Al-Bab’s historical covered marketplace back in business Store owners at a market in al-Bab have reopened their shops, which were heavily damaged in the fight against the Islamic State. By Khaled al-Khateb
Cyber attacks increasingly penetrating Israel’s politics Israeli researchers fear that cyberwar in the form of fake social media accounts or even attacks on the vote count could plague the upcoming election year. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Egypt turns jails into economic hubs to outpace inflation As commodity prices continue to increase, Egyptians are resorting to products made in prisons under the government’s policy to encourage detainees to work and learn trades. By Ahmed Elleithy
Israel's defense minister pushes death penalty for terrorists Despite objections by Israel's security and defense establishments, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman a green light to push ahead with a bill allowing military courts to more easily sentence terrorists to death. By Shlomi Eldar
Netanyahu checkmates Likud rivals, again Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing an amendment to the Basic Law on the government to ensure that President Reuven Rivlin cannot ask a Likud rival to form the next government. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Egypt's trees threatened by urbanization Egypt, which has one of the most alarming levels of pollution in the Middle East, needs to preserve its green spaces, but government bodies shirk responsibility. By Rami Galal
Erdogan slams US-Kurdish patrols near Syria border In a speech to parliament, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan chastised the United States for supporting Kurdish militias in Syria and reimposing “imperialist” sanctions on Iran. By Jasper Mortimer
Turkey caps off Year of Troy with new museum As Turkey celebrates the 20th anniversary of Troy's inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage List, a new museum brings its 4,000 years of history and legends to life. By Giuseppe Mancini
Kurds unite in new effort against linguistic assimilation in Turkey In a rare show of unity, nine Kurdish parties in Turkey have established a joint platform to promote the use of the Kurdish language against what they see as a creeping danger of assimilation. By Mahmut Bozarslan
Iranians deride US 'gaffes' in sanctions list While reimposed US sanctions on Iran must be biting economically, defiant Iranians, including their foreign minister, found relief of sorts in a US Treasury list that banned a sunken oil tanker. By Al-Monitor Staff
Terror plot accusations undermine Iran-Europe engagement at worst possible time Iran’s alleged involvement in bomb and assassination plots in Europe is putting pressure on the Rouhani administration as well as on Iranian engagement with Europe more broadly. By Mohammad Ali Shabani
What's behind Qatar’s Cabinet shuffle? With a recent Cabinet shuffle, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani appears to be positioning his country for long-term economic success by taking advantage of short-term realities. By Giorgio Cafiero
Sudan, Egypt mend fraying ties Sudan decided to lift the ban imposed on Egyptian imports more than a year ago, which raises questions about the impact of this decision on the Egyptian economy in the coming period. By Hagar Hosny