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Turkey

Turkey

July 16, 2026

Ankara 9:03 pm

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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.

Latest News

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

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.

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

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

Turkish soldiers stand in front of the Turkish memorial during an international service marking the 103rd anniversary of the World War I campaign in Gallipoli, Turkey, April 24, 2018. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1E56201C10

Turkey to end draft — for those who can pay

A proposed bill to change Turkey's conscription practices has stirred fierce debate and warnings from military experts.

People shop at a bazaar in Istanbul, Turkey, May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1956071CA0

Voters’ economic confidence dips ahead of key Istanbul vote

Turkey’s consumer confidence index, which also reflects voter confidence, has plunged to a record low ahead of a critical rerun of the mayoral election in Istanbul next month.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini address a joint news conference atfer a Turkey-EU Association Council in Brussels, Belgium, March 15, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC1FD5E9ABC0

EU slams Turkey on human rights in annual report

In a progress report on would-be EU member Turkey, the European Union slammed the country's human rights record as an endless stream of damning accounts emerges.

Who are the heroes, hustlers and innovators of Kurdish wedding music?

In marathon-like Kurdish weddings that can last for days, local wedding singers steer their audiences between folk songs, national anthems and even techno music.

Demonstrators wave Turkish and Iraqi Turkmen (blue) flags during a protest against the independence referendum in northern Iraq, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 17, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1F65EFDC90

Ankara backs some Turkmens in Iraqi politics, shuns others

By ostracizing Turkmen politicians who supported the 2017 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, Turkey could be shooting itself in the foot.

A foreign wife of Islamic State militants holds her child at Hammam Al-Alil camp in south of Mosul, Iraq September 13, 2017. Picture taken September 13, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1F166AB320

Intel: Turkey, Iraq to decide fate of 'Islamic State children'

Ekrem Imamoglu, ousted Istanbul Mayor from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), is pictured during an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Turkey, May 9, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1217162440

Polls show opposition candidate ahead as Istanbul rerun nears

Ekrem Imamoglu, who won the election as Istanbul mayor in March before he was forced to step down, has expanded his support ahead of the doover election on June 23.

Syrians head home from Turkey for holiday

The Bab al-Salama border crossing in Aleppo’s countryside opened for Syrian refugees coming from Turkey to spend Eid al-Fitr at home with their families.

French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend the opening session of the Paris Peace Forum as part of the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes/Pool - RC1CEA9A8270

Can Russia, France work together to settle Idlib?

Moscow, Paris and Berlin have recently intensified talks over Syria's Idlib, but so far there's been more disagreement and defeated expectations than consent and progress.

Garbage collectors of Ankara discover sound of music in trash

Members of The Tin Band, made up of municipality trash collectors, use recycled instruments they find in bins to give public concerts.

Russian servicemen sit in the cabins of S-400 missile air defence systems in Tverskaya Street before a rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, which marks the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in central Moscow, Russia April 29, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva - RC1E849FD530

Can Russian, Turkish military-technical cooperation go beyond S-400 production?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan boasted that Turkey will co-produce the S-500 missile system with Russia following completion of the S-400 deal, but existing realities put this into question.

Whispers become tweets as Turkish artists speak out against AKP

Turkish artists, authors and entertainers have begun openly expressing their political views after years of silence, angered by the Istanbul election turmoil and encouraged by the winning opposition candidate to speak up.