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
Radical Islam Movement Gains Momentum Among Israeli Arabs The leader of the extremist northern faction of the Islamic movement, Raed Salah, drew tens of thousands of Muslims to a rally in support of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and against coexistence within Israeli society. Palestine
Kurdish Parties Build Alliance To Curb Barzani’s Power in Syria On the eve of elections in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, the Kurdish question in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria becomes even more entangled. Iraq
Attack on Ankara Police Station Leads to New Questions for AKP An attack on police headquarters further deepens mutual suspicions between anti and pro-AKP Turks. Syria
Russia Rescues Turkey From Syrian Chemical Threat The accord to destroy Syria’s chemical weapons has marginalized Ankara’s Syria policy while removing the threat against Turkey. Syria
Turkey’s Syria Nightmare Goes From Bad to Worse Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups fighting the Syrian government are setting up camp on Syria’s border. Syria
US-Russia Syria Deal Affects Saudi Regional Strategy The US-Russia deal on Syria chemical weapons gives momentum to possible settlement and may mean changes for regional players. Saudi Arabia
PKK's Kurdish Education Demands Spark Debate in Turkey Turkey continues to fear that education in languages other than Turkish will divide the nation, despite a growing demand for mother-tongue instruction and regional success stories. Turkey
Family Boycotts Retrial for Murder Of Turkish-Armenian Journalist The family of Hrant Dink issues an open letter of indignation after an appeals court decision that his case be reviewed, six years after the murder. Turkey
Israeli Job Market Closed To Arab Women Graduates The Israeli economy loses an estimated NIS 30 billion annually because most Arabs are not being employed. Israel
Erdogan Tells Student Protesters To 'Go and Live in Forest' Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan suggests university students protesting the construction of a road, which requires the cutting of 3,000 trees, should “go and live in a forest." Turkey
Is Turkey, After Gezi Protests, On Path to Democratization? The democratization package to be proposed by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan may address some of the concerns of Turkish citizens. Turkey
Davutoglu: Shooting Down of Helicopter 'Punishment' for Syria Turkey’s frustration with the Damascus regime going unpunished, even for using chemical weapons, played a major role in shooting down a Syrian helicopter. Syria