With a surprise decision, the Central Bank (CBRT) Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) raised the policy rate by 350 basis points to 46 percent on April 17. The Committee raised the Central Bank’s overnight lending rate from 46 percent to 49 percent and the overnight borrowing rate from 41 percent to 44.5 percent. In its written
At its March 27 meeting, the Turkish Radio and Television Supreme Board (RTÜK) imposed the heaviest fines ever on TV channels that do not toe the government line. With the fines, Sözcü TV received a 10-day blackout penalty, and the cancellation of its broadcasting license is now imminent. According to RTÜK member İlhan Taşçı, who
İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was arrested on March 23rd by an İstanbul Court on duty on charges of “bid rigging, recording personal data, bribery and establishing an organization of interest”. İmamoğlu was not arrested on charges of aiding the PKK within the framework of the “urban reconciliation” with Kurdish politicians but nevertheless
İstanbul’s opposition CHP member Metropolitan Mayor (IBB) Ekrem İmamoğlu was detained from his home on the morning of March 19. At 06:15 in the morning, the police arrived with a force of 20 vehicles at his official residence in Rumelihisarı district. They detained İmamoğlu within the framework of the investigation opened by the Istanbul Chief
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has issued a stark warning to main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel, after Özel criticized military commanders over the controversial dismissal of five army cadets. “As Commander-in-Chief, I am telling you: Watch your step. If you don’t, we know how to make you,” Erdogan said on February
Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu faces another criminal case, this time for allegedly threatening Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek. The indictment, prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, lists Prosecutor Gürlek as the “victim” and seeks a prison sentence ranging from 2 years 8 months to 7 years 4 months. The charges against İmamoğlu
A devastating fire at the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, a popular ski resort in Bolu, Türkiye, has resulted in 76 deaths and left 51 people injured, according to Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya. The incident occurred on January 21, 2025, marking one of the country’s deadliest hotel disasters in recent years. The 12-storey hotel, which
The mayor of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district, Rıza Akpolat from the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), has been arrested and suspended from his duties, marking a significant escalation in Türkiye’s political tensions. The Ministry of Interior announced Akpolat’s suspension from his position as a “temporary measure” following his arrest on charges of “membership in a criminal
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced a sevenfold increase in the number of Syrian refugees voluntarily returning to their homeland in the last 15 days following the collapse of the 61-year-old Ba’ath regime in Syria and the flight of President Bashar al-Assad to Russia on December 8. Speaking to the Anadolu Agency (AA), Minister Yerlikaya
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan disclosed that Bashar al-Assad’s departure from power came following direct pressure from Russia and Iran, marking a historic shift in Syria’s political landscape. Speaking on NTV broadcaston December 13, Fidan revealed that Assad left power after receiving phone calls from his long-standing allies, suggesting a coordinated diplomatic effort that reshaped