Crackdown in İzmir: Around 157 individuals, including politicians from the main opposition CHP, were detained in an anti-corruption probe. Former Mayor Tunc Soyer and other officials were among them, sparking criticism of political motivation.
Media blackout warning: Pro-opposition TV channels Halk TV and Sözcü TV are set to be silenced for 10 days starting July 8, after broadcasting protests tied to the arrest of İstanbul Mayor İmamoğlu. Critics claim it’s a coordinated attack on press freedom.
New restrictions & arrests: The government has stepped up bans and websites blocks targeting LGBTQ+ events. Several organizers, including TV presenter-turned-politician İrfan Değirmenci, were recently arrested during Istanbul Pride Week demonstrations
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Upcoming European Para Youth Games: Istanbul is preparing to host the European Para Youth Games from July 21–28, welcoming young para-athletes from at least 31 countries.
Field hockey championships: Türkiye will also host the Men’s EuroHockey Championship III in Kirklareli (July 28–Aug 2) and the Women’s Championship III in Alanya (July 29–Aug 2)
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The Rochester Institute of Technology in the USA, led by Jeyhan Kartaltepe, combined images sent by the James Webb Space Telescope to create a stunning visual containing 800,000 galaxies. This image covers 98% of cosmic history.
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A 30-year study conducted by Harvard University on 47,513 women has revealed that regular coffee consumption in middle age reduces the risk of chronic diseases, cognitive decline, and physical impairments in later life. According to the study, each cup of coffee increases the likelihood of healthy aging by 2% to 5%. These positive effects are observed with up to five cups per day.
(Of course, this refers to real coffee — without sugar, syrups, or milk!)
The same study also found that consumption of soft drinks (fizz) can reduce the chances of healthy aging by up to 26%.
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TikTok’s content moderation team in Türkiye, responsible for flagging and removing harmful or illegal posts, is pushing for unionization. Led by H.H. Yavuz, the movement cites the overwhelming nature of the content they process and their low compensation. (Reportedly, there are 1,800 moderators working for TikTok in Türkiye.)
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Zeynep Sönmez, a rising Turkish tennis player, won her first WTA title at the 2024 Merida Open and reached the third round at Wimbledon in 2025 the first Turkish player to do so in 75 years. She’s recognized as a breakthrough talent and is inspiring new generations in Turkish tennis.
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Shebara Resort, a new luxury destination on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast, designed by Killa Design the architectural firm behind Dubai’s Museum of the Future has officially opened. The resort features 73 steel domes, 38 of which float above the sea, with nightly rates starting at 9,000 Riyals ($2400).
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A Stanford University study has found that 36% of large scavenger species are now at risk of extinction. While populations of large scavengers decline, smaller species like rodents are rapidly increasing a shift that significantly contributes to the spread of zoonotic diseases.
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Nvidia has partnered with Taiwan-based manufacturing giant Foxconn to produce humanoid robots that will assemble the company’s next generation AI servers. The first robot workers are expected to be deployed in the first quarter of next year.
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The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which recently placed Türkiye on its grey list, has raised concerns over the increasing use of cryptocurrencies to finance illegal activities and called on nations to implement more robust measures.
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In one of the largest data breaches in history, 16 billion usernames and passwords most of them still active have been put up for sale. The leaked information comes from 30 different databases.
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Ransomware, which encrypts files on infected systems and demands payment to unlock them, claimed its first human life this week. A ransomware attack on King’s College Hospital in London paralyzed the hospital’s booking, testing, and treatment systems, leading to the death of a patient. Over 10,000 appointments were canceled due to the breach.
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The U.S. House of Representatives has banned members from installing WhatsApp on their devices over data security concerns. Lawmakers cited the platform’s lack of transparency regarding data handling and the fact that backups are not encrypted. Alternatives like Teams, Signal, iMessage, and FaceTime have been recommended.
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Amazon is building the world’s largest data center in the U.S., spanning 485 hectares and consuming 2.2 gigawatts of power. The facility will significantly boost cloud computing capacity for AWS and support major AI projects, including those by Anthropic. The New York Times has published an in-depth report definitely worth a read.
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A group of shareholders has filed a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the company has failed to deliver on its AI promises and instead focused on superficial updates. Apple has lost nearly a quarter of its market value since the beginning of the year around $900 billion.
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According to Gartner, 40% of AI agent based projects will fail within the next two years. Yet the same report predicts that by 2029, 80% of customer service interactions will be handled by AI agents.
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Several global companies including Amazon, IBM, Salesforce, JP Morgan Chase, Microsoft, and Meta have issued warnings about reducing their workforces due to AI advancements. Amazon CEO Andy Jassy cited better service, predictability, and efficiency as key reasons. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicts that within five years, half of all entry level white collar jobs will be replaced by AI.
The call center industry is expected to be one of the hardest hit. AI voice assistants have reached near-perfection, and mass layoffs have already begun in countries like India and the Philippines, which currently employs three million call center workers.
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Pope Leo, the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, addressed political representatives from 68 countries, emphasizing his concerns about the potential impact of AI, especially on young people. He warned the participants with the words, “We must not forget that AI should be a tool that serves the good of all humanity, not one that replaces people.”
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The Media Lab at MIT in the USA conducted a study on how people use ChatGPT. They divided participants into three groups:
- The first group wrote an essay using ChatGPT.
- The second group wrote an essay using only a search engine.
- The third group wrote an essay without using any tools.
During the experiment, researchers measured the participants’ brain waves and found that the group using ChatGPT showed the least cognitive activity. In other words, their brains worked less hard while writing.
Interestingly, this same group also had difficulty remembering the content of the essays they wrote.
Even more surprising: when this group was asked to write another essay without using ChatGPT in a second round, they performed worse than the other groups.
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China set a new record last month by increasing its solar energy production capacity by 93 gigawatts.
To put this into perspective, this single-month increase is equal to the total capacity China added throughout the entire previous year.
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The Japan-based automotive startup KG Motors has produced the “Mibot”, which has become the country’s best-selling electric model.
This single-seater vehicle is priced at 7,000 dollars, can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour, and has a driving range of 100 kilometers on a single charge.
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Researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a special paint for building façades with a unique “sweating” property. Designed for use in high-humidity areas, this innovative coating reflects 92% of sunlightand allows moisture inside the building to escape, which together reduce the cooling load on air conditioners by 40%, making buildings significantly more energy-efficient and comfortable.
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That’s a wrap for this week’s timeline of remarkable events and breakthroughs. These moments remind us how fast our world is evolving. Keep following along as we continue to track the stories shaping our future. See you next week with more fascinating updates!