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
Kurdish Rebels Ban Child Soldiers The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) has signed on to the Geneva Call’s initiative after three years of negotiation. Syria
Is Yoga Halal for Turks? Much discussed in the Muslim world since the 1990s, the question of yoga and Islam has finally confronted a rather confused public in Turkey. Turkey
Syria’s Race Against Time UN-Arab League Joint Representative Lakhdar Brahimi presses for Geneva II, while Saudi women are on the road again. Saudi Arabia
EU Gives Turkey a Failing Mark On Media Freedom While the European Parliament report on Turkey gives the government low marks on media freedom, the media industry may be mostly responsible for this outcome. Turkey
Can Nude Feminism Succeed in Turkey? In Turkey, the nude protesters of women's rights group FEMEN face a larger obstacle than male supremacy: They don't quite understand the real issues that strain Turkish politics and society. Turkey
International Oil Companies Gamble on Turkey’s Shale Gas While information on Turkey's hydrocarbon reserves remains elusive, some shale investors are willing to take the risk. Turkey
Turkey's Choice: Chinese Missile Defense Or NATO? If Turkey moves ahead with the purchase of a Chinese missile defense system, Ankara will be opting out of a NATO system. Turkey
Lebanon Gains From Hostage Deal, Regional Trends Qatar and the Palestinian Authority, which are at odds with Hezbollah, seem to have played key roles in releasing Lebanese hostages close to Hezbollah. Lebanon
Turkish Politics Is Lost At Meeting People's Needs The regularly scheduled speeches by party leaders on Tuesdays are turning people off of politics. Turkey
Turkey’s Kurdish Peace Effort At Crossroads The likelihood of a resumption of violence with the Kurds in Turkey is not a distant possibility. Turkey
Egypt-Qatar Relations Sour Over World Cup Broadcast Rights Qatar’s ties with Egypt have been further strained by a dispute over broadcast rights for soccer matches. Qatar
Hasankeyf: Civilization Condemned to Death The countdown has started for unique, 12,000-year-old historical monuments in the Tigris Valley to be submerged by the waters of a dam promising an annual revenue of 300 million Turkish lira. Turkey