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
Looking to snitch on your neighbors? Turkey will pay you for the info The Turkish government has hiked the pay of some elected leaders for providing intelligence about people in their neighborhoods. Turkey
Ankara plays favorites with Iraqi, Syrian Turkmens Ankara could face a nationalist backlash at home for favoring the Kurds over the Turkmens in Iraq. Iraq
Kurdish leader warns of civil war in Turkey Turkey’s security crackdown in the Kurdish-majority southeast could spill over to the country’s west and eventually become a civil war, warns Kurdish politician Kamuran Yuksek in an interview with Al-Monitor. Turkey
Why the world questions Turkey's stance on Islamic State Reasons are mounting to doubt Turkey's dedication to battling the Islamic State. Iraq
Ankara's colorful mayor declares US ambassador persona non grata The US ambassador’s comments on respecting freedom of speech are challenged by Ankara's mayor — a shrewd social media expert — but not by the government. Turkey
Popular Turkish TV host attacked for supporting Diyarbakir teacher In an illustration of Turkey's increasing polarization amid ongoing clashes in the southeast, Turks are split over whether popular media personality Beyaz spread "terrorist propaganda" by encouraging applause for a concerned caller from Diyarbakir. Turkey
Incest fatwa lands Turkish religious directorate in hot water Turks expressed their outrage at a response by the Religious Affairs Directorate to a question involving incest. Turkey
Is a witch hunt underway against Turkish intellectuals? Following the arrests of Turkish academics who had signed a petition in support of the Kurds in southeastern Turkey, the country is facing an unprecedented 'civil war.' Turkey
Turkey's distractions make it vulnerable Many questions still surround the recent suicide bombing in Istanbul, but it nevertheless points up Turkey's limited understanding of IS and the country's need to develop a strategy and assets to deal with terrorism. Syria
Terrorism tops Turkish citizens’ list of concerns in 2015 A recent survey polled Turks and found that they are not united in their perception of the identity of terror suspects in the country. Turkey
Dollar-needy Turkey tightens foreign currency rules Desperate to stop the flight of foreign money, the Turkish government has tightened rules on how cash can be taken out of the country. Turkey
Turkish-US ties face fresh turbulence over Iraq, Syria Washington’s demand that Turkey withdraw troops from Iraq and the US alliance with Syrian Kurds are potential flashpoints in US-Turkish relations. Iraq