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
Will Turkey’s Central Bank governor survive purge? Fears grow over a looming purge at Turkey’s Central Bank, but the bank’s governor is expected to retain his post. Turkey
Saudi Wahhabi leaders see Turkish threat over caliphate Saudi Wahhabi leaders have gone on the attack to promote what they believe is the sole, Saudi claim to the restoration of the caliphate. Legacy: Gulf
Turkey’s endless Syrian refugee crisis There may be a limit to Turkey’s open-door policy for Syrian refugees, one that is taxing Turkey’s economy and society. Syria
My perilous journey from Aleppo to Turkey The journey from Aleppo to the Turkish border once took 45 minutes but is now a 6.5-hour drive fraught with danger. Syria
Israel has moral duty to recognize Armenian genocide On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israelis must rethink their stance on the Armenian genocide and act out of a moral imperative, not political considerations vis-a-vis Turkey. Israel
Abbas goes big with Hamas deal; the Temple Mount fault line PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas plays the Hamas card; watch out for the "Hebronization" of the Temple Mount; Al-Monitor launches Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish newsletters. Palestine
Can Erdogan overcome Azeri obstacle in ties with Armenia? Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan in the dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh is blocking improved ties between Turkey and Armenia. Turkey
Israel should give Palestinian reconciliation a chance The Fatah-Hamas reconciliation took Israel and others by surprise, and while intelligence sources are skeptical about the move, it should be given a chance because Hamas might be ready to enter the negotiating tent. Palestine
Hamas-Fatah reconciliation an opportunity for Israel Israel should realize that, by virtue of Hamas' integration into PLO institutions, the group has tacitly come to terms with Israel's existence. Palestine
Erdogan surprises with condolence message to Armenians What is the calculation behind Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s unprecedented statement of condolence to Armenians? Turkey
Fatah, Hamas battle for control of mosques Fatah is tightly controlling mosques in the West Bank, claiming to shield them from political interference, but its adversaries accuse it of using mosques for its own political purposes. Palestine
Get ready for the next Erdogan decade It seems that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's game plan is to rule Turkey in a very centralized and personalized presidential system at least until 2024. Turkey