Russia sees benefit of nudging Turkey on to Manbij in Syria Despite their divergent strategic goals, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey have agreed to work together in Syria while further excluding the United States from the decision-making process. Syria
Turkey’s top business body pushes for more gender equality in TV series The top business body in Turkey finds gender bias in TV series that reproduces traditional stereotypes — and aims to help correct it. Turkey
Baghdad clamps down on cross-border arms smuggling While security along the Iraqi-Syrian border has improved with the near defeat of the Islamic State, Iraqi security forces still have their hands full trying to prevent arms smuggling and attacks by what is left of the terror group. Iraq
Turkish TV paints Kurds as villains Turkish audiences watch TV series more regularly than they watch the news — and the habit seems to be making Turkey's divide worse. Turkey
Ankara summit focuses on Syria's fate once war ends The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey reassured each other that they are the "big three" of the Syrian peace talks and discussed their mission to resolve the civil war. Syria
US ramps up counter-WMD spending amid Mideast proliferation threats The Pentagon is putting $6 million into countering weapons of mass destruction in five Middle Eastern countries, as US special operations forces take control of the fight. Syria
Beirut renames seaside avenue after Saudi benefactor Will King Salman Avenue bring Lebanon more Saudi tourists, or does it just represent the failures of the Lebanese political system? Saudi Arabia
Rumors of Turkish deputy PM's departure spook markets The Turkish lira took a tumble amid reports that Mehmet Simsek, the deputy prime minister in charge of Turkey's economy, had resigned. Turkey
Iranian conservatives ask supreme leader for reforms Conservative officials and activists aligned with former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote an open letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the need for reforms. Iran
Late Iranian president's son on road to become Tehran mayor Mohsen Hashemi, the oldest son of late Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, may become mayor of the country’s capital. Iran
The struggle of Egypt's transgender community Many transgender Egyptians still run into society’s conservative wall, despite some tolerance by the younger generation. Egypt
Why have recent mass Palestinian protests been limited to Gaza? The recent mass protests along the Gaza-Israel border raise questions as to why similar events aren't happening in the West Bank. Palestine
Who's to blame for failed Palestinian reconciliation? The recent accusations by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas blaming Hamas for orchestrating the attack against Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah seem to have terminated hopes of a Palestinian reconciliation in the near term. Palestine
More than meets the eye to sale of Turkish media giant The sale of Turkey’s biggest media group, Dogan Media Company, is likely to negatively affect the health of the country’s economy while diminishing access to accurate information from and within Turkey. Turkey
Turkish firm brings light back to struggling Syrian city Turkey plans to help restore utilities and other services to Syrian towns, starting with a new power plant for the city of Azaz, which has been running on generators. Syria
Energy, military cooperation dominate Putin’s visit to Turkey Turkey anticipates even deeper ties with Russia as the two countries embark on massive development projects and a major military contract. Turkey
