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July 5, 2026

Ankara 2:46 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

The beginnings of an Israel-Iran reset?

Israel may be reassessing the Iranian threat, as Iran shows its reach in Palestinian politics.

Turkish President Abdullah Gul addresses the 68th United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 24, 2013. REUTERS/Andrew Burton/Pool (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13XT5

Pressure grows for Gul to be more assertive

There are some who see Abdullah Gul as a better bet than Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for the presidency and the future of the Justice and Development Party.

Members of the interim government of democratic self-administered party stand after declaring a provincial government, in the city of Amuda near Hasaka January 21, 2014. Kurds in Syria declared a provincial government in the north of the country on Tuesday, consolidating their geographic and political presence on the eve of peace talks in Switzerland at which they will not be represented. The municipal council will run affairs in one of three administrative districts set up by Kurds, who have seized upon t

Relations among Syrian Kurdish parties hit new low

The Kurdistan National Council (KNC) and the Democratic Union Party (PYD) are in dispute over power-sharing arrangements.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) passes Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during their meeting in Moscow's Kremlin January 16, 2014. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17GFG

Iran opens new chapter in relations with Russia

While Moscow and Tehran have historically been neither friend nor foe, and challenges remain, shared interests on Syria, counterterrorism, security and energy could move Iran and Russia increasingly toward more comprehensive strategic cooperation.

Civilians and members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) gesture and raise flags atop a tank that belonged to fighters from the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), in al-Manajeer village of Ras al-Ain countryside January 28, 2014. REUTERS/Rodi Said (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTX17YNR

Syrian Kurds courting Turkmens

Security and the future role of Syrian Turkmens depend on alliance with Kurds.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a ceremony to mark the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, in Tehran's Azadi square February 11, 2012. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS RELIGION) - RTR2XN6M

Hamas unfazed by Fatah outreach to Iran

Syria is still a sticky issue between Hamas and both Fatah and Iran.

Journalists from the foreign correspondence organisation participate in a protest demanding the release of four Al Jazeera correspondents outside the Egyptian Embassy premises in Kenya's capital Nairobi February 4, 2014. Three of the Qatar-based television network's journalists - Peter Greste, an Australian; Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian national; and Baher Mohamed - were detained in Cairo on Dec. 29 and remain in custody, Al Jazeera said. REUTERS/George Philipas (KENYA - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS MEDIA

Journalists become the story in Egypt

International and social media coverage may have resulted in improved prison conditions for detained journalists.

MUNICH, GERMANY - FEBRUARY 2: (L-R) Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, US Senator Christopher Murphy and chairman and organizer of the 50th Munich Security Conference (MSC)Wolfgang Ischinger attend a panel discussion during the 50th Munich Security Conference (MSC) in the Bayerischer Hof hotel on February 2, 2014 in Munich, Germany. The Munich Security Conference is to open with

Iran, Israel and the politics of gesture

Iranian and Israeli officials are listening to each other at international conferences.

Satirical Turkish site on trial for insulting religion

Turkish prosecutors are busily pursuing “insults” to Islam, while hate speech against Jews and Christians goes largely unnoticed.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends the annual Munich Security Conference February 2, 2014. REUTERS/Lukas Barth (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX184O6

Israeli security officials recognize change in Iran

Although Israel is keeping its military option on the table, Israeli defense officials privately acknowledge that Iran is undergoing a "historic" change.

Israeli soldiers ride aboard a naval vessel in the Mediterranean Sea May 31, 2010. Israeli marines stormed a Turkish aid ship bound for Gaza on Monday and 10 pro-Palestinian activists were killed, triggering a diplomatic crisis and plans for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council. REUTERS/Uriel Sinai/Pool (POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2ELNX

Turkey-Israel ties may be linked to gas pipeline

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is inching toward normalization of Turkey-Israel relations.

France's President Francois Hollande (front R) shakes hands with Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (front L) as they are accompanied by President Abdullah Gul during a dinner at the Presidential Palace in Ankara January 27, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX17XCL

Gul, Erdogan agree on Gulenists

Turkey's prime minister and president are both convinced that Gulenists organized within the state should be confronted within the confines of law, reflecting the Turkish state's unity against the Gulenists.