Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
The three Turkish MPs, who joined the Freedom Flotilla in support of Gazans and were detained by Israel, arrived in Istanbul on Oct. 9 following the announcement of a ceasefire. The news was shared on social media by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Öncü Keçeli.
Who is Ayşe Barım? Those who should know her, don’t. The people of this country—who have lived all their lives below the poverty line, and not even all of them, only a few—first heard her name in the news bulletins. When? Exactly 248 days ago, when she was arrested. They didn’t know Ayşe Barım, but in the evenings they gathered with their families or friends, cracking sunflower seeds and watching TV dramas with excitement. Yet those viewers had no idea what was happening behind the screen. Behind the mesmerizing shows they watched so devotedly stood an unknown figure. Under the headlines “Çağlayan Courthouse / Silivri Prison,” Ayşe Barım was forced—by the hand of the judiciary, not by her own will—to step onto the stage from behind the curtains.
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.
At least 27 Turkish nationals were detained when Israeli naval forces intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla late Oct. 1 as it neared Gaza. The flotilla, composed of over 40 vessels and around 500 passengers, aimed to deliver humanitarian aid.
Detained for comparing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on the TV screen, TELE1 TV executives were released on judicial supervision after giving statements to the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan removed additional tariffs on certain U.S.-made products, including automobiles, ahead of his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The Presidential Decree was published in the Official Gazette, saying that no additional taxes will be imposed on imports of U.S.-origin products such as passenger cars, cosmetics and skin care products, leaf tobacco, and alcoholic beverages.
Merve Göntem, screenwriter of the popular TV series Kızılcık Şerbeti (Cranberry Sorbet), was detained at her home in Istanbul’s Cihangir district over comments made during a YouTube interview four years ago.
After the seizure of Can Holding Media Group, one of Turkey’s largest conventional media conglomerates, Kenan Tekdağ, chair of the Board of Directors, was detained in hospital, then placed under house arrest and banned from leaving the country.
Turkish authorities have launched a probe into Investco Holding for allegedly laundering illicit gains obtained in violation of the Capital Markets Law through the stock exchange.
Turkish Aerospace Industries’ (TAI) jet trainer aircraft Hürjet has passed another milestone in the certification process by obtaining the Design Organization Approval (DOA) and Production Organization Approval (POA) certificates, Haluk Görgün, head of Defense Industries, announced on Sept. 10.
Here at the tail end of the tourist season, the word of the week writes itself: konukseverlik, hospitality, or, in its Ottoman-tinted oldspeak, misafirperverlik. Every guidebook swears Turks are preternaturally welcoming; the national branding machine isn’t shy about it either. Yet while “hospitality” is the country’s trusty calling card, the numbers are more than brochure copy. Turkey received 23.6 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2025, marking an increase of 15.9% year-on-year, as tourism revenues hit a record $24.6 billion. By July, official arrivals had topped 31.2 million, the second-highest January–July tally on record.
The high-speed target drone Şimşek, developed by Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI), has been transformed into a kamikaze platform, Defense Industry Presidency chief Haluk Görgün announced on Aug. 22.