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
Breaking | Last Updated: November 5, 2026, 3:56 pm 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
Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift? A dispute over religious dress in schools has exposed deeper tensions between the two allies, with energy, arms sales, Israel and financial interests adding to the strain. Turkey
Greece, France sign fighter jet deal amid tensions with Turkey Athens' roughly $3 billion purchase of 18 Rafale fighter jets comes as Greek officials meet Turkish counterparts for exploratory talks to resolve disputes. Turkey
Turkey faces mysterious jihadi enemies in Idlib Turkish forces continue to expand their presence around the key M4 highway in Idlib as attacks by new groups fuel uncertainties in the rebel-held region. Syria
Erdogan seeks better ties with US and EU, but on his terms How Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hopes to improve ties with the United States and the European Union and get Turkey out of its economic morass without making any significant concessions remains unclear. Turkey
Will Turkish defense minister’s Iraq visit yield concrete results? Although Turkey's defense minister seems to be satisfied with the outcome of his recent visit to Baghdad and Erbil, there are several impediments to Turkey's security demands. Iraq
Political violence in Ankara is more than meets the eye Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s alliance with his nationalist partner appears under growing strain amid a combination of domestic and external pressures. Turkey
Turkish Central Bank holds interest rate steady As forecasted, Turkey’s Central Bank policymakers held a key interest rate steady Thursday, saying they would continue working to reel in the nation’s double-digit inflation. Turkey
Turkey's scapegoating of McGurk rooted in revisionism National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk has worked closely with the Turks for many years on a range of knotty issues, and the growls from Ankara suggest that Turkey continues to pin US policies that it doesn’t like on "rogue" individuals. Turkey
Who is behind recent attacks against Turkish presence in Idlib? Unknown parties have carried out several operations against some of the Turkish army outposts in Idlib, with some accusing Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and others pointing the finger at Islamic State or regime cells. Syria
Under Biden, US-Turkey relations face delicate balancing act Analysts expect the Joe Biden administration to take a harder stance than the Trump administration did on diverging US-Turkey policies, while noting Washington will also need to take pains to avoid alienating the key NATO ally. Turkey
Turkey faces alarming increase in public debt Turkey’s public debt has swelled more than 40% over a year, adding to economic risks despite a relative recovery in the second half of 2020. Turkey
Is Erdogan’s anger sign of early elections? While trying to mend bridges in international affairs and form new alliances domestically, Erdogan targets 50% of Turkey’s residents with anger, but why? Turkey
Twitter, Pinterest face ad ban in Turkey under new social media law The Turkish government issued advertising bans for Twitter, Periscope and Pinterest Tuesday when the platforms refrained from complying with a controversial social media law human rights advocates say will stifle free speech online. Turkey