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
Turkey Should Shut Down Jihadists on Border Turkey's shooting down of a Syrian helicopter that violated its airspace on Sept. 16 should provoke a clampdown on all border activity. Syria
Hamas Shuts Down Egypt Center in Gaza The closing of the center reflects a further deterioration in Hamas-Egypt ties. Palestine
Sectarianism Dominates Mideast Media Coverage of Syria, Bahrain A close look at Middle Eastern media reveals a sectarian bias for regional audiences and a more democratic face when broadcasting in English to the West. Iraq
Turkey’s AKP Mobilizes Twitter Army for Elections The Justice and Development Party has acknowledged the need for a social-media strategy. Turkey
Turkey’s Sunni-Alevi Fault Line Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s democratization package will need to dampen sectarian tensions. Turkey
Erdogan Promotes Democratization Package Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Turkey's democratization package is a "silent revolution." Turkey
Turkey's New Prohibitions Lead To Underground Alcohol Market Many Turks are finding ways around the new restrictions on the sale of alcohol. Turkey
Women Protesters in Turkey Brave Sexual Harassment The systematic sexual harassment of female Turkish protesters in custody is used as a weapon to deter them and marginalize the protest movement. Turkey
How Happy Is the One Who Says 'I am a Turk'? Turks seem to be content, but perhaps not all that happy. Turkey
Is Syria War Additional Spark To Alevi Protests in Turkey? The war in Syria and the fallout from the Gezi Park demonstrations may be revealing a fault line in Turkish politics. Syria
Art Goes Indoors At Istanbul Biennial Amid the continuing street protests in the city, the 13th Istanbul Biennial’s decision to withdraw from public spaces aims to make the demonstrations and their message more visible. Turkey