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
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander tells Washington not to sell F-16s to Turkey In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, SDF commander-in-chief Mazlum Kobane called on the United States to shore up flagging Kurdish faith in Washington and block any new F-16 sales to Turkey. Mazlum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Turkey says it foiled ISIS attack on Istanbul synagogues, churches Turkey's interior minister said that 29 people have been detained over suspected links to the Islamic State, thwarting attacks on Jewish and Christian places of worship in Istanbul. Turkey
2023 in review: From disaster to diplomacy, a climactic year for Turkey Ankara and NATO capitals are once again at loggerheads despite Turkey’s restoration vision put forward after the May elections. Turkey
Turkey says US should 'fulfill' F-16s commitments ahead of Sweden's NATO vote Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on his American counterpart Antony Blinken to act in the spirit of alliance over the pending Turkish bid to buy new F-16 fighter jets from the United States. Turkey
2023 in review: Israel-Hamas war puts human rights in focus as pattern of double standards persists A growing number of countries — many of them repressive in their own right — demand to know why Israel’s abuses are permissible. Israel
Turkey speeds up attacks on Kurdish groups in Syria, Iraq The latest escalation occurred after the killing of 12 Turkish soldiers in northern Iraq over the past week. Turkey
Turkey's Erdogan compares Netanyahu to Hitler, drawing Israel's rebuke The Turkish president’s inflammatory comments drawing a parallel between Hitler to Netanyahu once again have ramped up tensions between Turkey and Israel. Turkey
Turkey's parliamentary committee approves Sweden’s NATO bid, paving way for full vote After passing an initial hurdle, the Nordic nation’s accession to NATO will now be debated and voted on by the full Turkish Parliament. Turkey
2023 in review: From Sudan to Syria, here are Mideast's forgotten conflicts More than 12,000 people were killed in the war in Sudan this year, while violence persisted in parts of Syria, Iraq and other countries across the Middle East and North Africa. North Africa
Is Turkey-Egypt rapprochement turning into a long-term defense partnership? Rapidly improving defense cooperation between Cario and Ankara falls in line with Turkey's multidimensional strategic outlook, observes believe. Turkey
Can Turkey and Algeria be strategic partners despite differences in Africa? Mutual interests are bringing Turkey and Algeria closer, even though Erdogan’s policies in Africa have often irritated Algiers. Turkey