Background: Wildfires across Turkey's western and southern coasts have forced mass evacuations and highway closures amid extreme heat and drought, with the most serious blaze in Seydikemer leading to hundreds of homes evacuated. Today: Five wildfires continue to burn across Turkey's western and southern coasts, with the agriculture ministry warning of elevated fire risk into next week. Of 206 fires recorded since Wednesday, 202 have been brought under control, but 65 buildings have been damaged or destroyed, mostly in Antalya and Muğla provinces. Authorities have deployed extensive aerial and ground resources, including 28 aircraft, 119 helicopters, 14 drones, 1,953 fire trucks, 2,766 initial response vehicles, and 878 pieces of heavy machinery, with teams working from over 1,600 positions. The European Forest Fire Information System reports 22,587 hectares burned in Turkey this year. Residents in affected areas describe losing homes and livelihoods, with fruit and olive groves reduced to ash.

Background: Özgür Özel and 91 other MPs founded the New Party (Yeni Parti) after a court reinstated Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu as CHP leader, making it the main opposition. Today, the party released its official program, 'Ortak Gelecek İçin Yeni Parti', which spans 29 pages across five sections, prioritizing security, rights, and public services. A statistical analysis by political scientist Dr. Sezin Öney found 'security' as the most frequent concept (148 occurrences), followed by 'rights' (125) and 'public' (87), with 'economy' ranking 12th (51). The foreign policy section addresses Cyprus by prioritizing the will of the Cypriot people without taking a stance on federation vs. two-state solution, and calls for restructuring the Foreign Ministry based on merit and institutionalism. On migration, the program states that migrants in different statuses will not be forced to return. The party's logo, which lacks any symbol, has drawn criticism, prompting Özgür Özel to clarify it is temporary. Analysts debate the party's electoral appeal, noting that Turkish voters historically do not prioritize party names, and the program's concise language is seen as more accessible than the CHP's.

Background: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Cyprus from July 27-29, 2026, meeting Turkish Cypriot President Tufan Erhurman and Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides, and both leaders agreed to move toward a 5+1 meeting. Today: On July 31, Guterres announced at a New York press conference plans to convene a new 5+1 meeting, emphasizing the urgency of a solution amid regional instability and the need for adequate preparation on confidence building, methodology, and substance to avoid past failures. The UN will work with both sides and guarantor countries to create conditions for success.

Turkey announced the development of Bilge, a family of large language models built by TÜBITAK BILGEM under the Ministry of Industry and Technology, as part of its AI Vision and Action Plan. President Erdoğan described it as a key step toward digital autonomy, aiming to reduce epistemic dependency on foreign models. The models range from 1 billion to 122 billion parameters, with versions of 1.9B and 27B already built. Bilge is expected to debut in state service, including as the president's AI assistant. The article frames this as a strategic move to preserve cultural and epistemic sovereignty in the technopolar world.

Turkey's foreign trade deficit widened 26.2% year-on-year to $10.37 billion in June 2026, even as exports reached a record $24.92 billion (up 21.7%). Imports rose 23% to $35.29 billion, and the export-to-import coverage ratio fell to 70.6%. Germany was the top export market, while China led imports. For the first half, the trade gap widened 7.4% to $53.14 billion. The Trade Minister reaffirmed the export target of $282 billion for the year.

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has released footage of the second TF Kaan fighter prototype (P1) conducting powered taxi tests, signaling that its maiden flight is imminent. The P1 is more production-representative than the P0 demonstrator, featuring revised control surfaces, sensor installations, and a cleaner finish. The program aims for initial deliveries to the Turkish Air Force by 2028, with a third prototype under assembly. The aircraft uses US-built F110 engines pending development of the indigenous TF35000.

Türkiye's National Intelligence Academy (MIA) published a report on July 31, 2026, urging the country to develop its own 'technopolitical doctrine' for the AI era. The report, titled 'Technopolitical Order Debates in World Politics and Türkiye,' argues that AI has become a strategic asset influencing state capacity, economic competitiveness, and international power balance. It analyzes three schools of thought—technorealist, technopragmatist, and technohumanist—and recommends a balanced national strategy combining strategic capability, secure AI design, and social legitimacy. The report highlights Türkiye's advantages in defense industry experience and data resources while pointing to challenges like fragmented data governance and foreign technological dependence. It calls for strengthening national AI infrastructure, improving data governance, and positioning Türkiye as a shaper of the global AI order rather than a mere adopter.

An Istanbul court ordered the arrest of Üsküdar District Mayor Sinem Dedetaş and three others pending trial in a corruption investigation involving bribery and abuse of office linked to construction and occupancy permits. Prosecutors allege municipal officials manipulated permit issuance for illicit payments, with sham contracts and cash bribes. Two other suspects were released under judicial supervision. The investigation follows raids at 11 locations.