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Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 7:12 am

4°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

Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov speaks to journalists upon his arrival in Damascus December 10, 2014. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4HF01

Kremlin unsure how to take Erdogan's vow to topple Assad

A Russian diplomat has expressed confusion and cautious disapproval over Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan openly saying that Turkey's main objective in Syria is to topple the regime.

A Syrian government soldier gestures a v-sign under the Syrian national flag near a general view of eastern Aleppo after they took control of al-Sakhour neigbourhood in Aleppo, Syria in this handout picture provided by SANA on November 28, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THIS IMAGE. - RTSTSGY

Why Aleppo’s fall will be a game-changer for Turkey

The recapture of Aleppo by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces could turn the tables on Turkey.

Turkey's central bank governor Murat Cetinkaya speaks during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX2C6AI

How the Turkish lira entered free fall

The European Parliament’s vote to suspend Turkey’s membership talks is the latest move to worsen the rapid decline of the Turkish lira's foreign exchange rates.

Turkish army tanks and military personal are stationed in Karkamis on the Turkish-Syrian border in the southeastern Gaziantep province, Turkey, August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2MYWR

Erdogan's shifting rationale on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's latest rationale for Turkish forces entering northern Syria point to a long-term engagement.

Muhamed, a Syrian refugee boy, works at a small textile factory in Istanbul, Turkey, June 24, 2016. Picture taken June 24, 2016. To match Special Report EUROPE-MIGRANTS/TURKEY-CHILDREN REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTSJN5J

Turkish companies flout law for cheap Syrian labor

Unemployment in Turkey has reached 11.3%, and Syrian refugees have become a convenient scapegoat.

Men ride motorbikes past a Turkish armored carrier in the northern Syrian rebel-held town of al-Rai, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSQWHY

Erdogan comes face to face with US, Russia in Syria

Turkey may have gone into Syria to push back Syrian Kurds, but it now finds itself confronting both Russia and the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend a session of the World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. Sputnik/Kremlin/Alexei Druzhinin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTSRLXH

Why Russia isn’t rushing to lift sanctions on Turkey

Russia appears to be in no hurry to remove all of its sanctions against Turkey, even though it’s been a year since they were imposed.

Free Syrian Army fighters walk past a Turkish tank mounted on a transporter in the northern Syrian rebel-held town of al-Rai, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria, October 5, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RTSQWHS

Did IS kill Turkish troops in Syria?

The Turkish government is remaining silent while some say the Islamic State — not the Syrian air force, as Ankara claims — was responsible for an attack on Turkish forces in northern Syria.

U.S. President elect Donald Trump reacts to a crowd gathered in the lobby of the New York Times building after a meeting in New York, U.S., November 22, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - RTSSU9I

What do Kurds expect from Trump?

Turkey's Kurds are wondering what kind of policy President-elect Donald Trump will follow on Turkey's Kurdish problem.

A Turkish flag is seen next to the dome of a mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, July 16, 2016. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis - RTSIBCJ

How Ankara plans to manage Kurds' religious affairs

After firing hundreds of imams in Turkey's southeast region, the Religious Affairs Directorate wants to hand-pick preachers that will help the Kurds remember "real Islam."

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a Republic Day ceremony at Anitkabir, the mausoleum of modern Turkey's founder Ataturk, to mark the republic's anniversary in Ankara, Turkey, October 29, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2QXOM

Turkey moves full throttle toward one-party state

Turkey’s authoritarian shift may be institutionalized in a matter of months, as few obstacles remain before a referendum on a presidential system.

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko welcomes Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting at the Palace of Independence in Minsk, Belarus, November 11, 2016. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko - RTX2T5HA

Why does President Erdogan admire Belarus?

Erdogan prefers the self-styled “democracy” of Belarus and hails it against the failures and double standards of the West.