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Turkey

July 5, 2026

Ankara 1:22 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.

Latest News

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

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

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

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses the members of his ruling AK Party (AKP), as he stands in front of the Turkey's national flag and portraits of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, and of himself during a meeting at his party headquarters in Ankara July 11, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR34TO6

The AKP, Ibn Khaldun and The New 'Desert Tribes' of Turkey

Medieval Muslim thinker Ibn Khaldun provides insight into the evolution and prospects for the AKP.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (C) attends a ceremony marking the 91st anniversary of Victory Day at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, founder of modern Turkey, in Ankara August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX131DQ

Turkey’s Middle East Policy Lies in Shambles

While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may still have some admirers in the "Arab street," he may be losing the admiration of many of the region’s leaders.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan gestures as he addresses the media before leaving for Turkmenistan at Esenboga Airport in Ankara August 15, 2013. Erdogan called on Thursday for the U.N. Security Council to convene quickly and act after what he described as a massacre in Egypt, during a news conference in Ankara. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12M4D

Is Turkey Backpedaling on Syria?

Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc has signaled that Turkey hasn't fully decided to join the coalition of the willing against the Syrian regime.

Orobik Eminian, 98, who was the only member of her family to escape the World War One killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks, joins others in commemorating the 95th anniversary of the killings and a call for it to be termed a genocide in New York City April 25, 2010. Turkey rejects the term and denies that up to 1.5 million Armenians died. It says many Muslim Turks and Kurds, as well as Christian Armenians, were killed in inter-communal violence as Russian forces invaded eastern Anatolia during World War One

Turkey’s Kurds Seek Forgiveness For 1915 Armenian Tragedy

Turkey’s Kurds are taking responsibility for their role in the mass killings of Ottoman Armenians in 1915.

A woman is seen through a fabric sheet as she walks past a rally calling for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, in Gaza City September 2, 2013. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX134LM

Palestinian Women Hope To Gain Divorce Rights

Activists are pushing for Gaza to join the West Bank in an initiative that will allow women to divorce without their husbands' permission.

$Caretaker Energy Minister Gebran Bassil points at a map during a tour of areas believed to have gas reserves, off Lebanon's coast near Beirut May 30, 2013. Offshore seismic surveys suggest Lebanon has at least 30 trillion cubic feet in just a small fraction of its Mediterranean waters Bassil said. Lebanon has selected 46 international oil companies to bid to explore for gas off its coast, where survey ships have been assessing prospects after discoveries in waters off neighbouring Israel and Cyprus. Pictur$

Political Disputes Delay Lebanon’s Gas Projects

In light of Lebanon’s governmental vacuum and developments in neighboring Syria, certain parties want to delay the bidding process for exploration rights to the country’s offshore gas fields.

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2nd L) and his wife Emine Erdogan attend the women's qualification game Olympic basketball match between Turkey and Angola during the London 2012 Olympic Games July 28, 2012. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor (BRITAIN - Tags: POLITICS SPORT OLYMPICS BASKETBALL) - RTR35I0J

Erdogan Wants the Olympics

Troubled at home and abroad, Turkey’s prime minister hopes for an Olympic win for Istanbul that can provide a much-needed antidote to his political woes.

Relatives of car bomb victims inspect the damaged cars at the bomb explosion site in front of al-Salam mosque in the port city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon August 24, 2013. Bombs hit two mosques in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Friday, killing at least 42 people and wounding hundreds, intensifying sectarian strife that has spilled over from the civil war in neighbouring Syria. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX12UWT

Factional Politics Limit Effectiveness of Lebanon Army

The Lebanese Armed Forces are well trained and armed, but handicapped by Lebanese politics.

Turkey’s Stairway to A Democratic Heaven

The crumbling, concrete street stairs in an Istanbul alley have become the latest battleground for the colorful pluralism of society and the “gray” authoritarianism of politicians in Turkey.

Turkey's ruling AK Party Deputy Chairman Huseyin Celik addresses the media in Ankara June 12, 2013. The AK Party on Wednesday ordered protesters to leave Istanbul's central Gezi Park immediately and said it would consider holding a referendum on redevelopment plans which sparked almost two weeks of violent demonstrations. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10LJ4

Veteran Journalist, AKP Official Clash Over Egypt

The former managing editor of daily newspaper Hurriyet clashes with Huseyin Celik, deputy chairman of the AKP, over Egypt.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu speaks during a joint news conference with his Jordanian counterpart Nasser Judeh in Amman May 10, 2013. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZHVL

Turkey's Role Limited In Syria Crisis

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu justify their tough approach to Syria, but may not have much of a role in de-escalating the crisis.

A Kurdish woman demonstrates against the conditions of detention of jailed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan during a protest in Strasbourg April 4, 2012. Hundreds of demonstrators protested in support of Ocalan, who was captured on February 15, 1999, and is currently serving a life sentence in Turkey. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR30BET

Is Turkey-PKK Peace Process At a Dead End?

The Sept. 1 deadline for the second stage in the Kurdish peace process is about to expire, without progress.