TRILATERAL DEFENSE PACT HARBORS UNCERTAINTIES
Makkah Joint Defence Agreement including collective defense provision raised eyebrows as the full text of the agreement was not disclosed.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
THE REPUBLIC GOES ON HOLIDAY
Every summer, the apartment buildings of Istanbul, Ankara and other major cities begin to empty. Neighbors who have spent the winter sharing lifts, parking disputes, delivery couriers and the occasional suspicion that someone upstairs is moving furniture after midnight head off in different directions.
RAPPER DETAINED ON STAGE OVER LYRICS
Rapper Erol Can Güncü, known by his stage name UZ4Y, was detained on stage while performing in İzmir's Çeşme district and later formally arrested over his lyrics.
PROMINENT PRO-GOVERNMENT JOURNALIST DETAINED
In a surprising development, police have detained prominent pro-government journalist Cem Küçük in Istanbul, soon after he parted ways with İhlas Media Group.
DEM PUSHES RULING ALLIANCE TO PASS PEACE PROCESS FRAMEWORK LAW BEFORE RECESS
The DEM Party is intensifying pressure on the AKP/MHP ruling alliance to pass the framework law underpinning Turkey's Kurdish peace process before parliament enters for its summer recess — even as the party struggles to extract details of the draft from the AKP. The push has produced a flurry of contacts. İmralı Delegation members Pervin Buldan and Mithat Sancar, together with Faik Özgür Erol, met AKP Deputy Chair Efkan Ala and AKP Group Chair Abdullah Güler on July 15, and MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli at his office in parliament the following day. Asked about the talks, Buldan declined to elaborate: 'We will not give information on the content.'
GLOBAL INDEX PROVIDERS PUT TURKISH MARKET ON NOTICE, STOKING DOWNGRADE FEARS
Foreign investors' confidence in Turkish equities is under mounting pressure as two of the world's leading index providers signaled Istanbul's stock market could face a downgrade. Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) issued another warning regarding investment accessibility and shareholder transparency, announcing it may re-evaluate free-float structures on a company-by-company basis and reclassify certain shareholders as 'non-free float' to address distorted calculations driven by coordinated fund actions.
TURKISH COMEDIAN DETAINED AFTER STAND-UP SPECIAL SPARKS BACKLASH
Turkish authorities detained popular comedian Deniz Göktaş, 32, at an Istanbul airport following an intense wave of public targeting from pro-government figures over his viral stand-up special.
MASSIVE ARREST WAVE HITS ANKARA AHEAD OF NATO SUMMIT
More than 200 people were detained in police raids ahead of the upcoming NATO summit scheduled for July 7-8 in Ankara. Following the sweeping operations launched by the Ankara police on June 23, courts have already ordered the formal arrest of 103 individuals out of 129 referred to the judiciary.
TOP BUSINESS GROUP URGES ECONOMIC SHIFT, STAYS MUM ON DEMOCRACY AND RULE OF LAW
The top business association, TÜSİAD, urged the government to focus on development over mere economic growth. The meeting of the group’s High Advisory Council saw Chair Ömer Aras, who was detained last year after criticism over democracy and the rule of law, carefully avoid those topics this time around.
TRUMP COMES TO ANKARA —BUT AT WHAT COST FOR NATO?
According to some, NATO has to become more European in order to remain more Transatlantic. The “Europeanization” of NATO will certainly be the key focus of the Ankara summit in July.
İMAMOĞLU'S DETAINED LAWYER PEHLİVAN CHALLENGES COURT
Mehmet Pehlivan, the detained lawyer for jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, drew parallels between their cases and political trials in Brazil in testimony that electrified a courtroom packed with lawyers in Silivri.
ANKARA CALLS EUROPE TO TAKE ON GREATER RESPONSIBILITY FOR NATO
With uncertainty surrounding whether US President Donald Trump will attend the alliance summit in Ankara, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in the capital to discuss preparations.