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
Turkey gets comfortable in northern Syria Turkey appears to be preparing to remain in Syrian areas under its control without much thought for the long-term financial and political costs. Syria
Egypt’s top fatwa authority raises controversy after describing Ottoman control of Constantinople as 'occupation' Egypt’s Dar al-Ifta described the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople as an invasion, raising controversy in Turkey and among critics who believe religious authorities should not get involved in politics. Egypt
UAE condemns Turkish and Iranian military interventions in Iraq Turkey and Iran are conducting operations against Kurdish groups in the country. United Arab Emirates
Turkey hammers Kurdish rebel targets in Iraq Turkey has sent in special forces to fight the Kurdistan Workers Party in Iraq’s north, putting its soldiers on the ground in the third foreign country this year. Iraq
Is Turkey already done with executive presidency? Restoring the parliamentary system makes a nifty slogan for the Turkish opposition, but the panacea for the clogged political establishment is more demanding. Turkey
Turkey, Italy conduct joint submarine drill in the Mediterranean Other Mediterranean states have criticized Turkish actions in the sea recently. Turkey
Turkish courts reopen to backlog of press freedom cases The resumption of court hearings in Turkey has press freedom advocates anxious, amid fears of a second COVID-19 wave and ongoing pressure on the media covering the pandemic. Turkey
Turkey, Qatar, UAE among donors of virus-related aid to sub-Saharan Africa The Center for Strategic and International Studies listed the countries as among 12 that have given medical aid directly to African states. Turkey
Turkey bombs PKK targets in northern Iraq as government's ratings sag The early morning strikes comes as the Turkish opposition launched a march for justice and democracy today. Turkey
Why is Ankara pouring Turkish liras into Syria? Taking advantage of Syria’s currency havoc, Ankara has funneled Turkish liras into “liberated” areas in northern Syria, but any plan to fully sideline the Syrian pound in those areas appears unrealistic. Syria
Ankara spouts fury as Twitter takes down pro-Erdogan trolls Twitter said the suspensions were part of a broader operation in which it had removed and suspended accounts linked to state-run propaganda and disinformation centers in China, Russia and Turkey. Turkey
Turkey’s economic turmoil imposing early polls on Erdogan Grappling with economic strains that might grow worse down the road, Turkey’s president faces an early election conundrum. Turkey