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
US-Turkish citizens hit with sticker shock over new tax law Turks with US citizenship making profits from the stock market and interest in Turkey are now liable for taxes going back six years. Turkey
AKP seeks to 'legalize' PKK peace talks Turkey’s ruling party has drafted a bill that puts the peace process with the PKK in a legal framework, which is also seen as a means for the AKP to win Kurdish support in the August presidential elections. Turkey
Erdogan: 'No one should expect me to provoke ISIS' Turkey pursues a cautious policy while Iraq's military crisis escalates. Iraq
Erdogan's reforms meant to educate 'pious generation' A far-reaching overhaul underway in Turkey’s educational system indicates that the government uses education as a tool to shape conservative and pious students. Turkey
Hifter accuses Turkey of supporting terror in Libya Retired Libyan rebel Gen. Khalifa Belqasim Hifter's accusation is another sign of Turkey's deepening isolation in Arab politics. Qatar
Real estate sales boom as Turkey opens to foreign buyers Following measures making it easier for foreigners to acquire property in Turkey, sales have skyrocketed. Foreigners’ locations of choice include Istanbul as well as the Turkish coast, especially Antalya. Turkey
AKP pushes its own brand of Turkish neonationalism Turkish neonationalism, traditionally a product of authoritarian state power, is being pushed by proponents of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and nurtured by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Syrian Kurdish leader: Turkey turns blind eye to ISIS Salih Muslim, the leader of the Syrian Kurdish movement PYD, gives an exclusive interview to Al-Monitor on post-Mosul developments and Turkey's alleged support for ISIS. Iraq
Iraqi Turkmen feel abandoned by Turkey Many Iraqi Turkmen claim Turkey has given priority to its relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government at their expense. Iraq
Erdogan riles Austrian hosts in visit to Vienna In his visit to rally expatriate Turks in Austria for his likely presidential campaign, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments annoyed Austrian leaders, a replay of the prime minister’s visit to Germany last month. Turkey
How a Turkish girl broke the heart of a shah In her latest book, Turkish novelist Nazli Eray shares the story of her mother, a woman whose beauty once stunned Middle East elites and left the Iranian shah heartbroken. Iraq
Iraqi Kurds seize control of key Syria border crossing The Syria-based Democratic Union Party (PYD) fears a return to isolation after a Kurdish rival, the Iraq-based Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), captures the Rabia border crossing. Iraq