When Erdogan Gave NATO Leaders Revolvers: The Most Unconventional Diplomatic Gift in Summit History

What happens when a NATO summit ends not with a communique or a handshake, but with loaded firearms tucked into custom wooden boxes? That's exactly what went down in Ankara in July 2026.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan surprised just about everyone at the NATO summit by sending world leaders home with a gift nobody saw coming: vintage .357 Magnums, complete with live ammunition. Yep, you read that right.

Turkey Does Not Want To Release Osman Kavala Despite The Threat Of Sanctions

As a member of the Council of Europe, Turkey would have to implement its request to release Osman Kavala. But the government refuses. What's next?

Despite the threat of sanctions by the Council of Europe, Turkey does not want to release the imprisoned cultural promoter Osman Kavala from prison. A Council of Europe spokesman said the country stuck to this stance until a response deadline expired on Wednesday.

The Council of Europe in Strasbourg recently initiated infringement proceedings against its member country Turkey in a historically almost unique step. Ankara was asked to provide feedback on this by Wednesday at midnight. 

The Largest Airport in the World in the Foreseeable Future | Istanbul New mega airport has gone into operation

It will be a hub in European-Asian air traffic and will become the largest airport in the world in the foreseeable future. The new Istanbul airport officially started operations on Saturday with the launch of a Turkish Airlines aircraft.

Broadcast live from Turkish state media, lifted the first aircraft against 14.30 local time towards the capital Ankara from the new mega-location in the north of the metropolis. Previously, the entire airport facility had moved within a day. Already in the morning authorities had reported that the gigantic procession, which began on Friday, was largely completed. In Istanbul, streets that were closed for the move from Atatürk Airport to nearly 40 kilometers Istanbul Airport, already re-opened, tweeted Turkish Airlines CEO Bilal Eksi on Saturday. Hundreds of Lorries with airport equipment and tens of thousands of tons of material had rolled through the city since Friday morning. 

Saturday night, the first international flights from the airport should start. According to Turkish Airlines, 337 of his aircraft were flown by Atatürk to their new home base.

Istanbul Airport is a prestigious project by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who officially opened the airport in October, when it was still a construction site , and is primarily to compete with Dubai as a global hub. Following completion scheduled for 2028, the airport is expected to reach a capacity of 200 million passengers per year, making it the largest airport in the world, according to current standards.