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
Erdogan plays to base with criticism of Tunisia By slamming the dissolution of Tunisia’s parliament, Erdogan may have emboldened his ideological allies from the Ennahda party, but his criticism might backfire to further isolate political Islam. Turkey
Erdogan's Saudi visit to mark vital step in Turkey's regional realignment The Turkish president is expected to travel to the kingdom during Ramadan following the end of the Khashoggi case in Turkey. Turkey
Turkish opposition stumbles on united platform Turkey’s opposition parties have so far been unable to gain traction among large segments of the Turkish public ahead of the 2023 elections. Turkey
Will renewed interest in Iraqi Kurdish gas fuel Turkey-Iran rivalry? Western capitals are seeking alternative natural gas resources to reduce their dependence on Russia, which creates a possible opportunity for Iraqi Kurdish gas exports. Turkey
Can Erdogan coax Assad into dialogue? Hopeful that the Ukraine war will tip the scales to its favor in Syria, Turkey is taking escalatory steps on the ground on one hand and testing the diplomatic waters with Damascus on the other. Turkey
Drifting sea mines bring Ukraine war to Turkey’s Bosporus Strait At least three mines thought to have crossed the Black Sea have been spotted around the north mouth of one of the world’s busiest maritime channels. Turkey
Turkey, US launch new strategic mechanism amid Ukraine crisis The long-awaited Turkish-US strategic mechanism aims to set up regular channels to help the two countries cooperate where they can and prevent outstanding issues from blowing up into crises. Turkey
Analysis Orban’s big win in Hungary bears lessons for Turkey’s staid opposition While Turkey's opposition is seeing a rise in the polls, recent elections in Hungary provide an example for those who think a win is guaranteed. By Amberin Zaman Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture
Turkey inflation hits 61% as fallout from Ukraine war continues Consumer inflation has surged to a fresh two-decade high in Turkey as external headwinds spawned by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine add to the country’s own economic woes. Turkey
Turkey revises election law in risky bid to block breakaway conservatives Lowering the election threshold could boost the ruling coalition’s number of parliamentary seats, but there's no guarantee. Turkey
Turkey-Colombia trade doubles in 2021 Turkey has also sought good relations with Venezuela in South America. Turkey
Turkish prosecutor calls for transfer of Khashoggi trial to Riyadh The call to discontinue the case against 26 defendants in killing of the Saudi journalist comes as Turkey is working to improve relations with rivals across the Arab world Turkey