★ According to Bianet, an independent Turkish news outlet, police have arrested four staff members of LeMan, a prominent Turkish satirical magazine.

  Prosecutors initially charged them with "publicly denigrating religious values" over a controversial cartoon allegedly portraying the prophets Muhammad and Moses. The charges were later expanded to include "inciting the public to hatred and hostility" and "insulting the president."

  LeMan stated that the cartoon did not depict religious figures but two generic individuals, and emphasized that the illustration was intended as an anti-war commentary.

  Reporters Without Borders, Cartooning for Peace, and Cartoonists Rights condemned the violence and arrests targeting LeMan.

  After the arrests, Turkish authorities blocked access to the magazine's website, and a court ordered the magazine removed from stores.

★ On July 4, 2025, Bianet reported that Ekrem İmamoğlu, the now-suspended mayor of İstanbul and presidential candidate of the opposition Republican Peoples' Party, faces up to 8 years and 9 months in prison and a political ban over allegations about his university diploma from more than thirty years ago.

  A 20-page indictment accuses him of "aggravated forgery in a continuous manner" after İstanbul University canceled his diploma on March 18, claiming it was obtained fraudulently. He was detained the following day, sparking protests, and the indictment has been submitted to a penal court of first instance.

  The investigation began in February, shortly before his detention, focusing on his transfer from Girne American University to İstanbul University's Business Faculty in the early 1990s. Prosecutors argue this transfer violated regulations and made his diploma invalid. On March 18, the university revoked İmamoğlu's and 28 others' diplomas, citing "nullity" and "manifest error," and deleted his record in May, though official notification was delivered 55 days later.

  Earlier this week, the university submitted a 500-page response completing the indictment process after 133 days of investigation. İmamoğlu's lawyer, Mehmet Pehlivan, said on May 6 that they had filed a lawsuit challenging the cancellation. The revoked diploma now stands as the main legal obstacle to his presidential candidacy, amid accusations that the case is politically motivated.

  Mr. İmamoğlu is the Republican Peoples' Party candidate for the 2028 presidential elections. Observers think that he could easily beat Mr. Erdogan at the polls.

★ On July 2, 2025, the Republican People's Party held a major rally outside the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, marking the 100th day since the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu. Thousands of supporters filled Saraçhane Square, chanting for İmamoğlu's release and denouncing what they described as a political coup. The crowd waved flags, lit flares, and carried banners demanding justice, as a recorded message from İmamoğlu was played, in which he declared that no power could stand against a nation united for freedom.

  Republican People's Party leader Özgür Özel addressed the rally, accusing the government of silencing opposition voices and undermining democracy through politically motivated arrests. The event was tense but largely peaceful until clashes broke out between students and riot police as the demonstration ended. Police used pepper spray to disperse some of the crowd, and dozens were detained.

  According to Associated Press, the rally was part of a broader wave of protests across Turkey against the arrests of Republican People's Party-affiliated mayors and officials, which the party insists are part of an effort to overturn their local election victories.

★ The Justice and Development Party administration, controlling supposedly independent prosecutors and judges, continued its legal war against the opposition-held municipalities elsewhere. Authorities arrested: 

• Tunç Soyer, the mayor of Izmir, the third largest metropolitan area, Şenol Aslanoğlu, the provincial head of the opposition Republican Peoples' Party, and over 135 people.
• Niyazi Kefe, Manavagat district mayor in the Mediterranean province of Antalya, and 35 others.


• On Saturday,
  Abdurrahman Tutdere, Mayor of Adıyaman,
  Zeydan Karalar, Mayor of Adana,
  Muhittin Böcek, Mayor of Antalya. All are from the opposition Republican Peoples' Party.


• In İstanbul's Büyükçekmece district, Deputy Mayor Ahmet Şahin, who was acting on behalf of Mayor Hasan Akgün, was detained alongside three others. Akgün is accused of demanding property in exchange for construction permits and occupancy certificates.

  According to political analysts, there is a contrast emerging in the ruling Justice and Development Party's handling of corruption allegations: while opposition-aligned mayors have faced swift investigation and arrests, past corruption accusations against Justice and Development Party-associated mayors have largely gone unexamined.

★ On June 30, Reuters wrote that Thomas Barrack, the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, said he expects Presidents Trump and Erdoğan to resolve the sanctions imposed in 2020 over Turkey's purchase of Russian S‑400 system by year-end.

  The move could allow Turkey's return to the F‑35 program or result in financial compensation.

★ According to the website armyrecognition.com, on July 3, 2025, Turkey announced a joint project with Spain to build a 300-meter aircraft carrier, surpassing its current TCG Anadolu and rivaling European and even mid-sized American carriers, marking a step toward global naval power.

  This new platform, combining Turkish shipyards and Spanish expertise, signals Turkey's determination to project power beyond its region, reshaping the balance in the Mediterranean and Black Sea, armyrecognition.com added.

  Read more at >> here <<

★ According to Agence France-Presse, Turkey's competition authority has launched an investigation into Spotify for anti-competitive practices, while a deputy minister has demanded legal action over "provocative" [pra-vI-kI-tiv] playlists allegedly offensive to the president's wife and disrespectful of Islam.

  Spotify said it complies with Turkish laws and will cooperate with the investigation.

  Read more at >> here <<

★ Turkey's state energy company BOTAŞ has increased wholesale natural gas prices, with residential consumers facing an average hike of 24.6% and industrial users 7.86%, marking a 150% increase in 16 months.

  Economists say that from January 2023 to May 2025, global natural gas prices dropped by 32%.

★ The Turkish Statistical Institute reported that in May 2025 unemployment, slightly decreased by 69,000 to 8.4%.

  The broadly defined unemployed, which includes groups such as people who stopped looking for a job, and the underemployed, fell by 3.1 percent to 31%.

  The institute also released the inflation rate for June as 35.05%. ENAG, an independent group of economists, calculated it as 69.88%.

  Calculating the six-month inflation as 16.67 percent, the government will give a 15.57 percent raise to civil servants and retirees.

★ "Everyday Miracles" exhibition is open at Kalyon Kültür's historic Taş Konak, located in the Nişantaşı neighborhood of Şişli, Istanbul, and will run through October 17.

  Curated by Artistic Director Aslı Bora, the show brings together 29 works—spanning painting, sculpture, street art, digital art, and installation—by ten contemporary artists inspired by ordinary life, aiming to reveal the extraordinary within the everyday.

★ In Istanbul, the Şehrin Panoları Arşivi (City Panels Archive), led by art historian Nurtaç Buluç, is shining a light on long-forgotten ceramic and mosaic panels that adorn the city's buildings. Many were created by renowned artists like Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, whose 1953 mosaic on the Doğubank İşhanı in Sirkeci was saved from destruction thanks to public outcry. Another of his works on the Aksu İşhanı in Karaköy remains in a fragile state, underscoring the urgent need for restoration.

  Since 2019, the archive has documented nearly 700 panels across 20 cities, created by 90 different artists. What began as Buluç's personal initiative evolved into a collaborative effort as locals shared discoveries through social media. The archive has uncovered many artworks hidden inside apartment buildings or overshadowed by modern construction, reminding the public of their role in Turkey's post-war effort to humanize architecture and embed cultural identity into daily life.

  Beyond preserving records, the project seeks to raise awareness of the importance of integrating art into urban spaces. As redevelopment threatens many of these works, recent actions—like Kadıköy Municipality's move to protect panels in buildings slated for renovation—signal growing recognition of their value. The archive continues to grow, capturing the city's cultural memory one tile at a time.

★ On June 30, 2025, İGA ART at İstanbul Airport opened the exhibition Encountering Fahrelnissa Zeid: SOLO, offering travelers an immersive pause around Fahrelnissa Zeid's Abstract Composition (1960). Curated by Marcus Graf, it invites viewers to engage deeply and slowly with one artwork, enhanced by archival materials, biographical texts, and video displays woven through the terminal — transforming transit time into meaningful artistic reflection.

  Born Fahrünissa Şakir in Istanbul in 1901, Zeid studied at the Istanbul Academy for Women before attending Paris's Académie Ranson in 1928. A pioneer of Turkish modernism, she transitioned from early figurative work to bold abstraction in the post-war era, joining the Nouvelle École de Paris and becoming the first woman to exhibit at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1954. Her work incorporates Byzantine, Islamic, and Anatolian folk elements alongside Western modernist styles. She received international acclaim, with retrospectives at major institutions, and her pieces are held in collections including MoMA Paris, Istanbul Modern, the Arab Museum of Modern Art, and museums in New York, Cincinnati, Edinburgh, and Pittsburgh.

★ On July 3, 2025, Salt Beyoğlu launched "In the Footsteps of a Breath," a free documentary program exploring coexistence with animals, in parallel with its "Life of Animals" exhibition. The screenings at Open Cinema highlight shared life, care, and mutual dependence between humans and other species, drawing from the Latin root of "animal" — anima, meaning breath and soul.

  The program opened with Andrea Arnold's "Cow," an intimate look at the daily life of a dairy cow, followed by Marc Pierschel's "Butenland," about a farm-turned-sanctuary, and Anis Rafa's "Kala Azar," a poetic exploration of grief and interspecies bonds. David Allen's "My Garden of a Thousand Bees" reveals the rich lives of bees in an urban garden, inviting viewers to reflect on overlooked forms of life.

  Curated by Joanna Zielińska and Alâ Taleb, "In the Footsteps of a Breath" continues at Salt Beyoğlu's Open Cinema through August 10, offering perspectives that reimagine humanity's place among other species through care, empathy, and shared fragility.

★ The 32nd Istanbul Jazz Festival brought the magic of jazz to every corner of the city, filling its streets and stages with music from July 1 to 17. Organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV) and sponsored by Garanti BBVA — which has supported jazz in Türkiye for 28 years — the festival featured around 40 concerts with more than 200 local and international artists.

  The festival opened on July 1 with an awards ceremony at the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, where Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to saxophonist Yalçın Ateş and producer İzzet Öz. The opening night concluded with a mesmerizing performance by Latin jazz legend Chucho Valdés at the Harbiye Cemil Topuzlu Open-Air Theater.

  Concerts were held in iconic venues across the city, including Harbiye Open Air, the French Palace, Swissotel, Esma Sultan Mansion, Moda Stage, and the Italian Consulate Gardens — each adding its own atmosphere to the performances. The program spanned classical, electronic, Latin, spoken word, and funk, showcasing both masters of jazz and rising talents from Türkiye and around the world.

  Highlights of the first week included the Latin guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez on July 2, followed by composer Max Richter's blend of classical and electronic music on July 3. On July 4, jazz pianist Grégory Privat and trumpeter Tolga Bilgin performed at the French Embassy, and the weekend closed with Chiara Civello, the Hakan Başar Trio, and Michelangelo Scandroglio enchanting audiences in the gardens of the Italian Consulate with their romantic and elegant performances.

★ On view at İMALAT‑HANE in Bursa until September 27, Aslı Çavuşoğlu's solo exhibition "TunState" envisions art as a living ecosystem, drawing inspiration from nature's strategies of resilience, metamorphosis, and regeneration. Named after the "tun" survival state of the tardigrade, a tiny, water-dwelling, eight-legged micro-animal known for its incredible resilience, where metabolism is temporarily suspended, the exhibition explores endurance and transformation using delicate, nature-derived materials and layered narratives.

  Born in Istanbul in 1982, Aslı Çavuşoğlu earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Marmara University in 2004. She received the Full Art Prize in 2012 and was nominated for the Future Generation Art Prize in 2017. Her work has been exhibited internationally at venues such as Museo Jumex in Mexico City, Barriera in Turin, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in the United States, the New Museum in New York, and Kadist in Paris. Her pieces are part of significant collections including Arter in Istanbul, the British Museum in London, Castello di Rivoli in Turin, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Qatar, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and Kadist in Paris and San Francisco.

  The exhibition continues a project initiated in 2022 in Turin and expanded in Mexico City in 2023, tracing a creative journey that began with the bark of the bursera fagaroides tree. Handmade paper, bark, recyclable paper tubes, and scaffold-like structures borrowed from Bursa's industrial fabric form a scenography that evokes fragility, endurance, and metamorphosis.

 Visitors entering through a figurative gateway encounter layered artworks that invite reflection on transformation, memory, and the interdependence of art and nature.

★ At Campbell Works in London, the exhibition "InOdyssey" (June 2025) explored migration, memory, and belonging through the works of eight international artists and three curators.

  The show, curated by Bengü Gün, Gözde Altun, and Murat Balcı, coincided with Refugee Week and was supported by Arts Council England and the Association for Supporting Contemporary Art from Turkey. It brought together multidisciplinary works that reflected on the emotional, biographical, and historical dimensions of movement — both physical and internal — in a world shaped by displacement and transformation.

  Featured Artists are:

• Turkish video and performance artist Özgül Arslan.
• Gazan painter Malak Mattar.
• Ukrainian-born multimedia artist Liza Jesse-Kats.
• Fatoş İrwen, Kurdish artist from Diyarbakır, Turkey.
• Ghafar Tajmohammad, British-Afghan artist focused on textiles, migration, and diaspora.
• Aya Haidar, Lebanese-British artist who uses embroidery and found materials to tell stories of exile and memory.
• Turkish conceptual artist and curator Deniz Pasha.
• Turkish-British photographer and performer Güler Ates.

  The exhibition featured installations, videos, performances, and textiles. Highlights included Özgül Arslan's overhead video "Foam", Malak Mattar's defiant "We Do Not Want You", Liza Jesse-Kats' intimate video "I'm Leaving You", and Ghafar Tajmohammad's participatory loom "Open Loom". Each artist contributed to a nuanced portrait of how identities are shaped and reshaped through movement, resilience, and encounters across borders.

★ A 3,000-year-old rock-cut Phrygian tomb in Ayazini village, part of Turkey's UNESCO-listed Phrygian Valley, was illegally converted into a café-restaurant by a private business, sparking nationwide outrage. The sacred site, outfitted with carpets, furniture, lighting, and heating, was promoted on social media as a tourist attraction despite its protected status. Archaeologists and heritage experts condemned the act as a deliberate desecration of cultural heritage, with one expert calling it a "theme park" built inside a sacred tomb.

  Turkey's Ministry of Culture and Tourism swiftly intervened, launching an investigation and removing all unauthorized furnishings to restore the tomb to its original state. The café owner defended his actions as an effort to boost local tourism and claimed to have sought permits, but officials confirmed all modifications violated conservation laws. Legal proceedings are now underway as authorities monitor the site to prevent further damage.

★ In the ancient city of Hyllarima in southwestern Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered the city's central agora, revealing a network of rock-cut shops that once formed the heart of its economic and social life.

  Located in the Muğla province's Kavaklıdere district, Hyllarima is a well-preserved Carian settlement dating back to the 4th century BCE, showcasing Classical, Hellenistic, and Roman influences. Excavations, supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Muğla Sıtkı Koçman University, have already brought to light defensive walls, a theater, a council building, and a fountain, with the agora emerging as the city's bustling hub.

  On the northern edge of the agora, a row of Hellenistic-period shops — later used in Roman times — has been identified, and archaeologists will soon begin excavating these spaces to uncover artifacts and architectural details that shed light on daily commerce.

  Excavation director Dr. Bekir Özer said the goal is to let visitors experience how the ancient city once thrived.

★ The Turkish parliament has approved a long-debated Climate Bill aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2053 and establishing the legal framework for the country's climate policy.

  The law sets out national and local action plans, annual monitoring, and sectoral targets, with a focus on a just transition, climate justice, and transparent reporting. New mechanisms such as an Emissions Trading System, a green taxonomy, and a Border Carbon Adjustment will support the goals, while provinces and ministries are tasked with enforcing compliance.

  Opposition parties and environmental groups, however, have criticized the bill for lacking clear emission cuts, a fossil fuel exit strategy, meaningful public participation, and for favoring market mechanisms over genuine climate action.

★ In the past six days, wildfires have erupted across Turkey, hitting İzmir Province hardest, with blazes reported in Çeşme, Ödemiş, Buca, Seferihisar, Menderes, Kuyucak, Doğanbey, and Urla. Thousands of residents were evacuated as flames spread toward villages and tourist areas, destroying homes, farmland, and forests. In Ödemiş, a firefighter and an 81-year-old bedridden man died from smoke inhalation, marking the first reported deaths in the region.

  Firefighting teams, assisted by aircraft and volunteers, managed to contain most of the fires, though hot, dry weather continues to pose a serious threat in some areas.

  Fires also broke out near the Syrian border in Hatay's Dörtyol district and in other southeastern locations, including Akpınar, Güçlükonak, Pınarcık, and Yenişehir. Authorities have warned that ongoing heatwaves and low humidity could trigger new outbreaks, and efforts remain focused on monitoring high-risk zones and preventing further damage to wildlife and ecosystems.

  Calls have grown for stronger prevention measures and stricter enforcement to protect Turkey's vulnerable landscapes.

★ According to Bianet, an independent Turkish news site, the Center for Spatial Justice in Istanbul, in collaboration with Maltepe Municipality, organized a series of "Thermal Walks" across four neighborhoods in the Anatolian-side district of Istanbul.

  Neighborhoods located below the D100 Highway were, on average, 3–4 degrees Celsius (5 to 7 °F) hotter than those at higher elevations. In elevated neighborhoods, the lack of shade and parks was striking. The loss of mature tree cover due to urban renewal has further reduced resilience to heatwaves.

  The walks were part of a research project supported by the European Union under the "Civil Participation Grant Program."

  The aim is to highlight the effects of rising temperatures in urban settings through both scientific measurements and citizen experiences. The project follows a citizen science approach, directly involving residents in data collection to strengthen the search for solutions.

★ According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Zeynep Sönmez made history at Wimbledon by becoming the first Turkish player in the professional era to reach the third round of a Grand Slam tournament, defeating China's Wang Xinyu 7–5, 7–5.

  The 23-year-old, ranked 88th in the world, will next face Russia's 18th seed Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 32.

  No Turkish man or woman had reached this stage of a major since the Open Era began in 1968, and the last Turkish woman to do so was Bahtiye Musluoğlu, who made the third round of the French Open in 1950.