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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

Turkish soldiers stand guard near the wreckage a Libya-bound business jet near Ankara. Photo: AFP

Aviation accidents

Libya military chief and 7 others killed in jet crash in Turkey

Investigators are looking into a technical failure that brought down the delegation’s Falcon 50 jet shortly after take-off from Ankara.

24 Dec 2025 - 11:10AM

Ukraine war

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

23 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

China economy

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

23 Dec 2025 - 7:49AM

Middle East

Iran and Gaza plan to top agenda for Netanyahu-Trump meeting

The Israeli prime minister is set to visit Washington to discuss the next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan with his key US ally.

23 Dec 2025 - 1:18PM

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem in October. Photo: AFP

Viral stories

Turkish court rules man liking women’s posts may erode marital trust, prompts debate

Judges rule against husband who ogled at ‘seductive’ and ‘suggestive’ photos of women online; lawyers say actions may be grounds for divorce.

20 Dec 2025 - 2:00PM

Donald Trump

Syria’s year of ‘epic’ transformation earns it Trump’s protection

Washington is lifting sanctions and has rebuked Israel for its attacks, as the US throws its weight behind Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration.

13 Dec 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Middle East

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

9 Dec 2025 - 8:44AMvideocam

People gather as they celebrate the first anniversary of Bashar al-Assad’s fall, at Ummayad Square in Damascus, Syria on Monday. Photo: Reuters

War and conflict

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

6 Dec 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

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.

5 Dec 2025 - 4:30PM

South China Sea

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

Experts weigh the merits and limits of growing pivot in the region to uncrewed aircraft and the potential for 24/7 patrols.

3 Dec 2025 - 11:19AMvideocam

China-controlled Scarborough Shoal is about 600km (373 miles) from the closest Chinese military base. Photo: AFP

Middle East

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

The first US pope arrived in Beirut from Istanbul, where sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope.

1 Dec 2025 - 1:09AM

Pope Leo XIV and Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun shake hands as they meet at the Presidential Palace during Leo’s first apostolic journey, in Baabda, Lebanon on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

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

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

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

EU ambassador to China Jorge Toledo tells a forum in Beijing on Thursday that there is a new glimmer of hope to repair the bloc’s “difficult” relationship with China. Photo: Handout

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

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

A freed Ukrainian prisoner of war mbraces his relatives after a swap of POWs, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on October 2. Photo: Reuters

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

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Turkey

Libya military chief and 7 others killed in jet crash in Turkey

Investigators are looking into a technical failure that brought down the delegation’s Falcon 50 jet shortly after take-off from Ankara.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

Iran and Gaza plan to top agenda for Netanyahu-Trump meeting

The Israeli prime minister is set to visit Washington to discuss the next phase of Trump’s Gaza plan with his key US ally.

Turkish court rules man liking women’s posts may erode marital trust, prompts debate

Judges rule against husband who ogled at ‘seductive’ and ‘suggestive’ photos of women online; lawyers say actions may be grounds for divorce.

Syria’s year of ‘epic’ transformation earns it Trump’s protection

Washington is lifting sanctions and has rebuked Israel for its attacks, as the US throws its weight behind Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration.

A year after Assad’s fall, can Syria’s new leader deliver lasting peace?

Despite progress, sectarian violence and Kurdish tensions persist as President Ahmed al-Sharaa pushes toward future elections.

Opinion | Welcome to a world where wars don’t end and sanctions don’t work

The age of ‘distributed multipolarity’ shows that superpowers alone can no longer dictate international affairs.

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.

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

Experts weigh the merits and limits of growing pivot in the region to uncrewed aircraft and the potential for 24/7 patrols.

Pope Leo urges Lebanon’s leaders to unite for peace

The first US pope arrived in Beirut from Istanbul, where sought to give Lebanon’s long-suffering people a message of hope.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

‘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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Opinion | How the West’s sanctions against Russia are fuelling a protracted war