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Turkey

July 4, 2026

Ankara 11:07 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

Mahya master Ramazan Kizilkaya takes part in the installation of the mahya at the top of one of the minarets of Yeni New mosque, as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Istanbul, Turkey, April 27, 2020. Picture taken April 27, 2020. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC2LDG9HE58T

Turks celebrate Ramadan under shadow of pandemic

From masked drummers to online pide contests, Turks are bringing new twists to Ramadan in the coronavirus era.

ANKARA, TURKEY - APRIL 22: A view of Sincan Penal Institutions Campus on April 22, 2020 in Ankara, Turkey. Guardians and institution employees wearing masks and gloves and following the social distance rules, are working for 15 days at the prison. After being subjected to the isolation process, officers are working before going to their homes without seeing their families for about a month. As well as throughout the country, also in capital Ankara, guardians and institution employees stay in places of publi

Syrians held in Turkish prison 'in breach of international law,' advocates say

Scores of Syrians detained after Turkey's Operation Peace Spring began in October have been accused of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party and moved to a prison in Sanliurfa, Turkey.

A female Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) fighter adjusts her scarf while another carries a picture of jailed Kurdish militant leader Abdullah Ocalan at their base in Sinjar March 11, 2015. Women fighters at a PKK base on Mount Sinjar in northwest Iraq, just like their male counterparts, have to be ready for action at any time. Smoke from the front line, marking their battle against Islamic State, which launched an assault on northern Iraq last summer, is visible from the base. Many of the women have cut links

PKK attacks Turkish military base in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

The attack comes amid intra-Kurdish tensions in Iraq over the PKK's and Turkey's presence in the country.

Anti-Gaddafi fighters fire a multiple rocket launcher near Sirte, previously one of Muammar Gaddafi's last remaining strongholds in Libya, September 24, 2011. Picture taken September 24, 2011. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo SEARCH "POY DECADE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "REUTERS POY" FOR ALL BEST OF 2019 PACKAGES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. - RC2SND9VGEDW

Turkey’s intervention in Libya turns tide to Erdogan’s advantage, for now

Ankara has thrown in its lot with the Government of National Accord for reasons that have more to do with its own interests than Libya’s.

European court rejects Turkish appeal of Osman Kavala ruling

The European Court of Human Rights rejected an appeal by Turkish officials Tuesday, upholding a December ruling calling for the release of jailed Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala.

An Israeli F35 aircraft is seen in mid-flight during "Blue Flag", an aerial exercise hosted by Israel with the participation of foreign air force crews, at Ovda military air base, southern Israel November 11, 2019. Picture taken November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RC2R9D9XBJG2

Intel: How Turkey’s expulsion from F-35 program has hampered production

A report by the US Government Accountability Office said Turkey’s expulsion from the F-35 program has complicated the Joint Strike Fighter’s already troubled production chain.

An officer of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) stands guard near the Syrian-Iraq border October 31, 2012. Iraqi Kurdish President Masoud Barzani warned Kurds in Syria against being sucked into the "fires of discord," urging them to preserve Kurdish unity as tensions between rival factions threaten to spillover into violence. Syria's Kurds see the war ravaging their country as an unprecedented opportunity to gain the kind of freedoms enjoyed by their ethnic kin in neighbouring Iraq, where they

Turkey targets US-backed Syrian Kurdish peace talks

Turkey is openly disgruntled over the US-backed effort to unite disparate Syrian Kurdish factions that kicked off last month.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reacts ahead of a meeting with EU Council President Charles Michel pose in Brussels, Belgium March 9, 2020. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RC2HGF9LYPKR

How clipping Turkey's religious reach has boosted Erdogan in Europe

Western moves to curb Turkey's official religious body's activities in Europe are boosting support for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan among the Turkish diaspora in Europe.

Turkish drilling vessel Yavuz is escorted by Turkish Navy frigate TCG Gemlik (F-492) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea off Cyprus, August 6, 2019. Picture taken August 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC110E733AB0

Feuds continue over Turkey’s East Med gas drilling as global energy prices plummet

Despite the falling financial viability of several eastern Mediterranean energy projects, Turkish gas drilling activities are set to continue in the region, drawing condemnation from five nations Ankara accuses of forming an "alliance of evil."

A picture of main opposition Republican People's Party's (CHP) Istanbul chair Canan Kaftancioglu is displayed on a screen outside the Justice Palace, the Caglayan courthouse, in Istanbul, Turkey, September 6, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1B167BFEA0

Is a coup really looming in Turkey?

Amid Turkey’s deepening economic woes and the COVID-19 pandemic, the main opposition has come into the government's crosshairs for allegedly inciting a military coup, which is no coincidence.

An employee trims beard of a client as the other one gives him manicure, on the first day of the reopening of a 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 - RC2BMG9ZPB5E

Malls reopen, antivirus measures eased as Turkish economy teeters

Shopping malls, barber shops and some stores reopened across Turkey Monday as the government rolled backed coronavirus precautions with aims to bolster the battered economy.

Military vehicles of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces head out to the front line from Misrata, Libya February 3, 2020. REUTERS/Ayman Al-Sahili - RC24TE96MEQG

Report: Child soldiers deployed to Libya by Turkish-backed Syrian National Army

An exclusive report, citing sources on the ground in Syria and Libya, says Syrian teenagers are being sent to Libya to take part in the civil war there.