REFEREES DENY BETTING ALLEGATIONS
The 152 soccer referees accused of betting on matches have denied doing so.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
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ANKARA IS DECISIVE ON FLYING OVER AEGEAN SEA WITH EUROFIGHTERS
The Defense Ministry denied reports that Turkey cannot use the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets it will procure from the U.K. against Greece over the Aegean Sea.
DEFENSE HUB, AIRFIELD RENOVATIONS SHAPE ANKARA’S NATO PREP
As the countdown continues for the NATO Summit to be hosted by Ankara on July 7-8, 2026, preparations are accelerating in the capital. Activity focuses on sites along the approximately 17.5-km route from the Presidential Palace, where the leaders' summit will take place, to the military airfield in Etimesgut.
BETTING SCANDAL ROCKS TURKISH FOOTBALL
President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu revealed that 371 of the 571 referees officiating in professional matches had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively placing bets.
TRAINING FOR SYRIAN MILITARY STARTS
Training for Syrian military forces by the Turkish Army has begun in accordance with the Joint Training and Advisory MoU signed between the two countries on Aug. 13, the Defense Ministry announced.
THREE DECADES IN THE MAKING: ALTAY TANK FINALLY ROLLS OUT
The first Altay tank was delivered to the army on Oct. 28, crowning a three-decade push to develop and produce a domestic main battle tank. The project, launched by a 1996 decision of the Defense Industry Executive Committee, aimed to build an indigenous tank using locally developed technologies. However, the finalized model relies on South Korean-made engines and transmission systems.
BERLIN’S DEFENSE TURN WARMS TIES WITH ANKARA, COOLS CONCERN FOR DEMOCRACY
Turkish democracy is the casualty of Europe’s rediscovery of Turkey’s strategic value. To better understand the context of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s visit to Ankara next week, one has to go back to the end of the Cold War. Whereas European countries have benefited from the peace dividend, the contrary happened for Turkey in the aftermath of the fall of the Iron Curtain. After enjoying the relative stability of the bipolar order of the Cold War era, Turkey found itself in the midst of several conflict zones. While most European countries downsized their defense budgets, Turkey had no such luxury. The fight against separatist terrorism, the turbulence created by the Gulf War, and regional conflicts like the ones in the Caucasus dictated the maintenance of a big and well-equipped army.
CYPRUS VOTE TRIGGERS NATIONALIST FURY IN TURKEY
Recent election results in Northern Cyprus have stirred visible unease within Turkey’s ruling alliance, particularly in the far-right MHP, even as the AKP maintained a controlled response, delivering expected statements despite its apparent preferences.
TURKEY, QATAR, KUWAIT DEEPEN COOPERATION DESPITE SILENCE ON GAZA
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan concluded a three-day tour of the Gulf region on Oct. 23, with official visits to Kuwait, Qatar and Oman, amid ongoing international efforts to continue the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. While Gaza and Syria reportedly dominated the private discussions, official statements from the Turkish Presidency did not reference these issues.
NEW SCANDAL HITS TURKEY’S UNIVERSITY EXAM SYSTEM
After past controversies over leaks of exam questions and fake diplomas, Turkey’s Student Selection and Placement Center (ÖSYM) is again under scrutiny — this time for alleged interference in university preference lists.
LAWYER ASSASSINATED IN FEUD BETWEEN DALTON AND CASPER GANGS
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.
KEY SUSPECT IN SINAN ATEŞ MURDER CASE SHOT DEAD
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.