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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

Julie Eadeh is tipped to be leaving Istanbul to become the US consul general in Hong Kong. Photo: Getty Images

US-China relations

Exclusive | US career diplomat Julie Eadeh tipped to be next consul general in Hong Kong

Photos published of Eadeh meeting opposition activists in 2019 were held up as evidence of ‘foreign forces’ at work in the city.

2 hours agovideocam

Artificial intelligence

Elon Musk unveils xAI’s updated chatbot, Grok 4, after antisemitism controversy

10 Jul 2025 - 4:21PM

United States

Musk’s AI company scrubs posts after Grok chatbot makes antisemitic remarks

10 Jul 2025 - 1:14PMvideocam

United States

In global survey, US cited more often than China as greatest ally and threat

Pew Research worldwide poll of nearly 32,000 respondents finds 15 of 24 nations citing US as top ally while China is named by four.

9 Jul 2025 - 6:03AM

A Pew Research global survey suggests the United States is regarded as a more important ally than China, but also as potentially a greater threat. Photo: AP

Syria

US revoking ‘terrorist’ designation for Syria’s HTS

Syria’s new leadership has sought to rebuild ties with the international community.

8 Jul 2025 - 12:15PM

Middle East

3 mayors arrested in opposition crackdown in southern Turkey

Opposition presidential candidate and Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem İmamoğlu was previously arrested in March over allegations of corruption.

5 Jul 2025 - 7:42PM

Climate change

‘Unsustainable’: winter snow and ice in Swiss Alps melts away weeks early

The early arrival – again – of ‘glacier loss day’ is a huge blow for Switzerland’s 1,400 glaciers, which have been shrinking at an alarming rate.

4 Jul 2025 - 5:44PMvideocam

Water flows from the melting Rhone Glacier in Switzerland last month. Photo: AP

Brics

Rio mounts major security operation for Brics summit

About 20,000 military personnel to guard leaders, fighter jets to patrol skies.

4 Jul 2025 - 6:20AM

Diplomacy

Exclusive | Armenia looks to deepen ties with China for foreign policy beyond Russia

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan says his country’s Crossroads of Peace and China’s belt and road project are interdependent.

3 Jul 2025 - 3:37PMvideocam

Central Asia

Opinion | Why Central Asia plays a growing role in China’s strategic calculus

Cooperation on trade, infrastructure, energy and more shows that China sees Central Asia as an important trade partner and geopolitical buffer.

3 Jul 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) shakes hands with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev before flying back to Beijing after the completion of the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, on June 18. Photo: Xinhua

Extreme weather

8 dead in Europe heatwave, as early summer temperatures hit records

The sweltering heat has triggered health alerts and forest fires and forced the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant.

3 Jul 2025 - 5:16AM

Smoke rises from a wildfire over the fields of Torrefeta i Florejacs vile, near Lleida, Spain, on Tuesday. Photo: Agents Rurals press service via Reuters

France

50,000 evacuated from wildfires in Turkey as Europe battles heatwave: ‘it’s awful’

Meanwhile, Spain was on course for the hottest June on record, as health alerts were issued across the continent.

1 Jul 2025 - 12:01AM

Russia

Opinion | As attacks on Iran show, Russia can now do very little for its allies

Moscow’s credibility is sinking after it failed to stand up for allies in Iran, Syria and Armenia.

30 Jun 2025 - 10:30AMvideocam

Israel-Iran conflict

From Iraq to Iran: the US quest for Israeli military dominance – and its fallout

This decades-long strategy has not only redrawn the regional map but also exposed the limits of China’s Middle East influence, analysts say.

29 Jun 2025 - 7:58AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump rattles Nato allies as he descends on summit

The US president refused to commit to the alliance’s mutual defence vow, as Washington warns it may shift focus to the threat from China.

25 Jun 2025 - 8:45AM

US President Donald Trump arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport ahead of the Nato summit taking place in The Hague on Tuesday. Photo: AP

China-Middle East relations

White House clarifies Trump’s comment on China buying Iranian oil

Trump ‘was simply calling attention to the fact that … the Strait of Hormuz will not be impacted’, official says.

25 Jun 2025 - 6:17AMvideocam

Israel-Iran conflict

US, Israel crossed ‘big red line’, Iran FM says as he heads to Moscow

Iran’s top diplomat calls US strikes a ‘grave crime’, vows Iran will defend itself ‘by all means necessary’.

22 Jun 2025 - 8:07PMvideocam

Indonesia

Indonesia is buying more weapons – but can it sustain such defence spending?

Analysts question whether Indonesia has the wherewithal to finance and maintain its defence systems.

19 Jun 2025 - 4:06PM

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is accelerating the country’s military modernisation programme. Photo: Indonesia’s presidential palace/AFP

Israel-Iran conflict

Turkey ramps up missile production amid fears of wider Middle East war

President Erdogan said Ankara aims to boost the deterrence level so that ‘no one would dare to even challenge us’.

17 Jun 2025 - 8:43PMvideocam

Israel-Iran conflict

China’s Xi urges Israel, Iran to ‘de-escalate’, says Beijing can be peacemaker

President Xi Jinping’s remarks during talks with Uzbek counterpart come as China begins to evacuate nationals from Iran and Israel.

17 Jun 2025 - 8:55PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Xi boosts China ties in resource-rich Central Asia

A summit with five leaders from Central Asia offers President Xi Jinping the chance to snap up more raw materials for China’s economy in a region once viewed as Russia’s backyard.

17 Jun 2025 - 5:52PM

US-China trade war

The US-China rivalry is reshaping global supply chains – who benefits most?

Vietnam, Indonesia and other emerging economies could emerge as winners, analysts say.

16 Jun 2025 - 7:00PMvideocam

Chinese and US flags are seen in this illustration taken on January 30, 2023. Photo: Reuters/Dado Ruvic

The Philippines

Does Philippines have ‘credible’ undersea might against China?

Japan’s advanced submarine warfare expertise could play a critical role in helping Manila develop undersea warfare capabilities, experts say.

16 Jun 2025 - 6:30PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Putin wishes Trump happy birthday, says Russia ready for new Ukraine talks

Ukraine’s Zelensky urged the US to ‘shift tone’ in its dialogue with Moscow, saying it was ‘too warm’ and would not help to end the war.

15 Jun 2025 - 1:52PMvideocam

China's military weapons

Seoul’s radical drone carrier bids to shape next-gen naval warfare

HCX-23 Plus could position country as potential ‘first mover’ for unmanned, drone-optimised navy assets, expert says.

15 Jun 2025 - 5:20PMvideocam

South Korea’s HCX-23 Plus puts AI and drones at the centre of its design. The concept hints at how rapidly naval warfare is being redefined as defence strategists look for new ways to use unmanned weapons. Photo: X/mason_8718

On Our Radar

Take a magic carpet ride at the Hong Kong Palace Museum

The wonders of imperial carpets and Islamic arts in all their tufted splendour are making their way to Hong Kong.

13 Jun 2025 - 12:28PM

The Shah Sulayman “hunting” carpet, a gift from the Safavids of Iran to the leader of the Republic of Venice in the late 17th century. Photo: courtesy The Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

Ukraine war

Ukraine receives more than 1,200 fallen soldiers’ bodies from Russia

The soldiers died in battles across Kursk and several Ukrainian regions, according to an organisation involved in retrieving military casualties.

11 Jun 2025 - 8:37PM

Ukraine war

Kremlin says Putin, Zelensky, and Trump meeting ‘unlikely’ after Istanbul talks

The Kremlin dismissed chances of the three leaders meeting soon, citing complex peace negotiations and awaiting Ukraine’s response to demands.

3 Jun 2025 - 8:51PM

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