Turkey

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Death toll rises to 41 in Turkey coal mine explosion

AMASRA, Turkey (AP) — Funerals for miners killed in a coal mine explosion in northern Turkey began Saturday as officials raised the death toll to at least 41 people.

https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-business-explosions-fires-8ae6bc663b4f482ae69b148d185fb518?

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An ailing American explorer trapped 3,000 feet deep in Turkish cave awaits difficult rescue

ISTANBUL (AP) — Rescuers from across Europe rushed to a cave in Turkey on Thursday, launching an operation to save an American researcher who became trapped almost 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) below the cave’s entrance after suffering stomach bleeding.

https://apnews.com/article/american-cave-explorer-ill-trapped-turkey-c9d4ac9ede90e6fe145e9bcf815b4ad8?

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American researcher has been rescued from deep Turkish cave more than a week after he fell ill

TASELI PLATEAU, Turkey (AP) — Rescuers pulled an American researcher out of a Turkish cave early Tuesday, more than a week after he became seriously ill 1,000 meters (more than 3,000 feet) below its entrance, officials said.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-cave-rescue-researcher-9ec8bf03a7b2b8a561275a1ef76ab68b?

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Erdogan says Turkey may part ways with the EU. He implied the country could end its membership bid

ISTANBUL (AP) — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that Turkey may part ways with the European Union, implying that the country is thinking about ending its bid to join the 27-nation bloc.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-european-union-membership-erdogan-7e7d6d961e1ef4c0bff5d149831ab569?

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A true ghost town

It was once thriving with at least 10,000 Greek Orthodox Christians. But for more than a century, this town has stood empty, abandoned by its occupants and haunted by the past. It’s a monument, frozen in time — a physical reminder of darker times in Turkey.

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Turkey detains 15 members of anti-American youth group for assaulting 2 US servicemen

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Monday detained 15 members of an anti-American youth organization who physically assaulted two U.S. military personnel in the city of Izmir, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-american-youth-military-izmir-assault-1f5a6006340e6623508fb498a2890cc8?

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Turkey strikes Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria following deadly attack on defense company

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey’s air force struck Kurdish militant targets in Iraq and Syria on Wednesday in an apparent retaliation for an attack at a key state-run defense company that killed five people and wounded more than 20 others.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-explosion-aerospace-company-413fbeb21e1fa86ea1ecd52a19079e67?

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What to know about the latest effort to bring an end to Turkey’s 40-year Kurdish conflict Talks between politicians from Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party and jailed Kurdish leaders have been gathering steam as they try to end four decades of fighting between the state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK. The latest peace effort comes at a time of heightened instability and fundamental changes reshaping the region. Read more.

Why this matters: The PKK has waged an armed insurgency against Turkey since 1984, initially with the aim of establishing a Kurdish state in the southeast of the country. Over time, the objective evolved into a campaign for autonomy and rights for Kurds within Turkey. Turkish officials took some steps to improve Kurdish rights, but the process collapsed in July 2015, after a series of violent attacks, including one by the Islamic State group that killed 33 pro-Kurdish activists. Since then, Turkey has cracked down on its pro-Kurdish movement and has jailed thousands of people.   Recently, the fall of Assad in a lightning rebel offensive has triggered intensified fighting between Turkish-backed and Kurdish groups in northern Syria.    The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, who have controlled northeast Syria for the past decade, are under attack from the Syrian National Army, an umbrella of militias fighting on behalf of Turkey, which regards the SDF as an extension of the PKK and wants to neutralize it as an independent fighting force. The conflict between militants and state forces, which has spread beyond Turkey’s borders into Iraq and Syria, has killed tens of thousands of people.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Turkey’s Erdogan launches ‘Year of the Family’ with an attack on the LGBTQ+ community   Turkey insists on two states for ethnically divided Cyprus as the UN looks to restart peace talks   The warm Turkish welcome for refugees is ending and Syrians are worried

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Ski resort fire

A fire broke out at a ski resort hotel in northwestern Turkey today, killing at least 10 people and injuring dozens of others, according to the country's Interior Minister. Investigators are working to determine the cause of the blaze in Bolu province, a popular winter vacation destination in the region. Several videos, some shared on social media and others broadcast by Turkish TV stations, showed flames coming out of the top floors of the hotel. Some people were seen using tied bed sheets to try to escape the fire. There were around 234 guests staying at the hotel, local officials said.

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Kurdish PKK militants declare a ceasefire in 40-year insurgency in Turkey

ISTANBUL (AP) — Kurdish militants who have waged a 40-year insurgency in Turkey declared a ceasefire on Saturday in what could mark a significant boost to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government, two days after their imprisoned leader called for the group to disarm.

https://apnews.com/article/pkk-turkey-kurdish-militants-ceasefire-66bae6dd7d08c8144b683f92042fbfc9?

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Turkish police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival, as government crackdown escalates

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkish police on Wednesday arrested Istanbul’s mayor — a popular opposition leader and key rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan — and several other prominent figures as part of investigations into alleged corruption and terror links. The detention of Ekrem Imamoglu was a dramatic escalation in a crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices in Turkey.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-istanbul-mayor-police-search-ead3dd38aa547ecd13bc336e7d6c4d58?

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Turkish court orders Erdogan rival jailed pending trial on corruption charges as protests grow

ISTANBUL (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of opposition supporters gathered outside Istanbul city hall Sunday night to protest the arrest of the city’s mayor, a key rival to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-mayor-jailed-istanbul-f962743f724f00a318f84ffaed7f58de?

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Turkey detains journalists as protests grow over the jailing of key Erdogan rival

ISTANBUL (AP) — A media union said Turkish authorities arrested several journalists at their homes in a crackdown Monday, amid growing protests over the jailing of Istanbul’s mayor, a top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-istanbul-mayor-protest-journalists-detained-erdogan-f6e803ab00ce86097aba78b3a94ef061?

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PKK

The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) announced on Monday that it plans to dissolve after nearly five decades of armed conflict with Turkey. The Kurdish issue has come “to a point where it can be resolved through democratic politics,” the PKK said in a statement. Founded in 1978 by Abdullah Ocalan, the PKK has been fighting to establish an independent Kurdish state in Turkey’s southeast. The long and bloody conflict has claimed at least 40,000 lives. In 1999, Ocalan was captured in Kenya and sentenced to life in prison for treason. In February, he called on PKK fighters to lay down their arms and dissolve the group. “There is no alternative to democracy in the pursuit and realization of a political system. Democratic consensus is the fundamental way,” Ocalan said in his statement.

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Turkey's Erdogan appoints legal team to draft new constitution, sparking fears of extended rule

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday he has appointed a team of legal experts to start working on a new constitution — which critics say could allow him to remain in power beyond 2028, when his current term ends. Read More.

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Turkey detains 120 opposition officials including former mayor

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Tuesday detained a former mayor and dozens of municipality officials in the western city of Izmir over alleged corruption, extending a crackdown against the country’s main opposition party.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-opposition-party-former-mayor-detained-06aa04b9bb62652e08ff32e35139dd5e?

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Turkish court orders ban on Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok for offensive content

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A Turkish court ordered Wednesday a ban on access to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot Grok from Turkey, after the platform allegedly disseminated content insulting to Turkey’s president and others.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-artificial-intelligence-grok-access-ban-erdogan-8ba6c5b9529fb17b6ec8025f25a8b59c?

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Turkey issues genocide arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu

Turkey has issued arrest warrants for alleged genocide against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and senior officials within his government.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/07/turkey-issues-genocide-arrest-warrant-against-benjamin-netanyahu?

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Turkey recovers black boxes from jet crash that killed top Libyan military officials

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Search teams in Turkey on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, while efforts to retrieve the victims’ remains were still underway, Turkey’s interior minister said.

https://apnews.com/article/turkey-libya-army-chief-plane-crash-f6cad15a9472a6c750513bf841b1f4ff?