Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
The Yeni Party became Turkey's main opposition party soon after its founding, with 91 lawmakers among its founders. Mayors and municipal council members continued to join the party, while the crackdown against its supporters continued at full speed across the country.
The framework bill that will advance the Kurdish peace process through the return of militants has reached its final stage, but its content was withheld from all parties, including the DEM Party, until the last moment.
The pause breaks in a week, as pauses always do: Washington and Riyadh strike Iraq anew.
The answer is no. Because seven years after breaking away from the AKP to found the Gelecek Party, it has become clear that the party itself has no future. Reading between the lines of his announcement that he will dissolve the party and step away from politics, one senses his acknowledgment that 'things are no longer working.'
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.
In a surprising development, police have detained prominent pro-government journalist Cem Küçük in Istanbul, soon after he parted ways with İhlas Media Group.
A report by journalist Ebru Çelik of BirGün, who followed the story in person based on a tip and witnessed the events firsthand, proved that extras were gathered to act as supporters for a CHP party meeting for 950 lira (roughly $20) each. The story laid bare a case of manipulation between media and politics.
A new legislative proposal will allow the Netherlands-based online travel agency Booking.com to resume full operations in Turkey.
Turkish industrialists criticized a new United States’ decision to impose a 12.5% tariff on Turkish products under Section 301, warning that the move places key export sectors, especially textiles and apparel, at a severe disadvantage.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled against Turkey in a trade dispute brought by Beijing, declaring Turkish tariffs and severe import restrictions on Chinese electric and hybrid vehicles incompatible with global trade rules.
The government plans to privatize state-operated highways and bridges under a 25-year transfer of operating rights model, while officials weigh whether to sell the assets as a single bundle or divide them into separate packages.
This summer, Turkey’s coast mostly held. A fire near Fethiye, a scare in Antalya’s Kepez district, a few homes emptied as a precaution and their residents returned to within a day. After last year, it has the feel of a reprieve, which is the most dangerous weather the region knows. Because we have all seen what the season can do.