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 cautiously reopens after national Eid curfew Mosques, restaurants and stores prepare to gradually reopen with new coronavirus precautions in Turkey after four-day nationwide curfew for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Turkey
Turkey conducts rare strike in Iraq's Sulaimaniyah province against PKK Most Turkey-PKK fighting takes place in other parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where Turkey has military bases. Iraq
'Baby face' political rival puts Erdogan on edge Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has killed rumors that his ruling party may gamble on snap elections to retain its 18-year grip on power, but he's clearly feeling the heat. Turkey
US warns of NATO security threat as Russian jets arrive in Libya The fighter aircraft were delivered via Syria, where they were reportedly painted "to camouflage their Russian origin." Turkey
Turkey’s seasonal workers caught between virus, poverty Impoverished seasonal agricultural workers in Turkey are riding out the pandemic in squalid tent encampments to earn their living, providing a labor force crucial to the agricultural sector. Turkey
Egypt announces international anti-Turkey alliance Egypt announced an international alliance that includes Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and France to confront Turkish provocative moves in Libya and the Mediterranean. United Arab Emirates
US may try to raise the stakes for Russia in Syria The politics of humanitarian corridors; Hayat Tahrir al-Sham tries a shakedown in Idlib; Ben Caspit to interview former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Al-Monitor podcast. Syria
Is Turkey on moderation path in its foreign policy? Conciliatory messages coming out of Ankara recently may appear as an effort to moderate Turkish foreign policy vis-a-vis the United States, Europe and Israel, but they are likely to be just maneuvering to weather the many stalemates in Turkey's foreign ties. Egypt
Turks rattled as protest song blares from mosques Hackers broke into the sound systems of mosques in Izmir to play a popular Italian protest song, reigniting political and religious debates in polarized Turkey. Turkey
Ankara warns Hifter to lay off Turkish assets in Libya Threats are escalating between Turkey and Libyan warlord Khalifa Hifter, and Moscow seems to be egging them on despite its calls for a ceasefire. Turkey
Top admiral's resignation rattles Turkey The demotion and then resignation of the chief of staff of the Turkish navy, Rear Adm. Cihat Yayci, has led to questions whether the Turkish government is distancing itself from Euroasianist figures to mend ties with its Western partners. Turkey
Ankara unfolds Hagia Sophia card against COVID-19 crisis Erdogan’s government has signaled it could consider turning the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque as part of religious messages aimed at keeping its voter base intact under the strain of economic turmoil, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Turkey