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
How the Islamic State has helped the Middle East The expansion of the Islamic State has forced regional powers to cooperate and is in fact strengthening state governance in the Middle East. Saudi Arabia
6 reasons why Turkey's war against the PKK won't last There are six major reasons why Turkey's war with the PKK, which resumed July 24 after 2½ years of non-hostility, cannot be sustained. Iraq
Twenty years later, Turkey's Kurds still search for their missing The clock has run out on Kurds' decadeslong efforts to resolve cases of kidnapping and murder from the 1990s, leaving hundreds of Kurdish families distraught. Turkey
Are Turkey's AKP Twitter trolls heading for unemployment? If the AKP fails to decisively win the upcoming elections, one can expect a thorough liquidation not only of its questionable social media organization, but also its radio and television operations. Turkey
Turkey pays hefty price for interest rate obsession Under government pressure to keep interest rates low, Turkey’s Central Bank has failed to act against the free fall of the Turkish lira, leading to a massive burden on the foreign debt stock. Turkey
Is Turkey driving down road to environmental disaster? The Turkish government’s Green Road Project has turned the quiet residents of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s home region into feisty street protesters as they struggle to protect the environment on which their livelihoods and traditions rely. Turkey
New Istanbul bookstore-cafe focuses on Arab culture, refugee experience A small group of Syrian intellectuals has founded a bookstore-cafe in Istanbul, hoping to bridge cultures and promote Arab refugees' rich literary and cultural heritage. Syria
The unbearable lightness of media in Erdogan’s Turkey Police raids on pro-Gulen media outlets are seen as a prelude to suppressing the media opposed to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to the snap elections. Turkey
Turkey takes on the Islamic State ... in 40-page report Turkey's Directorate of Religious Affairs has issued a 40-page report that condemns not just the Islamic State, but also "political Salafism." Turkey
European countries to Turkey: We pay, you keep Syrian refugees Syrian refugees are the new ping-pong between EU countries and Turkey. Syria
Turkish daily exposes transfer of weapons to IS The feud between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his rivals in the Gulen movement is turning up news: Is there a link between exposure and the police raid of newspaper offices? Syria
IS intensifies attacks outside Aleppo After news broke of the US-Turkish plan to establish a safe zone in Syria, the Islamic State stepped up operations against opposition forces in Aleppo's northern countryside. Syria