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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

last updated:

29 November, 2024

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives to meet US President Joe Biden at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Lima, Peru, on November 16. Photo: AFP

US-China relations

Opinion | 2024 shows US-China tensions no longer the biggest story

Unrestrained regional powers jostling for control, building weapons and taking bolder risks are influencing trajectory of world politics.

26 Dec 2024 - 8:35AMvideocam

12 killed in blast at Turkey explosives plant, echoing past incidents

24 Dec 2024 - 10:53PM

Indonesia

What Erdogan’s summit walkout could mean for Prabowo, Indonesia-Turkey ties

24 Dec 2024 - 4:27PM

Middle East

Turkey says it will take action on Kurdish militias if Syria doesn’t

Turkey’s stance may put it at loggerheads with the United States, which has relied on the Kurds in its fight against ISIS.

22 Dec 2024 - 9:32AM

The flag of Turkey hangs from a pole at the Embassy of Turkey in the capital Damascus. Turkey has expressed concern about Kurdish militants based in a post-Assad Syria. File photo: AFP

Middle East

Opinion | Fall of Syria’s Assad narrows China’s diplomatic space in the Middle East

There is too much power in the hands of the US and regional actors like Turkey for China to play a key role.

22 Dec 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

Middle East

Israel and Turkey seize the chance to shape Syria’s future post-Assad

While Turkey backs the HTS regime, Israel is destroying its military capacity and claiming territory – fuelling fears of fragmentation.

21 Dec 2024 - 5:30PM

European Union

8 dead off Greek island of Rhodes as speedboat carrying migrants capsizes

The boat was carrying out ‘dangerous manoeuvres’ to try to evade a patrol vessel, the coastguard said.

20 Dec 2024 - 10:45PM

Coastguard officers cover bodies after a speedboat carrying migrants capsized near the island of Rhodes, Greece, on Friday. Photo: AP

Middle East

Nations work to build ties with Syria’s post-Assad rulers

Qatar and Turkey reopen embassies and Western powers engage with rebel group as Russia withdraws some diplomatic staff.

16 Dec 2024 - 4:08PM

Middle East

Turkey will offer military training to Syria if new administration requests

Nato member Turkey backed the Syrian rebels who toppled President Bashar al-Assad last weekend, ending a 13-year civil war.

15 Dec 2024 - 5:48PM

Middle East

Opinion | How Syria’s new chapter changes the game for the entire region

After Bashar al-Assad’s overthrow, uncertainties remain about the agenda of Syria’s new government and the interests of foreign powers.

15 Dec 2024 - 9:20AMvideocam

Smoke billows in the distance as people arrive to celebrate the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, on December 8. Photo: AP

Middle East

‘Friday of victory’: mass rallies across Syria celebrate fall of Assad

Fireworks and waving flags mark the first Friday prayers since a lightning rebel offensive ended over half a century of brutal rule.

14 Dec 2024 - 6:14AMvideocam

People gather with independence-era Syrian flags to celebrate the fall of Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad at the Umayyad Square in central Damascus on Friday. Photo: AFP

War and conflict

Opinion | World watches and waits as Islamist group HTS leads a post-Assad Syria

From Russia and the Middle East to the EU and US, the rise of Islamist group HTS is cause for caution over optimism.

12 Dec 2024 - 1:07AMvideocam

Middle East

Fall of Syria’s Assad catches Middle East powers and the West off guard

Several foreign governments have put out cautious feelers to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham after it toppled Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

9 Dec 2024 - 9:08PMvideocam

Middle East

Israel calls Syria its fourth front after rushing troops to the Golan

Israel’s Netanyahu says ‘central link in Iran’s axis of evil’ has fallen in Syria.

9 Dec 2024 - 7:06PMvideocam

Israeli soldiers near armoured vehicles parked along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights from Syria. Photo: AP

Middle East

Syrian rebels topple President Assad, prime minister calls for free elections

The rebel forces declared Assad ousted after taking control of Damascus, following 13 years of civil war and 50 years of Assad family rule.

8 Dec 2024 - 8:40PM

Members of the Syrian community wave Syrian flags on Sunday in Vienna, Austria. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Syria rebels say they control Homs, are advancing on capital Damascus

President Assad’s 24-year rule is dangling by a thread, with one US official saying he could be ousted in the coming week.

8 Dec 2024 - 7:52AM

Middle East

Goal is to overthrow Assad with ‘all available means’: Syria’s rebel leader

Islamist-led rebels were at the gates of Syria’s Homs after wresting other key cities from government control.

6 Dec 2024 - 7:01PM

Syria

Syrian rebels capture city of Hama in fresh blow to President Assad

Hama is critical to the control of major towns as Syrian rebels stage rapid advances.

6 Dec 2024 - 11:59AM

A multi-barrel rocket launcher fires against regime forces, in the northern outskirts of Syria’s west-central city of Hama. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Iraqi fighters head to Syria to battle rebels but Hezbollah stays out: sources

Iran also said it will provide ‘any support needed’ after rebels seized Aleppo last week in a lightning assault.

3 Dec 2024 - 10:08AM

Middle East

‘More of this can come’: what Syria attack means for Middle East power balance

Turkey and Israel’s ‘uncoordinated battle’ has raised questions about Iran and Russia’s ability to rescue Assad and his regime, analysts say.

2 Dec 2024 - 10:35PMvideocam

Middle East

Syria launches counter-attacks in an attempt to halt insurgency

Shock rebel offensive saw government forces lose control of Aleppo for the first time since the start of the country’s civil war.

2 Dec 2024 - 1:23PM

An abandoned Syrian army tank, southwest of Aleppo. Photo: AP

Aviation accidents

Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkey, passengers and crew evacuated

The incident involved a Sukhoi Superjet 100 operated by Russia’s Azimuth Airlines.

25 Nov 2024 - 2:19PM

Passengers were evacuated via emergency slides. Photo: Demiroren News Agency via AFP

Crime

Anger, pain in Turkey as ‘newborn deaths gang’ trial opens

Health workers go on trial in Turkey accused of private care scheme linked to 10 infant deaths.

19 Nov 2024 - 11:30AM

US-China trade war

Opinion | Trump tariffs 2.0 will make Asian manufacturing great

The prospect of sweeping tariffs should drive an evolution towards a ‘China+n’ model, with more Asian countries moving up the value chain.

12 Nov 2024 - 4:31PMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | Brics’ power lies in its ability to win friends and influence others

The grouping is a long way from being able to set international norms and standards, but it is becoming increasingly able to reshape them.

31 Oct 2024 - 5:48PMvideocam

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas (centre left) speaks with United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres (centre) and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (centre right) as participants in the Brics Plus meeting pose for a family photo during the Brics summit in Kazan on October 24. Photo: AFP

Ukraine war

US sanctions China and India suppliers of Russia’s war machine in Ukraine

Hundreds of entities, some in Turkey and Switzerland, were hit in the latest crackdown on people and firms doing business with Moscow.

31 Oct 2024 - 2:43AMvideocam

A Russian Gvozdika 120mm howitzer fires towards Ukrainian positions at border area of Russia’s Kursk region, in footage released on Wednesday. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP

Brics

Opinion | Turkey’s Brics bid reflects its desire to a forge path between East and West

Ankara’s decision could be a strategy to strengthen relations with non-Western powers, but it’s also about chasing more trade.

26 Oct 2024 - 4:05PM

Defence

Turkey hits Kurdish targets in Iraq and Syria after deadly attack on defence firm

The strike came hours after a male and female suspect set off explosives and opened fire at a Turkish state-run aerospace company.

24 Oct 2024 - 5:14PM

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