Turkey - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Turkey

Turkey

November 4, 2026

Ankara 9:43 am

13°C

Turkey probes Google’s AI search tools, orders protections for news websites

Turkey’s competition watchdog said it is assessing whether AI-generated answers appearing on Google Search divert traffic from news sites and impose unfair content-use terms.

A protestor holds a flag bearing a portrait of jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) Abdullah Ocalan during a demonstration of Kurdish people from all around Europe to mark the 27th anniversary of his arrest and to demand his liberation, in Strasbourg, Eastern France, on Feb. 14, 2026.

Turkey moves PKK leader Ocalan to prison villa as peace process faces new test

The move is expected to give the PKK leader a more direct role in negotiations, but deep divisions over disarmament and Kurdish rights continue to threaten the process.

OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu is pictured during a joint press conference with the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Switzerland's Foreign Minister at Vienna International Airport on Feb. 6, 2026 in Schwechat, Lower Austria.

Explainer

Who is Feridun Sinirlioglu, Turkey’s candidate for UN chief?

The Turkish president's confidant enters the race for UN chief with decades of diplomatic experience marked by both praise and scrutiny.

Demonstrators hold a banner reading "Free Gaza, free world"

Analysis

Gaza progress, Syria pullback: What Turkey wants from Israel’s next government

Ankara sees room for limited improvement in ties if Israel’s next government eases Gaza’s humanitarian crisis and reduces military pressure on Syria.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Explainer

After EU rebuff, how Turkey is courting Egypt for maritime deal

Turkish Navy sailors wave their caps from the flight deck

Culture

Rock collapse near UNESCO-listed site in Turkey’s Cappadocia kills three

An view of the Uchisar settlement, east of Nevesehir in the province of the same name in central Turkey's historical Cappadocia region on Aug. 24, 2022.

Tornado kills 4 in Turkey’s Mediterranean tourism hub Antalya

Kepez

Saudi Arabia’s KBS, top Turkish and Pakistani officials hold rare meeting in Iran: What to know

GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives, Akile Saleh.

After years of hostility, Turkey forges ties with eastern Libya

Turkey’s hosting of the head of Libya’s eastern-based parliament sets a meaningful landmark in its bid to reshape its Libya policy.

People shop in a busy market ahead of the start of the holy month of Ramadan on April 1, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey’s inflation hits almost 80% as Erdogan insists on low-rate policy

Despite a relative slowdown in July, Turkey’s consumer inflation appears on course to overshoot the central bank’s newly revised year-end forecast of 60.4%.

The national flags of Azerbaijan (L) and Turkey, and portraits of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (R) hang side-by-side on the mayoral building in the Kecioren district of Ankara on Oct. 21, 2020.

Armenia clings to Turkish peace talks to avert war with Azerbaijan

Erdogan has made it clear that progress in the talks is contingent on progress on Armenia’s negotiations for a peace treaty with Azerbaijan.

Bulk carrier M/V Razoni, carrying a cargo of 26,000 tonnes of corn, leaves the Ukraine port of Odesa en route to Tripoli.

Turkey reaps rewards in international standing as first grain ship leaves Ukraine

Turkey's diplomatic mediation between Ukraine and Russia could mitigate impact of global food crisis.

Price tags are seen on a market shelf of fresh fruit and vegetables on May 05, 2022, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey raises inflation forecasts

The Turkish lira is also again falling close to historically low levels against the US dollar.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks as he attends the inauguration ceremony of new gas pipeline, TurkStream.

Turkey, Russia gas ties grow contentious amid Ukraine war

Russian gas giant Gazprom’s sudden “maintenance" shutdown of a major pipeline carrying gas to Turkey coincided with the talks over Finland's and Sweden’s NATO membership bids.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

UN urges Turkey to return to women's rights accord

Special rapporteur Reem Alsalem has called on the Turkish government to reconsider last year’s decision to leave an UN agreement on combating abuse of women and girls.

Erdogan grain

Praise for Erdogan's mediation in Ukraine grain deal has its limits

The UN-Turkish mediation with Russia and Ukraine may not give the Turkish president the expected diplomatic boost at home.

An Iraqi police vehicle secures the area of the Turkish Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Turkey, Iraq, Kurds seek leverage from tourist massacre

Ankara continues to deny responsibility for shelling that killed tourists in Iraqi Kurdistan.

A participant faces riot policemen wearing a rainbow flag during a Pride march in Istanbul, on June 26, 2022.

Life as an LGBTQ refugee in Turkey

LGBTQ refugees from Middle Eastern countries face multifold hardships in Turkey amid a rise in anti-refugee sentiment and a persisting social stigma against gay and transgender people.

This picture shows abandoned toys and material in the Wonderland Eurasia theme park near the Turkish capital, Ankara, on July 21, 2022, during a press visit to mark its transfer to Ankara Metropolitan Municipality.

Abandoned Ankara theme park subject of lawsuits, political controversy

The opposition mayor says the Wonderland Eurasia theme park, or Ankapark, cost $801 million as he files criminal complaint.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

US focus of ire as Turkey threatens Syria‘s Kurds

Syrian Kurdish leader says Turkish intentions unclear.