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 belly dancers can't shake government TV censors Gone are the days where belly dancers appeared on Turkish TVs as part of the country's New Year's Eve celebrations. Turkey
Intel: US concerned over Iran, Turkey, UAE-supplied drones in Ethiopia war Ethiopia's government has rejected calls for a cease-fire after routing Tigray rebels with the help of high-tech foreign drones. The Horn of Africa
Erdogan’s new economic plan no remedy for lost purchasing power Even as Ankara rolls out a new scheme to contain the country’s currency crisis, the severe losses of millions of low-and middle-income Turks appears irreversible. Turkey
Why have AKP elites lost touch with reality? The presidential system’s negligence of Turkey’s realities has turned what would be a difficult economic and political era anyway into one that is also dark and dangerous. Turkey
Lira rallies as Erdogan unveils new financial scheme, but jitters prevail Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan revealed a scheme using Turkey’s treasury to prop up the lira, but critics point out that the move amounts to a backdoor hike in interest rates. Turkey
Drone sales could dampen Turkey’s African venture Turkey has made major economic and diplomatic strides in Africa since the early 2000s, but growing military sales to African countries raise the specter of a risky shift. Turkey
Turkey rules suicide in death of Kurdish prisoner who alleged torture, rape A female Kurdish inmate who spoke up about rape, sexual harassment and torture in prison has died in solitary confinement in what the state has ruled suicide. Turkey
Turkey accused of blocking Kurdish film at Iraqi film festival Turkey is accused of pressuring film festival organizers in Iraqi Kurdistan to cancel an award-winning movie depicting PKK forces. Turkey
Egypt, Turkey compete for military foothold in Kenya Egypt and Turkey are vying for presence in Kenya, with both countries seeking to consolidate their relations at all economic, technological and industrial levels with the African country. Egypt
Elon Musk talks space travel with Turkey’s Erdogan The tech mogul reportedly said it was an "honor" to talk to the Turkish president about cooperation on space technology. Turkey
Many hurdles remain for Turkey-Armenia reconciliation As normalization with Armenia remains crucial for Turkey’s broader regional aspirations, there are still major political and psychological stumbling blocks before the process. Turkey
Can Turkey's outreach to Armenia save US-Turkish ties? Although Turkey-Armenia normalization is not guaranteed, mutual moves by Ankara and Yerevan are hopeful steps in the right direction. Turkey