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
Syrian Kurdish groups deny responsibility for bloody Afrin bombing A truck explosion led to more than 50 deaths Tuesday in Turkish-controlled Afrin, Syria. Syria
Intel: In letter to Trump, Erdogan bemoans Turkey’s poor reputation on Capitol Hill President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's personal letter to his counterpart Donald Trump was delivered today as part of Turkey’s COVID-19 relief package for the United States. Turkey
Alleged Gulenists main target of forced disappearances in Turkey A new report from Human Rights Watch on forcible disappearances in Turkey called for an "effective investigation into credible testimony" from one of the most recent men to go missing for months. Turkey
Afrin truck bombing kills dozens in Syria The explosion during the holy month of Ramadan in the city controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels killed at least 36 and wounded at least 40. Syria
Turkey enjoys PR win with coronavirus aid shipment to US Turkey ships face masks and other personal protective equipment to the United States and evacuates a Turkish COVID-19 patient from Sweden. Turkey
Intel: US watchdog calls on State Department to add Syria to list of religious freedom violators Secretary of State Mike Pompeo should designate Syria as one of the world’s worst religious freedom offenders and put Iraq, Turkey and Egypt on a special watch list, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended in its annual report. Egypt
Syrian Kurdish parties resume talks, in secret Rival Kurdish parties in northeastern Syria have began US-sponsored reconciliation talks after repeated delays in the past and in the hope of joining the UN-sponsored peace process to resolve the Syrian conflict. Syria
Turkey to send medical supplies to US amid coronavirus outbreak Turkey is the latest country to send personal protective equipment to the United States. Turkey
Domestic assault, violent crimes rise in Turkey amid coronavirus measures Human rights advocates are calling for improved measures to protect families as urban curfews and a controversial prisoner release have led to increased assaults and domestic violence reports in Turkey. Turkey
Turkey grants Kurdish militants no peace, even in death In the long and devastating war between Kurdish rebels and the Turkish state, violations against the Kurdish fallen continue well past their deaths. Turkey
Turkey's Syrian refugees among hardest hit amid coronavirus pandemic Some 4 million Syrians scattered across Turkey are among the most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout as most of them are unable to work due to restrictions and also cannot benefit from relief assistance. Syria
Istanbul’s coronavirus outbreak is ‘under control,’ claims health minister Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca compared Turkey's largest city to Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in China. Turkey