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July 4, 2026

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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 - FEBRUARY 11: The ceiling of one of the dome's inside the Hagia Sophia Museum is seen on February 11, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) Museum is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Turkey, with more than 3 million visitors per year. Constructed in 537 the museum originally served as an Orthodox Cathedral, later a Roman Catholic church and was converted into a mosque when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453. In 1935 it was opened as a mu

UN experts urge Turkey to use Hagia Sophia as 'intercultural space'

Experts from the United Nations called on the Turkish government to use the contested landmark as a place of interfaith dialogue.

Torture on the rise in Erdogan’s Turkey

Reports of human rights atrocities in Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey are growing, with victims speaking out on forced disappearances and murder.

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan displays an banknote of the old Turkish Lira at a news conference in Ankara October 3, 2008. Turkey will return to its old currency, the Turkish Lira, on January 1, after a major money reform four years ago that saw the introduction of the New Turkish Lira. The banner in the background reads "The Turkish lira is coming". AFP PHOTO/ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s lira slides as Central Bank raises inflation forecast

Despite state bank efforts to bolster Turkey’s currency, the lira fell to its lowest point since May against the dollar this week, prompting fears of a renewed currency crisis.

Leader of the Italy's populist Five Star Movement, Luigi Di Maio, gives a speech on March 1, 2018, in Rome, as he present his would-be cabinet team ahead of elections on March 4.
The 5-Star Movement has named its team of ministers if it is asked to form a government after March 4 general election, an unusual move aimed at stealing a march on its rivals and showing voters it is ready for power. / AFP PHOTO / Filippo MONTEFORTE (Photo credit should read FILIPPO MONTEFORTE/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey, Italy talk economic ties in videoconference

The latest sign of friendship between Turkey and Italy comes amid otherwise tense Turkey-Europe relations, largely due to Turkey's plan to drill in Greek and Cypriot waters.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - JULY 29: In this photo illustration, social media apps are seen on a mobile phone on July 29, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey's parliament passed a new law Wednesday, to regulate social media content. The law will require foreign social media companies to have an appointed Turkish-based representative to deal with any concerns authorities have over content. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Is it time for Turks to bid farewell to YouTube, Twitter, Netflix?

Social media is already considered a right in Turkey, and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s new social media censorship bill is likely to increase participation on a multitude of platforms.

Turkish police officers patrols next to the drilling ship 'Yavuz' scheduled to search for oil and gas off Cyprus, at the port of Dilovasi, outside Istanbul, on June 20, 2019. - Turkey is set to send a new ship on June 20 to search for oil and gas off Cyprus, in a move expected to escalate tensions after the EU called on Ankara to stop its "illegal drilling activities". The region near the divided island is believed have rich natural gas deposits, triggering a race between Turkey and the internationally reco

Turkish gas exploration to continue in Cypriot waters as Ankara, Athens discuss

Shortly after pausing gas-exploration activities near Greek islands to facilitate Ankara-Athens negotiations on disputed maritime boundaries, Turkey sent a NAVTEX message indicating another research vessel would seek gas near Cyprus.

Turkish National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar attends a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels on February 13, 2020, to address key issues including the Alliances training mission in Iraq and the fight against international terrorism. - Ministers will also discuss NATOs presence in Afghanistan, the challenges posed by Russias missile systems and NATO-EU cooperation. (Photo by Aris Oikonomou / AFP) (Photo by ARIS OIKONOMOU/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Turkish defense minister asks Congress to halt bill sanctioning Ankara

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar asked US lawmakers today to abandon legislation that would sanction Ankara over its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile defense system that the House passed last week.

Hagia Sophia is open for prayers, but not to Kurds

The Turkish government has deliberately excluded the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party from political and symbolic events ever since July 2015. This has not destroyed Turkey’s third-largest party, but it has contributed to the rise of Kurdophobia.

Turkey stops eastern Mediterranean drilling, wants talks with Greece

The area in which Turkey planned to drill for gas is considered by Greece and Cyprus to be their waters.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's twitter account is seen on a computer screen on March 26, 2014 in Istanbul. A Turkish court on Wednesday overturned the government's controversial Twitter ban imposed after audio recordings spread via the social media site implicated Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a corruption scandal. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkish lawmakers to debate controversial social media bill

With a vote expected this week, the Turkish Parliament is set to begin deliberations over a bill that would compel social media platforms and news websites to open offices in Turkey and even remove content upon government request.

Is Turkey headed for compromise or fresh fighting in Idlib?

Turkey’s military buildup and efforts to collaborate with the dominant rebel group in Idlib appear to be the harbinger of a fresh war in the region, yet rebel forces suspect that Turkey is willing to concede to Russia.

Director general of the Anatolian Culture Asena Gunal stands in front of Osman Kavala's portrait during an interview at Anatolian Cultur Center on February 26, 2020 in Istanbul. - Osman Kavala, imprisoned in Turkey for nearly three years now without ever being convicted of a crime, is a philanthropist and businessman. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Ge

Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala marks 1000th day in jail

Despite the European Court of Human Rights' order for his release, Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala remains imprisoned in Turkey on what supporters call politically motivated charges.