkey; Amberin Zaman gets exclusive access to a prison for IS terrorists; did HTS force the resignation of a Syrian opposition leader?; Syrians protest Turkish truckers; Rouhani’s meeting with Sistani is "crowning achievement" of trip to Iraq. Iraq
Has misogyny become official state policy in Turkey? With Turkish police canceling the International Women's Day march in Taksim at the last minute and the president using the drama as an electoral distraction, it's time to ask if misogyny has become an official state policy in Turkey. Turkey
Turkey’s incredible algorithm designed to root out Gulenists Turkey is expanding its use of software that analyzes an exhaustive array of aspects of people's lives to determine whether they might be members of the Gulenist movement. Turkey
The social toll of Turkey’s emergency rule Turkey’s state of emergency ended last year, but its victims continue to suffer, with many entertaining suicidal thoughts or aspiring to leave the country, according to a recent survey. Turkey
Ankara fumes as European Parliament votes to suspend EU talks The European Parliament called on the European Union to halt membership negotiations with Turkey, citing a failure to respect the bloc’s standards on human rights, while Ankara accuses the legislators of giving in to right-wing populism. Turkey
Despite friction, Egypt retains economic ties with Turkey, Qatar Some Egyptians have been calling for the government to seize Turkish and Qatari assets, but so far that hasn't seemed to sour foreigners on Egypt's investment offerings. United Arab Emirates
How this online app gives gamers keys to Al-Aqsa The new Protector of Al-Aqsa phone app seeks to familiarize younger generations with the role of this holy site in the Islamic heritage. Palestine
Turkish opposition candidate faces allegations in lead-up to local elections The favored candidate to become mayor of Ankara has been charged with professional misconduct as a lawyer, but it seems the attempt to discredit him hasn't worked as planned. Turkey
Turkey, US head to new crisis over Ankara’s S-400 purchase Washington’s threats of dire consequences for Turkey if it goes ahead with the Russian air-defense deal are being disregarded by Ankara. Turkey
Netanyahu, King Abdullah in bind over Temple Mount Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian King Abdullah II share a similar dilemma: They both need for tensions on the Temple Mount to calm down, but cannot afford to appear as the weak side in this affair. Palestine