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
First Turkish film to show Armenian genocide wins harsh reception A film by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin on the Armenian genocide is under attack in Turkey even before its release. Turkey
The cult of Erdogan Turkey’s ruling party and its supporters have come to attribute quasi-divine qualities to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, creating a personality cult that reinforces concerns over social peace in Turkey. Turkey
Must-see TV: Erdogan's new campaign movie To understand the current political psychology among Turkey’s religious conservatives, you must see the new three-minute propaganda film Erdogan’s team launched in preparation for the presidential elections. Turkey
Will US court’s Argentina verdict impact Turkey? Argentina's recently declared bankruptcy may set a risky precedent for high-debt countries like Turkey. Turkey
Kurdish security chief: Turkey must end support for jihadists The head of the Syrian Kurdish security police forces, Ciwan Ibrahim, tells Al-Monitor that they are willing to cooperate with Turkey if it halts its support for jihadist groups. Iraq
Inside Turkey's wiretapped world A firsthand account of just one of the many wiretapping cases that are happening in Turkey, where government corruption and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's obsession with the Gulen community is the primary cause of a massive abuse of public authority. Turkey
Turkey wakes up to Islamic State threat An inflammatory sermon in Istanbul has made Turkey realize that the Islamic State has become a serious threat to its internal security and stability. Iraq
Erdogan’s presidential rivals fight for airtime Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accused of employing unfair advantages in his election campaign. Turkey
Turkish stock market gains 40% in six months The Istanbul stock exchange has been the most profitable investment instrument in Turkey since the beginning of the year, followed by Turkish lira deposits and bonds. Turkey
Gazans irritated as Turkey focuses only on Hamas While some Gazans see Turkey as a true supporter of Gaza, others see it as a supporter of only Hamas and question Turkey’s sincerity. Palestine
Does Iran benefit from Gaza crisis? Iran reconsiders Hamas ties; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fixation on Iran may have distracted him from the threat from Hamas; Asmaa Al-Ghoul reports from Gaza; the Islamic State offers no support for Hamas. Qatar
Will Erdogan's presidency firm up Turkey's regional position? Turkey is suffering serious blows to its security and economy because of its own regional policy mistakes, and can expect more of the same from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president. Turkey