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
Is Turkey headed for a housing bubble? Will Turkey’s housing sector, which leads the world in price increases, continue to attract foreign investors? Turkey
Should they stay or should they go? Turkey leaves foreign investors at odds Short-term foreign investors staged their biggest flight from Turkey last year, while foreign direct investments shot up to a seven-year high. Turkey
Turkey's Erdogan openly embraces his naked ambition President Erdogan tells potential military leaders about his goal of becoming a functioning — not symbolic — commander-in-chief. Turkey
Is this the man who will replace Abbas? It seems dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is expanding his regional and international influence to become the potential successor to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Saudi Arabia
How this NGO is helping victims of Turkish mine disaster provide for their families A project spearheaded by Turkish Americans aims to assist impoverished women in Turkey’s western town of Soma, where a massive mining disaster has left hundreds of families without livelihood. Turkey
Animals among victims of southeast Turkey clashes Thousands of birds and domestic animals are among the victims of ongoing clashes between security forces and Kurdish rebels in southeastern Turkey, where animal rights activists risk death coming to the rescue. Turkey
Why PKK shifted to urban warfare Many people couldn’t understand why the PKK resorted to trench-barricade warfare in cities. Some say the PKK was misled by reports of its militias who claimed people were ready to join an uprising. Turkey
Are Western diplomats the latest targets of Erdogan’s fury? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says it’s not the business of diplomats to follow the trials of prominent journalists, but retired Turkish ambassadors say he's wrong. Turkey
What Zarrab's arrest means for Rouhani While it is unclear whether Reza Zarrab’s prosecution will yield greater cooperation between Turkey, the United States and Iran, it appears that the case could strengthen Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rather than weakening Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Why Turkey's high unemployment rate may mean more terror attacks The youth unemployment rate in Turkey’s conflict-torn southeast has shot up to nearly 25% in some areas, offering fertile ground for recruitment to Kurdish and Islamist terrorist groups. Syria
Will Syrian Kurdish self-rule succeed? Syrian Kurds believe their proposed self-rule system will work in predominantly Kurdish-populated areas, but will face stiff opposition elsewhere. Syria
How Turkey's Syrian refugees are getting by Some 85% of Syrians in Turkey who live outside the refugee camps are forced to accept meager wages due to their continued lack of work permits. Syria