Editorial Team

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office has launched another operation in its ongoing crackdown on large corporations—this time targeting a gold refining company known for its close ties to the ruling AKP.

The setbacks and delays encountered in the Altay tank project, launched in 2007, have become a subject of political debate, while uncertainty remains over whether it will go into mass production.

The three Turkish MPs, who joined the Freedom Flotilla in support of Gazans and were detained by Israel, arrived in Istanbul on Oct. 9 following the announcement of a ceasefire. The news was shared on social media by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli.

Serdar Öktem, a lawyer and a key defendant in the murder case of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş, was shot by masked assailants armed with long-barreled weapons in Istanbul traffic. Öktem died in hospital Oct. 6 from his injuries. Initial findings suggest the attack was carried out by the criminal group known as the Daltons.

Serdar Öktem, a lawyer affiliated with the MHP and a defendant in the 2022 assassination case of former Grey Wolves leader Sinan Ateş, died after being shot outside his office by masked assailants on Oct. 6. The attackers opened fire while Öktem was inside his car in front of his office on Büyükdere Avenue in Istanbul’s Zincirlikuyu district. Surveillance video showed six bullet holes in the window of his car. Despite emergency medical intervention, Öktem succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

Comedian Egemen Şimşek was arrested on charges of insulting religious values held by a segment of the public.Istanbul’s Küçükçekmece Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation into Şimşek over jokes about Moses and Jesus in his stand-up performance titled “Contrary Thoughts.”

The money laundering investigation into Can Holding has now expanded to the Ciner Group. The probe, which includes charges of fraud, money laundering, smuggling, and forming a criminal organization, now focuses on the $350 million sale of media outlets — including Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT — from the Ciner Group to Can Holding. According to Sabah daily, the funds were allegedly transported in suitcases and deposited in banks as cash. Turgay Ciner, once among Turkey’s top taxpayers and currently residing abroad, is now the subject of an arrest warrant.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced plans to build 500,000 social housing units in all 81 provinces. Erdoğan said the properties would be available for rent from the state for the first time.

Turkey froze the assets of 18 institutions and 20 individuals linked to Iran, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, a day before hosting Iranian Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Aziz Nasirzade in Ankara.

At least 27 Turkish nationals were detained when Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla late Oct. 1 as it neared Gaza. The flotilla, composed of over 40 vessels and around 500 passengers, aimed to deliver humanitarian aid.