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
Time not right for Turkish-Israeli reconciliation Neither Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan nor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are ready to do what is necessary to begin to normalize relations. Palestine
Syrian Kurds recruit regime loyalists to fight jihadists The Democratic Union Party (PYD) has reportedly established Arab brigades made up of regime loyalists. Syria
Turkey’s media manipulation: from denial to 'so what?' All Turkish actors, from the government to the media to religious groups, need to recognize their limits to avoid the trend toward an illiberal society. Turkey
Malta, Israel's new gateway to Europe Malta, one of Israeli tourists' prime destinations, stands out for its exceptional Maltese-European citizenship sale for rich immigrants and for having the highest number of asylum seekers per capita in Europe. Israel
Opposition claims Erdogan may be media owner Leaked investigation documents suggest Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may have an ownership interest in media companies. Turkey
ISIS, al-Qaeda compete for supremacy in global jihad The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has emerged as a major challenger to al-Qaeda as the leading brand in the global militant jihad movement. Syria
Energy reserves add new twist to Cyprus talks The negotiations over the future of Cyprus are linked to energy reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean. Israel
Egypt’s museums looted during riots The wave of unrest and chaos in Egypt has given an opportunity for thieves to loot many of the country’s museums. Egypt
Have bombings united the Lebanese Shiites behind Hezbollah? Although many suspect the recent bombings in Lebanon are aimed at breaking Shiite support for Hezbollah, they may be having the opposite effect. Lebanon
Erdogan’s heavy hand in Turkish media Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s personal call to a TV station to immediately stop a news scroll reveals the extent of the restrictions on press freedom in Turkey. Turkey
Turkish pragmatism at Sochi Olympics Turkey puts aside Caucasus issue in relations with Russia in participating in the Sochi Winter Olympics. Turkey
Gulenists likely losers in Turkish power struggle Standing strong against corruption accusations, the AKP appears poised to rule Turkey for another decade as the Gulenists are likely to lose their political clout soon and the opposition remains weak. Turkey