Author: Daily Sabah

The death toll from bootleg alcohol consumption in Istanbul has climbed to 19 in the past 72 hours, according to officials. A total of 65 people, including 26 foreign nationals, have been hospitalized after consuming fake alcohol, authorities reported Tuesday. Istanbul Governor Davut Gül announced that licenses for 63 establishments selling counterfeit alcohol have been revoked, and the businesses have been shut down. “All individuals who cause deaths by selling fake or illegal alcohol are being identified and brought to justice. Please be careful – fatalities are rising,” Gül wrote on social media. In his post, Gül highlighted a directive…

Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya announced on Tuesday that 110 suspects were captured in the past week in Operation “Clamps-34” against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). The suspects were apprehended in 23 provinces including the capital Ankara and Istanbul, Yerlikaya said in a social media post. They were wanted for being part of the group’s “academic network and military network.” FETÖ, which was behind the July 15, 2016 coup attempt, is known for its widespread infiltration into the public sector, from the judiciary and law enforcement to the army. Yerlikaya said they were captured in the group’s so-called “absence houses” (safe…

Devlet Bahçeli, leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) renewed his call to the terrorist group PKK to disband itself. Bahçeli, an ally of the government, informally launched the “terror-free Türkiye” initiative last year and paved the way for the formation of a delegation of lawmakers from the opposition Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) linked to the terrorist group. Lawmakers visited Öcalan recently and conveyed his message of readiness to contribute to the initiative. They are expected to visit the jailed leader of the terrorist group Abdullah Öcalan again this month or in February. Addressing MHP’s parliamentary group meeting…

A month after the collapse of the 61-year Baath regime in Syria, Syrian refugees in neighboring Iraq are longing to return home, but the PKK/YPG terrorist group’s occupation remains a major obstacle. Syrians displaced by the civil war that broke out in 2011 have been living under strenuous conditions at the Domiz refugee camp in northern Iraq’s Duhok region, which is under the control of Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG). The news of Bashar Assad’s toppling in a lightning anti-regime offensive last month has sparked joy and hope among the displaced Syrians. Many, however, complain they can only return home…

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who declared 2025 as the “Year of the Family,” presented a series of benefits for young couples about to marry and for parents during a meeting on Jan. 13 in Ankara. One key initiative was the expansion of the interest-free loan program for newlywed couples. Initially introduced in the earthquake-affected regions, this program offers a TL150,000 ($4,226) loan with a 48-month repayment term and a two-year grace period. Erdoğan announced that it would now be available nationwide, benefiting young couples across all 81 provinces of Türkiye. He emphasized that this loan would help young couples avoid…

Isak Haleva, the chief rabbi of the Jewish community in Türkiye, passed away at the age of 85, the community announced on Jan. 14. Haleva had served as chief rabbi since 2002, following the death of his predecessor, David Asseo. In a social media post, the Turkish Jewish community expressed deep sorrow over the loss of “Rav Isak Haleva, our chief rabbi, who always believed in the peace and unity that love can bring and led our community with this conviction for many years.” An alumnus of Porat Yosef Yeshiva in Jerusalem, Haleva had a long history of religious service…

The head of Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization (MIT) Ibrahim Kalın discussed the latest developments regarding Gaza cease-fire efforts with Hamas political bureau officials on Monday, amid reports of progress. Kalın held a phone call with Hamas officials, discussing the progress made in negotiations and the current state of discussions, sources said. Both sides agreed that efforts must continue to reach a cease-fire, sources added. Qatar on Monday presented Israel and Hamas with a final draft of a deal to end the Gaza war, following a midnight breakthrough in talks attended by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s envoy. Türkiye has been fiercely…

The Turkish coast guard has nabbed 41 irregular migrants off the coast of western Muğla province, the agency said Sunday. The coast guard found 16 irregular migrants, including a child, on land on the coast of Marmaris district. Another group of 25 migrants, along with two suspected smugglers, were caught on a rubber boat near the coast of Fethiye district. The two suspect smugglers were detained, while the migrants were transferred to the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management for further processing. According to the latest statistics from the agency, coast guard teams caught a total of 55,467 irregular migrants in…

The Interior Ministry on Monday replaced Mersin Mayor Hoşyar Sarıyıldız with a trustee following his arrest over links to the PKK terrorist group. Sarıyıldız, a member of the opposition’s Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party), his deputy Nuriye Arslan and three other party members of the municipality’s assembly were arrested earlier on Monday, the ministry said in a statement. They all face charges of “carrying out propaganda for a terrorist organization,” “membership of an armed terrorist organization,” as well as “opposing the law on preventing the financing of terrorism” and “opposing the law on meetings and demonstration marches.” “Akdeniz…

As a delegation of lawmakers met figures relevant to Türkiye’s “terror-free initiative” to end the terrorist group PKK on Sunday, the Ministry of National Defense announced the elimination of 9 PKK members in Iraq and Syria. The ministry said in a statement that they would continue remaining “unforeseeable and swift” in counterterrorism operations as it announced three terrorists were eliminated in Iraq’s north and another six in northern Syria in operations. “Terrorists cannot escape the fate awaiting them,” the ministry said. Around the same time, lawmakers from the Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party (DEM) linked to the terrorist group met…