Türkiye on Wednesday, 16 September 2026

MHP leader Bahçeli said no 'villa' had been built on İmralı, but rather a 250-square-meter residence within the prison compound. Bahçeli reiterated that MHP's candidate in the next election would be President Erdoğan.…

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced that with the HSK's 16 September decision, service points and point rankings will be the basic criterion in judge and prosecutor assignments, and the east-west distinction will be removed. The new system will take effect with the 2027 Annual Decree.…

Bakırköy 57th Criminal Court of First Instance sentenced former AKUT Chairman Nasuh Mahruki, who was on trial over a July 15 social media post, to 1 year and 3 months in prison, suspended the announcement of the verdict, and ordered the release of Mahruki, who had been in detention for about two months.…

Intelligence agency MİT head İbrahim Kalın held talks in Kabul and Kandahar with General Directorate of Intelligence head Abdulhak Vasık and three ministers of the caretaker government on security cooperation and counterterrorism.…

In İzmir, of 47 suspects referred to court in a bribery investigation into Seferihisar Municipality, 29 were arrested and 17 were released under judicial supervision. Those arrested include two CHP municipal council members.…

Tahsin Usta, a council member who switched from CHP to AK Party ahead of a deputy mayoral election in Üsküdar, was appointed deputy mayor by Acting Mayor Dündar Ziya Gültekin. Usta will oversee the Disaster Affairs, Health Affairs and Social Services directorates.…

Namık Kemal Gökalp, board chairman of Hedef Holding and İnfo Yatırım, was detained in Istanbul on September 16 as part of an investigation. The holding said Gökalp had been invited to the police station and that the company had no connection to the investigation.…

On the evening of September 16, as Borsa Istanbul (BIST) fell sharply, Tera Portföy declared a payment default in its THF and TP2 funds. Unit share value in six free funds, including TLY, will now be calculated on the 15th of each month, with sale proceeds paid on the 10th business day.…

Özgür Özel said the per-liter price of diesel would exceed 100 lira at midnight on September 16, with 20 lira of that coming from special consumption tax (ÖTV) and VAT. Özel called for fuel taxes to be removed immediately.…

The Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation into former Borsa Istanbul (BIST) chairman İbrahim Mustafa Turhan over social media posts alleged to be capable of creating fear and panic in the capital markets. The investigation came after BIST 100 lost more than 6%, triggering a circuit breaker.…

Banking regulator BDDK decided that shareholder rights attached to the 99.98% stake in Golden Global Investment Bank, which is facing a liquidity problem, will be exercised by the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund (TMSF), without transferring ownership of the shares. The United States placed the bank on its sanctions list on September 4 over alleged Iran-linked transactions, which the bank denied.…

According to the Central Bank (TCMB), housing prices rose 0.9% monthly and 23% annually in August but fell 6.5% annually in real terms adjusted for inflation. The real decline extended to a ninth month, while the new-tenant rent index fell 3.9% in real terms in July.…

The Istanbul Chief Prosecutor's Office blocked access to 419 social media accounts and one link over allegedly obscene content. According to the Freedom of Expression Association (İFÖD), the blocked accounts include journalists İrfan Değirmenci and Şirin Payzın as well as some women's organizations.…

The Silivri Chief Public Prosecutor's Office ordered an expert examination in the investigation into the 2011 death of former MİT officer Kaşif Kozinoğlu, covering allegations that the TV series 'Kurtlar Vadisi Pusu' depicted a character being killed as a "traitor to the homeland" and contained FETÖ propaganda involving vehicles with "FG" plates. Three screenwriters of the series gave statements, and proceedings were launched against 11 suspects in the investigation.…

ÖSYM ruled on September 15 that 392 candidates would take an equivalent exam after detecting practices in violation of regulations in 22 of 150 halls at the KPSS session in Şanlıurfa. A new exam date has not yet been announced.…

The İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality (İBB) Council unanimously approved a proposal granting students who load a transit pass between September 21 and October 17 a one-time monthly pass for 1 lira (TL). During discussions it was noted that the student transit pass fee had risen from 40 lira to 653 lira between 2019 and 2026.…

In Zonguldak, a father and mother accused of beating their 17-year-old daughter and chaining her to a bed were arrested. Gendarmerie found the girl handcuffed and chained, while bruises were detected on four siblings, who were placed under state protection.…

On the Aksaray-Konya highway, a sandstorm reduced visibility, causing a collision involving 2 shuttle minibuses, 2 cars and 3 light commercial vehicles, injuring 16 people. The injured were taken to hospitals, and the gendarmerie launched an investigation.…

Two communiqués published in the Official Gazette reduced fat classes for drinking milk to four and restricted the use of sugar and syrup; rules on döner labeling and fat ratio in meat products were also revised. Businesses will have until March 31, 2027 to comply.…

Saudi Arabia announced it destroyed a drone south of Mecca on the evening of September 15. Türkiye's Foreign Ministry condemned what it said was a Houthi attempt to target Mecca, while the Houthis denied the claim, saying they had only targeted oil facilities and military bases.…

The 51st Commando Brigade, previously stationed in Tunceli, has been relocated to Söke in Aydın province, opposite Greece's Samos Island, with about 2,000 troops now deployed there. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called on Greece for good neighborliness, saying the militarization of the islands poses a threat.…

Interior Minister Mustafa Çiftçi met his Iranian counterpart Eskandar Momeni in Ankara to discuss the 'Terror-Free Türkiye' process, PKK's Iranian offshoot PJAK, and the fight against drug trafficking. Çiftçi said 32,848 people were detained this year in 38,915 anti-drug operations.…

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella announced that the aircraft that went missing on September 13 was found, and that Turkish businessman Mehmet Çankaya and 4 Colombian passengers on board had died. Rescue teams, hindered by rugged terrain, reached the wreckage by land only three days later.…

Formula 1 and FIA announced the 2027 calendar featuring 24 races in 22 countries; the Turkish Grand Prix will return after a six-year absence on October 1-3, 2027 at Istanbul Park. The main race will be held on Sunday, October 3, as TOSFED upgrades the track to F1 standards.…

Beşiktaş will host Olympique de Marseille at Tüpraş Stadium at 22:00 on September 17 in the opening week of the Europa League, marking their 265th match in European cups. Whether captain Orkun Kökçü, sidelined with a toe injury, will play will be decided on match day.…

The Turkish men's national volleyball team lost 3-1 to Latvia and was eliminated in the group stage of the European Championship. The national team finished 5th with just 1 win and 3 points from 5 matches.…

Two weeks after Fatih Tekke's departure, Trabzonspor reached an agreement in principle with German coach Thomas Reis. The 52-year-old Reis is expected to be on the bench for the September 19 match against Galatasaray.…

Fenerbahçe Vice President Barış Göktürk said they trust Aziz Yıldırım and believe he will make them champions. Yıldırım, meanwhile, announced that İsmail Kartal will remain in his post, and hit back at commentator Emre Bol over remarks about his daughter, calling him one of the 'crypto FETÖ members'.…

State Theaters announced that retired actor Münir Canar died at the age of 81. Canar, a representative of the ortaoyunu tradition, had worked as both an actor and director.…

Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy reopened Kahramanmaraş Castle, damaged in the 6 February earthquake, to visitors and 5 mosques to worship after restoration. The ministry has so far used resources exceeding 12.2 billion lira in 11 provinces affected by the earthquake, and total investment is targeted to reach 34 billion lira.…

The 18th International Hrant Dink Award was presented on the evening of September 15 at a ceremony in Istanbul to Süheyla Doğan of Türkiye and Raji Sourani of Palestine. Foundation President Rakel Dink and writer Tûba Çandar also spoke at the ceremony.…

Coordinated by intelligence agency MİT, the Cybersecurity Directorate and Gendarmerie raided Ankara-based Aydo Yazılım, a company selling software to trade unions, detaining five people including the company owner. Investigators found a hidden interface added to union software allowed access to leaked data, and that databases included records of people under 18.…

Defense Industry President Haluk Görgün announced that acceptance tests for the HÜRKUŞ-II have been completed and the aircraft will be delivered to the Air Force shortly. In a HÜRJET flight the same day, ASELSAN's MURAD AESA radar detected and locked onto another HÜRJET.…