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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

Cui Jianchun, commissioner of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, addresses a summit of the International Organisation for Mediation held in Hong Kong last Friday. Photo: Xinhua

US, Israel war on Iran

Is China’s new mediation body gaining steam as Western brokers’ influence wanes?

Summit encourages countries to join Beijing-led initiative as stalled US-Iran peace talks reveal limits of traditional solution mechanisms.

3 hours agovideocam

Ukraine war

36 nations approve tribunal creation to prosecute Russia over Ukraine

15 May 2026 - 9:44PMvideocam

Editor's Letter

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

11 May 2026 - 11:01AM

Trip Inspiration

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

After 50 years, a writer returns to Turkey’s far-flung northeast and discovers what has changed – and what hasn’t.

11 May 2026 - 4:46PM

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

War and conflict

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

Readers discuss the imperative of dialogue to end the Iran war, the growth and diversity of Chinese products and Hong Kong’s efforts to deter smoking.

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

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

The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on April 17. Photo: EPA/The UAE Presidential Court

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

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

Malaysian army officers visit the booth of Special Technology Control, a Russian developer of unmanned systems, at the Defence Services Asia exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA

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

(From left) Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Turkey meet to discuss regional de-escalation in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 29. Photo: Turkish Foreign Ministry/Reuters

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

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

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

In the April 12, 2024 accident, one of the cable car gondolas hit a pole and burst open. Photo: Dia Images via AP

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

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker travels through the Strait of Malacca off Malaysia on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

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

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

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

Mohamed Amersi, an Iranian based in Britain, says Tehran is keen for a memorandum or framework of understanding with the United States. Photo: WANA via Reuters

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

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

Dubai cityscape. The trade between Hong Kong and the Middle East accounted for 1.5 per cent of the city’s total trade volume. Photo: Getty Images

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

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya, southern Turkey, on Friday. Photo: AP

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

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

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

Police at the scene following a deadly school shooting in the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras on Wednesday. Photo: IHA via Reuters

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

US Vice-President J.D. Vance (centre) walks with Pakistan’s Field Marshall Asim Munir (left) and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on Saturday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

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

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

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Turkey

Is China’s new mediation body gaining steam as Western brokers’ influence wanes?

Summit encourages countries to join Beijing-led initiative as stalled US-Iran peace talks reveal limits of traditional solution mechanisms.

36 nations approve tribunal creation to prosecute Russia over Ukraine

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

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

After 50 years, a writer returns to Turkey’s far-flung northeast and discovers what has changed – and what hasn’t.

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

Readers discuss the imperative of dialogue to end the Iran war, the growth and diversity of Chinese products and Hong Kong’s efforts to deter smoking.

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.

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