TOPIC

/ location

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

Sumela Monastery, in Trabzon province, Turkey. Photo: Getty Images

Editor's Letter

This week in PostMag: the summer travel edition offers holiday tips for all tastes

Discover dreamy summer getaways – from Hainan’s luxury escapes to Thailand’s creative Songkhla – plus sustainable stays, genre-blending concerts and Chinese state banquet secrets.

10 May 2026 - 8:00AM

Trip Inspiration

Rediscovering Turkey’s northeast: a journey from Trabzon to Erzurum

9 May 2026 - 1:00PM

War and conflict

Letters | History shows the high cost and low yield of war as conflict resolution

7 May 2026 - 11:30AM

Disease

Passengers on virus-hit cruise ship sway between fear and boredom

As the MV Hondius sails towards Spain, passengers describe a bizarre daily existence of high-end luxury and strict isolation.

7 May 2026 - 5:17PMvideocam

A passenger watches as health personnel assist patients off the cruise ship and onto a boat off the port of Praia, Cabo Verde, on Wednesday. Photo: AFP

Middle East

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

3 May 2026 - 10:30AM

Israel-Gaza war

Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla in international waters off Greece, detaining dozens

Organisers accuse Israel of ‘abduction’ after boats are seized nearly 1,000km from the Palestinian enclave.

1 May 2026 - 9:35AM

United States

Austrian citizen admits plot to kill at Taylor Swift concert in Vienna

The 21-year-old and two other men also planned attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

28 Apr 2026 - 6:52PMvideocam

Defendant Beran A hides his face while being escorted out of court in Austria. He is standing trial for plotting to carry out an attack on one of superstar singer Taylor Swift’s 2024 Vienna concerts. Photo: AP

Malaysia

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

‘Drone warfare is the future,’ say arms dealers in Kuala Lumpur – and the region’s militaries are buying in.

26 Apr 2026 - 1:46PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

25 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

US-China relations

Letters | China’s interest doesn’t lie in US failures

Readers discuss Chinese thinking on global stability, Turkey’s school shootings, and talk of regime change.

24 Apr 2026 - 11:30AM

A man walks past a Chinese newspaper featuring a photo of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 15. Photo: EPA

Social media

Turkey passes bill to restrict social media access for under-15s

It comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher at a middle school in southern Turkey, in a gun attack.

23 Apr 2026 - 4:59PM

Police officers in uniform and plainclothes police secure the site after a deadly school shooting, in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, Turkey, on April 15, 2026. Photo: via Reuters

Ramadan

Turkey jails 8 over deadly 2024 cable car accident

The 2024 Antalya disaster left a passenger dead and 174 others stranded for almost a day.

21 Apr 2026 - 12:39PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Beyond Panama and Hormuz: 8 critical waterways under the global microscope

Amid US actions in the two major shipping channels, attention has shifted to the strategic importance and potential risks elsewhere.

21 Apr 2026 - 1:12AMvideocam

Crime

LA woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

Shamim Mafi is accused ‘brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition’.

20 Apr 2026 - 11:46AM

Los Angeles International Airport, where Iranian national Shamim Mafi was arrested on Saturday. Photo: AP

Food and Drinks

Is this soup being culturally appropriated? Dispute boils between 2 nations

Greece and Turkey are arguing over a traditional soup’s origins as one restaurateur attempts to register it as a dish of Greece with Unesco.

19 Apr 2026 - 5:15PM

A woman prepares to eat traditional tripe soup known as “patsas” in Greek and “iskembe” in Turkish, at Epirus restaurant in central Athens, on Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

US, Israel war on Iran

Exclusive | Iran keen on deal with US but has higher ‘pain tolerance’: think tank chief

Mohamed Amersi, who is close to Iranian negotiators, says regime is prepared for long haul and will not give up its missile programme.

20 Apr 2026 - 4:10AMvideocam

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

20 Apr 2026 - 2:04PM

Donald Trump

Russia’s Lavrov says balance of power shifting to emerging economies

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov said the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by the US had ‘come to an end’.

18 Apr 2026 - 11:42PMvideocam

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a session at Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong minister urges long-term view, says Middle East investment unaffected

Minister Algernon Yau urges businesses to avoid short-term thinking, says Hong Kong entrepreneurs are discerning in assessing opportunities.

18 Apr 2026 - 8:48PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Turkey’s Erdogan urges Iran, US to use ceasefire to push for lasting peace

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Erdogan also stressed the importance of acting with ‘prudent understanding’ to end the Iran war.

17 Apr 2026 - 11:20PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Lebanon becomes key to Iran-US peace talks amid fears of Israel’s ‘hegemony’

Pakistan is the regional go-between to help maintain the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and push for a conclusive deal to end the Iran war.

17 Apr 2026 - 9:00PM

Displaced people make their way back to their home on Friday crossing the bridge in Qasmiyeh linking southern Lebanon to the rest of the country as a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Everybody’s suffering’: Kazakhstan seeks UN reforms amid fragile Iran truce

President Tokayev told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that multilateralism is being undermined as major decisions move outside the UN framework.

17 Apr 2026 - 7:49PMvideocam

Members of the UN Security Council attend a meeting at the UN headquarters on Tuesday. Photo: AP

Crime

Turkey reels as 9 die in second school shooting in as many days

A 14-year-old student armed with five guns opened fire in Kahramanmaras, just one day after a similar attack in Sanliurfa.

16 Apr 2026 - 1:53PM

Pakistan

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

15 Apr 2026 - 10:50PMvideocam

Crime

Gunman at Turkey high school wounds 16 before killing himself

The attacker, a former student of the school, was born in 2007 and killed himself when ‘cornered by police’.

14 Apr 2026 - 7:30PM

Turkish security forces and emergency staff stand at the courtyard of a high school where an assailant opened fire, in Siverek, south east Turkey on Tuesday. Photo: via AP

Pakistan

UAE pulls US$3.5 billion from Pakistan after Iran war mediation

As Abu Dhabi signals its displeasure with Islamabad, analysts say other indebted partners will be watching closely.

11 Apr 2026 - 12:18PMvideocam

A shopkeeper displays Iranian flags after the US-Iran ceasefire announcement in Karachi, Pakistan, on Thursday. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran eyes China as Mideast security guarantor. Chinese analysts are not so sure

Comments from Iranian envoy to Beijing come hours after Trump’s two-week suspension of bombing campaign.

9 Apr 2026 - 6:10AMvideocam

Middle East

1 dead after gunmen open fire outside Israeli consulate in Istanbul

The two other assailants were captured with injuries.

7 Apr 2026 - 8:48PM

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW

Turkey

This week in PostMag: the summer travel edition offers holiday tips for all tastes

Discover dreamy summer getaways – from Hainan’s luxury escapes to Thailand’s creative Songkhla – plus sustainable stays, genre-blending concerts and Chinese state banquet secrets.

Rediscovering Turkey’s northeast: a journey from Trabzon to Erzurum

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | History shows the high cost and low yield of war as conflict resolution

Passengers on virus-hit cruise ship sway between fear and boredom

As the MV Hondius sails towards Spain, passengers describe a bizarre daily existence of high-end luxury and strict isolation.

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Israel intercepts Gaza aid flotilla in international waters off Greece, detaining dozens

Organisers accuse Israel of ‘abduction’ after boats are seized nearly 1,000km from the Palestinian enclave.

Austrian citizen admits plot to kill at Taylor Swift concert in Vienna

The 21-year-old and two other men also planned attacks in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.

At Malaysia’s arms bazaar, drone dealers chase Southeast Asian market share

‘Drone warfare is the future,’ say arms dealers in Kuala Lumpur – and the region’s militaries are buying in.

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

Letters | China’s interest doesn’t lie in US failures

Readers discuss Chinese thinking on global stability, Turkey’s school shootings, and talk of regime change.

Turkey passes bill to restrict social media access for under-15s

It comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher at a middle school in southern Turkey, in a gun attack.

Turkey jails 8 over deadly 2024 cable car accident

The 2024 Antalya disaster left a passenger dead and 174 others stranded for almost a day.

Beyond Panama and Hormuz: 8 critical waterways under the global microscope

Amid US actions in the two major shipping channels, attention has shifted to the strategic importance and potential risks elsewhere.

LA woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

Shamim Mafi is accused ‘brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition’.

Is this soup being culturally appropriated? Dispute boils between 2 nations

Greece and Turkey are arguing over a traditional soup’s origins as one restaurateur attempts to register it as a dish of Greece with Unesco.

Exclusive | Iran keen on deal with US but has higher ‘pain tolerance’: think tank chief

Mohamed Amersi, who is close to Iranian negotiators, says regime is prepared for long haul and will not give up its missile programme.

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

Russia’s Lavrov says balance of power shifting to emerging economies

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Lavrov said the foundations of globalisation powered primarily by the US had ‘come to an end’.

Hong Kong minister urges long-term view, says Middle East investment unaffected

Minister Algernon Yau urges businesses to avoid short-term thinking, says Hong Kong entrepreneurs are discerning in assessing opportunities.

Turkey’s Erdogan urges Iran, US to use ceasefire to push for lasting peace

At the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey, Erdogan also stressed the importance of acting with ‘prudent understanding’ to end the Iran war.

Lebanon becomes key to Iran-US peace talks amid fears of Israel’s ‘hegemony’

Pakistan is the regional go-between to help maintain the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and push for a conclusive deal to end the Iran war.

‘Everybody’s suffering’: Kazakhstan seeks UN reforms amid fragile Iran truce

President Tokayev told the Antalya Diplomacy Forum that multilateralism is being undermined as major decisions move outside the UN framework.

Turkey reels as 9 die in second school shooting in as many days

A 14-year-old student armed with five guns opened fire in Kahramanmaras, just one day after a similar attack in Sanliurfa.

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

Gunman at Turkey high school wounds 16 before killing himself

The attacker, a former student of the school, was born in 2007 and killed himself when ‘cornered by police’.

UAE pulls US$3.5 billion from Pakistan after Iran war mediation

As Abu Dhabi signals its displeasure with Islamabad, analysts say other indebted partners will be watching closely.

Iran eyes China as Mideast security guarantor. Chinese analysts are not so sure

Comments from Iranian envoy to Beijing come hours after Trump’s two-week suspension of bombing campaign.

1 dead after gunmen open fire outside Israeli consulate in Istanbul

The two other assailants were captured with injuries.

Letters | History shows the high cost and low yield of war as conflict resolution