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Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 10:14 am

6°C

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey bars MP’s wife from travel after his fund scandal criticism: What to know

Opposition politicians and rights advocates described Yonca Verdioglu Sik’s brief detention as an attempt to intimidate her husband, opposition lawmaker Ahmet Sik, over his criticism of the government.

A steel worker works in front of giant iron melting pot in Kardemir Iron and Steel Factory in Karabuk, northwestern Turkey, Aug. 26 2005. (TARIK TINAZAY/AFP via Getty Images)

Steel factory explosion in western Turkey kills at least 16

Footage from the scene showed a huge plume of thick smoke spreading into the sky as flames engulfed a tall structure within the plant.

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

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United Arab Emirates

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Can Erdogan’s Baku visit fix Turkey-Azerbaijan rift?

TOFIK BABAYEV/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

A Member of Turkey's Bar Associations holds a poster depicting slain Ozgecan Aslan, in Ankara, on February 16, 2015 during a march to protest against a law that strenghtens the police's power. Anger mounted in Turkey Monday over the murder and attempted rape by a bus driver of the 20-year-old female student whose burned body was discovered on February 13, as a court placed three suspects in pre-trial detention over the brutal killing. AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Gett

Have AKP's policies caused rise in violence against women?

Although Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan showed solidarity with the victim’s family, the Justice and Development Party insists on useless populist policies on women’s issues.

A Member of Turkey's Bar Association holds a poster depicting slain Ozgecan Aslan, in Ankara, on February 16, 2015 during a march to protest against a law that strenghtens the police's power. Anger mounted in Turkey Monday over the murder and attempted rape by a bus driver of the 20-year-old female student whose burned body was discovered on February 13, as a court placed three suspects in pre-trial detention over the brutal killing. AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty

In Turkey, divisive politics leads to more violence

Turkey's political scene is already extremely polarized; as an abundance of individual incidents of violence indicate, it is fast becoming a political powder keg.

Is Twitter giving in to Turkish censorship?

Turkish cyber rights activists warn Twitter of legal action for acting as auxiliary to Ankara’s censorship machine.

A rebel fighter carries his weapon as he walks in front of a rainbow in Ratian village, north of Aleppo, after what the rebels said was an offensive against them by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad that attempted to advance in the village but failed to February 18, 2015. Battles in and around the Syrian city of Aleppo have killed at least 70 pro-government fighters and more than 80 insurgents after the army launched an offensive there, a monitoring group said on Wednesday. Picture taken Feb

Syrian army's advances near border rattle Ankara

If the Syrian regime army captures Aleppo, the Turkish border will come under heavy pressure.

CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 04: U.S. President elect Barack Obama and his wife Michelle wave to the crowd as they walk off stage after Obama gave his victory speech during an election night gathering in Grant Park on November 4, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois. Obama defeated Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) by a wide margin in the election to become the first African-American U.S. President elect. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Turkish opposition party recruits Obama pollster

Keen to unseat the ruling party in the June 7 polls, the Republican People's Party has recruited the Benenson Strategy Group, a US company that crafted President Barack Obama’s campaign.

High school students wearing Guy Fawkes masks take part in a protest against the education policies of the ruling AK Party in Istanbul February 13, 2015. Education is the latest flashpoint between the administration of President Tayyip Erdogan, and secularist Turks who accuse him of overseeing creeping 'Islamisation' in the NATO member state. Parts of some regular schools have been requisitioned to create more places for students in "Imam Hatip" religious schools championed by Erdogan, where girls and boys

Erdogan's 'New Turkey' much like the old

The Turkish government’s narrative of a “New Turkey” facing counterrevolutionary “internal enemies” is hardly different from the Kemalist narrative that Turkey’s Islamists resisted for decades.

Has AKP sacrificed Turkey's Ottoman heritage?

Shoddy conditions at the new Ottoman Archives building in Istanbul stand to weaken the conservative credentials of the Justice and Development Party.

A rebel fighter prepares cameras ahead of firing mortars towards forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in the village of Tshalma near the Armenian Christian town of Kasab May 26, 2014. REUTERS/Alaa Khweled (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3QYIQ

Wiretaps reveal Turkey's attacks on Syrian regime positions

Court documents reveal that last year, when the Syrian opposition captured the Armenian town of Kassab, the Turkish army shelled the Syrian army.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends a wreath-laying ceremony at the Ninos Heroes monument at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City February 12, 2015. Erdogan is in Mexico for an official visit. REUTERS/Edgard Garrido (MEXICO - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4PCV0

Some see snubs, Erdogan sees envy

While Erdogan remains unconcerned, diplomats say Turkey's isolation is hurting the country.

Shi'ite men attend an Ashura procession in Istanbul November 24, 2012. Ashura, the most important day in the Shi'ite calendar, commemorates the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, in the seventh century battle of Kerbala. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: ANNIVERSARY RELIGION) - RTR3ATPL

Fear of Shiites on the rise in Turkey

The Justice and Development Party government is indifferent to the increase in Shiite-phobia in Turkey.

Turkish soldiers take position as they clash with Turkish Kurdish protesters near the Mursitpinar border crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border in the Turkish town of Suruc in southeastern Sanliurfa province October 4, 2014. Turkish security forces broke up a pro-Kurdish demonstration on the Turkish-Syrian border which was in solidarity with Syrian Kurds. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR48X8N

What's next for Hakan Fidan?

Turkey's recently resigned intelligence czar Hakan Fidan is widely expected to found a new National Security Ministry and redesign the country’s entire security apparatus.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a meeting in Moscow, October 21, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4AYVB

UN, Russia take lead in Syria diplomacy

Russia-Egypt ties enter "new phase"; UN and Russian initiatives offer only hope so far for Syria political settlement; Erdogan promotes the "Internal Security Law."