Turkey’s political parties hit each other with coup allegations The Justice and Development Party government and its supporters are using a Republican People’s Party lawmaker's comments to steal the main opposition party’s thunder. Turkey
Egyptian, Chinese pottery makers compare techniques Pottery workshop in Old Cairo by Chinese and Egyptian artists highlights the different techniques in creating clay artifacts and everyday objects. Egypt
Rouhani’s proposed second-term Cabinet draws ire Iranian President Hassan Rouhani's proposed second-term Cabinet draws criticism from both moderates and Reformists. Iran
Egypt's middle class gets creative to cope with economic crunch As Egypt's economy suffers and inflation soars, middle class citizens are turning to Airbnb, Uber and other nontraditional means of earning extra income. Egypt
Turkey hints at new operation in Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan raises the stakes in Syria by hinting that Ankara will launch a new incursion to build on its previous one. Syria
Are Israelis indifferent to corruption around Netanyahu? Despite political corruption, Israelis keep backing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in polls. Israel
Egypt’s outer space ambitions face real world setbacks While Egyptian officials have said that the country’s first space agency would be launched in September 2018, the law to create it has not been introduced in parliament yet, to many Egyptians' chagrin. United Arab Emirates
With tourism in decline, Egypt hopes to repurpose former hotspot An Egyptian member of parliament has completed a study on the establishment of a free trade zone in the tourist city of Sharm el-Sheikh, which many criticized for its potentially harmful effects on tourism. Egypt
Religious, not political leaders guided Jerusalem through Aqsa crisis Respected religious authorities dominated the protest movement and did much of the organizing during the past few weeks of crisis at Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Palestine
Israeli legislators protest outside attorney general’s home Israeli legislators should not join demonstrations criticizing Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit for taking his time in investigating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Russia, US to maintain contacts on Syria despite sanctions US and Russian officials will try to maintain contacts concerning world hotspots within the limits imposed by US sanctions on the Kremlin. Syria
Islamic writer's comments on smoking leave Turkish women fuming Islamic scholar and columnist Hayrettin Karaman has angered Turkish women by questioning the chastity of those who smoke while wearing the veil. Turkey
Iran steps up pressure on Iraqi Kurds to halt referendum Iran is stepping up pressure on Iraqi Kurdish political parties to refrain from holding their upcoming referendum on independence. Iraq
Iranian MPs face backlash over selfies with Mogherini Iran's parliamentarians are under fire for taking selfies with visiting EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Iran
Turks spooked by 90s-style disappearances The dark days of Turkey in the 1990s could be creeping back as at least four men have gone missing under similar suspicious circumstances in Ankara since March. Turkey
Turkey's tough stance on Uighurs has implications for Syria The Turkish foreign minister promised China to put an end to anti-China activities in Turkey and in the region, which means terminating support to Uighur militants. Turkey
