NEW PROBE TARGETS FOOTBALL REFEREES
A judicial investigation has spread to top-tier football referees, leading to the detention of Central Referee Committee (MHK) Chair Ferhat Gündoğdu and six other officials.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
RETIRED POLICE OFFICER DIES BY SUICIDE AT PENSIONERS' PROTEST IN ANKARA
Ali Şekeroğlu, 60, took his own life outside the Constitutional Court while demanding a pay raise for retirees on Sept. 25. Şekeroğlu died by suicide with his own weapon.
TURKEY AGREES ON PHASED MILITARY WITHDRAWAL FROM IRAQ
Turkey has agreed with Baghdad on the gradual withdrawal of its troops from northern Iraq, and a similar step may soon be taken in Syria as well.
MILLIONS OF RETIREES WATCH INFLATION DATA AS PENSION TALKS NEAR
Millions of retirees in Turkey are waiting for official inflation data due on July 3 to learn how much their pensions could increase in the second half of the year. TurkStat will announce June inflation figures on July 3, revealing the inflation rate for the first six months of 2026. The data will determine the basis for pension adjustments. The parliament previously set the minimum pension for workers and self-employed retirees at 20,000 Turkish lira ($434) as of Jan. 1, 2026. Any increase to that minimum pension level will require a new legal regulation.
PARLIAMENT SETS MINIMUM PENSION AT 20,000 LIRA
Parliament approved legislation raising the minimum monthly pension to 20,000 lira ($460), an 18.4% increase, with effect from January. The bill, benefiting about 4.9 million retirees, was adopted by the Parliament with the support of the MHP lawmakers amid barbed debate.
WAGE HIKES FAIL TO CURB DISCONTENT AT GROWING ECONOMIC STRAIN
With inflation at 30.89% annually and 0.89% month‑on‑month in December, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the latest pension adjustments have ignited discontent among retirees. Most retired workers and tradespeople will receive only a 12.19% increase, while public servant retirees are slated for an 18.60% rise.
MÜJDAT GEZEN COULD DIE ON STAGE
'Trees die standing.' That is the title of a play that has been staged in our theaters for many years. Müjdat Gezen is 83 years old and has been a performer for more than 60 years. Not just on stage — also a film actor and television personality. He has spent most of his life, in a sense, broadcasting live. His life is, in fact, a summary of Turkey's most turbulent era.
GOVERNMENT SKIPS PENSIONER BONUS HIKE, EXPLORES ALTERNATIVE MODELS
The government decided not to increase the holiday bonus paid to retirees, despite rising inflation and growing public expectations. Instead, officials began studying alternative support models aimed at low-income pensioners.
RÜZGAR/WIND
In Turkish, rüzgâr begins as a simple meteorological fact: the wind that sweeps across the Bosphorus, bends Aegean olive trees and makes wildfires spread uncontrollably. Etymologically, it probably blows in from Persian, once meaning “time, fate, weather,” before narrowing into “wind.” But its real life is in metaphor: the wind that shifts fortune, tests patience, topples governments. In a language where song lyricists routinely confide in the breeze, it was only a matter of time before politicians started doing the same.
REFEREES DENY BETTING ALLEGATIONS
The 152 soccer referees accused of betting on matches have denied doing so.
BETTING SCANDAL ROCKS TURKISH FOOTBALL
President of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) İbrahim Hacıosmanoğlu revealed that 371 of the 571 referees officiating in professional matches had betting accounts, and 152 of them were actively placing bets.
ARBITRATION BOARD IMPOSES BELOW-INFLATION RAISES ON 6.5 MILLION PUBLIC SERVANTS
The Public Servants Arbitration Board has finalized wage hikes for 6.5 million civil servants and retirees, setting raises far below inflation and poverty thresholds after collective bargaining collapsed.