Zeynep Bilginsoy is a freelance journalist in Istanbul, Turkey.
AP — Turkey’s combative president is threatening to launch a military operation in northeastern Syria that is designed to push back U.S.-allied Syrian Kurdish forces — an invasion that carries major risks for a highly combustible region in war-devastated Syria.
Read MoreAP — Voters in Istanbul delivered a stunning victory to Turkey’s secular opposition in a repeat election for mayor Sunday. The opposition candidate, Ekrem Imamoglu, finished way ahead, breaking the grip of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party on Turkey’s most important city.
Read MoreAP — Prominent philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 others went on trial in Turkey Monday accused of organizing anti-government protests in 2013, with defendants and rights groups calling the charges baseless and aimed at silencing civil society activities.
Read MoreAP — The opposition candidate for mayor of Istanbul celebrated a landmark win Sunday in a closely watched repeat election that ended weeks of political tension and broke the long hold President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party had on leading Turkey’s largest city.
Read MoreAP — Voters in Istanbul return to the polls Sunday for a rerun of the Turkish city’s mayoral election. Turkey’s top election authority voided the first vote, which an opposition candidate narrowly won.
Read MoreAP — Ankara and Moscow are again facing an escalation of violence in Syria’s last rebel-held territory, a development that puts their cooperation to the test even as they support opposing sides in the eight-year war that has devastated Syria.
Read MoreAP — Turkey’s ruling party on Tuesday asked that a recent municipal election it lost in Istanbul be invalidated, as partial vote recounts in the city and the fight for the country’s commercial hub continued.
Read MoreAP — Turkey’s opposition looked poised to win control of the country’s two biggest cities Monday as it dealt President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s conservative party one of its most serious electoral setbacks in years. The opposition won Ankara, a ruling party stronghold for decades, and was leading a tight race for mayor in Istanbul, according to unofficial figures Monday.
Read MoreAP — A Turkish employee of the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul appeared in court Tuesday charged with espionage and attempting to overthrow the Turkish government in a case that further frayed ties between the two NATO allies.
Read MoreAP — Millions of Kurdish votes will be crucial in determining the fate of Turkey’s March 31 local elections, as a pro-Kurdish party has made the strategic decision to send votes to an opposition rival to challenge the ruling party in key races in Istanbul and Ankara.
Read MoreAP — New Zealand’s deputy prime minister said the gunman accused of killing 50 people in two mosques in the South Pacific nation would spend the rest of his life in isolation in prison and called for solidarity to eradicate “hate-filled ideologies.”
Read MoreSBS — A Turkish court has convicted Melbourne-born Neil Prakash of being a member of terrorist organisation, sentencing him to nearly eight years in prison but his lawyer said he could be out much sooner.
SBS — A Turkish court is set to deliver its verdict on Friday in the trial against Melbourne-born IS member Neil Christopher Prakash. The Australian government has closely followed the case, asserting that Prakash was a top recruiter for the extremist group.
AP — In a middle class Istanbul neighborhood shoppers form a long line to an immense tent carrying a sign that reads “Total combat against inflation.” The weapons in that battle: spinach, tomatoes and peppers that the Turkish government is selling in a makeshift stall at almost half the price of the regular markets.
Read MoreAP — Turkish prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for a local employee of the United States consulate in Istanbul accused of attempting to overthrow the government and espionage.
Read MoreAP — The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on Sunday presented a decree of independence to the head of the nascent Orthodox Church of Ukraine, formally severing it from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Read MoreAP — Turkey is massing troops near a town in northern Syria held by a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force, a war monitor said as Turkish media reported Sunday new reinforcements crossing the borders.
Read MoreAP — Recep Tayyip Erdogan has held plenty of grand opening ceremonies in his 15 years at Turkey’s helm. On Monday he will unveil one of his prized jewels — Istanbul New Airport — a megaproject that has been dogged by concerns about labor rights, environmental issues and Turkey’s weakening economy.
Read MoreAP — Turkish officials have an audio recording of the alleged killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi from the Apple Watch he wore when he walked into the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul over a week ago, a pro-government Turkish newspaper reported Saturday.
Read MoreAP — An American pastor flew out of Turkey on Friday after a Turkish court convicted him of terror links but freed him from house arrest, removing a major irritant in fraught ties between two NATO allies still strained by disagreements over Syria, Iran and a host of other issues.
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