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
AKP government under fire over coal mine tragedy Was the mine disaster in Turkey, which has claimed at least 283 lives, the result of flawed policies and negligent acts, or an inevitable accident? Turkey
International efforts against Al-Qaeda key to Syria political solution A UN counterterrorism committee can do even more to coordinate a more effective response to al-Qaeda in Syria and eventually a political resolution of the conflict. Syria
Hamas tones down Brotherhood links to improve Egypt ties Hamas is positioning itself to welcome Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as Egypt’s likely next president, hoping it will result in an improvement in relations. Palestine
The false promise of Mideast elections The coming presidential elections in Egypt, Syria and Turkey offer little hope for a regional trend toward stability and democracy. Palestine
Syrian girls forced to marry ISIS fighters The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham is forcing Syrian girls to marry its foreign fighters. Syria
War-weary Syrians see hope in Homs deal Syrian civilians, routinely shelled by regime forces and rebels, hope the Homs cease-fire is an indication of better times to come. Syria
What next for Turkey’s stock market? Having recovered in the wake of political turmoil, Turkey’s stock market appears on a downward trend in the short run. Turkey
Cyprus bids farewell to 'ecumenical' Sufi Sheikh Nazim Qubrusi, who died at 92, was a colorful Sufi leader who spread the Naqshbandi order to the West and eased emotional barriers on long-divided Cyprus. Turkey
Syrian government ponders post-election scenarios As the June 3 presidential elections approach in Syria, the government considers how domestic and internal actors will react to the expected re-election of President Bashar Al-Assad. Syria
Israel rejects accusations of spying on US Committed never to spy on American soil, some Israeli officials consider the espionage accusations as politically motivated to damage Israel-US relations. Israel
Turkey, Qatar strengthen economic ties Turkey is again stepping up relations with Qatar by adding cultural and commercial links to their political collaboration in the international arena. Qatar
Turkish inflation rate rises to record levels Higher-than-expected inflation in April makes it harder for Turkey’s Central Bank to lower interest rates as the government wishes, rekindling a long-standing controversy in the country. Turkey