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 says Russia agreed to delay gas payment ahead of elections The deal marks another economic boon from Moscow to Ankara ahead of Turkey's fateful elections. Turkey
Turkey hands pop star Gulsen jail sentence over religious schools joke The sentence is widely seen as the epitome of the culture wars that the country has witnessed under Erdogan. Turkey
Turkey closes airspace to Armenia over 'Nemesis' monument Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the closure was in response to Armenia's controversial “Nemesis” monument that commemorates a revenge operation for the Armenian genocide. Turkey
Would Turkey’s Erdogan accept an election loss after recent comments? Already divisive language has become more threatening as the May 14 polls loom, leading to fears for Turkey's democratic transition. Turkey
Turkey inflation drops below 50% 11 days before elections Though inflation has dipped, Turkey’s monthly consumer prices continue to rise amid a cost-of-living crisis. Turkey
Turkey’s opposition warns against deepfakes ahead of fateful elections As the presidential race heats up in the lead-up to Turkey's consequential elections, the country’s main opposition party accuses the government of plotting a cyberwar against Erdogan’s top rival. Turkey
Israel, Turkey, Saudi Arabia top MidEast recipients of US visas in 2022 Citizens from the MENA region received about 480,000 non-immigrant visas, or about 7% of the total 6.8 million visas issued globally. Israel
US, Turkey blacklist Syrian militants' financial facilitators The new sanctions target members of US-designated terrorist groups Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Katibat al-Tawhid wal-Jihad. Turkey
Turkey’s Kilicdaroglu pulls ahead of Erdogan in latest polls as campaign heats up As the latest polls show a close race against the opposition, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has returned to the hectic campaign trail and confronted his main rival Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the opposition stronghold city of Izmir. Turkey
US does not confirm Turkey’s claim of killing Islamic State leader in Syria The US administration said it had no information to support Ankara’s claim to have killed the Islamic State leader. Turkey
Turkey election pledges foretell bigger budget deficit A review of economic programs and a supplementary budget appear inevitable for the winner of Turkey’s May 14 elections. Turkey