Turkish police arrested nearly 400 people in Istanbul on May 1 during May Day demonstrations, according to figures from the CHD Lawyers Association cited by AFP, with riot-control vehicles firing tear gas into crowds in the Mecidiyekoey and Besiktas districts. Turkish Workers' Party president Erkan Bas was filmed engulfed in pepper spray; union official Basaran Aksu was arrested moments after denouncing the police lockdown of Taksim Square. Earlier in the week Turkish authorities had issued arrest warrants against 62 people, of whom 46 -- including journalists, trade unionists and opposition figures -- were assessed as "likely to carry out attacks". In Ankara, about 100 coal miners completing a nine-day hunger strike over wage arrears joined the May Day march under heavy police presence. The day's demonstrations were called under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom." Inflation in Turkey is officially measured at 30 percent but is estimated at closer to 40 percent by independent analysts. Last year's May Day protests, which moved to the Kadikoey area after the same Taksim lockdown, also ended with more than 400 arrests.

Turkish drone maker Baykar has introduced three new kamikaze drones – K2, Sivrisinek and Mizrak – that experts say could outclass Iran's Shahed series in autonomous capabilities and swarm tactics.

Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) has filed a criminal complaint against Abdullah Bozkurt, a Sweden-based suspect linked to the Gülenist Terrorist Group (FETÖ), for his alleged role in the 2016 assassination of Russian Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara.

A 22-member parliamentary commission has been formed in Turkey to investigate recent deadly school attacks in Kahramanmaraş and Şanlıurfa, examining security, education, family life, social media and the wider social environment, commission chair Yusuf Beyazıt said.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan engaged in extensive diplomatic outreach in April 2026, holding talks with 27 foreign leaders and officials. Key discussions focused on regional tensions in the Middle East, Iran, Ukraine, and Syria. Erdogan hosted the Antalya Diplomacy Forum from April 17-19, which attracted 6,400 participants from 150 countries, including 23 heads of state, positioning Turkey as a mediator and dialogue venue. He held separate calls with US President Trump, Iranian President Pezeshkian, French President Macron, German President Steinmeier, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez, Canadian Prime Minister Carney, and Hungarian prime minister-elect Magyar. At the forum, he met with leaders from Qatar, Azerbaijan, Syria, Pakistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Moldova, Democratic Republic of Congo, Comoros, Burundi, Libya, Georgia, and the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government. He also met separately with Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy to support peace efforts, urging de-escalation and offering Turkey's facilitation role in conflicts.

Turkey invested approximately $300 million in wind energy in the first quarter of 2026, adding over 300 MW of capacity. The Turkish Wind Energy Association expects annual installations to reach 2.5 GW this year, driven by renewable energy targets and the YEKA tender scheme, which aims to reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels. The country was the second-largest installer of new wind capacity in Europe last year, and industry officials project installations could rise to 4-5 GW by 2028-2029.

Record electricity generation from renewables, particularly hydropower and solar, has pushed Turkish wholesale power prices to historic lows, averaging $23.4 per megawatt-hour in April 2026, a 64% year-on-year decline. Zero-price periods increased to 95 hours in April. While this helps reduce energy import costs amid the Iran conflict, it creates financial stress for hydropower operators, who are calling for support mechanisms and grid flexibility measures.

Workers worldwide held International Labour Day rallies on May 1, with major demonstrations in Istanbul, Paris, and across South America. Unions protested the US-Israeli war on Iran and rising energy prices, demanding higher wages and economic relief. In Gaza, events were cancelled due to the economic crisis from Israel's war. The European Trade Union Confederation warned that working people refuse to pay for Trump's Middle East war. The rallies reflect growing global recession fears and income inequality.