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Turkey

September 16, 2026

Ankara 10:09 pm

17°C

People swim next to the Russian-flagged cargo ship OMSKIY-107, which was attacked off the Black Sea coast and eventually ran aground off the shore of the Sile district, Istanbul, Sept. 3, 2026.

Why Turkey has few options to protect Black Sea shipping

The Russia-Ukraine drone war is hitting Turkish commercial interests, exposing the limits of Ankara’s ability to protect shipping while remaining outside the conflict.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities gather during a rally to recruit more fighters in Sanaa on Sept. 10, 2026.

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's Houthi crisis tests alliances with Trump, Turkey and Pakistan

As the Houthis tighten their grip on the Bab al-Mandeb, Saudi Arabia is turning to new regional alliances while Washington resists calls to intervene.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Latest News

Turkey’s defense giants court Egypt at Alamein Airshow: What to know

El Alamein International Airshow

Russia to give Turkey preferential fertilizer access amid Hormuz supply crunch

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek on September 1, 2026. (Photo by Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

Turkish ceramicist Leyla Borovali shapes Aegean heritage into clay

Leyla Borovali at her studio overlooking the Aegean

Analysis

With Hurjet test, Turkey seeks defense dominance beyond drones

TAI Hurjet

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Pedestrians walk through Istiklal Ave. in Istanbul on Nov. 14, 2022.

Istanbul bomb attack could have repercussions in international arena

Turkey lashes out at ‘insincerity’ of US condolences for an attack targeting a crowded street after claiming that the Syrian ‘branch’ of the PKK ordered it.

Ed Ram/Getty Images

US, Russian spy chiefs meet in Turkey over Ukraine war

CIA chief warns his Russian counterpart "on the consequences of the use of nuclear weapons" during face-to-face talks in Ankara.

Istiklal Street memorial

Turkey points to Kurdish militants for deadly Istanbul bombing

Turkish security forces have arrested a Syrian woman they say confessed to carrying out the attack under instructions from Kobani, but both the Kurdistan Workers Party and Syrian Kurdish forces deny any involvement.

A tramway drives through a crowd in Istiklal avenue on Jan. 25, 2019 in central Istanbul.

Suspected terror attack in central Istanbul kills six, wounds dozens

At least six people were killed and dozens wounded in an explosion on one of Istanbul’s busiest streets.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (L) hold a press conference following their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara on November 8, 2022.

The Turkey Briefing: Erdogan basks in the global limelight

In this weekly newsletter, Amberin Zaman rounds up the biggest Turkey stories from the region.

Turkey's Nationalist Movement Party's (MHP) leader Devlet Bahceli.

Erdogan's nationalist ally supports talks with pro-Kurdish party

MHP leader Devlet Bahceli's decision to back negotiations with the HDP over a constitutional amendment hints at an election strategy for Turkey’s ruling alliance.

Demonstrators chant and burn tires as they gather in the Syrian opposition-held town of al-Bab.

Turkey turns up pressure on allies in Syria

Turkey is using the jihadis’ march into Afrin to push its rebel allies in Syria to reorganize as a coherent, disciplined force. But what happens next if the factions fail to do so by the reported year-end deadline?

Alevis

Turkish government criticized for creating new Alevi cultural agency

Many Alevi associations have objected to the agency's placement with the Culture Ministry, which they say demonstrates the government’s refusal to recognize Alevis as a religious community.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

What Netanyahu’s return means for Israel-Turkey ties

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sent a congratulatory message to incoming Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, signaling that nascent cooperation between the two countries would profit the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (L).

Erdogan unswayed by Swedish PM's charm offensive

The Swedish prime minister met the Turkish president in Ankara amid the ongoing NATO dispute over Sweden and Finland's accession to the alliance.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Opposition claims Turkey flooded by gangster 'black money'

An alleged Montenegrin mafia figure has been detained in Istanbul following the political opposition's warning that the government is turning a blind eye toward international criminals

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

IMF tells Turkey to raise interest rates

Inflation is rampant in Turkey, but Turkey's Central Bank stubbornly continues to cut interest rates under pressure from President Erdogan.