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Turkey

Turkey

July 16, 2026

Ankara 6:20 am

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Ozgu Ozel

Turkish opposition leader Ozgur Ozel could launch new party by August

Ozgur Ozel’s remarks on a potential new party came as the legal crackdown on the main opposition widened further this week with the arrest and suspension of the mayor of Cankaya,one of the party’s most secure and symbolically important strongholds in the heart of Ankara.

Visitors stand inside Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque in Istanbul on April 14, 2025.

Russian couple faces deportation from Turkey after Bible reading at Hagia Sophia

The couple were detained after reading from the Bible inside the Istanbul landmark, which remains one of Christianity’s most important historic sites despite its conversion into a mosque.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler and his Egyptian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, met at the Turkey’s Defense Ministry in Ankara, July 13, 2026.

Turkey, Egypt expand military ties with cooperation frameworks: What to know

Increasing defense cooperation between Ankara and Cairo comes as Turkey seeks to offset the expanding Greek-Cypriot-Israeli alignment in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Latest News

Analysis

From S-400s to SAMP/T: Turkey’s defense pivot gathers pace after NATO summit

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pose after signing a defense partnership agreement on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, Wednesday, July 8, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Lebanese PM Salam in Turkey as Erdogan seeks wider regional role

Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks during a joint declaration press event with French President following their meeting at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on April 21, 2026.

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

Women join opposition police forces in Aleppo’s liberated areas

With the help of Turkish trainers, the first batch of policewomen graduated from the opposition’s National Police and Public Security Forces in the areas liberated during Operation Euphrates Shield in the countryside of Aleppo.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan attends a news conference after the talks with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - UP1EDBD1JKFEI

Zarrab fingers Erdogan in NY trial bombshell

Iranian-Turkish gold trader Reza Zarrab, testifying before a New York jury, has implicated President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his former economy minister in a massive sanctions-busting scheme as Turkey does its frantic best to spin the story at home.

Turkey squeezed between American hammer, Russian anvil on Syrian stage

The Kurdish issue is only one of the catalysts to indicate Turkey’s weakened posture in Syria, the Middle East and the world.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan attend a ceremony before their meeting in Kiev on March 20, 2015. AFP PHOTO / SERGEI SUPINSKY (Photo credit should read SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey, Russia exchange Chechen prisoners for Tatars

It has emerged that two Russian agents jailed in Turkey in connection with the deaths of Chechen dissidents were extradited to Russia as part of a prisoner swap enabled by Turkey's legal state of emergency.

Alevi demonstrators shout anti-goverment slogans during a protest against the latest violence in Okmeydani, a working-class district in the center of the city, in Istanbul May 25, 2014. Two people died last week after clashes between Turkish police and protesters in Okmeydani, a working-class district of Istanbul, stirring fears of further unrest as the anniversary of last year's anti-government demonstrations approaches. Okmeydani is home to a community of Alevis, a religious minority in mainly Sunni Musli

Turkey’s Alevis on edge after homes vandalized

More than a dozen Alevi homes were recently marked with red paint, setting off alarm bells for Turkey's largest minority group, which has a long memory of sectarian violence.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani together with his counterparts, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Tayyip Erdogan, attend a joint news conference following their meeting in Sochi, Russia November 22, 2017. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1D16F4FF70

Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities

It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds.

People gather at the Broadway entrance of Macy's Herald Square store ahead of early opening for the Black Friday sales in Manhattan, New York, U.S. November 23, 2017. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly - RC1C2A925EB0

Why so many Turks took Black Friday as insult to Islam

It may have looked silly when thousands of Turks took to Twitter to condemn Black Friday sales, but their frenzy tells an ominous story.

A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) carries a weapon as he stands near a military vehicle in Raqqa, Syria, October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1A33A0C9A0

Trump promises to end 'nonsense' of arming Syrian Kurds, Turkey says

Turkish officials say the US president promised Turkey’s leader that arms shipments to Kurds fighting the Islamic State would stop, but observers worry such a move will cost Washington a key partner and undermine stabilization efforts in Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gestures during a joint press conference with Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic (not in the picture) after their meeting in Belgrade, Serbia, October 10, 2017. REUTERS/Marko Djurica - RC11B290C400

Turkey's creative schemes aim to discredit Zarrab case in US

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his team failed to convince the United States to agree to a “diplomatic solution” in the financial crime case involving Reza Zarrab and Turkey’s top bankers and former ministers. Now, Erdogan claims the case is a conspiracy against Turkey between the United States and the Gulen movement.

Turkey’s meat row

Scrambling to rein in skyrocketing meat prices, the Turkish government has again resorted to imports of cheaper meat, angering producers in the country’s already shrinking husbandry sector.

Turks explore Ottoman past in visits to Jerusalem

Turkish pilgrims and visitors are increasingly heading to Jerusalem, following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call on Muslims to visit the holy city.

A Turkish cook prepares a beef steak on fire at a restaurant in a five-star hotel in the Mediterranean Turkish city of Antalya, January 17, 2006. Turkey's top holiday destination Antalya is concerned by the westward spread of the bird flu disease towards the city blessed by a long Mediterranean coast. Photo taken January 17, 2006. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RP3DSFDNCIAC

Second Turkish city makes UNESCO gastronomy list

Now that it boasts a second city, Hatay, in UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network, Turkey’s tourism leaders are hoping to lure back Western tourists with their country's gastronomic delights.