Page 2 - Turkey

Buildings collapse as 6.1 magnitude earthquake hits Turkey; no casualties

A strong earthquake shook western Turkey on Monday, causing at least three buildings that were damaged in a previous tremor to collapse, officials said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The magnitude 6.1 quake was centred in the town of Sindirgi in Balikesir province, according to the Disaster and Emergency Management agency, AFAD. It struck at 10.48 pm local time at a depth of 5.99 km. The quake, which was followed by several aftershocks, was felt in Istanbul, and the nearby provinces of Bursa, Manisa and Izmir. At least three unoccupied buildings and a two-story shop collapsed in Sindirgi, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. The structures had already been damaged in a previous earthquake. Two people were admitted to hospitals due to panic-related falls, the minister added. So far, we have not identified any loss of life, but we are continuing our assessment, Sindirgi's district administrator Dogukan Koyuncu told the state-run Anadolu Agency. Many people remaine

Prosecutors file new espionage charges against Istanbul's jailed mayor

Prosecutors filed new espionage charges against Istanbul's jailed mayor on Monday, intensifying the judicial pressure on the opposition politician seen as a top rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The new charges against Ekrem Imamoglu stem from an investigation launched last week into alleged links between his political campaign and a businessman arrested in July for reportedly carrying out intelligence activities on behalf of foreign governments. Imamoglu's former campaign manager, Necati Ozkan, and journalist Merdan Yanardag were also charged. The state-run Anadolu Agency said Imamoglu who his already in pretrial detention on corruption charges is suspected, among other things, of transferring personal data of Istanbul residents as part of an effort to secure international funding for his campaign. Imamoglu rejected the accusations as nonsense in a statement posted on social media. Even the claim that I burned down Rome would have been more credible than this nonsense, .

Pak holds talks with Afghanistan, warns war possible if deliberations fail

Pakistan and Afghanistan held the second round of talks in Istanbul to establish a joint monitoring and oversight mechanism to curb terrorist movements across the border even as Islamabad warned that war was still an option if talks failed to address its chief concern about terrorism. Dozens of soldiers, civilians and terrorists were killed in clashes earlier this month, creating a war like situation but peace was restored temporarily on October 19 after the two sides held talks -- facilitated by Qatar and Turkey -- in Doha. As agreed in Doha, the second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban was held on Saturday in Istanbul, Turkiye. Radio Pakistan quoted official sources saying that the discussions were focused on establishing a joint monitoring and oversight mechanism to curb cross-border terrorist movements and addressing trade barriers. The two sides also explored the possibility of reaching a long-term political understanding. Geo News reported that Pakistan

Afghanistan, Pakistan head to Turkey for second round of crisis talks

Afghanistan and Pakistan are heading to Turkey for a second round of crisis talks, officials said Friday, after recent fighting between them killed dozens of people and injured hundreds more. The neighbours are embroiled in a bitter security row that has become increasingly violent, with each side saying they were responding to aggression from the other. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of turning a blind eye to armed groups that cross the border for attacks, a charge the country's Taliban rulers reject. Last weekend, Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire to pause the hostilities. The truce has largely held, although the countries' border remains closed except for Afghan refugees leaving Pakistan. Afghanistan's Chamber of Commerce and Industry said traders are losing millions of dollars a day because border transit and trade have ground to a halt. Southern Kandahar Province was the worst-hit by the recent fighting, especially Spin Boldak on the border, where Pakistani airstrikes kille

After JNU, Jamia suspends MoU with Turkish institutions citing security

Jamia Millia Islamia suspends all MoUs with institutions linked to Turkiye, joining JNU and CSJM in response to growing concerns over national security and diplomacy

Gaza ceasefire talks near agreement, says Turkish foreign minister

Talks on bringing an end to the war in Gaza are on the verge of reaching a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Wednesday. Turkish, Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators are working to realise an American plan that calls for an immediate ceasefire and the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners. If an agreement is reached today, a ceasefire will be declared, Fidan told a news conference in Ankara with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. Fidan earlier said that a lot of progress has been achieved so far in the negotiations. What is good news is that the parties have showed great will for the release of the prisoners and the hostages, he added. All sides have expressed optimism for a deal to end the two-year war that has left tens of thousands of Palestinians dead and most of Gaza destroyed. But key parts of the peace plan still haven't been agreed, including a requirement that Hamas disarm, the timing and extent of an Israeli

Turkey's gas shift threatens Russia, Iran's last major European market

Russia remains Turkey's largest gas supplier, but its share of the market has fallen from more than 60 per cent two decades ago to 37 per cent in the first half of 2025

Istanbul shaken by 5.0-magnitude earthquake, no major damage reported

There were no immediate reports of serious damage in the city of 16 million people, the Istanbul Governor's office said on X, adding that its field teams had begun inspections

Trump to host Erdogan as Turkey closes in on 250 Boeing jet order

President Donald Trump announced Friday in a social media post that he'll host Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Washington on Sept 25

Turkiye wary of Israeli threat after airstrike on Hamas officials in Qatar

An Israeli strike on a meeting of Hamas officials in Qatar has cast a cloud of growing concern across Turkiye that it could be the next target. Turkish Defence Ministry spokesman Rear Adm. Zeki Akturk warned in Ankara on Thursday that Israel would further expand its reckless attacks, as it did in Qatar, and drag the entire region, including its own country, into disaster. Israel and Turkiye were once strong regional partners, but ties between the countries ran into difficulties from the late 2000s and have reached an all-time low over the war in Gaza sparked by the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack in southern Israel. Tensions also have risen as the two countries have competed for influence in neighbouring Syria since the fall of Bashar Assad's government last year. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a long-standing supporter of the Palestinian cause and of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The Turkish president has criticised Israel, and particularly Prime Minist

DGCA clears IndiGo, SpiceJet to lease aircraft from Turkish carriers

India has approved aircraft leasing deals between domestic airlines and Turkish carriers, including IndiGo and SpiceJet, after a policy shift following tensions

Turkiye foreign minister says country's airspace closed to Israeli flights

Turkiye has closed its airspace to Israeli planes in protest at the war in Gaza, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Friday. We have completely cut off our trade with Israel. We do not allow Turkish ships to go to Israeli ports. We do not allow their planes to enter our airspace, he told a special parliamentary debate on Gaza in Ankara. Turkiye severed direct trade ties with Israel in May last year, demanding a permanent ceasefire and the immediate entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In 2023, the two countries carried out USD 7 billion in trade. Turkish media reported last week that a ban on maritime traffic linked to Israel had been imposed, although there was no official statement. According to reports, Israeli vessels were banned from docking in Turkiye, and Turkish-flagged ships were not allowed to enter Israeli ports. Ankara has been a harsh critic of Israeli attacks on Gaza, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan repeatedly referring to Israel's actions as genocide and likening Pri

SOCAR Turkey CFO Teymur Abasguliyev to head Nayara Energy as CEO

Russian oil giant Rosneft-backed Nayara Energy has appointed Teymur Abasguliyev as the new CEO of the company, replacing a European national who had to resign following EU sanctions on the company. The appointment of Abasguliyev, an Azerbaijan national who currently as the chief financial officer at SOCAR Turkiye Enerji A.S, was confirmed by the Nayara board at its meeting on Tuesday, two sources aware of the matter said. Nayara spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email sent for comments. Educated at Azerbaijan's Baku State University, Abasguliyev previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1996 to 2013. He has been the CFO of Group Companies at SOCAR Trkiye Enerji A.S. since 2013. Nayara Chief Executive Alessandro Des Dorides had to quit shortly after the European Union imposed sanctions on the refiner as part of a new raft of measures against Russia over its war with Ukraine. Sergey Denisov, who was Nayara's Chief Development Officer, was named the interim CEO ..

India's rivals China, Turkey seek cheaper Urals, capping oil price rise

This comes as Trump-Putin meet remains inconclusive

6.1 quake kills 1, injures 29 in Turkiye's Balikesir; buildings collapse

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Turkey's northwestern province of Balikesir on Sunday, killing at least one person and causing more than a dozen buildings to collapse, officials said. At least 29 people were injured. The earthquake, with an epicentre in the town of Sindirgi, sent shocks that were felt some 200 kilometres to the north in Istanbul, a city of more than 16 million people. An elderly woman died shortly after being pulled out alive from the debris of a collapsed building in Sindirgi, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya told reporters. Four other people were rescued from the building. Yerlikaya said a total of 16 buildings collapsed in the region -- most of them derelict and unused. Two mosque minarets also tumbled down, he said. None of the injured were in serious condition, the minister said. Television footage showed rescue teams asking for silence so they can listen for signs of life beneath the rubble. Turkey's Disaster and Emergency Management Agency said the earthq

Trump to meet Armenia & Azerbaijan leaders to sign US-brokered peace deal

The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to sign a peace deal Friday at the White House that could potentially put an end to decades of conflict, President Donald Trump said. Trump said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev would also be signing agreements with the US to pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region. Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to TRUMP, Trump wrote on Thursday night on his Truth Social site. The prospective agreement could potentially put an end to decades of conflict and set the stage for a reopening of key transportation corridors across the South Caucasus that have been shut since the early 1990s. Three US officials, who were not authorised to speak publicly ahead of the announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agreements included a major breakthrough establishing a key transit corridor .

Explained: Türkiye unveils Gazap, its most powerful non-nuclear bomb yet

Türkiye also unveiled the NEB-2 Ghost, a next-gen bunker-buster bomb, alongside Gazap at the 2025 International Defence Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul

Wildfires threaten Turkiye's fourth-largest city as locals evacuated

Wildfires that have engulfed Turkiye for weeks threatened the country's fourth-largest city early Sunday, causing hundreds of people to flee their homes. Overnight fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa in northwest Turkiye spread rapidly, bringing a red glow to the night sky over the city's eastern suburbs. Bursa governor's office said in a statement Sunday that 1,765 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast as more than 1,100 firefighters battled the flames. The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned. Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, described the scene as an apocalypse. By morning, lessening winds brought some respite to firefighters, who continued efforts to bring down the flames. However, TV footage revealed an ashen landscape where farms and pine forests had earlier stood. Turkiye has been hit by dozens of wildfires daily since late June. Forestry Minister Ibrahim

Erdogan says support for two-state deal on ethnically split Cyprus absolute

Turkish Cypriots on Sunday celebrated Turkiye's military invasion of Cyprus that cleaved the island nation along ethnic lines 51 years ago. Turkiye's president reaffirmed his full backing for a controversial peace deal that envisions the establishment of two separate states. It's a proposal that the majority Greek Cypriots in the island's internationally recognised southern part reject out of hand. It would formalise Cyprus' partition and give Turkiye a permanent foothold they see as a bid for control of the entire, strategically situated country and its offshore hydrocarbon wealth. Our support for (Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar's) vision for a two-state solution is absolute, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in remarks to a crowd during celebrations that culminated with a military parade. It was scheduled this year for the evening to avoid the worst of the scorching mid-summer's heat. It is time for the international community to come to terms with the facts on the

Delhi HC reserves order on Celebi's plea over revoked security clearance

The Delhi high court on Friday reserved its order on a plea filed by another Turkish-based Celebi company, namely Celebi Ground Handling India Private Limited, against Centre's decision to revoke its security clearance. A different bench of the high court on July 7 dismissed the pleas by Turkish-based firms -- Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd and Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Pvt Ltd -- challenging the revocation of their security clearance by aviation watchdog Bureau of Civil Aviation Safety (BCAS) on May 15, saying there are "compelling national security considerations" involved. Justice Tejas Karia on Friday reserved the order after company's lawyer submitted that the petition was filed on July 4 after a coordinate bench reserved its judgement in a similar case involving the associated companies. The counsel said on Friday that the July 7 verdict directly applied to the present case as well, and urged the judge to pass a similar order. BCAS revoked the securi