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Turkey

Turkey

May 9, 2026

Ankara 7:58 pm

14°C

MURAT KOCABAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

How ‘dog mom’ vacuum cleaner ad sparked culture war in Turkey

A Mother’s Day advertisement featuring a “dog mom” triggered a backlash from conservative media, government officials and regulators, turning a soft consumer campaign into a flashpoint over motherhood, declining birth rates, stray dogs and even antisemitism.

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defence and Aerospace Expo on May 06, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey, Japan launch defense industry partnership with eye on drones

The initiative could eventually lead to joint UAV development and production as Japan looks to expand drone capabilities amid regional tensions.

Latest News

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Turkey, Armenia agree to restore medieval bridge in normalization push

A picture taken near Kars on Feb. 28, 2024 shows the ruins of a bridge over Arpacay river, the natural border between Turkey and Armenia.

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

How Turkey's nuclear plant could curb KRG ambitions

Turkey's decision to strengthen its energy ties with Russia through agreements for the Turkish Stream and the Akkuyu nuclear power plant may put a brake on the Kurdistan Regional Government.

Explosions, heartbreak rock ancient Turkish site as dam moves forward

More than 60 years in the making, Turkey's Ilisu Dam project is set to finally flood 12,000-year-old Hasankeyf and all its relics.

Erdogan's Iran visit sparks talk of Iraqi Kurdistan as 'new Israel'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan traveled to Tehran to discuss the Kurdish independence referendum in northern Iraqi and expanding economic relations.

Foreign ministers, Sergei Lavrov (C) of Russia, Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) of Turkey and Mohammad Javad Zarif of Iran, attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia, December 20, 2016. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - LR1ECCK11GRTX

Kurdish referendum tests Iran-Turkey-Russia axis

The warming of ties between Iran and Turkey, driven by their alarm over the independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, has the prospect of paving the way for the reshaping of the regional order.

Turkish soldiers conduct military exercises near the Habur crossing gate between Turkey and Iraq on September 27, 2017 in the Silopi district, southeast Turkey.
Iraqi soldiers on September 26 took part in a Turkish military drill close to the Iraqi border on Tuesday, an AFP photographer said, a day after Iraq's Kurdish region held a vote on independence. / AFP PHOTO / ILYAS AKENGIN (Photo credit should read ILYAS AKENGIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey lays out plans for Iraq's Kurds after independence vote

Turkey is considering a new border crossing to Iraq designed to avoid the Kurdistan Regional Government, but the terrain of the proposed route is controlled by Kurds.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends opening ceremony of Recep Tayyip Erdogan Imam Hatip School in Istanbul, Turkey, September 29, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC19182BAB40

Erdogan, Rouhani stand together against Iraqi Kurdish state

The Turkish president's Iran visit opened with a joint news conference in which he and Iran's president repeated Turkey’s demands that the Kurdistan Regional Government annul the results of the referendum on Iraqi Kurdish independence.

Iraqi SWAT troopers stand guard on a street during Kurds independence referendum in Kirkuk, Iraq September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - RC1949AF51F0

Kirkuk residents face uncertainty amid referendum crisis

Kirkuk residents are fearful of the security and economic consequences of the Sept. 25 independence referendum as opposition to it persists.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the Bloomberg Global Business Forum in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC1570E02590

Erdogan will get fooled again

When things don't go Erdogan's way, he has used the same argument that he was "deceived," but does anyone still believe him?

Iraqi Kurds watch nervously as Erdogan heads for Tehran

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Iran's president and supreme leader in Tehran as high-level talks continue between historic rivals in the aftermath of the Kurdistan referendum.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan's leaves after an interview with Reuters Editor-in-Chief Steve Adler and Reuters Chief Correspondent Parisa Hafezi at The Peninsula hotel on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in Manhattan, New York, U.S. September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz - RC1C6B1C2FF0

Ankara could misplay its hand again

Despite hostile remarks from Ankara, the only way to deal with the Kurdish independence referendum is diplomacy, seasoned diplomats warn.

Turks brace for tax hikes as Ankara scrambles to bridge budget gaps

Under fire over a tax-hike plan, Turkey’s government says it needs fresh funds for security and defense amid rising risks in the region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during their meeting at the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany July 8, 2017. REUTERS/Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool - RC19CFDDAA30

Challenges still stalk Syrian peace efforts

Despite the apparent progress in peace talks, there's still a lot of maneuvering going on in Syria — on the ground and among the many parties involved.