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Turkey

Turkey

August 1, 2026

Ankara 5:01 am

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A demonstrator carries a CHP flag during a protest in Izmir, Turkey, on May 24, 2026.

Explainer

What’s behind Turkey’s latest wave of arrests against opposition mayors?

The operations come as Ozgur Ozel’s newly formed party gains momentum.

Latest News

Turkey, Pakistan among 14 countries backing Saudi Arabia's anti-Houthi Red Sea alliance

A Saudi navy ship is pictured docked at King Faisal navy base in Jeddah before the departure of a team to Port Sudan to help with the evacuation efforts of people fleeing Sudan, on April 29, 2023.

Turkey ready to participate in post-UNIFIL force in Lebanon, Erdogan tells Aoun

Erdogan and Aoun

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

Kurdish Peshmerga troops are deployed on the outskirts of Kirkuk, some 250km (155 miles) north of Baghdad, November 24, 2012. Iraq's Kurdish region has sent reinforcements to a disputed area where its troops are involved in a standoff with the Iraqi army, a senior Kurdish military official said, despite calls on both sides for dialogue to calm the situation. Picture taken November 24, 2012. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR3AUX2

Iraqi Kurdish Forces Help Defend Baghdad

The increase of terrorist bombings in Baghdad has been a catalyst for more consultation between Iraqi federal and Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces.

An alleged Palestinian collaborator with Israel covers his face as he poses for the camera inside a Hamas-run prison in Gaza City April 23, 2013. The Islamist Hamas government, which is pledged to Israel's destruction by force of arms, is lauding a recent campaign to root out informants in its midst, which it hopes will deprive Israel of a subtle but effective tool. Picture taken April 23, 2013. To match Feature PALESTINIANS-HAMAS/SPIES REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) -

Families of Palestinian Spies for Israel Face Stigma in Gaza

Families of Palestinians who have been caught spying for Israel suffer discrimination and isolation in their communities.

A supporter of deposed Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi holds up his photo while standing at the top of lamp posts during a march to show solidarity with his supporters in Egypt, in Sanaa August 15, 2013. The poster reads "We are all with legitimacy". REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi (YEMEN - Tags: TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTX12MHB

Turkish Lessons for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood

Whatever its current mistakes, the success of the AKP — arguably the superstar of global Islamism — lies in the fact that it is less ideological and more pragmatic than its forerunners.

Supporters of Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (not pictured) cheer as he addresses the members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at Turkish parliament in Ankara June 25, 2013. Turkish anti-terrorism police detained 20 people in raids in the capital Ankara on Tuesday in connection with weeks of anti-government protests across the country, media reports said. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX11029

Erdogan’s Biggest Fear: The 'Concerned' Islamists

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still resentful of Gezi protests because he fears losing the support of "concerned" Islamists.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan walks to his plane as he leaves for Turkmenistan, at Esenboga Airport in Ankara August 15, 2013. Erdogan called on Thursday for the U.N. Security Council to convene quickly and act after what he described as a massacre in Egypt, during a news conference in Ankara. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX12M4A

Erdogan Weighs In on Egypt

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the loss of life in Egypt, but his words carry less and less weight both domestically and internationally.

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Arab Spring Triggers Renaissance in Turkish Art

More than 560 years after the fall of Constantinople, which precipitated an exodus of artists, the Arab Spring has created an influx of artists to Istanbul.

Turkey's ruling AK Party (AKP) lawmaker Muhittin Aksak (R) and main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) lawmaker Mahmut Tanal (L) scuffle during a debate at the parliament in Ankara late February 8, 2012. REUTERS/Stringer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR2XIJE

Turkish CHP Leader Says Party Under Surveillance

Leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu says state institutions are gathering unlawful information.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Secretary General of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council Prince Bandar Bin Sultan meet in Moscow, August 2, 2007. REUTERS/Alexander Natruskin (RUSSIA) - RTR1SGI2

Saudi Arabia and The Illusory Counterrevolution

Washington and Riyadh no longer share the same assessment of the threat and the need for reform in the region.

Workers repair machine gun at Jabal Al-Turkman near the coastal city of Latakia, October 30, 2012. REUTERS/Abu Al-Hassan/Shaam News Network/Handout (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR39SAY

Syrian Opposition Condemns Jihadists Targeting Alawites

Syria's internal opposition has condemned attacks on Alawite civilians in Latakia.

A street vendor sells Turkish flags bearing images of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the first president of Turkey, as demonstrators gather for an anti-government protest on the main Istiklal Street in central Istanbul August 3, 2013. REUTERS/Murad Sezer (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX129LP

Turkey’s Conspiracy Entrepreneurs

Conspiracy theories are becoming an industry in Turkey.

Women walk as they shout slogans during a rally calling for gender equality, two days after International Women's Day, in Istanbul March 10, 2013. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3ET3V

Erdogan Insists on Demanding Three Children

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked women to "donate" at least three children to the nation.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan arrive for a joint news conference in the White House Rose Garden in Washington, May 16, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXZPAE

Turkey Reconsiders Support For Jabhat Al-Nusra

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells US President Barack Obama he is “disturbed” by the rise of extremist groups in Syria.