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
Political humor no joke for Turkish satirists As the Turkish president's wrath reaches German satirists, their Turkish colleagues soldier on amid constant intimidation, prosecution and even physical attacks. Turkey
Why Jordan's king is criticizing his country's closest allies King Abdullah has made harsh statements against Obama’s war on IS, Saudi Arabia’s foreign policy and Russia’s policy in Syria, yet due to Amman's precarious geostrategic position he doesn't always fully stand by his own comments. Israel
US should ditch 'plan B' for Syria UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura says the fragile cessation of hostilities “continues to give hope” as Syrians anticipate the battle for Aleppo. Syria
EU report ruffles Turkey's feathers The European Parliament chastises itself for delaying the release of a progress report in which it condemns Turkey's many human rights violations. Turkey
Turkey's 'Campus Witches' take on sexual harassers A growing group of feminist university students in Turkey is taking direct and aggressive action to confront men accused of harassment and sexual assault. Turkey
'Imamization' raising eyebrows in Turkey The Religious Affairs Directorate has begun subcontracting imams to other government agencies, raising questions about their ultimate purpose. Turkey
Will the true culprits surface in Lebanon's infamous Internet racket? Officials are investigating claims of corruption and espionage in Lebanon's Internet management. Israel
Why Israel is staying silent on Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict Despite its strong ties with Azerbaijan, Israel has kept silent on the conflict with Armenia out of wariness of raising the issue of occupation. Israel
First Turkey-backed operation against IS becomes a fiasco Just days after Turkey-backed groups claimed victory against IS in Syria’s al-Rai, the area has fallen back under the extremist group’s control, supporting claims that cooperation with Kurdish forces is needed to defeat IS. Syria
Turkey’s new 4G mobile network comes with many dark clouds While the fourth-generation mobile data network arrived in Turkey this month, high costs, insufficient infrastructure and potential concerns from the government mean doubts remain about the extent to which it will benefit citizens. Turkey
Nationalist party may hold key to Turkey's political future A possible tectonic shift in Turkish politics may come via the MHP's inner-party struggle. Turkey
Erdogan courts King Salman as new BFF Even if Saudi King Salman Abdul-Aziz Al Saud fails to broker a rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey, he still shares many commonalities with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not least their irritation with the US leadership. Saudi Arabia