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Turkey

Turkey

November 11, 2026

Ankara 1:20 pm

9°C

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Explainer

Iran war pushes up coal use, complicating Turkey’s COP31 pledge

Turkey is asking world leaders at COP31 to back a global push to use more electricity, even as the Iran war has driven up natural gas prices and pushed some power producers back to coal.

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.

Latest News

Analysis

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

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth

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.

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

Have Turkey-PKK clashes crossed fatal threshold?

The PKK’s alleged shooting down of a Turkish assault helicopter marks a major development in the ongoing fighting between the two sides.

Has Europe had enough of Erdogan?

A crisis in relations with Germany could have significant strategic and geopolitical implications for Turkey and its future.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu leaves a news conference at his ruling AK Party headquarters in Ankara, Turkey May 5, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2CY0J

How Turkey’s recent political shakeup will have wide-ranging impact

The resignation of Turkish Prime Minister Ahmed Davutoglu could affect both the country’s economy and anti-IS efforts; new report scrutinizes US military aid to Egypt as human rights abuses persist; Al-Monitor’s reporter in the news.

Syrian refugees shop at a market at Harran refugee camp in the Sanliurfa province, Turkey April 26, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX2BPLG

How long can Turkey afford growing refugee bill?

The monthly bill of hosting the Syrian refugees in Turkey has shot up to $500 million, in a further strain on the country’s already struggling economy.

After political shake-up, is Turkey heading for economic crisis?

By sidelining Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has taken full control of the political reins but ambiguity about his economic policies is creating concerns.

As Davutoglu exits, Erdoganists demand 'obedience to the leader'

The departure of Ahmet Davutoglu as prime minister marks the opening of a new narrative that makes obedience to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a religious duty.

How will Turkey gain power abroad when it can't protect its borders?

Turkey's ineffectiveness in protecting the city of Kilis on the Syrian border points to how unlikely it is that the government will fulfill its ambition to become a regional power.

'Angels' chasing investments in Turkey

Generous government subsidies are bringing more angel investors that support new entrepreneurs with capital infusion and counseling to Turkey.

Kurdish conflict reaches Turkish kitchens

The Kurdish conflict in southeast Turkey has badly hurt farming in the region, worsening the country’s already acute meat production shortage.

The downfall of two Iranian tycoons

Iranian lawmaker Amir-Abbas Soltani told Al-Monitor that Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab intentionally visited the US, knowing he would be detained, to avoid being arrested in Turkey and extradited to Iran.

Turkish military faces secularism test

As the popularity of religious vocational schools increases, the ban on the enrollment of imam-hatip graduates into military schools is being questioned.

A woman walks on the beach at sunset in the Mediterranean resort town of Belek in Antalya, Turkey, January 8, 2016. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX21K44

How Turkey plans to boost halal tourism

The second international halal tourism conference, held in Konya, gave a boost to Turkey’s determination to improve its performance in the growing Muslim travel market.