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Turkey

Turkey

July 16, 2026

Ankara 5:39 pm

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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.

Latest News

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

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.

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

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

SYDNEY, NSW - JUNE 07: A pregnant woman holds her stomach June 7, 2006 in Sydney, Australia. Australia is currently enjoying a baby boom, with the Australian Bureau of Statistics registering a 2.4% increase in births from 2004 to 2005, which represents the highest number of births since 1992. The Australian Federal Government has been encouraging people to have more babies, with financial incentives and the slogan by treasurer Peter Costello to "have one for mum, one for dad, and one for the country". The

Turkey to toughen laws on surrogacy

Turkey’s Ministry of Health prepares a new draft law that would prevent Turks from having children through surrogate mothers, even if abroad.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May after their meeting at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, January 28, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - LR1ED1S12NA6O

As EU ties chill, UK-Turkey defense cooperation thrives

While relations between the United Kingdom and Turkey are still strained, cooperation between the two countries on defense and aerospace projects is flourishing.

A picture taken on March 22, 2017 near the town of Maardes in the countryside of the central Syrian province of Hama, shows an armoured vehicle carrying rebel fighters, and bearing the flag of the Tahrir al-Sham rebel alliance. / AFP PHOTO / Omar haj kadour (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Is this beginning of the end for Idlib's jihadi groups?

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is facing several setbacks in Idlib including internal discord as foreign powers plan a military offensive against them.

Turkey’s shopping mall boom going bust

Turkey’s shopping mall boom has been hit by economic problems stemming from the lira's decline against the dollar and poor planning.

Students, parents left in dark as Turkey scraps school entrance exam

The Turkish government has suddenly moved to abolish a grueling standardized high school entrance exam without offering any plan to replace it.

Turkey’s ‘resistance media’ refuses to buckle

A Turkish oppositional news site seeks recognition in the Guinness Book of World Records after 61 bans and as many reopenings.

Turkey's then-Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (R) and then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu greet their supporters as they leave Friday prayers in Ankara, Turkey, August 22, 2014. REUTERS/Umit Bektas/File Photo - D1AETCCKOAAA

Where can ex-Erdoganists go?

Dismissed from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inner circles, the options for so-called X-Men are limited and unpleasant.

Turkish schools told to cut evolution, make room for Quran

In nominally secular Turkey, the K-12 public curriculum has been updated to omit evolution and expand religious instruction.

A man reads a copy of the magazine "Israel-Kurd" at a street in Arbil, 310 km (190 miles) north of Baghdad August 16, 2009. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ SOCIETY) - GM1E58H06K201

How Israel's support is swaying Kurdish sentiment ahead of referendum

Turkey’s Kurds may have divergent views on Israeli backing for the referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, but their support for the independence bid remains robust.

Events in the Middle East force realism on Erdogan

After his Islamist-driven expectations fell by the wayside, Erdogan finds he has to cooperate with leaders he would rather not have talked to.

Trial begins for Turkish journalists accused of Gulen links

The Zaman newspaper trial has opened with 31 journalists accused of membership in the network of preacher Fethullah Gulen.

International artists explore fragmented Middle East in Istanbul

The 2017 Istanbul Biennial asks what makes a good neighbor in a world plagued by war, repression and division.