Algeria

'The Meursault Investigation' by Kamel Daoud (Other Press, 143 pages, $14.95)

At a meeting in Zagreb on Thursday, the police chiefs of Austria, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia agreed to organize the joint transport of Middle Eastern migrants from the Macedonia-Greece border all the way to Austria, where they will have the chance to stay or continue their journey to Germany.

Algeria's parliament adopted a package of constitutional reforms on Feb. 7 that authorities say will strengthen democracy, but opponents doubt it will bring real change.

Turkey broke its all-time natural gas usage record on Jan. 25-26, as 235 million cubic meters were used across the country due to cold weather.

More than 1.1 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas was consumed during the period of Jan. 25-29, hitting another record on a weekly basis, according to data compiled by Anadolu Agency from the Energy Ministry. 

The sharp fall in oil prices is unlikely to benefit Turkey's sovereign rating in the coming year, Standard and Poor's said on Feb. 2, as it pointed to other pressures on the country.

The Turkish Contractors' Association (TMB) has said it expects a further slowdown in the construction business due to a rise in geopolitical risks, including deteriorating ties with Russia and economic problems in major Turkish markets that are dependent on oil revenue.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Jan. 29 her government had reached an agreement over a quota reserve, with priority for Syrian migrants coming from Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, highlighting that it would be much easier for them to bring their families to the country.

Russian energy giant Gazprom has canceled a discount on natural gas for the Turkish private sector and companies have begun to be notified, industry sources told Reuters on Jan. 29. 

The discount on gas for the Turkish private sector has been in place since Jan. 1, 2015.

It is not clear what the new prices will be, two sources told Reuters. 

Two Bulgarian energy projects will be allocated financing under the EU's Connecting Europe Facility funding programme for infrastructure.

Last week, the EU countries agreed on a proposal of the European Commission to invest EUR 217 M in fifteen key trans-European energy infrastructure projects mainly in Central and Eastern Europe.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has appointed four women to top positions in the 47-year-old organization with the aim of bolstering the pan-Islamic group's social role.