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
Turkey’s foreign policy prospects for 2016 not so promising Analysts say the AKP government has itself to blame for Turkey’s loss of prestige and influence in its region, where it has more rivals than friends today. Iraq
Amid financial hardship, Erdogan looks to Qatar as 'rich daddy' Turkey’s leadership, increasingly isolated in the region amid spats with Russia and Iraq, knocks on the doors of Israel and Qatar, with the latter providing much-needed foreign investment. Qatar
Cyberattacks reveal Turkey’s weaknesses Computer servers in Turkey have been the targets of a major cyberattack for the past two weeks. Turkey
Turkey goes all in on drones Ankara is rushing to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles for economic, political and military reasons, but Turkey needs to develop a drone doctrine and consider the ethical ramifications before their use proliferates. Turkey
War-weary Kurds return to bunkers in Cizre Kurdish residents of a town cut off from the outside world tell Al-Monitor of their "primitive" existence in basement shelters as Turkish soldiers and police battle Kurdish militants entrenched in residential areas. Turkey
Turkey's religious conservatives bemoan 'dangers of Christmas' Christmas and New Year's festivities have become an indication of hard-core religious conservatives’ fear of increasing secularization in Turkey. Turkey
Jordan’s Syria blacklist blasted by key players Wide criticism has already emerged of the Jordanian list of terrorist groups in Syria, and some observers believe the initiative never had a chance. Saudi Arabia
Slow food, ancient cooking win Gaziantep spot on UNESCO list Gaziantep province has been recognized by UNESCO and the European Union for its culinary excellence and hopes to become a center for gastronomy tourism in Turkey. Turkey
Are mutual feelings of isolation pushing Turkey, Israel closer? It remains unclear whether Ankara’s attempts to normalize ties with Israel represents a new orientation in Turkey’s foreign policy. Near East
Why are so many staying silent on the Kurdish conflict? Kurds and Turks in the western provinces of Turkey are reluctant to raise their voices about the prolonged Kurdish conflict. Turkey
What's Saudi's new Islamic coalition really up to? Not a lot is known about Saudi Arabia's newly announced Islamic Military Alliance, leaving observers to ponder its prospects. Saudi Arabia
How Turkey’s foreign affairs 'strongman' left his mark Sources say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s close circle is keen to develop the relationship with Israel in terms of the energy dimension in the wake of the crisis with Russia. Israel