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Turkey

Turkey

May 9, 2026

Ankara 5:10 pm

20°C

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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

WhatsApp denies privacy update will not apply in Turkey

There were reports in Turkish media that Facebook-owned messaging service's controversial privacy update, following a backlash, would not come to Turkey.

Soylu and Erdogan

Erdogan in hot spot as Turks question 'mafiazation' of politics

Erdogan risks a major political setback unless he manages to contain an unprecedented scandal sparked by a mobster claiming close links with government figures.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish court begins retrial of philanthropist Osman Kavala

Businessman and philanthropist Osman Kavala, who has remained in prison without a conviction since 2017, was denied release on Friday.

Turkish President and leader of Justice and Development (AK) Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling AK Party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (GNAT), in Ankara, on April 21, 2021.

Israel-Hamas conflict exposes Turkey’s irrelevance in region

Turkey’s apparent exclusion from cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas shows President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy is in tatters.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Will Turkey’s Grey Wolves land on EU terror list

The European Parliament’s annual report on Turkey suggests placing Turkey’s far-right Grey Wolves on the EU terrorist list.

BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images

European Parliament calls for suspension of Turkey accession talks

In a critical report, the European Parliament has suggested suspending Turkey’s long-stalled EU accession negotiations unless negative domestic and foreign policy trends are reversed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a protest rally in Istanbul on May 18, 2018, against the recent killings of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza-Israel border and the US Embassy move to Jerusalem.

The Takeaway: Erdogan’s incendiary remarks about Israel worsen ties with Washington

The fallout of the Turkish president’s comments could compound problems for country’s beleaguered economy; Israel-Palestinian frictions dominate region’s news; Libya’s mercenaries; and more!

Turkish President and leader of the Justice and Development Party Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during his ruling party's group meeting at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara on April 21, 2021.

US condemns Erdogan remarks toward Israel as anti-Semitic

The US State Department Tuesday condemned comments by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as anti-Semitic, a claim Ankara officials refuted and said distracts from ongoing violence in Israel.

Sedat Peker is seen in a video uploaded to YouTube May 16, 2021.

How an exiled mafia boss became the center of Turkish politics

An ultranationalist mafia boss, Sedat Peker, who had connections with the ruling elite for decades, now wages war against top officials with his camera and tripod from abroad.

YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey fails to convince Russia to lift flight ban

Despite the efforts of Turkey's top-level delegation to Russia to get flights resumed between the two countries, Moscow has extended the ban.

A currency exchange office worker counts Turkish Lira banknotes in front of the electronic panel displaying currency exchange rates at an exchange office in Istanbul, on August 6, 2020.

Further depreciation of Turkish lira appears inevitable

The surprise US inflation data last week could be the omen of deepening troubles for the Turkish economy.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses his lawmakers at parliament in Ankara, on Feb. 3, 2009. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged never to allow anti-Semitism to take hold in Turkey, in a bid to calm the country's Jewish minority, increasingly concerned over his attacks on Israel over the Gaza war.

Turkey’s Jewish minority takes the heat amid Israeli-Palestinian violence

A frenzy of anti-Israeli coverage in Turkish media has accompanied anti-Semitic attacks on the country's small Jewish community.