Newsletter: City Pulse Istanbul Yoko Ono comes to Istanbul Also this week: Contemporary art, Pink Martini and Balat mysteries By Nazlan Ertan In Izmir and Istanbul, reporting on culture
Trump taps Russia-born investor to oversee $200M+ fund backing Armenia-Azerbaijan corridor The appointment of Chicago-based investor Konstantin Sokolov to oversee a $200 million fund marks a new phase for Washington's proposed trade and transportation route linking Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey. United States
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran declares 'existential war' as US strikes reach near Tehran By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya, one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara. Turkey
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Why Iran, US are drifting back to conflict By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Analysis From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
Fears over safety of nuclear plant flare up in Turkey The safety of a controversial nuclear power plant that Turkey is building in collaboration with Russia has fueled fresh worries amid reports of cracks in the foundation of the facility. Turkey
How will S-400 affair affect Turkish-NATO ties? Calls for Turkey to be expelled from NATO or for Turkey to leave NATO are not realistic, say experts. Turkey
Istanbul’s last gramophone repairman keeps records turning The last gramophone specialist in Istanbul works contentedly in his tiny shop inside the Grand Bazaar, a perfect escape from modern consumerist culture. Turkey
Erdogan lauds Brotherhood ally as Turkey mourns Morsi Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly questioned the circumstances of the former Egyptian president's death as Turkey observed nationwide funeral prayers today. Egypt
Erdogan faces consequences of his two biggest mistakes Erdogan's repeat strategic blunders may come to haunt him in the June 23 rerun of the Istanbul vote. Turkey
Istanbul mayoral hopefuls spar in rare debate With a week to go before Istanbul votes again, the opposition’s candidate Ekrem Imamoglu and ruling party's Binali Yildirim sought to consolidate support in the country’s first televised debate in nearly two decades. Turkey
Despite European protection offers, Turkey still wants S-400 Turkey is unlikely to be swayed from buying Russian S-400 missile defense systems, even if some European countries continue their defense of Turkish air space. Syria
Turkey’s olive branches have prickly effect on Saudis Grappling with serious economic woes, Turkey is seeking to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia, but some of its fence-mending have badly backfired. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan seeks lifeline from Trump to salvage US-Turkey ties It will take Donald Trump to close a deal with Turkey on a Syrian "safe zone." Syria
Intel: How Russia is trying to calm Turkey-Syria tensions Russia announced today that it had helped negotiate a cease-fire in rebel-controlled Idlib province this week as rising tensions between Turkey and Syria threaten to escalate into open conflict. Syria
Russia, Turkey broker shaky cease-fire in Syria’s Idlib Within hours of the announcement of a truce, Syrian forces are accused of firing on both rebel targets and a Turkish army outpost, but even a tentative respite is welcome as renewed clashes have displaced hundreds of thousands of people since April. Syria
Erdogan’s election machine is rusty and worn out The campaign that Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) are waging for the rerun of the Istanbul mayoral race is far from promising a victory, showing how the AKP — once a formidable election machine — has aged into an exhausted body with waning skills. Turkey