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Turkey

Latest news and updates on the country which straddles both Europe and Asia.

Capital

Ankara

Head of State

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

Head of Government

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan

People gather as they celebrate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s fall, at Ummayad Square in Damascus, Syria on Monday. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

9 Dec 2025 - 8:44AMvideocam

War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

6 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Middle East

Opinion | Why Gulf region’s dreams of aviation domination are built on sand

5 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

South China Sea

‘Strategic’: why are drones taking off among South China Sea claimant states?

Experts weigh the merits and limits of growing pivot in the region to uncrewed aircraft and the potential for 24/7 patrols.

3 Dec 2025 - 11:19AMvideocam

China-controlled Scarborough Shoal is about 600km (373 miles) from the closest Chinese military base. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

The first US pope arrived in Beirut from Istanbul, where sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope.

1 Dec 2025 - 1:09AM

Ukraine war

Ukraine naval drones strike Russian oil tankers in Black Sea off Turkish coast

The Kairos and Virat are said to be part of the ‘shadow fleet’ that helps Moscow evade international sanctions.

30 Nov 2025 - 1:18AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

30 Nov 2025 - 1:57PM

Latam Airlines planes sit on the tarmac in Bogota, Colombia on Friday. Several other airlines have also cancelled flights in recent days following a security alert issued by the United States related to Venezuela. Photo: AFP

Climate change

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

28 Nov 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Religion

Pope warns ‘piecemeal’ third world war ‘threatening’ humanity

In Ankara, Pope Leo urged for global peace amid rising conflicts and geopolitical tensions during his first trip outside Italy.

27 Nov 2025 - 10:25PM

Pakistan

Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan, Pakistan as tensions spike?

Prolonged proxy warfare could create space for terrorist groups such as Isis-K to regenerate and plot overseas attacks, analysts warn.

27 Nov 2025 - 5:36PMvideocam

Residents clear debris from houses destroyed in air strikes in Khost, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

China’s military

China’s private defence companies see opportunities amid growing conflicts

Ukraine war and Kashmir conflict highlight ‘broad stage’ for firms to meet demand for affordable and reliable equipment, insiders say.

26 Nov 2025 - 10:00AM

While China’s state-owned defence conglomerates continue to dominate weapons development, private companies have increasingly entered the sector in recent years under the country’s military-civil fusion strategy. Photo: Handout

Ukraine war

‘Issues remain’: US-Ukraine talks advance, but Europe cautious on Russia deal

Trump hails ‘big progress’ in talks, while Germany confirms US plan was modified with Nato and territorial demands removed.

25 Nov 2025 - 1:03AM

Ukraine war

US and Ukraine refine draft of peace plan under Trump deadline pressure

Talks on a 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war held in Geneva after Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to approve the plan.

24 Nov 2025 - 3:09PM

Ukraine war

Ukraine weighs dignity against US demands in Swiss peace talks to end Russia war

Trump’s controversial 28-point peace plan places territorial concessions and military limits on Kyiv, while also pledging never to join Nato.

22 Nov 2025 - 10:37PM

US President Donald Trump (right) meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of the Nato Summit in the Hague in June. Photo: Ukraine Presidency/dpa

China-EU relations

We have 1 year: rare earth control pause may help mend China-EU ties, envoy says

Bloc’s China ambassador says last month’s suspension creates ‘new stability’ and a chance to improve frosty relations.

20 Nov 2025 - 6:42PMvideocam

EU ambassador to China Jorge Toledo tells a forum in Beijing on Thursday that there is a new glimmer of hope to repair the bloc’s “difficult” relationship with China. Photo: Handout

Australia

‘We can’t have it all’: Turkey to host UN climate summit as Australia budges

Canberra will lead the conference’s negotiations among governments as its neighbour Papua New Guinea slammed the summit process as useless.

20 Nov 2025 - 8:54AMvideocam

Ukraine war

Zelensky’s peace mission in Turkey overshadowed by deadly Russian strikes

Amid the ongoing attacks and new peace talks, Moscow declined to comment on a US media report of a secret Russian-US plan to end the war.

19 Nov 2025 - 10:38PM

Israel-Gaza war

UN Security Council approves Trump plan for the future of Gaza

There were 13 votes in favour of the Gaza resolution, but both Russia and China abstained.

18 Nov 2025 - 5:17PM

The Gaza Strip has been largely reduced to rubble after two years of fighting, sparked by Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Ukraine war

Ukraine seeks to bring home 1,200 prisoners in Russia talks

Turkish mediation in 2022 set the rules for coordinated swaps between Ukraine and Russia, who have sporadically exchanged thousands of prisoners.

16 Nov 2025 - 5:02PM

Bangladesh

From TV dramas to diplomacy, Bangladesh-Turkey ties are ‘growing stronger’

The success of Turkish shows in Bangladesh mirrors shifting alliances and expanding relations between the two Muslim-majority nations.

15 Nov 2025 - 5:25PM

Middle East

US sanctions firms from China to India over Iranian weapons

The US also targeted Ma Jie, an individual based in China, who is accused of helping Iranian defence officials meet Chinese suppliers.

13 Nov 2025 - 3:49AMvideocam

Iranians visit an exhibition showcasing missile and drone achievements in Tehran on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Technology

China dominates global patent race with record filings

China filed nearly half of all patents worldwide in 2024, outpacing the US by more than threefold, WIPO data show.

13 Nov 2025 - 6:13AMvideocam

Computer technology remains the most frequently featured field in published patent applications worldwide. Photo: Shutterstock

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkish prosecutor seeks 2,000-year jail term for Istanbul mayor

Ekrem Imamoglu has been accused of leading a vast corruption network, amid a crackdown on President Erdogan’s critics and rivals.

12 Nov 2025 - 5:26AM

Aviation accidents

Turkey says 20 troops killed in military plane crash in Georgia

Video showed the aircraft corkscrewing towards the ground and then bursting into flames.

12 Nov 2025 - 4:20PM

Syria

Syria joins alliance against Isis after Trump hosts ex-jihadist president

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s White House visit caps a remarkable turnaround for a former jihadist who once had a US$10 million bounty on his head.

11 Nov 2025 - 4:01PM

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the Oval Office. Photo: Syrian Presidency Press Office via AP

Vietnam

Avoiding ‘strategic suicide’: Vietnam’s US-Russia-China diplomatic dance

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s visit pushed military cooperation, but Vietnam wants to ensure it keeps all its geopolitical options open.

9 Nov 2025 - 1:30PM

US and Vietnamese flags fly during a welcome ceremony for visiting US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in Hanoi, Vietnam, on November 2. Photo: AP

Central Asia

Taliban says Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire will hold, despite failed talks

Afghanistan blamed ‘irresponsible and uncooperative’ Pakistan for the failure while Islamabad said Kabul was not clamping down on terrorism.

8 Nov 2025 - 5:23PMvideocam

Recep Tayyip Erdogan

In the Middle East’s diplomatic drama, Turkey takes centre stage

Once censured by the West, Ankara is now the go-to go-between for Washington, Europe and Damascus in a fast-changing region.

8 Nov 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

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Turkey

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

Opinion | Why Gulf region’s dreams of aviation domination are built on sand

‘Strategic’: why are drones taking off among South China Sea claimant states?

Experts weigh the merits and limits of growing pivot in the region to uncrewed aircraft and the potential for 24/7 patrols.

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

The first US pope arrived in Beirut from Istanbul, where sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope.

Ukraine naval drones strike Russian oil tankers in Black Sea off Turkish coast

The Kairos and Virat are said to be part of the ‘shadow fleet’ that helps Moscow evade international sanctions.

Venezuela airspace should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’, Trump says

The South American nation slammed the US president’s ‘colonialist threat’, and said his comments were incompatible with international law.

Opinion | How Cop30 laid bare the new geopolitics of climate action

Fractures, even among the Global South, show the energy transition is not just a technical challenge but a deeply political negotiation.

Pope warns ‘piecemeal’ third world war ‘threatening’ humanity

In Ankara, Pope Leo urged for global peace amid rising conflicts and geopolitical tensions during his first trip outside Italy.

Can mediators prevent war between Afghanistan, Pakistan as tensions spike?

Prolonged proxy warfare could create space for terrorist groups such as Isis-K to regenerate and plot overseas attacks, analysts warn.

China’s private defence companies see opportunities amid growing conflicts

Ukraine war and Kashmir conflict highlight ‘broad stage’ for firms to meet demand for affordable and reliable equipment, insiders say.

‘Issues remain’: US-Ukraine talks advance, but Europe cautious on Russia deal

Trump hails ‘big progress’ in talks, while Germany confirms US plan was modified with Nato and territorial demands removed.

US and Ukraine refine draft of peace plan under Trump deadline pressure

Talks on a 28-point proposal to end Russia’s war held in Geneva after Trump set a Thursday deadline for Ukraine to approve the plan.

Ukraine weighs dignity against US demands in Swiss peace talks to end Russia war

Trump’s controversial 28-point peace plan places territorial concessions and military limits on Kyiv, while also pledging never to join Nato.

We have 1 year: rare earth control pause may help mend China-EU ties, envoy says

Bloc’s China ambassador says last month’s suspension creates ‘new stability’ and a chance to improve frosty relations.

‘We can’t have it all’: Turkey to host UN climate summit as Australia budges

Canberra will lead the conference’s negotiations among governments as its neighbour Papua New Guinea slammed the summit process as useless.

Zelensky’s peace mission in Turkey overshadowed by deadly Russian strikes

Amid the ongoing attacks and new peace talks, Moscow declined to comment on a US media report of a secret Russian-US plan to end the war.

UN Security Council approves Trump plan for the future of Gaza

There were 13 votes in favour of the Gaza resolution, but both Russia and China abstained.

Ukraine seeks to bring home 1,200 prisoners in Russia talks

Turkish mediation in 2022 set the rules for coordinated swaps between Ukraine and Russia, who have sporadically exchanged thousands of prisoners.

From TV dramas to diplomacy, Bangladesh-Turkey ties are ‘growing stronger’

The success of Turkish shows in Bangladesh mirrors shifting alliances and expanding relations between the two Muslim-majority nations.

US sanctions firms from China to India over Iranian weapons

The US also targeted Ma Jie, an individual based in China, who is accused of helping Iranian defence officials meet Chinese suppliers.

China dominates global patent race with record filings

China filed nearly half of all patents worldwide in 2024, outpacing the US by more than threefold, WIPO data show.

Turkish prosecutor seeks 2,000-year jail term for Istanbul mayor

Ekrem Imamoglu has been accused of leading a vast corruption network, amid a crackdown on President Erdogan’s critics and rivals.

Turkey says 20 troops killed in military plane crash in Georgia

Video showed the aircraft corkscrewing towards the ground and then bursting into flames.

Syria joins alliance against Isis after Trump hosts ex-jihadist president

President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s White House visit caps a remarkable turnaround for a former jihadist who once had a US$10 million bounty on his head.

Avoiding ‘strategic suicide’: Vietnam’s US-Russia-China diplomatic dance

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s visit pushed military cooperation, but Vietnam wants to ensure it keeps all its geopolitical options open.

Taliban says Afghanistan-Pakistan ceasefire will hold, despite failed talks

Afghanistan blamed ‘irresponsible and uncooperative’ Pakistan for the failure while Islamabad said Kabul was not clamping down on terrorism.

In the Middle East’s diplomatic drama, Turkey takes centre stage

Once censured by the West, Ankara is now the go-to go-between for Washington, Europe and Damascus in a fast-changing region.

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work