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
Families of Palestinian Spies for Israel Face Stigma in Gaza Families of Palestinians who have been caught spying for Israel suffer discrimination and isolation in their communities. Palestine
Turkish Lessons for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood Whatever its current mistakes, the success of the AKP — arguably the superstar of global Islamism — lies in the fact that it is less ideological and more pragmatic than its forerunners. Egypt
Erdogan’s Biggest Fear: The 'Concerned' Islamists Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still resentful of Gezi protests because he fears losing the support of "concerned" Islamists. Turkey
Erdogan Weighs In on Egypt Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the loss of life in Egypt, but his words carry less and less weight both domestically and internationally. Egypt
Arab Spring Triggers Renaissance in Turkish Art More than 560 years after the fall of Constantinople, which precipitated an exodus of artists, the Arab Spring has created an influx of artists to Istanbul. Egypt
Turkish CHP Leader Says Party Under Surveillance Leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu says state institutions are gathering unlawful information. Turkey
Saudi Arabia and The Illusory Counterrevolution Washington and Riyadh no longer share the same assessment of the threat and the need for reform in the region. Saudi Arabia
Syrian Opposition Condemns Jihadists Targeting Alawites Syria's internal opposition has condemned attacks on Alawite civilians in Latakia. Lebanon
Erdogan Insists on Demanding Three Children Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked women to "donate" at least three children to the nation. Turkey
Turkey Reconsiders Support For Jabhat Al-Nusra Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells US President Barack Obama he is “disturbed” by the rise of extremist groups in Syria. Syria
After Gezi, Is Turkey’s AKP Correcting Course? A report indicates that the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) may be implementing a course correction in its handling of the Gezi park protests to better position itself for next year’s elections. Turkey