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 post-coup purges depleted Turkey's military New data shows military purges by the Turkish government in the aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt have adversely affected the combat strength of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkey
Repression of Turkish intellectuals elicits global response Nobel laureates, intelligentsia and celebrities around the world unite against the arbitrary detention of Turkish authors. Turkey
Turkey demands role in Mosul battle, but coalition unconvinced Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed Turkey’s keenness to be part of the liberation of the two IS strongholds of Raqqa and Mosul, but continuing differences with Washington and Baghdad make this difficult. Iraq
Why the battle for al-Bab is pivotal in Syria As groups fighting in Syria make headway against the Islamic State, each wants to be positioned to reap the spoils of war. Syria
Is Turkey backpedaling on expulsions following mass purges? Turkish officials have admitted that innocent people could have been victimized in the massive purges since the July 15 coup attempt. Turkey
Crushed under restrictions, young Turkish journalists find freedom in print media A new brand of literary magazines that present thinly veiled messages of popular resistance against increasing social, cultural and political pressure from the government have so far evaded censorship and are delighting more readers every day. Turkey
Turks bicker about time change Turkey's government has decided to remain on summer time permanently, adding another hour of difference between Turkey and Europe, but putting Turkey in the same time zone as Mecca and Medina. Turkey
Turkey’s emergency rule stokes Kurdish separatism Purges at municipalities and schools in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, carried out as part of an emergency rule that was supposed to target the putschists behind the July 15 coup attempt, will make the Kurdish problem even more intractable. Turkey
Why Turkey’s secular opposition now references Prophet Muhammad The fact that the CHP now defends human rights with references to “our beloved prophet” is a remarkable new reality in Turkish politics. Turkey
Kurds become new target of Ankara’s post-coup purges Ankara’s draconian crackdown on the Gulen community is now moving into a new direction, targeting Kurds accused of collaborating with armed Kurdish militants. Turkey
Ankara hardening anti-PKK strategy Turkey's strategy against the Gulen movement has worked so well, Ankara looks to be extending it to eradicate the Kurdistan Workers Party as well. Iraq
Kerry: Going after al-Qaeda in Syria 'not a concession to anybody' US Secretary of State John Kerry warns armed groups that "it’s wise to separate" from Jabhat al-Nusra. Syria