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 World leaders began arriving in Antalya on Wednesday to take part in the COP31 climate conference, which Turkey is hosting for the first time. 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
Turkish journalists caught in cross fire of AKP-Gulen conflict The latest corruption scandal will be no picnic to cover. Turkey
Gul may be winner in Turkey’s 'mother of all battles' Abdullah Gul and Turkish democracy may be the winners in the latest AKP-Gulen escalation. Turkey
Syrian and Iraqi Kurds more divided over Syria The Syria war is proving to be a divisive, rather than unifying, force among the Kurds of Iraq and Syria. Iraq
Turkey-Israel ties await 'normalization' For now, both Turkey and Israel may prefer the status quo. Israel
Turkey’s give and take with EU on visa policy Ankara has started uphill talks with the EU on visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in return for agreeing to take back immigrants who illegally enter the EU via Turkey. Turkey
Alevi jitters worsen in Turkey Turkey’s Alevi community fears that the government’s ostracizing rhetoric and policies are encouraging discrimination and physical attacks. Turkey
Muslim Brotherhood's new TV channel unlikely to influence viewers Unless the broadcasters behind Rabaa TV can offer more than sarcasm and spin, viewers in Egypt are likely to lose interest. Egypt
Syrian Kurds jockey for seat at Geneva talks As long as the Assad regime and the opposition fail to come to an agreement, Syria’s Kurds will continue to consolidate their gains. Iraq
The AKP’s accountability crisis The AKP’s inability to provide accounts of its spending from the previous year generates uproar in Turkey’s parliament, raising questions on the legitimacy of the 2014 budget. Turkey
Will Turks, Armenians ever reconcile? The visit of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu to Yerevan could be a positive first step in Turkish-Armenian reconciliation. Turkey
Who threatens Rumi’s heritage? The decision by the Konya Provincial Culture Directorate to remove a 1,000-year-old pool from the Mevlana Museum's garden is an assault on Rumi’s heritage. Turkey
Turkey’s LGBT community draws hope from Harvey Milk Turks who identify with the LGBT community face discrimination in every aspect of their lives and have no legal protection at all, but increasing awareness from the public and support mainly from the opposition parties brings hope. Turkey