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
Venezuelan president, top Russian diplomat overlap in Turkey Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro were in Ankara on the same day. Turkey
Russia expresses 'understanding' for Turkey’s security concerns in north Syria Receiving Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Ankara, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu maintains that the creation of a safe maritime corridor for Ukrainian grain exports should be accompanied by the easing of sanctions against Russia. Turkey
Eroding judicial independence threatens Turkish elections Opposition groups are increasingly concerned about Turkey's political climate after recent court rulings showed consistent lenience for the president's supporters. Turkey
Turkey’s Erdogan pins economic crisis on 2013 Gezi protests Turkey's president has added the economy to his list of casualties of the nationwide Gezi protests nine years ago. Turkey
Ukraine, Syria top Lavrov's agenda in Turkey Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrives in Ankara on June 8. Russia
Turkey’s independent journalists stand against so-called disinformation bill The new bill in parliament aims to bring further restrictions on freedom of expression online and on social media as elections approach, experts say. Turkey
Kurds in Sweden on edge as Turkey presses government to ditch them in exchange for NATO membership As Sweden’s government survived a non-confidence vote today, its fate was tied to Kurdish lawmaker and former guerrilla Amineh Kakabaveh. Turkey
Turkish consumer inflation soars to 73.5% Turkey’s May consumer inflation came in lower than expected, but newly announced gas and electricity hikes bode a renewed resurge in prices across the board. Turkey
Pakistan’s new premier looks to Turkey for political, economic boost Shahbaz Sharif, who needs international economic and political support to stabilize his coalition government, is busy making deals with Ankara. Turkey
Analysis Erdogan: Sweden, Finland need to ‘act accordingly’ toward Kurdish groups for approval on NATO bids The Turkish president repeated these points while announcing another military operation into Syria. By Week in Review
Cases against opposition politicians mount ahead of Turkish elections Critics claim the government has weaponized the judiciary to neutralize leading figures in the Republican People’s Party. Turkey