Analysis Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions? Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Nisantasi beyond the shop windows Also this week: Hopdaddy burgers, Ara Guler’s photographs and Istanbul’s apartment stories. By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll. United Arab Emirates
Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Turkey
Turkey could leverage hostage tragedy to reach Sinjar After the deaths of 13 Turkish captives in Iraqi Kurdistan during a raid against Kurdish militants, Turkey might be weighing an offensive against Sinjar, but vocal objections by pro-Iranian groups heavily deployed in the area are bound to complicate such a mission. Turkey
Prominent Turkish lawyer defiant after jail sentence over media trial Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights lawyer, was among four defendants sentenced to prison on terror-linked charges Monday in a newspaper trial that raised concerns over media freedom in Turkey. Turkey
New Zealand slams Australia for revoking citizenship of IS associate Turkish authorities detained a woman with dual Australia-New Zealand citizenship allegedly affiliated with the Islamic State. Syria
Turkish opposition blames Erdogan for Turks killed in Iraq Turkey's biggest opposition party has blamed the president for the deaths of 13 Turkish hostages in Iraqi Kurdistan over the weekend. Turkey
Dutch far-right politician under investigation for calling Turkish president a terrorist The controversial Geert Wilders has had spats with the Turkish government before amid wider crises between Turkey and the Netherlands. Turkey
Inside Turkey’s raid on Iraqi cave where 13 captives were killed The aftershocks of Turkey’s controversial raid on a PKK base inside Iraq are likely to pose the first test to the Biden administration in its complex relations with Turkey and Iraq. Turkey
How Turkey became unsafe haven for dissidents While Ankara requests the most renditions of any country, its own borders remain extremely porous, its security personnel vulnerable to corruption and its territory a playground for foreign intelligence services. Turkey
Coup row haunts Turkish-US ties Amid an already frosty start with the new US administration, Ankara has renewed accusations that Washington was behind the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Turkey
Blinken walks back State Department ambiguity over Turkish hostages killed in Iraq After an earlier statement suggesting Washington didn't necessarily buy Ankara's narrative on the killings, the State Department today said that "PKK terrorists bear responsibility." Turkey
Turkey accuses PKK militants of executing 13 Turkish captives in Iraqi Kurdistan Turkey could use the deaths as justification to launch an operation against the PKK in Yazidi-dominated Sinjar, something Ankara has been lobbying Baghdad to greenlight. Turkey
Iran denies diplomat was arrested in Turkey for allegedly helping kill dissident The allegations stem from the 2019 killing of Masoud Molavi Vardanjani in Istanbul. Turkey
Understanding Turkey's vision of medical schools for small Syrian town Ankara plans to establish two medical educational facilities in a small Syrian town across the border as Turkish entrenchment deepens in Syria. Syria