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Turkey

July 3, 2026

Ankara 7:53 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

Turkey opens secret channel to fix ties with Israel

The Biden administration will not be as lenient on Turkey as the outgoing administration has been, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan finds his country increasingly isolated.

A Seagull flies over the Suleymaniye mosque silhouetted during a sunset in Istanbul, Turkey on November 27, 2020. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Despite tension, Turkey attracts more Egyptians than ever

Istanbul has been a hot destination for Egyptians for many years and the trend is only increasing despite the tensions between the two countries.

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 16: U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden (R) shakes hands with Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) during a luncheon at the State Department May 16, 2013 in Washington, DC. Prime Minister Erdogan was on a visit in Washington and had talks on Syria with U.S. President Barack Obama. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Erdogan weighs new reality in US-Turkey ties under Biden

The Turkish president, after backing Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabagh, could feel emboldened to move in Syria, but anticipating the next administration may give pause.

Greek special forces participate in a military exercise, code name 'pyrpolitis', in the Aegean sea on April 6, 2012. AFP PHOTO / ARIS MESSINIS (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

As EU mulls sanctions against Turkey, East Med allies to begin joint drills

Egypt, Greece and Cyprus are preparing to conduct joint military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea as a European summit is expected to impose sanctions on Ankara amid escalating tensions over maritime borders and gas exploration rights.

Turkey's Erdogan crushes hopes of reform, lashes out at AKP veteran

In an address before parliament, the president said there "is no Kurdish problem" in Turkey and took aim at fellow AKP member Bulent Arinc over the latter's comments supporting the release of a jailed Kurdish leader.

A picture shows a joint Turkish-Russian military patrol, in the countryside of the Syrian town of Darbasiyah near the Turkish border in the northeastern province of Hasakah, on November 5, 2020. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP) (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Is Turkey gearing up for military move against Syrian Kurds?

A marked increase in Turkish military activity in the area between Ain Issa and Tall Tamer in northern Syria has raised the specter of a fresh Turkish military move to curb the Kurds before Trump leaves the White House.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MARCH 18: An employee from Istanbul Municipality disinfects the Taksim Republic Statue in Taksim square to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, coronavirus on March 18, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey has confirmed one death and ninety eight positive cases of the coronavirus and officials continue to implement steps to contain the spread of the virus with the Interior Ministry announcing cafes, cinemas, restaurants, shish-a cafes, bars and gyms will close adding to schools, universities

COVID-19 breaks records in Turkey as health experts call for tighter controls

New daily COVID-19 rates hit record highs four days in a row in Turkey, prompting local health officials to call for more stringent social distancing measures.

Germany's Sachsen class air-defense frigate "Hamburg" crosses the Suez Canal waterway near Egypts's port city of Ismailia, east of Cairo, on June 13, 2013. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

German mission searches Libya-bound Turkish ship, sparking backlash from Ankara

German forces intercepted a Libya-bound Turkish ship suspected of carrying arms, sparking the latest row between an EU member state and Ankara ahead of a key summit assessing bilateral ties next month.

Turkish cop photographed killing Kurdish student walks free

Young Kurd Kemal Kurkut was shot dead in 2017 in Diyarbakir and while his police officer killer will go unpunished, the photographer who documented the incident faces serious charges.

EDITORS NOTE: Graphic content / A protester is detained by police during a demonstration against the replacement of Kurdish mayors with state officials in three cities, on August 20, 2019, in Istanbul. - The Turkish government removed three mayors from office on August 19 over alleged links to Kurdish militants as Ankara deepened its crackdown on the opposition. The mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van provinces in eastern Turkey -- all members of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) elected in M

Turkey expands crackdown on pro-Kurdish activists with dozens of raids

The prospect for promises of sweeping reform looked bleak in the wake of more than 70 arrests that targeted politicians, doctors, lawyers, journalists and civil society activists.

Top Netflix drama lays open Turkish divides

The Turkish Netflix series Ethos has been both praised for bridging the divide between Turkey’s feuding segments and disparaged for enforcing them with cliches.

US Vice President Joe Biden (L) gestures next to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a meeting at Yildiz Mabeyn Palace on January 23, 2016 in Istanbul. / AFP / POOL / SEDAT SUNA (Photo credit should read SEDAT SUNA/AFP via Getty Images)

US-Turkey ties under Biden: confrontation or conciliation?

The Biden era in Washington is looming as a tough test for Ankara, whose moves will largely determine how the scarred US-Turkish relationship develops.