PARLIAMENT TO HOLD EXTRAORDINARY SESSION ON GAZA
Turkey’s parliament will convene on Aug. 29 for an extraordinary session to address Israel’s offensive in Gaza and possible humanitarian aid steps.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
RUSSIAN STRIKE HITS TURKISH BAYRAKTAR DRONE FACTORY IN KYIV
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke by phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russian strikes on Kyiv killed at least 19 people and damaged infrastructure, including a Turkish-owned Bayraktar drone factory.
DETENTION OF TWO LAWYERS IN ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY PROBE HIGHLIGHTS DIFFERENT JUDICIAL TREATMENT
The detention of two lawyers in the same Istanbul Municipality corruption file has highlighted different approaches within the judiciary.
DEM PARTY DELEGATION VISITS ÖCALAN AFTER COMMISSION LAUNCH
A DEM Party delegation traveled to İmralı Island on Aug. 28 to meet with jailed PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, the first visit since Parliament formed the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission.
COMMISSION SPLIT OVER RULE OF LAW
The parliamentary National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission held two tense meetings this week, first hearing from Turkey’s bar associations and then from former parliamentary speakers.The MPs on the commission, who had so far avoided direct confrontation, engaged in their first open war of words after bar leaders gave long speeches stressing constitutional rights and the rule of law.
FİDAN WARNS TURKEY WILL NOT BACK DOWN IF TARGETED
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said that Turkey does not act with hostility unless it faces hostility, stressing that Ankara will not step back if targeted. Commenting on President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s recent statement that “if the sword leaves the sheath, there is no need for words,” Fidan said Turkey will not wait for a threat to materialize across its borders. “We do not threaten unless threatened. If we are faced with hostility, we will not retreat,” he said.
TURKISH PARLIAMENT TO HOLD EXTRAORDINARY SESSION ON GAZA
Turkey’s parliament will meet in an extraordinary session on Aug. 29 to discuss Israel’s offensive in Gaza and steps to deliver humanitarian aid.
BAR ASSOCIATION CHAIR URGES RESPECT FOR CONSTITUTION AT PARLIAMENT COMMISSION
Turkey Bar Association (TBB) President Erinç Sağkan told parliament’s National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission that no political or legal issue in Turkey can be resolved without respect for the constitution.
SECOND BAHÇELİ-ALLY ARRESTED
İsmet Sayhan, former president of the state-owned Mechanical and Chemical Industry Corporation (MKE) and a close associate of MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli, has been arrested.
DEM PARTY SCHEDULES İMRALI VISIT AS PARLIAMENT COMMISSION HEARS BAR ASSOCIATIONS, FORMER SPEAKERS
The DEM Party delegation will visit Abdullah Öcalan, the jailed PKK founder, on İmralı Island on Aug. 28, following weeks of criticism over limited access.
LAWYER FOR İMAMOĞLU RELEASED UNDER JUDICIAL CONTROL
Nusret Yılmaz, one of the attorneys representing jailed Istanbul Mayor and CHP presidential candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu and his wife, Dilek İmamoğlu, has been released under judicial control measures.
ALTIN VARAK
Altın varak, the Turkish expression for gold leaf, is what happens when human vanity finds its most delicate expression. The Ottomans used it with flair: laid onto Qur’an illuminations, painted into miniatures, burnished across mosque panels and palace ceilings. It was a craft in which theology, politics, and decoration were rolled into one, performed with fine brushes.