Police chief's murder stuns Turkey A distinguished police chief from Rize was gunned down by a disgruntled officer, while Turkish media focused today on the possibility that the country's two main opposition parties may get behind a unified candidate for Ankara's mayoral elections in March. By Jasper Mortimer
Hard-liner accuses Rouhani of blocking Telegram A hard-line politician in Iran has accused President Hassan Rouhani of ordering the ban on a popular social media app in the wake of the nationwide protests in early 2018. By Al-Monitor Staff
Do Iraqis consider George Bush a liberator or oppressor? Iraqis have different opinions about the late President George Bush, as some praise him for attacking the dictator Saddam Hussein, and some slam him for the devastating sanctions he imposed on Iraq. By Adnan Abu Zeed
Fatah slams Iran for funding Gaza Strip while skirting PA Relations between the Palestinian Authority and Iran have taken another bad turn, with a top Fatah official accusing Iran of worsening the Palestinian division by financially “adopting” families of Gazans killed or wounded in the Great Return protests. By Ahmad Melhem In Ramallah, reporting on politics
Iraqi Kurdistan bans pro-PKK party amid Turkish pressure Turkey exerted its political and economic pressure on Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government to close the headquarters of political parties that share the ideology of the Kurdistan Workers Party. By Dana Taib Menmy
Egyptian authorities go after futsal fields The Egyptian government decided to remove all futsal fields squatting agricultural lands, which raised the ire of the youths whose main outlet is sports. By Ahmed Gomaa
Netanyahu against anti-porn bill, rejects online regulation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fearing the very concept of regulating internet use, objects to proposed legislation that would limit and block visits to pornography sites on the internet. By Mazal Mualem In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics
Italy names five Egyptian officials as suspects in student's murder An Italian prosecutor is investigating five Egyptian police officials concerning the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni while Egypt's own investigation drags on. By Justin Salhani (Libya)
Will Iran ask Hamas to ignite Gaza front in support of Hezbollah? The recent Israeli operation to expose Hezbollah’s tunnels on the Lebanese border raised questions about Iran-backed Hamas’ exposure should Tehran request it to open a second front against Israel in the event of an Israeli-Hezbollah confrontation. By Adnan Abu Amer
Jordan moves to improve lives of Gazan refugees The Jordanian government issued a decision recently to allow Gazan refugees to buy and own property and vehicles, which was not welcomed by some who see this as a move aimed to permanently settle refugees in the kingdom. By Osama Al Sharif
Iran, Russia-led bloc move toward free trade The Iranian government is widening channels of trade with Eurasia and India in an effort to dodge the impacts of reimposed US sanctions. By Mohsen Shariatinia
Tunisia's Ennahda party faces more assassination allegations Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi is threatening to sue the Ennahda political party, which was recently accused of planning in 2013 to assassinate him and the French president. By Mohamed Ali Ltifi
Storm in Haifa over Israeli-Arab council member The newly elected mayor of Haifa, Einat Kalisch-Rotem, refused to back down from the coalition agreement she signed with the Israeli-Arab Communist Party. By Shlomi Eldar
Can annexation save Israel from charges of apartheid on West Bank? Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett is promoting the idea that the annexation of Area C on the West Bank will negate claims of Israel pursuing apartheid-like policies in the occupied territories. By Akiva Eldar
Turkish, Israeli chefs bring Ottoman-inspired cuisine to downtown Haifa Dozens of Arab and Jewish chefs took part in A-Sham Arab Food Festival in Haifa this year, to prepare Turkish and Ottoman-inspired dishes at tens of restaurants in the city. By Ilan Ben Zion