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
How realistic is Turkey’s pledge for free factories? Its budget already gaping, the Turkish government plans to spend even more under an ambitious project to revive the economy in the conflict-hit, mainly Kurdish southeast. Turkey
Power struggle erupts in Turkey’s security structure Two very different groups are vying to fill all the personnel holes Turkey's purge punched into its military and intelligence agencies. Turkey
What US-Russia fallout means for Syria A collapsing US-Russia relationship could have profound consequences for Syria’s civil war and the Middle East. Syria
Turks blame US, Iran for encouraging Baghdad against Ankara Turkey's opinion-makers think Iraq isn’t acting alone in its calls for Turkish troops to leave a camp near Mosul. Iraq
Campaign for missing Kurdish politician winds up with a rare happy ending A Kurdish politician who went missing amid bloody clashes in Turkey in May has turned up safe and sound in Iraq, sparking fresh controversy over his disappearance, which had mobilized human rights activists in Turkey. Iraq
Erdogan tells Abadi to 'know his place' The row over Turkey’s military presence in Iraq is growing bigger by the day. Iraq
UN Syria envoy: Jabhat al-Nusra holding Aleppo ‘hostage’ De Mistura calls on Jabhat al-Nusra, Russia and Syria to end fighting in Aleppo; why is Erdogan mostly mum on Aleppo? Syria
Alevi faith protects rare goats in eastern Turkey The shy wild goats in the mountains of eastern Turkey enjoy a protected status both from the government and the still-strong traditions of the local Alevi population. Turkey
Why Turkey’s pro-government media likes Trump Despite Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric, Turks appear to be supporting him for president of the United States. Turkey
Turkey's brash behavior riles Iraq Iraq worries that Turkey, emboldened by the progress of its Operation Euphrates Shield intervention in northern Syria, might be planning an "Operation Tigris Shield" for Mosul. Iraq
Can Iraq reach dam agreement with Turkey to protect marshes? Recent Turkish dam projects, in particular the Ilisu Dam, affect the level of water in Iraq significantly with the marshes drying and the agricultural industry witnessing a significant decline. Iraq
Ankara’s policies in Iraq, Syria perplex US Turkey's approach to the Aleppo and Mosul issues complicates its relations with the United States. Iraq