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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

Donald Trump

Trump and the art of the deal: expects to meet Putin to broker Ukraine peace

‘There can’t be a meeting without me,’ the US president says after pulling back from first direct peace talks in Putin’s absence.

17 May 2025 - 1:40PM

Ukraine war

Trump to speak to Putin, Zelensky by phone after Ukraine-Moscow talks in Turkey

17 May 2025 - 11:20PM

Donald Trump

Trump caps Gulf tour with America-first policy for peace in Middle East

16 May 2025 - 9:00PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Russia, Ukraine talks for peace end in under two hours

The officials present in Turkey – including Ukraine’s defence minister – sat together around a table, but the two sides are far apart in their conditions for ending the war.

16 May 2025 - 9:02PMvideocam

Delegations from Russia and Ukraine are in Turkey for talks about Vladimir Putin’s war, which began in February 2022. Photo: Handout via EPA-EFE

India

India boycott of Turkey, Azerbaijan reflects growing ‘consumer-led diplomacy’

From traders to travel platforms, Indian companies are using economic tools to signal foreign policy displeasure, analysts note.

16 May 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Ukraine war

Ukraine peace breakthrough unlikely as Putin declines to meet Zelensky in Turkey

‘We can’t be running around the world looking for Putin,’ Zelensky said after meeting Turkish President Erdogan in Ankara.

16 May 2025 - 4:50AM

Aviation

This country fines air passengers who unbuckle seat belts too early

US$67 fines to be levied under new law in Turkey on passengers who unbuckle prematurely, grab their cabin bag and try for a quick exit.

15 May 2025 - 5:56PM

Passengers who unfasten their seat belts and grab their cabin bags in the hope of a quick exit from a plane while the “fasten seat belt” sign is still on face fines in Turkey under a new law. Photo: Shutterstock

Ukraine war

Putin not on Kremlin list for Ukraine-Russia peace talks in Turkey

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky had challenged the Russian leader to meet him in person in Istanbul.

15 May 2025 - 11:15AM

Donald Trump

Trump move to end Syria sanctions catches his own administration by surprise

The very officials who’d be responsible for implementing the policy change were not warned before the US president made his announcement.

15 May 2025 - 7:18AMvideocam

Donald Trump

Trump meets Syria’s rebel leader Sharaa, urges him to establish Israel ties

Sharaa was for years the leader of al-Qaeda’s official wing in the Syrian conflict. The US removed a US$10 million bounty on him in December.

14 May 2025 - 7:43PMvideocam

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (right) watches as US President Donald Trump (middle) meets Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Riyadh on Wednesday. Photo: AFP/Saudi Royal Palace/Bandar al-Jaloud

Syrian conflict

Syria’s rebel leader Sharaa’s path from global jihad to Trump meeting

The meeting in Saudi Arabia is a milestone for a man who joined al-Qaeda in Iraq around the time of the 2003 US-led invasion.

14 May 2025 - 5:56PMvideocam

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa at the Elysee Palace in Paris on May 7, 2025. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

PKK Kurdish militant group ends 40-year war against Turkey

The group has led an armed insurgency since 1984 that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.

12 May 2025 - 7:17PM

Banking & finance

Chinese companies turn to Middle East region to hedge against US trade war

NEXX Global and Tojoy are among companies seeking to establish a presence in the Middle East and explore new markets in Europe.

12 May 2025 - 11:37AMvideocam

Hong Kong science and tech

How Hong Kong helped a mainland Chinese driverless tech firm expand to Mideast

UISEE CEO Wu Gansha, who will meet Hong Kong delegation in Qatar, says city played pivotal role in the company’s global expansion.

12 May 2025 - 1:17PM

One of UISEE’s autonomous vehicles transports baggage at Hong Kong airport. Photo: Handout

Ukraine war

Trump ‘starting to doubt’ that Ukraine will reach deal with Russia

Ukrainian President Zelensky said Ukraine welcomed peace talks but insisted there must be a full, temporary ceasefire first.

12 May 2025 - 1:05AM

Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer (centre), France’s President Emmanuel Macron (right) and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) speak after laying bouquets of flowers as they visit the Wall of Heroes of the Nation, a memorial wall of fallen Ukrainian servicemen, in Kyiv on Saturday. Photo: AFP

United States

Trump admin must release Turkish Tufts student, US judge rules

Rumeysa Ozturk has been detained for over six weeks after co-writing an op-ed criticising her school’s response to the Israel-Gaza war.

10 May 2025 - 2:24AM

India

Asian, European airlines divert flights as India-Pakistan tensions soar

The detours mean that flying hours between Europe, the Middle East and Asia have become longer.

7 May 2025 - 2:26PMvideocam

Science

How French technology could reduce China’s reliance on imported aluminium ore

A plant in Shanxi is being upgraded so that it can produce aluminium from low-grade bauxite that was previously unusable.

7 May 2025 - 9:00AM

The first full-scale IB2 unit at the Shanxi plant is expected to be operating at industrial scale from July, according to the French firm. Photo: Handout

European Union

EU to propose banning Russian gas imports by end of 2027

The move aims to enhance energy security and reduce reliance on the EU’s once-top gas supplier.

6 May 2025 - 1:40PM

Donald Trump

Trump wants Turkish leader Erdogan’s help to end Ukraine war

The US president has been pushing Kyiv and Moscow to reach a ceasefire deal.

6 May 2025 - 11:02AM

Hong Kong society

UN experts to assess Hong Kong’s rescue team for accreditation next year

Commander of team that was recently deployed to Myanmar confident about securing international accreditation, hails good progress.

23 Apr 2025 - 12:39AM

Hong Kong’s rescue team working in the rubble in Myanmar. Photo: Handout

Diplomacy

Opinion | Will Trump’s chaos galvanise the Global South?

With trust in Western-dominated institutions waning, the Global South is rallying for a new order that reflects its diverse voices.

21 Apr 2025 - 3:12PM

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during the opening ceremony of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey on April 11. Photo: DIA/AP

Ukraine war

Ukraine keen to end war with Russia soon: foreign minister at diplomacy forum

Kyiv’s Andrii Sybiha and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov both attended the three-day platform in Turkey but were never on the same panel, offering starkly different views on the conflict.

12 Apr 2025 - 10:48PM

Middle East

Turkey accuses Israel undermining Syria, stirring up tensions

Turkey is a key backer of Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the rebel coalition that ousted Bashar al-Assad in December.

12 Apr 2025 - 9:16PM

United Nations

World leaders urge Global South inclusion amid US-China tensions, Gaza conflict

World leaders at Turkey’s Antalya Diplomacy Forum urged for greater Global South inclusion and a two-state solution in Gaza, amid rising geopolitical tensions.

11 Apr 2025 - 11:54PMvideocam

The Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey discussed cooperation n in a new era of a fragmented world. Photo: Facebook/@ Antalya Diplomasi Forumu

Hong Kong society

Hero’s welcome for Hong Kong rescuers after return from quake-hit Myanmar

The 51-strong team met at Hong Kong airport by top officials including city leader John Lee and Myanmar’s consul general.

10 Apr 2025 - 5:03PM

Hong Kong leader John Lee meets team members at Hong Kong airport. Photo: May Tse

Middle East

Turkey opposition ramps up rallies as Swedish journalist jailed

The arrest of Istanbul’s opposition mayor Ekrem Imamoglu sparked the most significant anti-government protests in Turkey in over a decade.

30 Mar 2025 - 8:14PM

Protests around the world

Istanbul sees massive rally again in support for imprisoned mayor

After Ekrem Imamoglu, a rival to the president, was this month detained on charges many saw as politically motivated, nationwide protests erupted.

29 Mar 2025 - 11:14PM

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