WATER CUT ROW BETWEEN ANKARA MAYOR AND ERDOĞAN
The government and the Ankara Municipality are trading accusations over responsibility for water cuts in the capital after one of the driest years on record.
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INTELLIGENCE CHIEF KALIN DEFINES VISION FOR TERROR-FREE TURKEY
İbrahim Kalın, head of the National Intelligence Organization (MIT), described the goal of a Terror-Free Turkey as a comprehensive, multi-layered and multi-phase transformation.
TUNÇ SOYER TO REMAIN IN PRISON DESPITE RELEASE ORDER IN IZBETON CASE
Former İzmir Mayor Tunç Soyer and former İZBETON General Manager Heval Savaş Kaya were ordered released at the fourth hearing of the case involving allegations of corruption by subcontractors at İZBETON AŞ, a subsidiary of the İzmir Metropolitan Municipality.
DEMIRTAS SENTENCED AGAIN DESPITE FINAL ECHR RULING
Selahattin Demirtaş, former co-chair of the HDP, has been sentenced to one year, five months and 15 days in prison over speeches he delivered in 2015–2016 despite a final and binding European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruling calling for his release.
ANKARA PLANS SALE OF UAVS TO JAPAN
Ankara wants to sell Japan the ANKA UCAVs produced by TAI and Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2 and TB3 UCAVs.
FROM NEWSROOMS TO FOOTBALL CLUBS, TURKEY’S DRUG PROBE WIDENS
The drug-using operation that started with artists in October, then extended to sports, media, business and politics, continues with the unlawful sharing of private conversations and denials of drug use despite forensic reports. The names of some prosecutors, politicians and advisers appeared in the investigation early on, yet media coverage has so far remained silent about them.
CONCEPT OF THE YEAR: DIGITAL CONSCIENCE
Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy said, “digital conscience” was selected as the Word/Concept of the Year for 2025 following a public vote organized by the Turkish Language Association (TDK), despite the term not being widely used in daily language.
LACK OF RULING POLITICIANS ON TV FUELS DEBATE INSIDE PRO-GOVERNMENT MEDIA
A war of words broke out in the pro-government media, as prominent figures from the Demirören Group, which owns Hürriyet and CNN Türk, started questioning why they have been speaking on behalf of the ruling AKP.
BROAD UNEMPLOYMENT IN TURKEY NEARS 12 MILLION
Broadly defined unemployment in Turkey has climbed close to 12 million, according to a December 2025 report by DİSK-AR, the research branch of the Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions of Turkey.
TURKEY GRANTS VISA-FREE TRAVEL TO CHINESE CITIZENS
Turkey will grant visa-free entry to Chinese citizens for tourism and transit travel, following a presidential decree published in the Official Gazette.
PRO-PALESTINE MARCH HELD ON ISTANBUL’S GALATA BRIDGE
A large crowd gathered on Galata Bridge early Jan. 1 for a march in support of Palestinians, organized under the Humanity Alliance and the National Will Platform, chaired by Bilal Erdoğan, son of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OVERTURNS SENTENCE DEFERRAL IN TORTURE CASES
The Constitutional Court has annuled a provision allowing the deferral of sentences for public officials convicted of torture or ill-treatment.