★ With a goal to eliminate rivals, the assault on the main opposition party by Turkey's ruling coalition is continuing: a court halted the Republican People's Party 2023 İstanbul provincial congress, removed Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik and his boards, suspended 196 delegates, and froze the provincial process after finding that irregularities were "approximately proven."

  The court appointed former member of parliament Gürsel Tekin to lead a temporary board, while the Republican People's Party leaders called an emergency meeting and denounced the decision as a blow to democracy and party autonomy.

  A separate case challenges the November 2023 general congress that elected Özgür Özel, raising the prospect that his leadership could be annulled amid broader claims that the judiciary is being used to roll back the opposition's gains.

★ Following the dismissal of its Istanbul provincial leadership and the appointment of a trustee, the Republican People's Party has called an extraordinary congress for September 21, 2025, with the backing of more than 900 delegates.

  Republican People's Party Chairman Özgür Özel emphasized that any potential trustee appointment would last no more than six days, stressing that the party would quickly re-elect its leader through its own democratic will.

★ President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Tianjin, China, where they highlighted energy cooperation, ongoing trade ties, and efforts to end the Russia–Ukraine war.

  Putin thanked Erdoğan for his diplomatic role, while Erdoğan reaffirmed Turkey's readiness to host peace talks, with both leaders also addressing Middle East conflicts, Syria, and the impact of Western sanctions on bilateral projects such as the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant.

  As part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Erdoğan also held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who called for deeper strategic cooperation between the two countries, stressing their shared role as major members of the Global South. Erdoğan underlined the importance of aligning Turkey's Middle Corridor initiative with China's Belt and Road project and encouraged greater Chinese investment in Turkey.

  In addition, Erdoğan met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to discuss expanding bilateral cooperation in energy and transport, and with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, expressing support for the Azerbaijan–Armenia peace process and a willingness to strengthen Turkey–Armenia relations.

★ Turkey's Radio and Television Supreme Board ordered the left-wing daily BirGün's YouTube channel to apply for an online broadcast license within 72 hours or face an access ban, invoking the 2019 regulation on internet broadcasting that sets license fees at 2,250 dollars for radio and 22,500 for television and on-demand platforms, and the council—composed of members selected by parliamentary parties—currently has a ruling-bloc majority.

  Opposition members from the Republican People's Party and the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, supported by media freedom advocates, condemn the decision as selective enforcement that chills independent journalism and pluralism, citing earlier access bans on Deutsche Welle and Voice of America and an ongoing Council of State case that challenges the regulation as violating freedom of expression and press freedom.

  Also in the news: Turkish courts blocked access to 29 dating and video chat apps, but no official statement has been released regarding their reasons.

  The TELE1 Television also went off the air due to a penalty imposed by the Radio and Television Supreme Board.

  The board claimed that TELE1 incited the populace to hatred and hostility in a commentary. Observers say that this is a common tactic by the Erdoğan administration to silence its critics.

★ According to Bianet, Turkey blocked a record number of web addresses in 2024, surpassing 300,000.

  Over 5,700 news articles were among the blocked web addresses, according to the report by the Freedom of Expression Association's annual report.

  Read more at >> here <<

★ The Constitutional Court of Turkey ruled that the right to life was violated in the case of 11-year-old Rabia Naz Vatan, who died under suspicious circumstances in Giresun in 2018, citing serious negligence and lack of care in the investigation.

  The court awarded her parents compensation of about 350,000 Turkish Liras (roughly 12,800 US dollars) and criticized both prosecutors and police for failing to secure evidence, document the crime scene, and conduct a thorough inquiry.

  Her father, Şaban Vatan, rejected compensation and called instead for those responsible for his daughter's death to be prosecuted.

★ SSR Mining, a Canadian company, and its Turkish affiliate Anagold are preparing to restart the Erzincan Çöpler gold mine after the 2024 landslide that killed nine workers; the company says it has moved about 10 million m³ of contaminated soil, taken ~5,000 environmental samples with no exceedances, kept paying ~400 workers, spent 250 million dollars, and plans to submit a new Environmental Impact Assessment application even before the court process concludes.

  At the Sept 2, 2025 third hearing, the court kept five of 43 defendants in custody and set Nov 11–13 for the next session, while victims' families appealed the non-prosecution of public officials to the Constitutional Court, citing absent executives, denied evidence requests, and an earlier expert panel that had assigned principal fault to officials.

 

★ According to Bianet, exorbitant expert and analysis fees in environmental lawsuits—ranging from 2,290 dollars in Gümüşhane and 4,380 dollars in İzmir to about 36,500 dollars in the Marmara/Ergene case—are pricing citizens out of justice.

  Activists say these costs are being set to deter litigation, forcing communities to crowd-fund or give up, as seen with Polen Ecology's Aksu village mine case and Marmara Yaşasın's suit where even a hydrologist was missing from the expert panel.

  The result is that polluters advance while citizens acting in the public interest shoulder inspection, expert, and lab costs—creating a "Don Quixote-like" struggle amid secrecy over wastewater volumes and the Marmara Sea's ongoing damage.

  On the political front, Republican People's Party parliamentarian Evrim Rızvanoğlu has proposed Treasury funding for all or part of such expert fees, invoking constitutional rights and Constitutional Court precedent that access to courts must be substantive, not merely formal.

★ In August, official data from the Turkish Statistical Institute showed annual inflation at 32.95 percent.

  According to the independent Inflation Research Group, annual inflation reached 65.49.

★ The Turkish Statistical Institute reported that Turkey's economy grew 4.8% year-on-year in the second quarter, but the details reveal weaknesses.

  Growth came mainly from post-earthquake construction and tourism, while industry contracted and agriculture shrank.

  Household spending was fueled by debt and savings depletion, with wages' share of income falling as profits and capital gains rose, deepening inequality.

★ Focusing on the intersensory permeability of performing arts, this year's Stage at the Museum event focuses on the moments when the body touches art, the everyday touches the museum, the past touches the future, and the stage touches the audience.

  The venue is Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Istanbul.

  It aims to create new areas of contact not only during playtime but at every moment of the day, with the words echoing on the stage, the performances encountered in the garden, the conversations in the foyer and the workshops.

  The main stage program includes "Perhaps Tomorrow," one of the season's most prominent productions, which interprets the possibilities of the future in an ironic and poetic language.

  Also included are Girls and Boys, which received the "Most Successful Actress of the Year" award at the Afife Theater Awards and deals with domestic violence through a woman's life story, and L'Addition, which stands out with its international prestige.

  Staged for the first time at the Avignon Theater Festival and considered one of the most talked-about productions of the festival, L'Addition makes the audience laugh with its funny and provocative language while also confronting disturbing questions.

  Read more at >> here <<

★ Akbank Sanat, which supports the development of contemporary art in Turkey and brings to life international projects in various art disciplines, is moving its art center.

  Following the architectural renovation process, the new address of the center will be Karaköy Yeni Han in Galata neighborhood of Istanbul. The building belongs to Akbank.

  The meticulous renovation aims to preserve the building's historical and cultural heritage while also creating a contemporary space that meets the demands of modern art.

  During this period, the institution will continue its artistic activities uninterrupted in different venues with the motto "Art Everywhere".

★ The Atatürk Cultural Center is hosting the "Pekinel International Masterclass" from September 6th to 12th.

  This special course, which will bring together young aspiring musicians with established careers from Turkey and around the world, aims to cultivate the stars of the future.

  The instructors who will teach the course are internationally recognized artists who have worked with major orchestras, continue to teach at prestigious universities, and have earned a special place in the music world through their active stage performances.

 

★ The Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts presented the Gülriz Sururi-Engin Cezzar Theater Encouragement Award for 2025, worth over 14,000 dollars, to Bahçe Galata and Arsız Kumpanya for their successful work to date.

  The award was made possible thanks to a donation from theater artist Gülriz Sururi.

  The foundation supports young theater companies and artists producing in the performing arts. This aims to encourage new and high-quality productions in this field in Turkey.

  The foundation provides this support through the award given in the name of two masters who have made great contributions to the development of our contemporary theater.

★ As part of its "World Acoustic" concert series, on Saturday, September 6, Yapı Kredi Bomontiada hosted Yeni Türkü, a band that has won the hearts of listeners of all ages.

  Yapı Kredi World is the concert sponsor.

  In addition to their classics, Yeni Türkü also performed new songs on the World Acoustic stage.

★ Zülfü Livaneli's new novel "Wait for Me (Bekle Beni)" will be published by Can Yayınları on September 23, following a teaser campaign in Istanbul.

  Livaneli, a celebrated author and composer whose works have sold over 10 million copies, continues to shape Turkey's cultural life with literature, music, and international honors. He also served in the Turkish parliament between 2002 and 2007.

★ The 2025 Goethe Medal was awarded in Weimar on August 28 to Osman Kavala, Li Yuan, and David Van Reybrouck for their contributions to international cultural dialogue.

  Turkey's Kavala, who has been in jail since 2017 on trumped-up charges, was recognized for fostering art and civil society initiatives despite imprisonment, Li Yuan for AI-driven German language teaching, and Van Reybrouck for works on colonial history and democratic participation.

 

★ Archeology News:

  - Archeologists found a 3,500-year-old dining set at Konya Karahöyük mound, in Central Turkey.

  - In the ancient city of Perre, once a flourishing capital of the Commagene Kingdom in southeastern Turkey, archaeologists have uncovered a rare Egyptian god statue in Commagene's "Stairway to Eternity" tomb. It is the first find like that in Turkey.

  - In the Vezirköprü district of Samsun, northern Turkey, Oymaağaç Höyük—identified over two decades of excavations as the Hittite sacred city of Nerik—has revealed new traces of the elusive Kaška people, one of Anatolia's lesser-known indigenous groups. Recent finds, including architecture and pottery from the Middle Bronze Age and Iron Age, are offering unprecedented insights into the cultural landscape of the Black Sea's interior.

  - A 17th-century Ottoman war and trade ship has been uncovered from the depths of the Mediterranean Sea, rewriting maritime history with its dramatic sinking story and an extraordinary trove of artifacts.

  The 95-ft ship burned and sank after being struck in battle.

  Among them are: 

• 30+ Ottoman muskets, pistols, swords, and daggers
• 50+ grenades (humbara) and over 3,000 lead bullets
• Copper cooking pots, ladles, ceramics, leather flasks, and wooden utensils
• 135 clay pipe bowls – the largest known pipe collection from the Ottoman Empire
• Two chess sets and 40+ pieces of Chinese porcelain

Ankara, in central Turkey        : 82/60 Turning Cloudy with Showers  
Antalya, on the Mediterranean    : 84/73 Partly Sunny, Humid  
Erzurum, in Eastern Turkey       : 81/50 Mostly Sunny  
Istanbul, in northwestern Turkey : 75/67 Some Sun, Then Cloudy  
Izmir, on the Aegean             : 86/71 Mostly Sunny, Breezy  
Trabzon, on the Black Sea        : 82/74 Increasing Clouds, Humid  

Black Sea measured at Trabzon         : 79 °F 
Marmara Sea measured at Tekirdağ      : 71 °F  
Aegean Sea measured at İzmir          : 78 °F  
Mediterranean Sea measured at Antalya : 81 °F 

★ On Saturday, in a game played in Bangkok, Thailand, the national women's volleyball team of Turkey defeated Japan to reach the semifinals of the World Championship.

  The Turkish team will face the winner of the Brazil–Italy match in the finals.

★ On the men's side, the Turkish national basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals of the European Men's Basketball Championship for the first time since 2009, defeating Sweden 85–79 on September 6, 2025, in Riga after winning all five of its group stage matches.

  Turkey, which topped Group A by beating Latvia, Czechia, Portugal, Estonia, and Serbia, will face the winner of the Poland–Bosnia and Herzegovina matchup in the quarterfinals.

  Quarterfinal matches will be played on September 9–10, the semifinal matches on September 12, and the final and third-place games on September 14. Starting from the round of 16, all games will be held in Riga.

  1 - G. Saray        12
 2 - Trabzon         10
 3 - Göztepe          8
 4 - Konya            7
 5 - Fenerbahçe       7
 6 - Samsun           7
 7 - Antalya          6
 8 - G. Antep         6
 9 - Alanya           4
10 - Eyüp             4
11 - Beşiktaş         3
12 - K. Gümrük        3
13 - Başakşehir       2
14 - Kayseri          2
15 - Kocaeli          1
16 - Rize             1
17 - Kasımpaşa        0
18 - G. Birliği       0