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
Could Turkey’s Christians Wear Police Uniforms? A police department statement encouraging Turkey’s non-Muslims to become police officers is positive, but Turkey should still revoke the ancestry registry. Turkey
Assad Is a HeroFor Turkey's Neo-Nationalists For at least 20% of the people in Turkey, Bashar al-Assad is the only hope for toppling Erdogan. Turkey
Smugglers Easily Cross Iraq’s Border Despite the efforts of Iraq and the six countries bordering it, Iraq’s borders are easily navigated by professional smugglers. Saudi Arabia
Pressure Mounts on Turkey Over Radical Groups in Syria A recent Human Rights Watch report has drawn further attention to the need for Turkey to control its border and prevent the influx of jihadists to Syria. Syria
Balyoz Verdicts Put Turkey’s Democracy to Test – Again … The Supreme Court of Appeals confirmed that the military actually planned to carry a military coup, but it failed to convince the general public that the country’s democracy benefited from this trial. Turkey
Has Wolf in Sheepskin Snuck Into Turkey's Eid Al-Adha? For the first time in 14 years, Turks can donate the hides of the 2.5 million livestock they sacrifice during Eid al-Adha, causing secularists to fear Islamist charities will have a $50 million payday. Turkey
Erdogan Uses Christian Seminary As Chip in Talks With Greece Is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan trying to impose authority over Muslim leaders in Greece? Turkey
The Iranian Trend And Geneva Nuclear Talks Al-Monitor’s coverage of Iran as negotiations commence this week in Geneva with expectations of progress on the nuclear file, and implications for Syria and the region. Israel
Crimes With a View In Istanbul Neighborhood Gulsuyu, a run-down Istanbul neighborhood with spectacular views and rampant crime, was neglected by the authorities until a recent murder. Turkey
Syrian Arab Village Welcomes Kurdish Fighters Villagers consider arrival of Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) forces a liberation in light of the presence of al-Qaeda-affiliated groups. Syria
UN Body Led by Ahmet Uzumcu Wins Nobel Peace Prize Turkish President Abdullah Gul expressed deep pride for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, led by a Turk, Ahmet Uzumcu. Syria
Israel's Rabbis Keep Lock On Jewish Marriage Growing numbers of Israelis demand the institutionalization of civil marriage in Israel, but even with a secular coalition in power this change is not in the offing. Israel