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
Erdogan’s 'Three Children' Campaign Alienates Women Erdogan’s "at least three children’’ campaign is no different than fighting windmills. Turkey
Iran Goes After Dogs And Their Owners Iranian authorities confront more affluent Iranians who own pets. Turkey
Erdogan’s Governance Challenge Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan must navigate Turkey’s diversity and many constituencies in the current political crisis. Turkey
Harsh Turkish Political Language Getting the Red Card in Europe Turkish politicians are finding out the hard way that the language they use at home to win populist applause is unacceptable in the European arena. Turkey
Erdogan, Taksim Square And the Kurdish Peace The peace process with the Kurds will either be a fatality of the Taksim-Gezi events, or a lifeline for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Erdogan Holds Key To Economic Stability The way Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan handles the protests will have a big impact on long-term foreign investors. Turkey
Is Turkey's Government Seeking Israeli Scapegoat for Protests? There are questions whether Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to shirk responsibility for Istanbul protests by pointing the finger at Israel. Israel
Syria in 'Free Fall' Edward Dark describes the despair in both Aleppo and a Syrian prison; Syria is in “free fall,” according to the chairman of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria. Israel
Erdogan Unifying His Opposition Turkish Prime Minster Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s best option is democratization. Turkey
Turkey’s Democratic Growing Pains The Gezi Park protests may in the end serve to strengthen Turkish democracy. Turkey
Turkey’s Declining Image Alarms Gul President Abdullah Gul worries about the costs for Turkey of toeing the line that the protests are part of a “grand international and domestic conspiracy.” Turkey
Turkey's Sunni Identity Test The Turkish government’s sectarian impulse, resurging whenever foreign policy fails, reverberates in domestic politics and fans social unrest. Iraq