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
Ankara, Baghdad turn over new leaf in relationship Prospects for political, economic and security cooperation between Ankara, Baghdad and Erbil look much better today despite issues that have to be ironed out. Iraq
Former police chief speaks out about Turkey’s 'parallel state' Former police Chief Hanefi Avci, among the first to expose Turkey’s “parallel state” and one of its high-profile victims, retains a realistic and cool-headed attitude on the issue, unlike some pro-government propagandists. Turkey
Turkish government, military at odds over Gulenists Turkey’s military is back in the headlines, but this time as an “injured party,” defending itself against allegations of Gulenist soldiers in its ranks. Turkey
Turkish woman's search gives voice to Islamized Armenians In an exclusive interview, Fethiye Cetin, a human rights lawyer from Turkey, reflects on her courageous journey of coming out of the closet about a hidden Armenian grandmother. Turkey
Despite differences, Turkey, Russia forge on President Vladimir Putin plans to travel to Ankara soon to “open up new horizons” in Turkish-Russian ties, even if the two countries differ on issues such as Syria, Ukraine and Cyprus. Turkey
Tehran's missing $14 billion Iranian investigation of the gold trade with Turkey, and Tehran’s pursuit of its missing $14 billion, are likely to strain bilateral ties. Turkey
Turkish military support to Afghanistan rises While most countries are downsizing their military assistance to Afghanistan, Turkey is offering more military support and training. Turkey
From Ataturk to Erdogan: Turks rewrite history In the 1930s, Ataturk promoted a radical revision of history to boost the morale of Turks, while today President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to be engaging in another historical revision to boost the morale of fellow Muslims. Turkey
EU ministers discuss jihadist travel to Syria, border security While the G6 meeting of interior ministers on Nov. 6 focused on jihadists traveling from Europe to Syria via Turkey, the European Parliament is considering putting in place more stringent security checks and travel restrictions. Iraq
Davutoglu's wishful thinking Remarks by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu that US President Barack Obama is coming around to Ankara’s position on Syria are not supported by statements from Washington. Syria
Watching Kobani The writer gives a personal account of his trip on Nov. 15-16 to Suruc, across from Kobani on the Turkish side of the border, and relates how locals believe that the Kobani battle may bring an end to the Islamic State in military terms. Syria
How a German doctor became a PKK hero "Dr. Medya," a physician from Hamburg, talks about her more than 20 years in the Kurdistan Workers Party in a rare interview. Iraq