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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

A plane prepares for take-off at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 05, 2023.

Middle East

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

While Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Istanbul’s plans are already aggressively ambitious, Saudi Arabia’s extravagant vision seems like something from fantasyland.

3 hours ago

South China Sea

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

3 Dec 2025 - 11:19AMvideocam

Middle East

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

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

Footage released on Saturday shows smoke rising from a ship on fire in the Black Sea off the Turkish coast. Photo: Security Service of Ukraine via AFP

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

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

Pope Leo speaks at the National Library of the Presidential Palace, during his first apostolic journey, in Ankara, Turkey on Thursday. Photo: Reuters

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

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

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

Servicemen of the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine fire a Caesar howitzer at Russian troops near Pokrovsk in Donetsk on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

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

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine
Andriy Yermak and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk to the press in Geneva, Switzerland on Sunday. Photo: Keystone via AP

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

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

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

Activists from the Make Polluters Pay coalition pose with fake currency bills in front of a giant oil barrell balloon during a performance urging oil companies to fund climate solutions in Belem, Brazil, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

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

A rescuer carrying a person at the site of a Russian strike in Ternopil on Wednesday. Photo: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram/EPA

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

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

A woman walks past a Turkish restaurant in Dhaka on October 31. More Turkish restaurants are opening in Bangladesh and there is a general interest in learning the language. Photo: AFP

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

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

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

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu speaks during a reception in Duesseldorf, Germany, in June 2024. Photo: dpa

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

Wreckage at the crash site in the Sighnaghi area, the Georgia-Azerbaijan border. Photo: AFP

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

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

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

A man and child stand by a house allegedly damaged by cross-border fire from Pakistan in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan, on Friday. Photo: EPA

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

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US President Donald Trump give a thumbs up at the Gaza Peace Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, on October 13. Photo: AFP

Olympics

Opinion | Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area must seize chance to bid for 2036 Olympics

With the IOC having paused the bidding process, it is a good time to investigate the feasibility of hosting the event and to align stakeholders.

7 Nov 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Turkey and Muslim allies say Palestinian self-rule is key to Gaza’s future

Turkey hosts ministerial meeting to discuss US-brokered Gaza ceasefire and long-term solutions to the conflict.

4 Nov 2025 - 11:04AMvideocam

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