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ONCE A TOP TAXPAYER, ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CINER
Media, Internet and Culture Oct 3, 2025

ONCE A TOP TAXPAYER, ARREST WARRANT ISSUED FOR CINER

The money laundering investigation into Can Holding has now expanded to the Ciner Group. The probe, which includes charges of fraud, money laundering, smuggling, and forming a criminal organization, now focuses on the $350 million sale of media outlets — including Habertürk, Show TV, and Bloomberg HT — from the Ciner Group to Can Holding. According to Sabah daily, the funds were allegedly transported in suitcases and deposited in banks as cash. Turgay Ciner, once among Turkey’s top taxpayers and currently residing abroad, is now the subject of an arrest warrant.

Editorial Team
RENTAL HOUSING PROJECT UNDER WAY
Economy and Finance Oct 3, 2025

RENTAL HOUSING PROJECT UNDER WAY

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced plans to build 500,000 social housing units in all 81 provinces. Erdoğan said the properties would be available for rent from the state for the first time.

Editorial Team
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN DETERRENCE AND PROVOCATION IN THE BLACK SEA
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Oct 3, 2025

FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN DETERRENCE AND PROVOCATION IN THE BLACK SEA

When a European expert based in Bulgaria received an invitation to a conference in Tbilisi, he decided to take the maritime route, boarding the ferry from Burgaz to Batumi. At one stage of the 64-hour crossing, while sailing in the open sea, the ferry shut its transponder and turned off its lights. A Russian fuel tanker approached and docked with the ferry to provide fuel to the ship, which is mainly used by trucks. The expert later found out that Russia sold the fuel 30 to 40 percent less than the market price. The captain of the ferry confessed he had all the official documents proving that the fuel was purchased from Romania.

Barçın Yinanç
AYŞE BARIM FACES HOSPITALIZATION AND RE-ARREST
Media, Internet and Culture Oct 2, 2025

AYŞE BARIM FACES HOSPITALIZATION AND RE-ARREST

Talent manager Ayşe Barım, on trial for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government in connection with the 2013 Gezi Park protests, was briefly granted conditional release under judicial supervision—until an upper court overturned the ruling and issued a new arrest warrant just as she was about to undergo a medical procedure.

Editorial Team
EYES ON ERDOĞAN’S MESSAGE, BAHÇELİ’S INITIATIVE AS NEW TERM BEGINS
Inside Turkey Sep 29, 2025

EYES ON ERDOĞAN’S MESSAGE, BAHÇELİ’S INITIATIVE AS NEW TERM BEGINS

As the Turkish Parliament begins its new legislative year on Oct. 1, attention will center on MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli—who launched the “Terror-Free Turkey” peace initiative a year ago—and on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s remarks regarding its future. Following a 70-day recess, Parliament will convene with a special General Assembly session at 2:00 p.m. As usual, Erdoğan will deliver an opening address, though the CHP will boycott the ceremony in protest of recent mayoral arrests and crackdowns on municipalities. This year, the political spotlight will remain on post-PKK arrangements such as the “Return Home” law, the “right to hope,” and amendments to the penal code.

Editorial Team
TURKISH PRESSURE OR LOCAL WILL? NORTHERN CYPRUS FACES ITS CHOICE
Deciphering Turkish Diplomacy Sep 29, 2025

TURKISH PRESSURE OR LOCAL WILL? NORTHERN CYPRUS FACES ITS CHOICE

It was already known that the questions posed to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on board the presidential plane were pre-prepared by the Directorate of Communications. Media Ombudsman Faruk Bildirici has revealed, with concrete evidence this time, what has been an open secret. Bildirici received the full text of the questions and answers long before the conversation took place on the plane taking Erdoğan and journalists back to Turkey from Washington.

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KEDİ
Word of the Week Sep 26, 2025

KEDİ

The word of the week is kedi, or cat, the agile, intuitive feline who is supposed to have nine lives. The Turkish word kedi ultimately goes back to Late Latin cattus (“cat”), with an intermediate form in Byzantine Greek gati (γ α τί, “kitten”) from which it passed into Ottoman Turkish as kedi. So why is it the word of the week? Because of the Istanbul Biennial, the must-see flagship event of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV) that continues until the end of November.

Nazlan Ertan
EIGHT AKP PROVINCIAL CHAIRS STEP DOWN: WHAT DOES THE SHAKE-UP MEAN?
Capital Currents Sep 26, 2025

EIGHT AKP PROVINCIAL CHAIRS STEP DOWN: WHAT DOES THE SHAKE-UP MEAN?

As politics remains focused on CHP, the resignation of eight provincial chairs from the ruling AKP has prompted the question: What is happening on the government side? The resignations of the provincial chairs of Çanakkale, Niğde, Adıyaman, Elazığ, Muğla, Ordu, Bitlis, and Tunceli—submitted within just 48 hours—were followed by statements from the party headquarters stressing that this was merely a “change of duties to take the party forward” and that “no criminal situation is involved.”

Nergis Demirkaya
CASE AGAINST TOP BUSINESS EXECUTIVES POSTPONED
Economy and Finance Sep 26, 2025

CASE AGAINST TOP BUSINESS EXECUTIVES POSTPONED

No decision was reached at the second hearing of the case against two leaders of the top business group TÜSİAD for comments they made in speeches. In court, Orhan Turan, chair of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD), and Ömer Arif Aras, Chair of the High Advisory Council (YİK), denied the charges against them and requested acquittal.

Editorial Team