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
Why is the PKK siding with the AKP in the AKP-Gulen conflict? The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) may believe that the enemy of my friend is my enemy. Turkey
Gul proposes Turkey-Iran cooperation in Syria Turkish President Abdullah Gul is distancing himself from the political culture and foreign policy of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkey
Lebanon fights back against terrorists Despite the ongoing terrorist attacks in Lebanon, the country’s authorities have made significant arrests in their war against terror. Lebanon
The Syria disconnect in US terrorism policy The US national intelligence director, James Clapper, foresees a rise in "political uncertainty and violence" in the Middle East in 2014. Syria
Turkey, Iran seek workaround on Syria Ankara and Tehran are attempting to normalize a relationship put off track by Syria. Turkey
Al-Qaeda now frontline threat to Israel With gains in Syria, Lebanon and Egypt, al-Qaeda and its affiliates threaten Israel more than ever. Iraq
Syrian foreign minister calls for national unity government In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Walid Moallem, Syria's minister of foreign affairs and expatriates, said that the Syrian National Coalition's rejection of a resolution condemning terrorism was "unfortunate and strange." Syria
Are UN Security Council anti-al-Qaeda terror statutes properly enforced? The UN Security Council has established a regime for a travel ban, asset freeze and arms embargo against the al-Qaeda network since 1999, but new circumstances bring about serious doubts if such a regime is still functioning. Yemen
Israel faces crisis of growing poverty Israel's new national committee on poverty has been asked to propose a comprehensive solution to the alarming increase in Israeli families living below the poverty line, most of them working poor. Israel
Checkpoint hardship for sick Gazans seeking care in Israel Some sick patients in the Gaza Strip have reported that Israeli security officers offered to exchange travel permits for information. Palestine
Gaza youth dream of jobs in Qatar Amid increasing unemployment rates in the Gaza Strip, youth have warmly welcomed an agreement between the Palestinian and Qatari governments to employ 20,000 additional Palestinians in Qatar. Qatar