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Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey

Was Erdoğan's gun gift a faux pas or an old-school diplomatic tradition?

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Culture news

Turkish comedian arrested for 'insulting' Islam and Erdogan

Turkish comedian Deniz Göktaş was arrested at Istanbul Airport on Thursday following a stand-up show posted to YouTube. The 32-year-old faces multiple probes, including "publicly insulting religious values" and insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Europe News

EU seeks to deepen ties with Turkey amid geopolitical volatility

Three EU commissioners met the Turkish president in Ankara to improve cooperation on trade, migration and security with a key candidate for EU accession ahead of next week's NATO summit.

Turkey

Police fire tear gas to break up Turkey opposition rally in Izmir

The CHP is level with the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in most recent opinion polls and although the next election is not due until 2028, many expect Erdoğan to push for early elections.

Turkey

Erdoğan scraps move to close liberal Bilgi University after outcry

Founded on 7 June 1996 as Turkey's fourth private foundation university, Bilgi became part of the Laureate International Universities network, a US-based group operating universities across multiple continents, in 2006.

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Turkish police use tear gas to break into CHP headquarters

Turkish riot police used tear gas and forced their way into the Ankara headquarters of the main opposition CHP party after a court dismissed its leadership, as supporters blocked entrances in defiance of the ruling.

Turkey

Turkish court removes leader of main opposition party CHP

The case concerns allegations of vote buying at the CHP congress in November 2023, with prosecutors alleging that Özgür Özel secured his election as party leader with promises of jobs and other kickbacks.

Germany

Germany's Merz world's most unpopular head of government, poll shows

Surveys show Friedrich Merz as the most unpopular leader across 24 democracies, far behind Narendra Modi, Lee Jae-myung and Andrej Babiš in approval.

Turkey

Brawl erupts in Turkey's parliament over justice minister appointment

No official reason was given for Wednesday's Cabinet shake‑up, though the Official Gazette said the outgoing ministers had "requested to be relieved" of their duties.

World News

Pope Leo XIV: 'In Palestine, the only solution is two States'.

The pontiff is in Lebanon for the second leg of his apostolic journey, the first since his election, which has already taken him to Turkey, Ankara, Iznik and Istanbul

Ukraine

Zelenskyy heads to Turkey to restart diplomatic process with Russia

Ukraine’s president is to go to Ankara in hopes of rebooting talks with Russia and putting an end to Moscow’s full-scale invasion. Yet the Kremlin said no Russian representatives will participate in the meeting.

Turkey

Prosecutor seeks 2,352-year jail term for jailed Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu

İmamoğlu, a prominent opposition figure seen as a rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, was arrested in March accused of running a criminal organisation, accepting bribes and extortion.

Switzerland

Swiss court upholds sentence of four over 'Kill Erdoğan' rally banner

The banner featured an image of the Turkish leader with a gun pointed at his temple. A regional court convicted the defendants in 2020, handing down fines and suspended prison sentences.

Europe News

Merz urges deeper ties with Turkey despite disagreements on Gaza

The advocacy group, Human Rights Watch, had urged Merz to speak out against Turkey's crackdown on the opposition, including the arrest of Istanbul's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu.

USA

Trump signals that US could lift ban on F-35 sales to NATO ally Turkey

The US removed Turkey from its flagship F-35 fighter jet programme after Turkey purchased the S-400 air defence system from Russia.

Turkey

US opposed to Turkey re-joining F-35 programme, State Department says

Turkey was removed from the F-35 programme and its Defence Industry Agency was sanctioned after Ankara announced in 2017 it would purchase Russian S-400 missiles.

Turkey

Turkish parliamentary committee begins work on PKK peace initiative

The PKK had waged an armed insurgency against Turkey since 1984, initially with the aim of establishing a Kurdish state in the southeast of the country.