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
Political humor no joke for Turkish satirists As the Turkish president's wrath reaches German satirists, their Turkish colleagues soldier on amid constant intimidation, prosecution and even physical attacks. Turkey
Why Jordan's king is criticizing his country's closest allies King Abdullah has made harsh statements against Obama’s war on IS, Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy and Russia’s policy in Syria, yet due to Amman's precarious geostrategic position he doesn't always fully stand by his own comments. Israel
US should ditch 'plan B' for Syria UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura says the fragile cessation of hostilities “continues to give hope” as Syrians anticipate the battle for Aleppo. Syria
EU report ruffles Turkey's feathers The European Parliament chastises itself for delaying the release of a progress report in which it condemns Turkey's many human rights violations. Turkey
Turkey's 'Campus Witches' take on sexual harassers A growing group of feminist university students in Turkey is taking direct and aggressive action to confront men accused of harassment and sexual assault. Turkey
'Imamization' raising eyebrows in Turkey The Religious Affairs Directorate has begun subcontracting imams to other government agencies, raising questions about their ultimate purpose. Turkey
Will the true culprits surface in Lebanon's infamous Internet racket? Officials are investigating claims of corruption and espionage in Lebanon's Internet management. Israel
Why Israel is staying silent on Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict Despite its strong ties with Azerbaijan, Israel has kept silent on the conflict with Armenia out of wariness of raising the issue of occupation. Israel
First Turkey-backed operation against IS becomes a fiasco Just days after Turkey-backed groups claimed victory against IS in Syria’s al-Rai, the area has fallen back under the extremist group’s control, supporting claims that cooperation with Kurdish forces is needed to defeat IS. Syria
Turkey’s new 4G mobile network comes with many dark clouds While the fourth-generation mobile data network arrived in Turkey this month, high costs, insufficient infrastructure and potential concerns from the government mean doubts remain about the extent to which it will benefit citizens. Turkey
Nationalist party may hold key to Turkey's political future A possible tectonic shift in Turkish politics may come via the MHP's inner-party struggle. Turkey
Erdogan courts King Salman as new BFF Even if Saudi King Salman Abdul-Aziz Al Saud fails to broker a rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey, he still shares many commonalities with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not least their irritation with the US leadership. Saudi Arabia