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Turkey

Turkey

July 16, 2026

Ankara 2:06 am

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Ozgu Ozel

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya,one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara.

Visitors stand inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14, 2025.

Russian couple faces deportation from Turkey after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia

The couple were detained after reading from the Bible inside the Istanbul landmark, which remains one of Christianity’s most important historic sites despite its conversion into a mosque.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, met at the Turkey’s Defense Ministry in Ankara, July 13, 2026.

Turkey, Egypt expand military ties with cooperation frameworks: What to know

Increasing defense cooperation between Ankara and Cairo comes as Turkey seeks to offset the expanding Greek-Cypriot-Israeli alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Latest News

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Lebanese PM Salam in Turkey as Erdogan seeks wider regional role

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a joint declaration press event with French President following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on April 21, 2026.

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

Islamic State's money transfer network busted in Turkey

A Turkish police operation exposed how the Islamic State can still run cross-border money transfer networks despite its defeat in Syria and Iraq.

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - DECEMBER 11: Member of the International Peace and Reconciliation Initiative (IPRI) delegation to Turkey Osman Kavala is seen during a joint press conference with Chair of the Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left at the European Parliament Gabriele Zimmer, Chair of IPRI Judge Essa Moosa, French politician Francis Wurtz and Chair of the EU Turkey Civic Commission (EUTCC) Kariane Westrheim after 11th International Conference on the European Union, Turkey, the M

Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala spends 700th day behind bars

The prominent civil society figure marks 700 days in prison this week during his trial for allegedly plotting against the government, a charge worth life without possibility of parole.

Sarphan Finans Park (L), a project as part of the Istanbul Finance Center in the city's new business and residential district of Atasehir, is pictured from a helicopter in Istanbul, Turkey March 29, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - GF10000397179

Turkey’s wealth fund borrows to rescue companies

Having borrowed 1 billion euros from foreign lenders, Turkey’s controversial sovereign wealth fund has turned to rescuing troubled construction companies.

US embassy charge d'affaires Jeffrey Hovenier (L) leaves the Caglayan courthouse on May 15, 2019, in Istanbul, after US consular staffer Metin Topuz was ordered to remain in custody after the latest hearing in his trial on espionage charges -- part of a growing rift between Washington and Ankara. - Topuz was arrested in 2017 and accused of contacts with police and a prosecutor suspected of ties to US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who Ankara says ordered an attempted coup in 2016. (Photo by Bulent

Intel: How Congress is trying to get US prisoners out of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid - HP1EF9O186P9I

Erdogan's Syria plan: Resettling the Syrian refugees or ousting Kurds from their land?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's remarks in United Nations indicate that Turkey has dangerous intentions about the east of Euphrates.

Will Idlib’s displaced return under government pressure?

The Syrian regime is accusing the opposition of preventing the return of the displaced in northern Hama through the recently opened Abu al-Duhur crossing.

Office workers gather after fleeing their buildings in the Maslak District of Istanbul on September 26, 2019, following an earthquake in the city. - A 5.7-magnitude earthquake shook Turkey's largest city, driving residents to evacuate buildings, AFP journalists witnessed. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)

5.8 magnitude earthquake rattles Istanbul

An earthquake shook Istanbul today in a powerful reminder of the city's vulnerability to quakes and other natural disasters.

Is Iran-Turkey rapprochement sustainable?

As Turkey and Iran's interests align their cooperation is expanding, but their newfound friendship won't last unless their potential for rivalry is curtailed.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds up a map as he addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan Mcdermid - HP1EF9O181E99

Erdogan pushes Syrian safe zone at UN

As many as three million refugees could be settled in northeast Syria if Turkey establishes a buffer zone along its border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told world leaders at the United Nations summit, though a meeting to persuade US President Donald Trump did not materialize.

People hold placards prepared by Reporters Without Borders as they attend a demonstration organised for journalists detained in Turkey in front of the Berlin's main railway station, during the visit of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Berlin, Germany, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Christian Mang - RC1CDC76C5D0

Kurdish journalist gets 14 years in Turkey, others await similar fate

Despite flimsy evidence and opaque proceedings, today was a terrible day in court for several Turkish journalists.

Protest by mothers turns up pressure on Turkey's HDP

Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party has found itself under mounting political and social pressure as Ankara tries a new counter-terrorism strategy focusing on severing links between the it and the Kurdistan Workers Party.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds up a map as he addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 24, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - HP1EF9O183U9F

Turkey’s Euphrates plans rely on Trump

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to convince President Donald Trump to accept Turkey's demands about the planned safe zone in northern Syria.