After a troubling twelve months that saw tourism to Turkey plummet by up to 40% due to terrorism and the failed coup, the country is again becoming the destination of choice for British visitors. The UK’s leading tour operator Thomas Cook reported strong growth in demand for Turkish holidays for the 2017 season because […]
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has again accused the European Union of being “insincere” over Turkish accession, claiming they were just “wasting” Turkey’s time. The Turkish President’s remarks came during an interview with HARDtalk’s Zeinab Badawi, who asked whether Turkey is better in or outside of the EU. Pointing to the country’s $11,000 per capita income, Mr […]
The leader of Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu completed his near month-long ‘Justice March’ yesterday with a massive rally in Istanbul. An estimated two million people attended the protest event in Maltepe, on the Asian side of the city, which Kılıçdaroğlu said heralded a “new beginning” for the country. Kılıçdaroğlu […]
One of the European Union’s major institutions has called for a reorientation of its relationship with Turkey. The European Parliament wants the EU’s accession talks with the candidate country to be suspended if Ankara implements plans to expand President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s powers. These new powers, voted in after a controversial referendum in April, […]
A new game show for Ramazan on Turkey’s flagship state broadcaster channel has incensed many conservative religious groups across the country. The show, Kur’an-ı Kerim’i Güzel Okuma Yarışması [Kuran: Beautiful Recital Competition], televised each night, shows men competing by reciting passages from the Kuran. A panel of three judges give feedback to the competitors, […]
On Thursday, the leader of Turkey’s largest opposition party began a 250-mile march to Istanbul from Ankara to protest the growing number of people arbitrarily arrested and jailed by the Turkish government. Thousands have joined CHP (Republican People’s Party) head Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu on the March For Justice [Adalet Yürüyüşü], which is expected to take […]
Music teacher Şenay Aybüke Yalçın was fatally injured after being caught in the crossfire of an attack by the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) in Kozluk, Batman district, in southeast Turkey. She was travelling as a passenger in the back seat of a car along with three others at the time. It is thought the […]
A military helicopter crashed shortly after taking off from its base in Şırnak, southeast Turkey, killing everyone on board. Among the 13 victims was Lt. Col. Songül Yakut, 41, the country’s first female commander, and Major Gen. Aydoğan Aydın, who had played a leading role in combating terror group the PKK. The crash is […]
Football club Beşiktaş have been crowned champions of Turkey’s Süper Lig for the fifteenth time in their history. They clinched the title at the penultimate game of the season, beating relegated Gaziantepspor 4.0 away from home, with goals from Ryan Babel (6), Oğuzhan Özyakup (40 & 66) and Anderson Talisca (76 minute). On Saturday, […]
“Together, we all need to do more than we currently do for the Black Sea, which always gives us more than it takes from us,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in a call for stronger ties between Black Sea Economic Co-operation (BSEC) group member states on Monday. Speaking at BSEC’s 25th anniversary summit […]
