Analysis Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions? Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal. By Barin Kayaoglu In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security
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
Culture alert: Gaza conflict spills over to cinema festivals Iran’s Fajr International Film Festival has invited Palestinian director Rashid Masharawi as its guest of honor, while, farther west, Palestinian artists are boycotting the Istanbul Film Festival for refusing to drop an Israeli-government-backed sponsor, Art Israel. Palestine
Turkey’s economic woes open cracks in government ranks Amid failing efforts to halt the slump of the Turkish lira, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior Cabinet members appear increasingly at loggerheads over how to keep the economy afloat. Turkey
Russia sees benefit of nudging Turkey on to Manbij in Syria Despite their divergent strategic goals, the leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey have agreed to work together in Syria while further excluding the United States from the decision-making process. Syria
Turkey’s top business body pushes for more gender equality in TV series The top business body in Turkey finds gender bias in TV series that reproduces traditional stereotypes — and aims to help correct it. Turkey
Turkish TV paints Kurds as villains Turkish audiences watch TV series more regularly than they watch the news — and the habit seems to be making Turkey's divide worse. Turkey
Ankara summit focuses on Syria's fate once war ends The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey reassured each other that they are the "big three" of the Syrian peace talks and discussed their mission to resolve the civil war. Syria
Rumors of Turkish deputy PM's departure spook markets The Turkish lira took a tumble amid reports that Mehmet Simsek, the deputy prime minister in charge of Turkey's economy, had resigned. Turkey
More than meets the eye to sale of Turkish media giant The sale of Turkey’s biggest media group, Dogan Media Company, is likely to negatively affect the health of the country’s economy while diminishing access to accurate information from and within Turkey. Turkey
Turkish firm brings light back to struggling Syrian city Turkey plans to help restore utilities and other services to Syrian towns, starting with a new power plant for the city of Azaz, which has been running on generators. Syria
Energy, military cooperation dominate Putin’s visit to Turkey Turkey anticipates even deeper ties with Russia as the two countries embark on massive development projects and a major military contract. Turkey
Turkey ramps up pharmaceutical expansion Amid a wave of government-driven nationalism, Turkey’s latest “national” project is to develop a strong pharmaceutical sector. Turkey
Erdogan, Putin, Rouhani tout alliance, eye US for next move The presidents of Turkey, Russia and Iran emerged from a summit on Syria as a united front, though the image hardly indicates an alignment in their priorities. Syria