Politics
🚧🛣️ Istanbul–Izmir Motorway Reopens After Landslide Disruption
The Istanbul–Izmir motorway has reopened to traffic after being shut in both directions following a landslide near Saruhanlı in Manisa province. The incident occurred in the early hours when tonnes of earth spilled onto the carriageway, blocking all three lanes towards Istanbul and later prompting the precautionary closure of the Izmir-bound side as well. No injuries were reported, though two recovery vehicles were damaged. After six hours of clearing and safety work, the road was fully reopened in both directions at around 7am, restoring normal traffic flow.
🚨⚖️ Accountant Who Slit His Boss’s Throat Faces Two Life Sentences
Prosecutors in Bursa are seeking two aggravated life sentences, plus up to 15 years in prison, for an accountant accused of murdering his employer and stealing large sums in cheques, promissory notes and gold. The defendant, Halil Kağan Oğuz, is accused of killing his boss, Mustafa Ekşi, by cutting his throat and stabbing him inside a car in July 2023 before taking financial documents and valuables. While Oğuz claimed he acted in panic after being threatened and later handed himself in, the case took a more serious turn when millions of lira worth of cheques were reported missing. Following witness statements and evidence, prosecutors reclassified the charges as aggravated murder and armed robbery, arguing that the killing was committed in the course of a major financial theft.
🚨🕵️ Arabacı Indictment Reveals Shocking Detail: Suspect Lived in Turkey for Five Years While on Red Notice
An indictment prepared in the case against alleged crime boss Necati Arabacı has revealed that one of the defendants, Muhammed (also known as Hasan) Okutan, lived openly in Turkey for five years despite being wanted by Interpol under a red notice. According to the file, Okutan—suspected of involvement in a gang-related murder in Denmark—resided in İzmir, Çeşme and Alaçatı under a different identity while allegedly taking part in organised criminal activities linked to Arabacı. Although Danish authorities issued a red notice for Okutan in 2020 over a fatal shooting in Copenhagen, he was only arrested in Turkey in October 2025, not because of the international warrant but as part of a separate investigation into the alleged criminal network. The case has raised serious questions about enforcement gaps and how a fugitive managed to remain in the country for years without detection.
🚓🔍 Leak Probe Targets ‘Casperlar’ Gang Links: 17 Detained, Including 9 Police Officers
Turkish prosecutors have launched a major operation into alleged information leaks to the so-called “Casperlar” armed crime group, resulting in the detention of 17 suspects, among them nine serving police officers. The Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the investigation uncovered evidence that public officials had unlawfully shared sensitive data — including criminal records, wanted-person alerts and vehicle seizure information — with gang leaders and members. Those taken into custody also include a court clerk, a customs enforcement officer and a former police officer. Raids were carried out simultaneously across several provinces after digital materials seized in an earlier operation revealed sustained contact and benefit-based relationships between the organisation and rogue officials.
⚖️🎓 İmamoğlu Takes Diploma Ruling to Appeal Court After Case Is Rejected
Ekrem İmamoğlu, Istanbul’s mayor and the CHP’s presidential candidate, has lodged an appeal against a court ruling that upheld the cancellation of his university diploma. After the Istanbul 5th Administrative Court rejected his lawsuit challenging Istanbul University’s decision to annul his 31-year-old degree, İmamoğlu’s legal team has taken the case to the regional appeal court, seeking both a stay of execution and the annulment of the lower court’s decision. The diploma was revoked by the university in March 2025, a move widely seen as politically charged, with the initial ruling arguing that İmamoğlu had not acted in good faith when transferring between universities decades ago. The appeal now shifts the battle to a higher court, keeping one of the most contentious legal fronts in Turkish politics firmly alive.
🗳️✨ Meral Akşener Hints at New Political Dialogue: “I’d Like Us to Sit Around One Table”
Former Meral Akşener, the founding leader of the İYİ Parti, has made remarks that are already stirring debate across Ankara. Speaking to journalist Aytunç Erkin, Akşener stressed that she has no intention of returning to active politics, but said she would welcome a broad-based conversation bringing together people from across Turkey’s political spectrum. “My hope,” she said, “is that everyone on the right and the left who wants to struggle for this country can come together around a common table and talk.” The comments, shared on television by Erkin, prompted immediate speculation among commentators about whether Akşener could yet play a behind-the-scenes role in shaping a new political dialogue.
🗳️❌ Yeniden Refah Dismisses Yavaş Claims: “Our Candidate Is Fatih Erbakan”
Turkey’s Yeniden Refah Partisi has firmly denied claims that its leader is backing Ankara Mayor Mansur Yavaş for the presidency. Speaking after comments aired by journalist Aytunç Erkin, party spokesperson and deputy chair Muhammed Fatih Müjdeci said the allegation was “completely unfounded”, stressing that the party’s presidential candidate remains its leader, Fatih Erbakan. Müjdeci underlined that the decision reflects the will of the party and its authorised bodies, adding that any alternative interpretations were misleading and did not reflect reality.
Ruling Government (JDP-AKP)
🌙🇹🇷 Erdoğan to Host First Ramadan Iftar with Families of Fallen Soldiers
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will mark the beginning of Ramadan by hosting an iftar dinner with the families of fallen soldiers at Çankaya Mansion this evening. Continuing a long-standing tradition, the annual gathering brings together families invited from across Türkiye, alongside senior government ministers. Held in the spiritual atmosphere of Ramadan, the event is expected to conclude with a speech by Erdoğan, addressing guests after the iftar and paying tribute to the nation’s martyrs and their families.
🗳️📑 Backroom Stir Over Opening Process Report: Claims of a “Quiet Amnesty” and a Weakened Parliament
A report prepared as part of Türkiye’s renewed “opening process” has set Ankara’s political corridors buzzing, not just for what it says, but for what critics believe it quietly enables. Framed in the language of “consensus” and “national unity”, the document is being read by many as shifting the balance of power away from Parliament and towards the executive, while laying the groundwork for what insiders describe as an amnesty in all but name. Opposition figures and even some within ruling-party circles question whether parliamentary scrutiny is being hollowed out under the banner of a “state policy”, and whether the process is tied to broader constitutional calculations — including President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s future role and succession plans. The prevailing mood in the capital is that this report is less about a single reform track and more about reshaping the political system for the next phase of power.
🕊️🌍 After Years Apart, a First: Türkiye and Israel to Sit at the Same Table
For the first time in years, Türkiye and Israel are set to take part in the same diplomatic forum as the US-led Gaza Peace Board holds its inaugural meeting today in Washington. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed Türkiye’s participation following his return from Ethiopia, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from the opposition Republican People’s Party. CHP Deputy Chair and former ambassador Namık Tan underlined the significance of the moment, noting that Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Saar will be seated at the same table. Tan questioned whether this compulsory contact might signal a softening in relations, as Ankara’s decision to join the initiative fuels fresh debate over the direction and meaning of its Gaza diplomacy.
Economy
🍽️📉 Inflation Hits the Dinner Table: Meat Out, Pasta In
A striking chart shared by economist Hakan Kara lays bare how Türkiye’s cost-of-living crisis is reshaping everyday diets. According to the data, per-capita meat consumption has fallen sharply since the pandemic and the surge in inflation after 2020, while pasta consumption has steadily increased. Kara notes that although the trend briefly eased during the 2023 election period, there has been no full recovery. The picture is a simple but stark one: as prices rise and incomes lag behind, households are being pushed away from protein-rich foods towards cheaper staples, with inflation’s real cost paid not in figures, but at the family table.
📊📈 Consumer Confidence Climbs to an 11-Month High
Turkey’s consumer confidence index rose in February to its highest level in nearly a year, according to the latest survey jointly conducted by Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu and the Türkiye Cumhuriyet Merkez Bankası. The index increased by 2.3% month-on-month, from 83.7 in January to 85.7 in February, edging close to the peak seen last March. The improvement was driven mainly by a stronger perception of household finances, with assessments of current and future income conditions rising noticeably. While expectations for the broader economy over the next 12 months remained broadly flat, consumers showed a greater willingness to spend, particularly on durable goods—suggesting a cautious but tangible lift in sentiment as households feel slightly more secure than in previous months.
🏠📉 Home Sales Slip at the Start of 2026
According to figures released by Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK), housing sales in Türkiye fell in January, marking a softer start to 2026. First-hand home sales declined by 2.1% year-on-year to 34,069, while second-hand sales dropped more sharply, down 5.9% to 77,411. Despite the overall slowdown, mortgage-backed sales rose by 15.7%, suggesting demand is increasingly reliant on credit, while sales to foreign buyers fell steeply by 20.8% to just 1,306 units. A similar contraction was seen in commercial property, with both new and second-hand workplace sales declining, underlining that momentum in the property market remains fragile despite pockets of financing-driven activity.
🏠📊 Who’s Buying Homes in Türkiye? January Figures Show a Clear Leader
Fresh data released by Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu (TÜİK) reveal a slowdown in Turkey’s housing market at the start of 2026, with both first-hand and second-hand home sales falling year on year, even as mortgage-backed purchases picked up. Sales to foreign buyers dropped sharply by 20.8% in January, down to just 1,306 properties, accounting for a modest 1.2% of all transactions. Despite the decline, Russian citizens remained the largest group of overseas buyers, purchasing 219 homes, followed by buyers from Iran (118) and Ukraine (77). The figures underline a cooling market overall, with demand increasingly shaped by financing conditions and a notable retreat in foreign interest.