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 visit riles German government Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan brought his divisive politics to Cologne. Turkey
Turkey-Azerbaijan pipeline offers alternative for Russian gas Ankara hopes the new pipeline, which could also carry Iranian natural gas, will break Russia’s stranglehold on natural gas prices. Turkey
Erdogan’s dictator defense Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, responding to critics who label him a “dictator,” can improve his image by giving up practices that generate criticism. Turkey
Turkey's Erdogan obsession Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's team should see that the hateful "Erdogano-centricity" of which they complain is mostly of Erdogan's making. Turkey
Child murders traumatize Turkey A government proposal to toughen penalties for child abuse has failed to soothe public outrage in Turkey amid a surge in deadly violence against children. Turkey
Gezi anniversary reminder of Erdogan's nine lives The one-year anniversary of the Gezi Park protests is another reminder of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's durability despite a series of crises. Turkey
Turkey's Circassians jangle Russian nerves Circassians in Turkey have grown bolder in speaking out about their 19th-century suffering and exile, irritating Russia and straining diaspora organizations. Turkey
Israel pushes West Bank toward economic disaster Turning the West Bank into the economic twin of the Gaza Strip will provoke new threats to Israel's security, which is why the US administration leans toward cooperating with the new Palestinian unity government. Palestine
Syrian Kurdish mother killed at Turkish border The killing of Saadet Dervis of Rojava by Turkish soldiers in front of her children while trying to cross the border into Syria has led to new scrutiny of Turkey’s Syria policy. Syria
S&P dashes Turkey’s hopes, again Standard & Poor's defies expectations for a positive revision of Turkey’s economic outlook, adding fresh chill to its troubled relations with Ankara. Turkey
Would PUK cut separate deal with Maliki? The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) did well in the Iraqi national elections, and may be flirting with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to strengthen its hand in Iraqi Kurdish politics. Iraq
Turkey locked in regional rivalry with Iran, Saudi Arabia Differences over Egypt and Syria are far from resolved, despite some feints at strengthening regional cooperation. Saudi Arabia