Immigration & Mobility: The U.S. has paused processing immigrant visas worldwide, with interviews expected to resume in September–November after consular training changes. Regional Security & Alliances: Analysts are unpacking Turkey’s role in the new “Mecca pact” defense deal with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, framing it as a potential Sunni security architecture and a hedge against an unreliable U.S. Syria’s Kurdish Shift: Syria’s Kurdish-led SDF has officially dissolved and fighters are being integrated into the state army, bringing mixed hopes and fresh questions about who gets folded in. Turkey-Armenian Education: Istanbul’s Armenian community is still discussing a Ministry of Education move that would bar children from Armenia from Armenian minority schools—while reports say “guest student” access may continue. Culture & Heritage: Excavations in Turkey are yielding major finds, including a reconstructed Roman Hadrian statue at Kibyra and a nearly 390-metre monumental street in Side. Ancient Art Spotlight: A newly unearthed 11,000-year-old leopard-riding human statue from Karahantepe is fueling new debate about early symbolism and masculinity. Human Rights Watch: The ECtHR again orders Türkiye to release Osman Kavala, calling his long imprisonment unlawful and politically driven.