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Turkey

July 4, 2026

Ankara 8:42 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

Hairdresser Oguz Kutlu disinfects scissors as he gives hair treatment to his customer Pinar Ersin, both wearing protective masks, on the first day of the reopening of his hair salon which was closed since March 21 amid the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, May 11, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2BMG9VSKGF

Turkey cautiously reopens after national Eid curfew

Mosques, restaurants and stores prepare to gradually reopen with new coronavirus precautions in Turkey after four-day nationwide curfew for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.

A Turkish F-16 fighter jet takes off from Incirlik airbase in the southern city of Adana, Turkey, July 27, 2015. To match Insight TURKEY-SECURITY/AIRFORCE REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo - S1AEULZGSTAA

Turkey conducts rare strike in Iraq's Sulaimaniyah province against PKK

Most Turkey-PKK fighting takes place in other parts of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where Turkey has military bases.

ANKARA, TURKEY - 2020/03/11: Ali Babacan, former Turkish Minister and ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unveiled his new Democracy and Progress Party (DEVA) after he resigned from Turkey's ruling party Justice and Development Party (AK Party). (Photo by Basin Foto Ajansi/LightRocket via Getty Images)

'Baby face' political rival puts Erdogan on edge

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has killed rumors that his ruling party may gamble on snap elections to retain its 18-year grip on power, but he's clearly feeling the heat.

Serbian Air Force Mig 29 fighter planes fly over the Batajnica military airport near capital Belgrade, on October 4, 2018. - The members of Serbias Air Force and Anti-Aircraft Defence and their colleagues from Russias Aerospace Force started an air-tactical exercise BARS 2018 on October 1, 2018. Serbias Defence Ministry said in a statement that the goal of the exercise to last through October 6 was to raise the level of the operational capabilities of the two countries air forces. That is the fourth such ex

US warns of NATO security threat as Russian jets arrive in Libya

The fighter aircraft were delivered via Syria, where they were reportedly painted "to camouflage their Russian origin."

A farmer walks past a corn field near the Turkish-Iraqi border in Silopi, Turkey, September 23, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1B04B35480

Turkey’s seasonal workers caught between virus, poverty

Impoverished seasonal agricultural workers in Turkey are riding out the pandemic in squalid tent encampments to earn their living, providing a labor force crucial to the agricultural sector.

Egypt announces international anti-Turkey alliance

Egypt announced an international alliance that includes Greece, Cyprus, the United Arab Emirates and France to confront Turkish provocative moves in Libya and the Mediterranean.

United Arab Emirates

US may try to raise the stakes for Russia in Syria

The politics of humanitarian corridors; Hayat Tahrir al-Sham tries a shakedown in Idlib; Ben Caspit to interview former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Al-Monitor podcast.

Is Turkey on moderation path in its foreign policy?

Conciliatory messages coming out of Ankara recently may appear as an effort to moderate Turkish foreign policy vis-a-vis the United States, Europe and Israel, but they are likely to be just maneuvering to weather the many stalemates in Turkey's foreign ties.

An aerial view of the Suleymaniye Mosque on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, during a four-day curfew which was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Istanbul, Turkey, April 24, 2020. Picture taken with a drone. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC27BG98INXZ

Turks rattled as protest song blares from mosques

Hackers broke into the sound systems of mosques in Izmir to play a popular Italian protest song, reigniting political and religious debates in polarized Turkey.

A member of Libyan National Army (LNA) commanded by Khalifa Haftar, points his gun to the image of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan hanged on a Turkish military armored vehicle, which LNA said they confiscated during Tripoli clashes, in Benghazi, Libya January 28, 2020. REUTERS/Esam Omran Al-Fetori - RC25PE9CSRRF

Ankara warns Hifter to lay off Turkish assets in Libya

Threats are escalating between Turkey and Libyan warlord Khalifa Hifter, and Moscow seems to be egging them on despite its calls for a ceasefire.

Top admiral's resignation rattles Turkey

The demotion and then resignation of the chief of staff of the Turkish navy, Rear Adm. Cihat Yayci, has led to questions whether the Turkish government is distancing itself from Euroasianist figures to mend ties with its Western partners.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 18: Hagia Sophia and its surroundings remain empty during the third day of the 4-day coronavirus restrictions imposed to stem the novel COVID-19 pandemic in Istanbul, Turkey on May 18, 2020. (Photo by Erhan Sevenler/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Ankara unfolds Hagia Sophia card against COVID-19 crisis

Erdogan’s government has signaled it could consider turning the Hagia Sophia Museum into a mosque as part of religious messages aimed at keeping its voter base intact under the strain of economic turmoil, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic.