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
Breaking | Last Updated: November 5, 2026, 3:56 pm 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
Media Pushes Back On Erdogan Pressure Derya Sazak, the executive editor of Milliyet, one of Turkey's most respected dailies, threatened a walkout to defy government pressure, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Just How Tolerant Are Turks? Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s remarks about Zionism provide a catalyst for analyzing whether Turks are generally insensitive toward any kind of minority rights in Turkey, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Ocalan Scoop Stirs Turkish Media Namik Durukan's scoop in Milliyet about the meeting between the Kurdish deputies and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan has provoked a debate about journalistic ethics and practice, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Is Erdogan 'Anti-Zionist'? Mustafa Akyol writes that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's comments on Zionism should be understood and analyzed in a Turkish, not just international, context. Turkey
Erdogan Slammed for Comments On Zionism U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, on a visit to Turkey, joined Western leaders in criticizing Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's inflammatory rhetoric on Israel equating Zionism to crimes against humanity, reports Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Ocalan Peace Plan Irks PKK Militant Leaders Both PKK militants and Turkish officials and politicians committed to the negotiations with Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan are worried that the leaked letters might undermine the process, writes Ilnur Cevik. Turkey
Erdogan’s Double Standards Shlomi Eldar offers a reminder of the Armenian genocide in asserting that accusations against Zionism by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan exhibit hatred and hypocrisy. Israel
Ocalan Signals Openness to Talks With Turkey on Kurdish Issue Cengiz Candar interprets news reports about the meeting between members of the Peace and Democracy Party and PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan at the prison on Imrali island where he is serving a life sentence. Turkey
Kerry Response to 'Zionist' Remark Met With Coolness in Turkey US Secretary of State John Kerry's public response to remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan on Zionism engendered some coolness from the Turkish prime minister during their first meeting, writes Clovis Maksoud. Turkey
Ocalan Negotiations Impact Future of Turkish Presidency Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), are not just over a peace agreement; they have implications for the future of the Turkish presidency, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
The 'Sunnification' Of Turkish Foreign Policy Turkey once hoped to be a peace broker in the region, but is now increasingly seen as inflaming sectarian divisions and instability, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Parents Get on Board With Turkey's LGBT Movement A new documentary reveals that parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Turkey are speaking out for the first time in support of their children, marking a new milestone for the movement in the country, writes Sibel Utku Bila. Turkey