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Turkey

July 3, 2026

Ankara 4:48 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.

KAREN MINASYAN / AFP via Getty Images

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

Ankara accused Israel of weaponizing history as Armenia avoided public comment amid delicate regional diplomacy.

Latest News

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

Pompeo says Turkey's purchase of Russian S-400 violates NATO agreements

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a phone call that Turkey’s purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system is a threat to the United States. .

Congressmen say Turkey is undermining NATO

The top Democrat and the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee criticized Turkey's purchase of a Russian air defense system and drilling in the Mediterranean.

A handout picture taken and released on December 17 , 2020 by the Turkish Presidential Press service shows Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi (L) at the Presidential Complex with an official ceremony in Ankara. (Photo by Murat CETINMUHURDAR / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE / AFP) / XGTY / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/ MURAT CETINMUHURDAR" - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS -

Iraq, Turkey agree to cooperate on counterterrorism, trade

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi committed to enhanced cooperation on terrorism, trade and energy, although Turkey’s ongoing military operations in Iraqi Kurdistan may remain a source of contention between the two neighbors.

Turkish Foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu gives a press conference with his Hungarian counterpart following their meeting in Ankara, on December 8, 2020. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey won't back down from S-400s despite sanctions, says foreign minister

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara will "take steps" to respond to the US sanctions unveiled this week.

Erdogan coalition partner calls for outlawing pro-Kurdish party

Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli said Turkey's Constitution should be changed to ban the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party.

US Vice President Joe Biden (L) gestures during a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on the sidelines of the nuclear summit in Washington, DC, on March 31, 2016. / AFP / Andrew CABALLERO (Photo credit should read ANDREW CABALLERO/AFP via Getty Images)

The Takeaway: Is Erdogan wooing Biden by antagonizing Iran and Russia?

Six signs of possible change in Turkish policies.

Washington on the spot as its Syrian Kurd allies are drawn into PKK-KDP fight

Reported border clash worsens conflict between Kurdish factions in triangle where US, Turkish and Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish forces come into play.

People walk past a screen showing rates at a currency exchange agency near Grand bazaar, in Istanbul, on September 24, 2020. - Turkey's central bank on September 24, 2020 raised its main interest for the first time since September 2018, boosting the rate by two percentage points to help the lira recover from historic lows. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish Central Bank to pursue tight monetary policy against inflation

Turkey’s Central Bank Governor Naci Agbal said Wednesday he would seek to stem inflation, possibly through further rate hikes, pledging to continue tight monetary policies and stabilize the nation’s currency.

Turkish defense industry risks big damage from US sanctions

The US sanctions targeting Turkey’s defense industry agency may be seen as rather mild by some observers, but they threaten to deprive Turkey of key military technology should they last more than a year.

Me Too movement rattles Turkey’s literary world

Turkish literary scene becomes a new battlefront in the women’s movement as female writers, editors and translators pour out their stories of abuse and one author commits suicide.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - DECEMBER 01: People walk past a branch of Turkish bank HalkBank on December 1, 2017 in Istanbul, Turkey. The trial of Mr. Reza Zarrab, an Iranian-Turk who ran a foreign exchange and gold dealership continues in New York. In recent days testimony Mr. Zarrab implicated a number of Turkish Banks as well as high ranking government officials. Mr. Zarrab is accused of managing a billion-dollar scheme to smuggle gold for Iranian oil and conspiring to violate United States sanctions against Iran.

Turkish lira remains stable after US sanctions

Turkey’s currency remained relatively stable Tuesday after the United States imposed limited sanctions on Ankara for acquiring Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems.

A Turkish soldier stands near his armoured vehicle on a highway near the northern Syrian town of Ain Issa in the countryside of the Raqqa region, on November 26, 2019, as Turkey-backed forces deploy reinforcements around the key town. - Ankara and its Syrian proxies launched on October 9 a cross-border attack against Kurdish fighters in northern Syria, which allowed Turkey, along with a subsequent Russian-Turkish accord, to control a strip of land on the Syrian side of the border. Ain Issa lies on the south

Syrian Kurds squeezed between Turkish threat, Russian pressure in Ain Issa

Amid growing fears of a fresh Turkish offensive, the Syrian Kurds are under Russian pressure to cede full or partial control of the strategic town of Ain Issa to the Syrian government.