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
Facebook rebuffs Turkey’s controversial social media law Facebook told Turkish civil society members it would not comply with Ankara’s new social media law over concerns it would limit free speech rights, setting the stage for possible fines and access blocks on the platform as other social media companies consider their options. Turkey
Canada suspending arms exports to Turkey amid Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he is suspending the permits pending an investigation. Turkey
NATO chief presses for calm in East Med, cease-fire in south Caucasus During a visit to Ankara Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced support for de-confliction efforts between Turkey and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean while calling for a cease-fire in the southern Caucasus. Turkey
Did Erdogan approve Azerbaijan escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh? The Turkish president is the author of a militarized regional policy that now stretches from the Caucuses to Libya. Iraq
Are Turkey's Salafi groups taking up arms? Reports of increasing private armament among Turkey's Salafi groups have fueled concerns over social peace in Turkey where polarization is rife. Turkey
Syrian fighters add snarls to tangled south Caucasus Clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia seem to have taken a dangerous turn with conflicting reports of Turkey bringing in Syrian mercenaries. Syria
Intel: Turkey rejects US, Russia, France call for cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh dispute The United States, Russia and France called for an immediate cease-fire as the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the mainly Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh entered its fifth day. Turkey
Turkish Health Ministry admits to posting partial COVID-19 data Turkey’s health minister acknowledged Wednesday that state records do not reflect the full number of COVID-19 cases in the country, drawing fire from medical groups that have long claimed infection rates were underreported. Turkey
How much damage can Arab states do to Turkish economy? As Turkey’s Arab adversaries step up efforts to counter Ankara’s actions in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has reportedly started a covert boycott of Turkish goods. Turkey
Turkey backs Azerbaijan in war with Armenia as Russia stands by The flare-up between Azerbaijan Armenia may have been planned by Azerbaijan and its regional ally Turkey, leaving Russia's intentions in supporting Turkey and Azerbaijan in question. Turkey
Can Azeri-Armenian flare-up grow into big regional conflict? The Nagorno-Karabagh clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia could evolve into a war of attrition, but none of the regional heavyweights want a conventional war in the region. Turkey
Biden criticizes Turkish role in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict The Democratic presidential nominee also said Trump should work to de-escalate the war in the Caucus. Turkey has come up in the US presidential race before. Turkey