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's favorite TV cop returns, but not to Turkish channels The renegade Behzat C was Turkey's favorite cop for half a decade. Now he's back, just not on Turkish TV. Turkey
Former economy czar’s resignation from Turkey’s ruling AKP sparks talk of rival party Ali Babacan resigned from Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, unleashing a fresh wave of speculation that he might form a rival center-right party. Turkey
All is fair to sustain Erdogan’s reign In a tightly controlled media environment where any critical voice is promptly labeled as terrorist, how did a notorious PKK member on the most wanted list appear as a guest on Turkish state TV? Turkey
Eastern Mediterranean crisis balloons as Turkish drill ships multiply Disputes over oil and gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean have caused a spike in tensions between Ankara and Turkish Cypriots on the one side, and the EU and Greek Cypriots on the other. Turkey
Pro-state think tank targets foreign media in Turkey A pro-state think tank accused foreign news services of “bias,” raising fears of a renewed wave of media repression in the country. Turkey
Where will the S-400s be deployed? Russian-made S-400 batteries are expected to arrive in Turkey before the end of July and be deployed in Ankara. Turkey
Pleasantries aside, can Trump deliver what Erdogan wants? Turkey expects President Donald Trump to help it avoid US sanctions over the S-400 affair, but many in Turkey question whether Trump has that power. Turkey
Intel: Why Washington still hasn’t sanctioned Turkey over Russian missile purchase President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed that Turkey will receive the first shipment of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia next week. Turkey
Despite Trump's gushing at G-20, Ankara, Washington still on collision course US President Donald Trump’s fawning over his Turkish counterpart at the Osaka summit carried little real meaning, and a Turkey-US collision is still very possible. Turkey
New Turkish mayors weaponize transparency against wasteful spending Turkey’s new mayors are using transparency efforts to undermine AKP-majority governing bodies while protecting their work from obstruction. Turkey
Iraq throws Turkey curveball in bilateral trade Baghdad’s recent restrictions on imported goods have badly bruised Turkey’s food exporters, calling into question the target of $20 billion in bilateral trade. Iraq
Libya has outsized importance for Turkey's Mediterranean plans Turkey's hostility to Libyan forces led by Khalifa Hifter is part of an ongoing strategic power struggle in the region. United Arab Emirates