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Turkey

Turkey

May 9, 2026

Ankara 1:15 pm

20°C

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions.

Latest News

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

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

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Police suicides surge in Turkey

A cluster of police suicides in Turkey last month highlights a crumbling brotherhood and lack of organizational support.

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

US-Turkey ties set to remain loveless, transactional

The meeting between the Turkish and American presidents left key issues unresolved, with cooperation in Afghanistan emerging as the only progress to speak of.

Kabul airport security detail

Turkey needs to build support for new Afghan mission

Turkey’s offer to secure Kabul’s airport might turn into a perilous mission unless it reaches some understanding with the Taliban and secures the critical support of regional actors such as Pakistan and Iran.

European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic gestures during the European Parliament plenary session to prepare the European Council meeting of June 24-25, in Brussels, on June 23, 2021.

Advocates call for greater focus on democratic rights in Turkey ahead of European summit

As European leaders prepare to review EU-Turkey relations in a summit this week, advocates urged greater links between future cooperation and improvements in basic rights and the rule of law in Turkey.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

Russian tourists flock to Turkey as flights resume

Russia suspended air traffic with Turkey in April due to a spike in coronavirus cases, but infections have since gone down significantly in Turkey and vaccinations are up.

A man holds HDP flags as members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) take part in a protest against the detention of HDP members, in Istanbul, on Sept. 25, 2020.

Top Turkish court accepts revised indictment to ban pro-Kurdish party

Turkey’s Constitutional Court on Monday accepted a case seeking the closure of the nation’s second-largest opposition party, the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), after a top prosecutor revised and resubmitted an indictment alleging members collude with terrorists.

People wearing protective masks shop at a local market, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Ankara, Turkey, Feb. 22, 2021.

Official data lays bare deepening poverty in Turkey

With economic disparities worsening amid the coronavirus pandemic, Turkey’s poverty rate has increased 0.6 points to 21.9% of the population.

OLIVIER MATTHYS/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey wild card in US-Russia conflict over Syria aid

The US administration might be open to a position shift on the Syrian file to secure the flow of cross-border international aid to Syria, a prospect that may spoil Turkey's calculations in Syria and particularly in Idlib.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Turkish troops to remain at Kabul airport after NATO withdrawal

The US president has committed to granting Turkey's requests for support to maintaining troops at Kabul International.

Erdogan and Netanyahu

Why Erdogan may miss Netanyahu

Benjamin Netanyahu’s departure as prime minister of Israel is a loss of sorts for Erdogan when it comes to both domestic and regional politics.

Pupils wearing protective facemasks listen to a teacher in a classroom of a school in Ankara on March 2, 2021, after the country lifted restrictions measures against the Covid-19 pandemic in regions with lower infection rates.

Erdogan's silent revolution seeks more than pious youth

A recent report claims Turkey’s education system has become increasingly Islamist, with curriculum focusing on Islamic concepts at the expense of science and secularism. Yet it remains to be seen how effective this push will be.

This photo taken on May 8, 2018, shows people arriving at the domestic terminal of the Hamid Karzai International Airport of Kabul.

Why Turkey wants to handle security at Kabul airport

Ankara’s willingness to deploy a military mission to secure Kabul’s airport raises questions about the risks it is prepared to take, what allies Turkish forces could have on the ground and what the US administration is prepared to offer in return.