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
In natural gas, all pipelines go through Turkey Natural gas from Iraq is to reach Turkey in 2017, Azeri gas is to arrive in 2018 and Iran, Russia and Israel also want to sell their natural gas via Turkey. Iraq
Turkey legalizes alternative medicine The Turkish government has paved the way for hospitals to use treatments dating back to Seljuk and Ottoman times, including bloodsucking leeches and scar-healing flies. Turkey
Erdogan Islamizes education system to raise 'devout youth' Religious education may become compulsory in primary schools in Turkey following the transformation of hundreds of secular schools into religious education establishments. Turkey
What happened at anti-IS coalition meeting? A diplomatic source participating in the gathering of the international coalition against the Islamic State told Al-Monitor that Turkey sought to undermine its regional rivals for its own interests. Iraq
Why Davutoglu's Armenian adviser angered AKP deputies One should listen to Etyen Mahcupyan, now top adviser to Ahmet Davutoglu, to see both a sophisticated defense of the AKP but also to see where exactly it goes wrong. Turkey
Hamas in Turkey on alert after Israeli complaint Hamas officials in Turkey are taking precautions after Israel’s complaint to NATO against Ankara for hosting the Palestinian Islamist group, fearing that Israel might resume assassinating its leaders abroad. Palestine
Business as usual: Turkey's never-ending love of the bribe Some 46% of Turkish businessmen believe corruption won’t end, while the country sinks lower in the global transparency index. Turkey
Abdul-Mahdi: Now real work begins for Baghdad, Erbil Although the oil deal between Baghdad and Erbil is a positive development, Turkey is sidelined by it and risks becoming a “geopolitical bystander” because of Russia's decision to cancel the South Stream gas project. Iraq
Kerry calls Iran airstrikes on Islamic State 'positive' Iran takes action against the Islamic State in Iraq; Obama administration cautious on Turkish buffer zone proposal; Turkey’s border under scrutiny; Russia’s diplomatic surge; Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman says "courageous" peace plan offers "painful concessions." Israel
Turkey and the politics of coal The Turkish government distributed 17 million tons of free coal to the needy, which was widely seen as an election bribe. Turkey
Turkey’s war in Libya The Turkish government denies that it is taking sides in Libya, between the governments in Tobruk and Tripoli. Turkey
Anti-IS coalition's 'train-and-equip' program not enough The problem with the US-led coalition's "train-and-equip" program is not finding committed soldiers willing to fight but rather finding dedicated, capable leaders to command them. Iraq