Al-Monitor Daily Briefing: Turkey gets comfortable in northern Syria

If you have trouble reading this email, [view it in a browser](. [logo]( [fb_icon]( [twitter_icon]( EDITOR'S PICKS Friday, June 19 | Daily Briefing [By: Semih Idiz on Thursday, Jun. 18, 2020]( Turkey 1 [Turkey gets comfortable in northern Syria]( Turkey appears to be preparing to remain in Syrian areas under its control without much thought for the long-term financial and political costs. Gulf 2 [Oman’s state-owned entities change hands]( As the newly-formed Oman Investment Authority takes over most of the Gulf country’s public assets, questions arise as to whether this is streamlining the administration, economic reform or power consolidation? Iran 3 [Iran's economy in desperate need of solutions]( Amid a drop in global oil prices, even relief from US sanctions may not be enough to save Iran's collapsing economy. Israel 4 [EU ratifies aviation agreement with Israel despite annexation strain]( The European Parliament has ratified the landmark Open Skies agreement with Israel, but warns that there could still be sanctions if annexation goes forward. Egypt 5 [Death of activist Sarah Hegazy highlights struggle of Egypt's gay community]( The death of activist Sarah Hegazy has renewed the debate over gay rights in Egypt amid an ongoing crackdown against the LGBTQI+ community. 6 [Syrian torture victims file complaint in Germany over prison sex abuse]( The criminal complaint accuses nine high-ranking Syrian officials of various sexual and gender-based crimes. Egypt 7 [Egypt's lucrative blood plasma black market]( Selling the plasma of COVID-19 survivors has become a profitable illegal business, after the minister of health announced that using survivor plasma to treat coronavirus patients has proven effective. 8 [Intel: Bolton says Trump sought to drop charges against Turkish bank at Erdogan’s behest]( President Donald Trump allegedly sought to convince the Justice Department to drop charges against Turkey’s Halkbank at the request of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, The Wall Street Journal reported in an overview of former national security adviser John Bolton’s tell-all book. 9 [Egypt says dam negotiations with Ethiopia make 'little progress']( Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have been discussing Ethiopia's planned filling of its dam on the Blue Nile River all month, but an agreement has yet to be reached. 10 [Rockets hit Baghdad's Green Zone again]( A series of such attacks is happening as the United States and Iraq discuss the future of the US military presence in the country. Egypt 11 [Egypt to develop citadel as new hub of Historic Cairo]( As Egypt gears up to welcome tourists next month, the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and Sovereign Wealth Fund signed a contract to develop Cairo’s historical area of Bab al-Azab, where the imposing Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi Citadel is located. Washington 12 [Intel: Democrats condemn US broadcasting CEO’s Middle East purges after expanding office’s powers]( President Donald Trump’s new CEO of the US Agency for Global Media on Wednesday fired the heads of at least three of its outlets who collectively oversaw its Middle East and Iran coverage. The move sparked immediate condemnation from key Democrats despite their previous bipartisan support for expanding the CEO’s powers. 13 [NATO to investigate France-Turkey standoff in the Mediterranean]( NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the bloc will probe France's accusations that Turkey harassed one of its ships in the Mediterranean. 14 [Intel: Russian-built aircraft actively using Libya’s Jufra air base]( Russian fighter aircraft recently delivered to Libya in support of Khalifa Hifter's campaign against the Tripoli-based government are now being put to use. Iran 15 [Iran says 10 provinces have reached peak coronavirus numbers]( Iran says coronavirus deaths in the country will continue until there is a vaccine. 16 [Jordanian foreign minister makes unannounced visit to West Bank for Abbas meeting]( Ahead of Israel's proposed annexation of parts of the West Bank, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi flew to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. STAY CONNECTED [fb_icon_footer]( [twitter_icon_footer]( [instagram_icon_footer]( [rss_icon_footer]( CONTACT US [Support & Contact]( [Advertise](mailto:advertise@al-monitor.com) NEWSLETTERS [Subscribe]( TERMS OF USE [Visitor Agreement]( [Privacy Policy]( © 2020 Al-Monitor. All Rights Reserved. If you no longer wish to receive these emails you may [unsubscribe or manage your preferences]( at any time. Al-Monitor · 1850 K St NW · Suite 1225 · Washington, DC 20006 · USA