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Turkey

Turkey

May 9, 2026

Ankara 9:01 pm

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MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions.

Latest News

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Ottoman archives help Palestinians reclaim their land

The Palestinian Authority is heavily relying on Ottoman archives to prove ownership of thousands of dunams of lands claimed by Israel in the West Bank.

Erdogan's ties with Turkish army gets alarmingly personal

The extraordinary personalization of Turkey’s civilian-military relations is deinstitutionalizing the Turkish military structure and causing internal power struggles within the army ranks.

Tourists are reflected in the waters of the Pacific Ocean as they ride on a camel safari along Lighthouse Beach, north of Sydney, December 4, 2014. For 25 years camel rides on this beach have given visitors to Australia's holiday coast a rare experience available only in a handful of locations in the country. Australia's long history with the 'ships of the desert' goes back to the 1800s when they were imported from Afghanistan and India for use as transportation across Australia's vast deserts before being

Turkey’s ruling party blasts Australian camel cull

After a Turkish government spokesman condemned the killing of overpopulated camels in Australia, critics pointed out the ruling party's record has been anything but friendly to the environment and animal rights.

Ankara struggles to adapt to new geopolitical reality after Soleimani’s killing

After a brief wait-and-see period in the wake of Qasem Soleimani’s killing, Turkey appears inclined to try a mediator’s role between the United States, Iran and Iraq.

Russian President Vladimir†Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan talk during a ceremony marking the formal launch of the TurkStream natural gas pipeline, in Istanbul, Turkey January 8, 2020. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2RBE9YSAA7

Putin, Erdogan demand cease-fire in Libya

Turkey and Russia have ordered a cease-fire be reached in Libya in a sign that neither wants a confrontation in the oil-rich North African state where they support opposing sides.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a ceremony marking the formal launch of the TurkStream pipeline which will carry Russian natural gas to southern Europe through Turkey, in Istanbul, Turkey, January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2QBE9PQR52

Turkish-Russia partnership in Libya likely to be to Moscow’s advantage

Analysts say any Turkish-Russian “partnership” in Libya could end up working more to Moscow’s advantage than Ankara’s, as was the case in Syria.

Ankara divides Syrian rebels on fighting in Libya

Turkey’s plan to recruit mercenaries from Syria for the Libyan battlefield is gaining traction but appears to creating rifts among the Syrian opposition as fighters are lured to Libya by Turkish promises of money and more.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a news conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (not pictured) in Budapest, Hungary November 7, 2019. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo - RC2F6D90DV3Y

What has Erdogan learned from Soleimani's killing?

As tensions between Tehran and Washington escalate, Turkey has to make difficult choices.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his delegation meet with President of the Kurdistan region in Iraq Nechirvan Barzani in the VIP terminal at Erbil International Airport in Erbil, Iraq November 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC29HD9C15KU

Iraq's Kurds weigh opportunities, risks in wake of Soleimani killing

Can the Kurdistan Regional Government help out the United States as it faces Iraqi anger over the Soleimani killing, and does the KRG want to risk doing so?

Turkey-backed Syrian rebel fighters pause before crossing into Syria, near the border town of Akcakale in Sanliurfa province, Turkey, October 17, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC129277BCC0

Is Turkey 'big winner' after Soleimani killing?

Some observers assert that the killing of the Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani will increase US reliance on Turkey for its future military operations in the Middle East and enhance Turkey's overall geopolitical positioning, but such thinking may prove to be wishful thinking.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan attend a ceremony to mark the completion of the sea part of the TurkStream gas pipeline, in Istanbul, Turkey November 19, 2018. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC14A5B335A0

TurkStream gas pipeline will bring Moscow, Ankara closer than ever

Turkey and Russia are set to inaugurate the TurkStream gas pipeline, which promises to increase Russian leverage in regional energy markets.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen with Syria's President Bashar al-Assad at Umayyad Mosque, in Damascus, Syria in this handout released by SANA on January 7, 2020. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE - RC23BE9NJLQX

How Moscow is positioning itself as broker amid Mideast tensions

Russian President Vladimir Putin's shuttle diplomacy in the Middle East seeks to gain Russia more power and higher status.