Politics
⛏️🕯️ Mining Collapse in Zonguldak Claims Two Lives
Two miners have died following a collapse at a privately operated coal mine in the Kilimli district of Zonguldak, north-west Turkey. The incident occurred in the Gelik area while three workers were carrying out cleaning and maintenance in a ventilation shaft. One miner, 31-year-old İsmet Kabuk, was rescued injured and later discharged from hospital, while the bodies of Veysel Oruçoğlu (46) and Ziya Kiret (60) were recovered after seven and nine hours of rescue efforts respectively. Emergency teams, including AFAD and specialist mine rescue units, were deployed alongside fellow miners. The local governor confirmed the mine was fully licensed and said a judicial investigation is under way to determine the cause of the collapse.
🗳️💸 Claim: Erdoğan Sounds Out Pension Rise as Part of Early Election Calculations
A senior former figure from the ruling AK Party has claimed that President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has quietly asked for groundwork to be done on a significant increase in the minimum state pension, fuelling speculation about early election preparations. Speaking on Halk TV, former MP Emin Şirin said he had heard that the Social Security Institution (SGK) had been instructed to explore various scenarios ahead of July, including eye-catching options such as lifting the lowest pension to 40,000 lira. Şirin stressed that this did not mean a snap election had been formally decided, but rather reflected Erdoğan’s well-known habit of asking officials to “take a look” before making his final call, with political gossip in Ankara now ranging from a possible autumn election to a broader reshuffle and party reorganisation later in the year.
🗞️💬 Altaylı Returns With Backstage Claims, Raises Eyebrows Over Mehmet Şimşek
Veteran journalist Fatih Altaylı has returned to writing after spending six months in detention, publishing a column that includes a striking piece of political gossip involving Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Şimşek. Altaylı reports that during a recent cabinet meeting—one Şimşek could not attend due to overseas engagements—messages circulated among ministers urging them to bring forward all pending funding, investment and staffing requests to be signed off swiftly in his absence. While he says he does not know what was ultimately approved, Altaylı claims Şimşek’s absence created a noticeable sense of excitement within the cabinet. He also argued that as long as Şimşek remains in charge of the economy, the ruling AK Party would avoid calling an election, suggesting that any election would require Şimşek to step aside at least six months in advance to allow a shift to a looser, vote-focused economic policy.
🌪️🏛️ Are the ‘Storm Days’ Set to Return? Karar Columnist Warns Mansur Yavaş May Face Operation
İbrahim Kahveci, a columnist for the newspaper Karar, has claimed that Ankara Metropolitan Mayor Mansur Yavaş could be subjected to a legal operation similar to that carried out against Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Writing in Karar, Kahveci pointed to recent high-level appointments at the Justice Ministry—most notably the appointment of former Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor Akın Gürlek as justice minister—as triggering intense political speculation in Ankara. According to scenarios circulating behind the scenes, judicial practices in the capital may begin to resemble those seen in Istanbul, potentially paving the way for court-led changes within the CHP and a comparable move against Yavaş, who is widely regarded as a strong, election-winning figure.
“Don’t worry, I won’t be here long.- Minister of Treasury and Finance Mehmet Şimşek”
🗳️🏛️ Deputy Mayor Chosen in Görele After Extraordinary Council Vote
Following the arrest of Görele Mayor Hasbi Dede on allegations of sexual assault and his subsequent suspension by the Ministry of the Interior, the Görele Municipal Council convened to elect a deputy mayor. In a closed-door extraordinary session, CHP councillor Aysel Uzun won the post after a fourth round of voting. The first three ballots failed to produce a result, with the CHP candidate receiving five votes, the AK Party candidate four, and an independent candidate two. In the decisive fourth round, Uzun secured six votes, becoming Görele’s new deputy mayor.
🚨🏛️ Çeşme Mayor Lal Denizli Summoned to Give Statement
Lal Denizli, the Mayor of Çeşme, has been summoned by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to give a statement as part of an ongoing investigation. According to official information, the summons is linked to a broader probe involving allegations of drug-related offences connected to high-profile figures. Speaking after the news emerged, Denizli said she had not yet received the formal notice and was unaware of the reason for the request, adding that she did not know whether she had been called as a witness or a suspect. “If we are called, we go. I have no concerns at all,” she said, stressing that she would comply fully once notified.
🚫🌉 Governor’s Office Blocks CHP ‘Bridges Belong to the People’ March
A planned protest march by Turkey’s main opposition party, the CHP, against the privatisation of bridges and motorways has been blocked by the Istanbul Governor’s Office. The march, scheduled for Tuesday 17 February from Ortaköy to Arnavutköy in Beşiktaş, was denied permission on the grounds that the proposed route is not among officially designated demonstration routes for 2026 and could disrupt traffic and public safety. Despite the ban, CHP Istanbul provincial chair Özgür Çelik said the party would go ahead regardless, declaring, “We will march, we will not allow them to sell [the bridges]. We will gather tomorrow at 5pm in Ortaköy.” The authorities confirmed that a judicial and administrative assessment under the Law on Meetings and Demonstrations formed the basis of the decision.
🚨⚖️ Female Judge Shot: Prosecutors Seek Up to 42 Years in Prison for Male Prosecutor
An indictment has been filed seeking a prison sentence of between 20 years and 2 months and 42 years and 3 months for a male prosecutor accused of shooting and wounding a female judge at the Istanbul Regional Court of Justice. The defendant, prosecutor Muhammet Çağatay Kılıçaslan, is charged with attempted murder against a woman, violating workplace immunity through force and threats, armed and repeated threats, unlawful acquisition of personal data, and persistent stalking. According to prosecutors, the incident followed the breakdown of a personal relationship that began in mid-2023, after which Kılıçaslan allegedly subjected Judge Aslı Karaman to escalating threats, harassment and intimidation, including sending images of weapons and using fake online accounts. The indictment states that on 13 January he went to her office, refused to leave despite repeated requests, drew a gun and shot her, with a second attempt prevented by a witness’s intervention. The case file has now been sent to the High Criminal Court for review.
🏛️🤝 Mehmet Ağar Explains Visit to New Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi
Former interior minister Mehmet Ağar has explained why he paid a courtesy visit to Turkey’s newly appointed interior minister, Mustafa Çiftçi, saying it was simply a matter of tradition rather than politics or influence. Speaking to journalist İsmail Saymaz, Ağar said that having served at every level of the Interior Ministry—from district officer to minister himself—he routinely visits new appointees as a matter of custom. He noted a personal and professional link with Çiftçi, who passed his district governor’s exam during Ağar’s tenure and later served as governor of Erzurum, a province where Ağar said he still carries influence decades later. Describing the meeting as warm and informal, Ağar stressed that he did not offer advice, saying his role was limited to wishing success, offering moral support and saying a prayer.
👨👩👧👦📉 ‘Year of the Family’ Meets Rising Divorce Figures in Turkey
Despite 2025 being officially declared the “Year of the Family,” new data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) reveal a sharp rise in divorce, with the number of divorced adults exceeding 3.56 million. Divorced individuals now make up 5.2% of the adult population, rising to 5.7% among women, compared with 4.7% for men. The figures highlight a growing gap between government rhetoric and social reality, as economic hardship, insecurity and social pressures continue to strain marriages. Divorce rates were highest in western and southern provinces, led by İzmir and Muğla, while experts stressed that rising divorce does not necessarily signal the collapse of family life, but rather reflects social change, economic stress and the growing rejection of unhealthy or violent marriages.
Parliament National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission
🕊️📄 Draft ‘National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission’ Report Sets Conditions for Disarmament and Legal Oversight
Details have emerged from the draft report prepared by the National Solidarity, Brotherhood and Democracy Commission (Milli Dayanışma, Kardeşlik ve Demokrasi Komisyonu), outlining proposed legal steps for a potential peace process, with a vote expected on Wednesday. The 60-page document makes any new legislation strictly conditional on the verified disarmament of the PKK, to be formally confirmed by state authorities and monitored through a legally mandated special assignment. It proposes temporary and standalone legal arrangements, judicial supervision for those benefiting from the process to avoid perceptions of amnesty, and legal protections for officials involved. The report also includes recommendations on democratisation, such as compliance with ECHR and Constitutional Court rulings, equal enforcement of sentences, expanded freedoms of expression and assembly, electoral law reforms, and changes to local government procedures. While concepts like mother tongue rights are not explicitly mentioned, the report refers to removing legal barriers to “innate rights”. DEM Party representatives said negotiations over the draft are ongoing and that several contentious issues remain unresolved.
🕊️🗣️ Öcalan Says He Is Ready to Act but Calls for Conditions to Be Put in Place
During a meeting held yesterday on İmralı Island, PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan told a visiting DEM Party delegation that he was willing and able to play his part in the process, but said the necessary conditions and opportunities must first be created. Speaking on İlke TV, delegation member Mithat Sancar relayed Öcalan’s remarks, in which he described the talks as the start of an “integration process” and stressed that building a long-term, democratic future for Turkey would be impossible without the Kurds. Öcalan reportedly said the aim was not to “save the day, but to save history”, adding that a new phase had begun and that the “architecture of the second stage” now needed to be developed. He underlined that any improvement in his conditions was not a personal demand, but a requirement for advancing the peace and solution process.
🗣️📄 Koçyiğit Warns Draft Report Contains ‘Unacceptable’ Approaches
DEM Party parliamentary group deputy chair Gülistan Kılıç Koçyiğit has said the draft report prepared by the Milli Dayanışma, Kardeşlik ve Demokrasi Komisyonu includes approaches her party cannot accept, while stressing that they have both criticisms and concrete proposals to address contentious issues. Speaking at a press conference in parliament, Koçyiğit said the report must avoid denialist thinking and be written in a genuinely inclusive, solution-oriented spirit, warning that any return to old, deadlocked debates would come at a heavy cost to social peace and the future of young people. She expressed hope that outstanding disagreements could be resolved through dialogue, adding that the final report may not fully reflect everyone’s views but should represent a historic step towards a democratic and consensual future for Turkey.
🗳️📑 Consensus Near on Report, but Is Democratic Will Still Distant?
As Turkey’s parliamentary “Process Commission” edges closer to agreement on a joint report aimed at resolving the Kurdish issue, doubts are growing over whether there is sufficient political will to translate consensus into democratic change. While parties are said to be nearing compromise on the text, the draft has drawn criticism for avoiding the explicit term “Kurdish issue,” referring instead to “Turkish–Kurdish brotherhood,” and for omitting issues such as Kurdish-language rights and equal citizenship. Opposition figures say agreement on the report itself is likely, but warn that the real test will come afterwards—questioning whether the ruling alliance will take concrete legislative and democratic steps, including compliance with court rulings, ending trustee appointments to municipalities, and reforming anti-terror laws. Without clear political commitment beyond the report, critics argue, democratic progress may remain elusive despite apparent consensus on paper.
Economy
📉⚽ Terrace Inflation: When Football Slipped Beyond Reach
A faded ticket from a 2008 Champions League quarter-final in Kadıköy tells a much bigger story about how football in Turkey has changed. Back then, even someone on the minimum wage could, with a bit of belt-tightening, afford to be in the stands for a match of that scale. Today, the same seat can cost almost an entire month’s pay. While club squads have grown enormously in euro terms, ticket prices have risen even faster, comfortably outstripping dollar inflation and wage growth. The consequence isn’t just higher prices, but a quiet shift in who football is for: the terraces have moved from being a shared public space to a luxury product, with the middle class steadily squeezed out. Stadiums may still be full, but the people filling them have changed—and the game once called “the people’s game” is now, for many, something watched from the sofa rather than lived in the stands.