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
Turkish Children Steered Toward Religious Education AKP policies are forcing a majority of children to be pushed toward either religious education or vocational schools. Turkey
Is a Power Struggle Brewing Between Erdogan and Gulen? A major struggle between the two most important players in Turkish politics could be on the horizon. Turkey
Patriarch Asks Turkey to End Stalemate Over Shuttered Seminary The ecumenical patriarch of the Greek Orthodox Church has his fingers crossed that the Turkish government will reopen the theological seminary on Istanbul’s Halki Island. Turkey
Syria's Alawites Torn Between Regime, Opposition While many analysts inside and outside Syria seem to assume Syrian Alawites support President Bashar al-Assad’s Baathist regime, the reality on the ground is much more nuanced. Syria
The Aftermath of 72 Tumultuous Hours in Cairo Egypt’s January 2011 revolution is beyond restoration. Egypt
Gulenist-AKP Clash Is Now in the Open A statement by the Journalists and Writers Foundation of the Gulen movement exposes the clash with the ruling Justice and Development Party. Turkey
Rumors of Erdogan’s Health Problems Ring False Despite mounting speculations about his health, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks pretty healthy for a man who has been alleged with having colon cancer. Turkey
Iraqi Official: Rouhani 'Means Serious Business' With US Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari says the Iranian leadership could have prevented Hassan Rouhani from becoming president if it wanted to continue hard-line policies toward the United States. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan’s Self-Righteous Blast on Egypt The Turkish prime minister’s remarks on Egypt are geared toward Turkish domestic politics. Egypt
Turkish-PKK Peace Process Faces Deadlines Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan’s peace process with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) is complicated by his domestic political agenda. Turkey
Iraqi Kurdish Forces Help Defend Baghdad The increase of terrorist bombings in Baghdad has been a catalyst for more consultation between Iraqi federal and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces. Iraq