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
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
Facebook, Twitter, other social media companies fined in Turkey The Turkish government issued Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other major platforms fines of $1.18 million each for failing to comply with a new social media law. Turkey
Crete at center of converging, conflicting interests for Turkey, Greece in EastMed Greece recently announced the creation of a new naval base on the strategic island of Crete, amid increasing tensions over Ankara’s activities in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Turkey
Inflation rises in Turkey as lira falls for ninth consecutive day Turkey’s lira hit new lows Tuesday, becoming the worst-performing emerging market currency of the year following a rise in inflation last month. Turkey
Miracle rescues in Izmir provide Turks hope following earthquake A second 3-year-old girl is saved from the rubble, bringing optimism to Izmir even as the number of deaths rise from the 7.0-magnitude quake. Turkey
French government to ban Turkish nationalist Gray Wolves group The announcement comes after the defacement of an Armenian genocide memorial in France. Turkey and France have had a series of disagreements in 2020. Turkey
Izmir residents look for shelter, answers in earthquake aftermath As Izmir residents recover from a 7.0 earthquake that hit Turkey’s third-largest city Friday, engineers look for ways to reduce structural damage in future natural disasters. Turkey
Turkey turns up heat on PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdish forces have deployed to a mountainous area long used as a camp ground by PKK militants, adding to the pressure the militants face from Turkey’s cross-border military operations in the region. Turkey
Israel offers aid to Turkey after earthquake Israel's defense minister has announced emergency aid to Turkey after an earthquake rocked Izmir and Samos. Israel
At least 12 dead after powerful earthquake rocks Turkey's western coast The 6.6 magnitude earthquake injured more than 400 people, Turkey's disaster agency said. Turkey
Egypt slams Turkish role in Syria Egypt has recently condemned Turkey’s role in Syria, which prompted condemnation on the part of Ankara, fueling the already existing tensions between the two countries. Egypt
Turkey joins chorus of condemnation of Nice murders After three people were killed by a suspected Islamist extremist in France’s coastal city of Nice, Turkey's president took a break from his row with Paris to condemn the violence. Turkey
Erdogan’s boycott call against France more grandstanding than economic threat The pressing economic grievances of the Turkish public and deep-rooted business links with France are likely to far outweigh any Turkish enthusiasm to boycott French goods. Turkey