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 Paints Himself Into Corner over Gaza After his meeting with US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot seem to win on Gaza. Palestine
Iraqi Kurds Call For TurkeyTo Release Ocalan Iraqi Kurds have launched a petition campaign calling on Turkey for the release of imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Iraq
Where Does Erdogan Stand on Syria? After meeting with US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his views on the Geneva process have changed and evolved. Syria
Who Owns Turkey’s Mosques? The recent court cases about mosque ownership have raised questions about freedom of religion in Turkey. Turkey
Obama Gets Erdogan On Board To 'Destination Geneva II' In his Washington visit, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was given no choice but to ride US President Barack Obama’s bandwagon to Syria. Syria
The Looming Power Struggle Between Erdogan and Gulenists A power struggle with Fethullah Gulen, Turkey's most powerful Sunni cleric, could sway Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's political fortunes. Turkey
Iran Key to Success of Geneva II Talks on Syria The United States should invite Iran to the Geneva II talks on Syria and consider it a start for a more expansive regional dialogue. Israel
Turkish Ties With Iraq, Iran Worsen Over PKK Peace Plan Iraq is protesting the relocation of Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighters from Turkey to Iraq. Turkey
Erdogan Confronts the Near Insanity Of His Opposition Those who blame Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan for the Reyhanli bombing are immoral and irrational. Turkey
Jabhat Al-Nusra Shows Its Cracks What appears to be divisions among the leadership of terrorist allies Jabhat al-Nusra and al-Qaeda in Iraq may signal greater difficulties in controlling radical jihadists in Syria. Iraq
The Dangerous Simplicity Of the Interventionists Advocacy for military intervention in Syria may be well-intentioned, but can it achieve the true objectives? Syria
Turkey Adjusts its Syria Policy Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan came to Washington to convince Washington the red line had been crossed in Syria, but he came up short. Syria