FRESH DETENTIONS HIT ISTANBUL MUNICIPALITY
Thirteen more Istanbul Municipality staff were detained on Sept. 3, as prosecutors widened their operation against the metropolitan authority.
Analysis
In-Depth Analysis
Smart, independent reporting on Turkey's politics, economy and foreign affairs.
EYES ON LIBYA AGAIN
The TAF is participating in a US-led military exercise in Libya, where Turkey backed the Government of National Accord (GNA) in the west during the civil war. Meanwhile, attention has again focused on the plane crash in which the GNA Chief of Staff Muhammed Ali Ahmed Al Haddad and his delegation died near Ankara on Dec. 23, 2025.
LIBYAN COMMANDERS’ PLANE CRASHED WHILE ENGINES WERE RUNNING
The engines of the plane carrying Libya’s top military officials, including Chief of General Staff General Muhammad Ali Al-Haddad, were still running when it crashed near Ankara on Dec. 23, 2025, killing all on board, according to findings of a preliminary investigation.
SEXUAL ABUSE ALLEGATIONS IN PARLIAMENT
Allegations that vocational high school students interning at the Parliament cafeteria were sexually abused by staff have sparked public outrage. The scandal surfaced after a 16-year-old intern reported the abuse and presented incriminating messages to law enforcement.
MHP FURY OVER BARZANI PHOTOS PUSHES INTERIOR MINISTRY TO INVESTIGATE ITS OWN STAFF
Images of Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani accompanied by uniformed peshmerga fighters wearing red berets and carrying assault rifles weapons in Şırnak sparked outrage — particularly from MHP Chair Devlet Bahçeli — and drove the Interior Ministry to investigate itself.
IS MERAL AKŞENER MAKING A COMEBACK?
You may ask, “Meral Akşener? Where did that come from?” It’s been a year and a half since she bid farewell to both the İYİ Party leadership and active politics. She has remained completely silent since. Yet, in recent days, an unexpected Akşener debate has been simmering—not in the headlines, but in İYİ Party circles. The discussion did not start with her; she has kept her silence. But when Esma Bekar—Akşener’s former chief of staff and perhaps the person closest to her—posted a message, the question suddenly arose: “Is Akşener returning?”
TELE1 EMPLOYEES RESIGN
With a trustee taking control and editor-in-chief Merdan Yanardağ under arrest, TELE1’s staff continued to resign en masse as the CHP promised to revive the station through a new platform.
ASSAN HIT BY FRAUD AND ESPIONAGE CLAIMS
ASSAN, one of Turkey’s top private-sector ammunition producers and an exporter to more than 60 countries, is under scrutiny following allegations of illegal staffing, supply delays, fraud, and improper transfer of state-developed defense technologies, according to Cumhuriyet daily.
ARMED FORCES COMMANDER REPLACED IN SURPRISE MOVE
Chief of General Staff General Metin Gürak has been retired, and Land Forces Commander General Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu appointed as his replacement. The surprise decision was taken at the regular meeting of the Supreme Military Council chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
LEMAN CARTOON SPARKS VIOLENT PROTESTS AND POLITICAL UPROAR
Four staff members of the satirical magazine Leman were arrested after a cartoon accused of insulting religious values triggered violent protests in Istanbul and drew sharp reactions from across the political spectrum.