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July 3, 2026

Ankara 11:42 pm

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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

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - APRIL 12: Galata Tower and surrounds are empty during a two-day lockdown imposed prevent the spread of COVID-19 on April 12, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. The 48-hour lockdown extends until midnight Sunday and applies to more than two dozen cities, including Istanbul and the capital, Ankara. As of April 12, Turkey has reported 56,956 cases of COVID-19 and 1,198 related deaths. (Photo by Burak Kara/Getty Images)

Botched restoration makes Turkish antiquities into punchlines

Experts accuse the Turkish government of hiring inexperienced construction companies to restore precious historical monuments, and the results have been predictable.

Prime Minister of Libya's UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) Fayez al-Sarraj (R) meets with Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu at the GNA's presidential headquarters in the capital Tripoli on June 17, 2020. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

What is Turkey’s role in Tripoli political tremor?

The power struggle inside the Tripoli government is drawing Turkey into a political brouhaha with unpredictable consequences.

Senior Islamic State figure in custody after Turkish raid

Turkish police detained a top Islamic State figure during a raid in the nation’s southern province of Adana as counterterrorism operations continue against the organization’s networks.

Intel: Greece seeks French military aircraft as Turkey renews gas exploration in eastern Mediterranean

Athens seeks French military hardware amid sharp tensions with Ankara.

Pro Kurdish supporters march by Austrian Parliament as approximately 2000 thousand people attended a protest in Vienna on October 10, 2014 to show solidarity for Syrian Kurds who are fighting to defend the Syrian-Turkey border town of Kobane from Islamic State (Isis) militants. AFP PHOTO / JOE KLAMAR (Photo credit should read JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Austria says Turkish spy caught amid probe into Turkish-Kurdish clashes

Austria will prosecute an individual who reportedly confessed to spying on behalf of Turkey.

TOPSHOT - People clash with Turkish police ahead of the funeral of Turkish lawyer Ebru Timtik in the Gazi District of Istanbul on August 28, 2020. - A Turkish lawyer seeking a fair trial after being charged with membership of a terrorist organisation has died in an Istanbul hospital on the 238th day of her hunger strike. Friends said Ebru Timtik weighed just 30 kilogrammes (65 pounds) at the time of her death late August 27, which has sparked condemnation from opposition parties in Turkey as well as from a

Ankara accused of weaponizing pandemic measures against opposition

The Turkish government is accused of abusing pandemic restrictions to suppress the opposition and advance its own political agenda.

The Baghdad international airport is pictured following its reopening on July 23, 2020, after a closure forced by the coronavirus pandemic restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the deadly COVID-19 illness in Iraq. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images)

Flights between Turkey, Iraq suspended another month

Flights between the two countries won't resume before Oct. 1 amid reports of rising coronavirus cases.

Opposition lawmaker assaulted after Turkey’s interior minister targets him on Twitter

Turkish Workers’ Party member Baris Atay was attacked by a group of men when he exited a restaurant in Istanbul. The TiP reports that the "health condition of our comrade Barıs is good."

Turkey’s ‘city hospitals’ threaten a financial black hole

Turkey’s controversial “city hospitals” threaten to swallow up billions of dollars in public money by the time their 25-year contracts with the government end.

(L to R) Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, and Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Ali Hakim meet in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on August 4, 2019. (Photo by SABAH ARAR / AFP) (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt sends signal to Turkey by deepening ties with Jordan, Iraq

Amid accelerated regional threats and economic repercussions in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, a tripartite summit was held between the leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq Aug. 25 to develop a security, diplomatic and economic bloc.

Turkish human rights lawyer dies after hunger strike

Ebru Timtik died on the 238th day of her strike, which she launched to draw attention to what rights groups have described as an unfair trial.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L) poses with the President of the Libyan Supreme Council of State Khalid Al-Mishri prior to a meeting in Libya's capital Tripoli, on August 6, 2020. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s militarized Africa opening fuels influence wars

The rivalry between Turkey and its regional adversaries has spilled over to the Horn of Africa and other regions in the continent beyond Libya, stoked by Ankara’s militarization of its outreach policy.