PROBE INTO ROCK STAR’S CHARITY EXPANDS AS CELEBRITIES QUESTIONED
The corruption investigation into the Ahbap Association, founded by Turkish rock star Haluk Levent, has expanded with numerous celebrities summoned to testify.
Analysis
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The corruption investigation into the Ahbap Association, founded by Turkish rock star Haluk Levent, has expanded with numerous celebrities summoned to testify.
Turkey's nationalist opposition parties escalated their criticism of the framework law that is expected to regulate the return of PKK members, rebuking the government for showing the draft to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan before parliament or the public.
Following the establishment of the new party, 44 lawmakers remained in the CHP — but it became clear from the first day that not all of them would support court appointed chair Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu.
Athens has succeeded in blocking Turkey’s access to the Meteor missiles it ordered along with the Typhoons, according to the Greek media.
While Trump signals to lift the arms embargo on Turkey, experts are discussing whether it will come at the expense of the Kaan project.
Australia has joined the Global Initiative on Information Integrity on Climate Change (GIIICC), a landmark effort to combat climate disinformation now backed by 27 countries and the European Union, while Turkey — which will host the COP31 climate summit in November — has yet to declare its position. Turkey in Depth has learned that Turkey is expected to appoint Professor Mehmet Emin Birpınar as spokesperson for COP31.
Turkey wants the modernization of its Customs Union with the European Union — off the agenda for years — to be part of the equation as diplomatic traffic on the Cyprus issue accelerates, more than three European diplomats confirmed to Turkey in Depth.
Amid the noise and turmoil within the CHP, it did not attract much public attention, but traffic around the Kurdish Peace Process has intensified in recent days. A DEM delegation traveled to İmralı and returned with a message from Abdullah Öcalan.
The “framework law” that will provide the legal basis for the PKK’s disarmament process appears set to be enacted after nearly five months of waiting. Öcalan’s view that “even if it is incomplete and inadequate, a step needs to be taken” proved instrumental in overcoming the disputes surrounding the law. In a sense, it was Öcalan who untied the knot.
The NATO summit in Ankara provided an important opportunity for Turkey to showcase the progress of its defense industry. By now, few can have missed the fact that Turkey has become the world's 11th-largest arms exporter.
António Guterres will arrive in Cyprus at the end of July, carrying another possibility of peace to an island familiar with such visits. Cyprus diplomacy sometimes resembles Buñuel’s The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. The guests assemble, the table is laid, and dinner is indefinitely postponed.
The central bank kept its benchmark policy rate unchanged at 37% during its Monetary Policy Committee meeting on July 23, matching market expectations. However, business leaders are increasingly complaining about high borrowing costs, tight credit restrictions, and falling industrial output.