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
Turkish products break Egyptian monopoly over Gazan markets Strengthening diplomatic ties between Turkey and Hamas means Turkish products have been flooding Gazan markets, leading some to believe the blockade on the Gaza Strip could be lifted. Palestine
How the Islamic State is still seeping through Syria-Turkey border Despite new security measures, including walls, Islamic State traffic through the Turkey-Syria border has not stopped. Syria
Turkey plans shiny new HQ for shadowy intelligence operations Senior Turkish intelligence officers say the $140 million budgeted for their agency's new headquarters reveals there is more going on than meets the eye. Turkey
Do Gaza’s melting-pot markets reflect identity crisis? The Gaza Strip tries to maintain its own culture, even as the blockade forces it to embrace imports. Palestine
Should armed groups allied with al-Qaeda be included in Syria peace talks? Our answer is no; Erekat’s “main priority is not to allow IS to raise its flag in Palestine”; Turkey responds to Biden with fake news. Palestine
Is Turkey the odd man out as Egypt, Greece, Cyprus cozy up? Cairo, Athens and Nicosia are busy forging cooperation pacts. Egypt
Under pressure from Turkey, UN excludes PYD from Syria talks Turkey has won the battle over the Syrian Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party by blackmailing the United States into leaving the group out of the Geneva III talks. Syria
How fake news helps AKP propaganda Turkey’s pro-AKP media is presenting a counterfactual world to its readers; the latest example is "news" about the "FBI arrest" of 9/11 deniers. Turkey
Turkey's military mules take their marching orders seriously Modern armies spend millions of dollars to develop high-tech robotic systems, but none can replace mules as reliable carriers in bad weather over rough terrain. Iraq
Want to call Erdogan a dictator? Get ready to hire some lawyers The Turkish government has launched two court cases against the media for allegedly offending President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Why Israel needs Turkey now more than ever Israel and Turkey are strengthening their relations as both keep a wary eye on Iran's outreach to the world and regional countries. Israel
How Biden annoyed Ankara during his recent visit to Turkey Was the US vice president's awkward talks with the Turkish president and prime minister a harbinger of even more tension in already strained ties between the two countries? Turkey