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Turkey

July 3, 2026

Ankara 12:11 am

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A screenshot of one of Deniz Goktas' standup routines posted to YouTube.

Culture

Turkish standup comic detained after act calling Erdogan 'dictator' goes viral

Comedian Deniz Goktas’ arrest comes as Ankara intensifies prosecutions against opposition figures, journalists, artists and critics ahead of a major NATO summit.

Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud speaks during the launch of an offshore energy exploration at the port in Mogadishu on April 10, 2026.

Turkish jets strike al-Shabab targets in Somalia: What to know

A Somali Defense Ministry statement initially said Turkish F-16s carried out strikes on Al-Shabab targets before a later version referred only to “international partners.”

Syrian textile employees work in a textile workshop in Gaziantep, Turkey, on Jan. 30, 2025.

Explainer

Turkey eases job rules for 1M+ Syrians under temporary protection: What to know

The move, part of a broader easing of restrictions on Syrians living in Turkey, could allow roughly 1.1 million working-age Syrians to enter registered employment more easily as Ankara seeks to reduce informal labor and address workforce gaps.

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

Turkey, Azerbaijan slam Israel’s Armenian genocide recognition as Yerevan mum

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Turkey and Egypt are deepening military ties amid regional turmoil

From (L-R) Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attend a meeting in Cairo on June 21, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

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

A Syrian Air Force fighter plane flies over the Syrian town of Ras al-Ain during an air strike, as seen from the Turkish border town of Ceylanpinar, Sanliurfa province November 13, 2012. A Syrian warplane struck homes in the town of Ras al-Ain on Tuesday within sight of the Turkish border, pursuing an aerial bombardment to force out rebels and drawing a new warning from Ankara. The second day of jet strikes sent Syrians scurrying through the flimsy barbed-wire fence that divides Ras al-Ain from the Turkish

Was shoot down of Syrian plane linked to Turkish elections?

Is it possible to disentangle the shooting down of a Syrian plane on March 23 from the Turkish local elections on March 30?

Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan light flares during an election rally in Istanbul March 23, 2014. Erdogan, rallying hundreds of thousands of cheering supporters in Istanbul, said on Sunday that political enemies accusing him of corruption would be crushed by their own immorality. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3I986

Turkey shoots down Syrian plane as elections heat up

Turkey's political opposition warns Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that "a thief cannot be a hero."

Fatwa emerges in Turkish corruption allegations

What is the role of political Islam in the allegations of corruption against the government of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan?

Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) meets with Ukraine's interim President Oleksander Turchinov in Kiev March 1, 2014. REUTERS/Anastasia Sirotkina/Pool (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FUS8

Turkey faces 'geography’s revenge' in Crimea

Turkey’s strategic environment has become even more complicated following the Russian annexation of Crimea.

The war on Twitter, the blowback from Ukraine

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan follows through on his threat to shut down Twitter, as Saudi Arabia and Qatar also crack down on social media; US-Russia collaboration on Syria and Iran is so far holding on, despite tensions over Ukraine.

Erdogan’s great patriotic war

A recent video produced by the Justice and Development Party reveals an intense nationalistic vibe.

An illustration picture shows the log-on icon for the Website Twitter on an Ipad in Bordeaux, Southwestern France, January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau (FRANCE - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS) - RTR3D6NN

Saudi Arabia cracks down on Twitter

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has turned its attention to political dissent on Twitter.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint news conference with Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad February 20, 2014. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX196LB

Look for more assertive Russia in Middle East

Unless there is a de-escalation of the crisis over Crimea, the Obama administration could expect to deal with a Russian president more willing to challenge US interests in the Middle East.

People attend a rally called "We are together" to support the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea to Russia in Red Square in central Moscow, March 18, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin, defying Ukrainian protests and Western sanctions, signed a treaty on Tuesday making Crimea part of Russia but said he did not plan to seize any other regions of Ukraine. The flags display portraits of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and read "We are together!" REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF T

US-Russia confrontation could drift to Mideast

The question is whether Iran, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, in particular, will change their policies in the context of the US-Russia standoff.

Gul rebuts Erdogan’s international conspiracy claims

Turkish President Abdullah Gul supports an open and transparent investigation into allegations of corruption, saying, “There must be no suspicions left with regard to corruption.”

An Israeli army officer speaks to a soldier who was wounded during an explosion as he is evacuated to hospital, in the northern city of Haifa March 18, 2014. A roadside bomb wounded four Israeli soldiers patrolling the occupied Golan Heights on Tuesday, and Israel retaliated with artillery fire on Syrian army positions, the army said. It was not clear who had planted the bomb in an area where the Syrian military, Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas and Syrian rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad all have a p

Israel sets new red lines with Syria

The Israeli government prefers that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces keep the Golan quiet, while making clear it will not tolerate any game-changing weapons transfers to Hezbollah.

Mustafa Asaba, a regional leader of Crimean Tatars, sits in the living room of a friend's home in Belogorsk near the Crimean capital of Simferopol March 17, 2014. Among the voices drowned out by victory celebrations across Crimea as it voted to leave Ukraine and join Russia were those of the Tatars, a minority group for whom the prospect of a return to Moscow rule brings fear and uncertainty. Picture taken March 17, 2014. REUTERS/Thomas Peter (UKRAINE - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTR3HIWN

Turkey also a loser in Crimea

No matter how hard Turkey tries to be the guardian of Crimean Tatars, there isn’t much it can do after the Crimean vote to join Russia.