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
Opposition claims Turkey flooded by gangster 'black money' An alleged Montenegrin mafia figure has been detained in Istanbul following the political opposition's warning that the government is turning a blind eye toward international criminals Turkey
IMF tells Turkey to raise interest rates Inflation is rampant in Turkey, but Turkey's Central Bank stubbornly continues to cut interest rates under pressure from President Erdogan. Turkey
NATO chief urges Turkey to stop stalling Sweden, Finland accession Both Turkey's president and foreign minister tell the NATO secretary-general that steps from Sweden and Finland will determine the pace of Ankara’s ratification of the Nordic accession. Turkey
Libya differences stall Turkey-Egypt fence-mending Turkey’s moves in Libya have undermined its fledgling dialogue with Egypt, even as Ankara took a number of measures to restrict Brotherhood exiles to please Cairo. Turkey
Turkish inflation hits 85.5% as doubts linger over official data Alternative surveys put Turkey’s inflation rate well above the official figure, nourishing suspicions that the statistics agency is tweaking market realities under government pressure. Turkey
Erdogan floats referendum on headscarf, 'family institution' The Turkish president has said public could be canvassed on changes to protect what he called family values and the rights of women who wear headscarves. Turkey
Russia returns to Ukraine grain deal, easing food crisis fears Russia announces its return to the Ukraine grain deal after intense diplomatic traffic between Ankara and Moscow, mitigating concerns over a food crisis until the deal expires late November. Turkey
Turkey seeks to coax Russia back into Ukraine grain deal Russian and Ukrainian monitors have reportedly suspended the inspections required by a grain-exportation deal that Moscow insists is unfairly benefitting Kyiv. Turkey
Turkey calls on Russia to reconsider Ukraine ‘grain deal’ suspension The Russian personnel stationed at a coordination center set up for the Ukraine grain deal in Istanbul have yet to leave their posts, Turkey says, calling on Moscow to resume the deal. Turkey
Turkey blasts Sweden ahead of NATO chief's visit to appease Erdogan Sweden's steps to gain Erdogan's approval appear not to have "cut the ice" thus far. Turkey
Turkey looks to sell armed drones to Libya Ankara’s new deals with one of Libya’s rival premiers have inflamed the country’s internal rows, bringing the north African nation closer to acquiring armed drones. Turkey
Report: Turkey has highest cryptocurrency interest in Middle East CryptoManiaks also found a relatively high amount of crypto-related Google searches in Israel and the United Arab Emirates. Turkey