ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY OFFICIAL ABDUCTED
Turkey needs more long-range and defensive missiles, according to the National Security Academy (MİA), a branch of the Turkish intelligence agency MİT.
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NATO REINFORCES TURKEY'S AIR DEFENSE DESPITE IRAN-U.S. CEASEFIRE
NATO has further reinforced the air defense it provides for Turkey, despite the agreement between the US and Iran to end the war.
FINAL STEPS UNDERWAY TO DROP US CHARGES AGAINST HALKBANK
Halkbank, the state lender and fourth-largest bank in Turkey by assets, announced that a nine-year-old US criminal case against the bank is getting closer to a complete end. The bank and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York submitted a joint plea to the court on June 10, 2026, requesting the dismissal of all charges.
MILLIONS OF RETIREES WATCH INFLATION DATA AS PENSION TALKS NEAR
Millions of retirees in Turkey are waiting for official inflation data due on July 3 to learn how much their pensions could increase in the second half of the year. TurkStat will announce June inflation figures on July 3, revealing the inflation rate for the first six months of 2026. The data will determine the basis for pension adjustments. The parliament previously set the minimum pension for workers and self-employed retirees at 20,000 Turkish lira ($434) as of Jan. 1, 2026. Any increase to that minimum pension level will require a new legal regulation.
AKKUYU NUCLEAR PLANT CLOSER TO LAUNCH AFTER CRITICAL TEST
Engineers at Turkey's first nuclear power plant have finished a critical test as part of preparations for the launch planned by the end of 2026, the Energy Ministry said. Technicians successfully loaded 163 simulated fuel assemblies into the reactor pressure vessel of the first unit at the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant. The operation is a major milestone in the launch of the country’s first nuclear power facility.
RAHMİ KOÇ: THE KURDISH WOMAN JOKE THAT BROKE KOÇ'S CENTURY-LONG SPELL
Everything was going smoothly, as it had for a hundred years. Koç Holding, Turkey's largest industrial conglomerate, was marking its centennial.
ARMENIAN ELECTIONS AND TURKEY’S EXPECTED STEPS FOR PEACE
Nikol Pashinyan’s election victory on June 7, his third in a row since 2018, confirmed the strong desire of the Armenian people to live in peace and prosperity in a functioning democracy as part of the Western World.
TURKEY BECOMES THE FOURTH FOREIGN VISIT FOR VENEZUELAN INTERIM PRESIDENT
After the toppling of Nicolás Maduro by the United States, Delcy Rodríguez, who was installed as Venezuela’s interim president, paid her fourth abroad visit to Turkey on June 8.
ANKARA SENDS MIXED SIGNALS AFTER PASHINYAN ELECTION WIN
Questions about the future of Turkey-Armenia normalization have grown after Turkish Foreign Ministry removed key wording from its statement on Armenian elections, putting pressure on Armenia rather than also pushing Azerbaijan and it took President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan four days to congratulate the Armenian prime minister on his election win.
NEW TARGET FOR FIRST AIRCRAFT CARRIER: 2032
Turkey's first full-scale aircraft carrier, which is currently in the preliminary design stage, will have a capacity for 52 aircraft.
HIGH TENSION OVER CYPRUS
Before the government submits a bill to define Turkish zones of jurisdiction in the surrounding seas, Turkey and Greece have once again clashed off the coast of Cyprus.
NEW ROLE, NEW DEFINITION
Tom Barrack, now appointed as special envoy to Iraq in addition to his ambassadorial role in Turkey and special envoy role in Syria, described Iraq, Syria, and Turkey as 'the strategic fulcrum upon which any enduring Middle East stability must pivot,' calling for a single, consistent point of American contact across the three nations.