- 4h ago
Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Strait of Hormuz transit talks with Iran
US President Donald Trump warned that American forces would bomb Oman if it interferes with US operations in the Strait of Hormuz, as Muscat and Tehran finalized a transit route agreement.
- yesterday
Turkey declares two marine parks near Greek islands; Athens calls them illegal under international law
Turkey published two presidential decrees on 16 August declaring national marine parks in the NE Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean, drawing an immediate rebuke from Athens, which called the parks illegal and said they cannot create faits accomplis.
- yesterday
Kushner meets Egypt's al-Sisi at El Alamein to push Trump's 15-point Gaza roadmap
Jared Kushner met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at El Alamein on 16 August 2026 to push the 15-point Trump roadmap for Gaza, as a Hamas delegation separately held talks with Egyptian intelligence and Netanyahu's rejection of the plan remained the chief obstacle.
- 2d ago
Erdogan tells Al Jazeera Egypt may join Mecca defence pact, EU accession no longer a priority, Trump promised F-35s
In an Al Jazeera interview airing Sunday, Turkish President Erdogan said Egypt could join the Turkey-Saudi Arabia-Pakistan Mecca defence pact, declared EU accession no longer a priority, and repeated that Donald Trump promised him F-35 jets.
- 4d ago
Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia detail mechanisms of Mecca defence pact
Turkey's defence ministry outlined coordination mechanisms for the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement signed August 7 with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, as a Houthi drone strike on a Saudi refinery two days later tested the pact's mutual-defence clause.
- Aug 10
Turkey's parliament passes conditional PKK pardon law, leaving Öcalan in prison
Turkey's parliament approved a framework law on Monday evening offering conditional sentence suspensions to thousands of PKK members, a step toward ending a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 people since 1984.
- Aug 8
Houthi attacks kill dozens in Yemen as UN warns of worst escalation since 2022 truce
Houthi rebels killed at least 58 soldiers in missile and drone strikes on government camps in Marib and Hadramaut, the deadliest attacks since Yemen's 2022 truce. The UN warned the country faces the greatest risk of full-scale war since that ceasefire.
- Aug 8
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign Mecca defense pact with NATO-style mutual defense clause
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed a trilateral defense agreement in Mecca on Friday, August 7, 2026, stipulating that an armed attack against any one of the three states will be considered an attack against all, a formulation echoing NATO's Article 5.
- Aug 7
Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign Mecca defense pact with NATO-style collective defense clause
Three Sunni Muslim-majority states signed a collective defense agreement in Mecca on August 7, with an attack on any member considered an attack on all, amid the ongoing war between Iran and the US-Israeli coalition.
- Aug 4
Berlin's Hotel Adlon up for sale at €280 million minimum as 4,000 investors vote on exit
The Jagdfeld Group is seeking to sell the landmark Hotel Adlon on Pariser Platz in Berlin, with a minimum price of €280 million. More than 4,000 investors in the Fundus-Fonds 31 are voting through August on the proposed liquidation.
- Jul 29
Turkey insists on sovereign equality for Turkish Cypriots as Guterres brokers new 5+1 meeting on Cyprus
After a trilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Cypriot leaders, Ankara says no common ground exists for a settlement and only recognition of Turkish Cypriot 'sovereign equality' can yield a solution.
- Jul 22
DW correspondent Alican Uludağ arrested again in Turkey over social media post criticising the judiciary
Alican Uludağ, a Deutsche Welle court reporter in Ankara, was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon and brought to the prosecutor's office, his lawyer confirmed.
- Jul 21
Deposed Turkish opposition leader Özgür Özel announces new party, could become largest opposition force
The deposed leader of Turkey's main opposition CHP, Özgür Özel, announced the creation of a new social democratic party on Tuesday, with around 80 of 135 CHP lawmakers expected to defect, instantly making it the largest opposition force in parliament.
- Jul 14
Turkey marks decade since failed 2016 coup as Erdogan demands extraditions and launches fresh wave of arrests
A new 'major cleansing campaign' saw 968 people detained across all 81 Turkish provinces this week, while President Erdogan called on NATO allies to extradite alleged plotters.
- Jul 13
EU appoints Raffaele Fitto as Special Representative for Cyprus to support UN reunification talks
The European Commission appointed Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto as its special representative for Cyprus on Monday, tasking him with supporting UN-led reunification efforts alongside envoy María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar.
- Jul 12
Threats then 'love': Trump's capricious NATO summit in Ankara yields $160bn in new pledges
The US president berated alliance partners over Iran and defence spending, then spoke of 'love' and praised Zelenskyy just hours later, as NATO allies announced $160bn in fresh defence, energy and Ukraine commitments.
- Jul 12
Greece's Gerapetritis calls Turkish casus belli 'huge burden', says Athens not a spectator after NATO summit
Greek Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis, in an ERT interview on 12 July, called Turkey's casus belli a 'huge burden' and incompatible with its international security role, while defending Greece's arms programs and dialogue with Ankara after the NATO summit.
- Jul 10
Turkey seeks to sell Russian S-400s to Gulf state, opening door for F-35 return and sanctions relief
A potential transfer of Turkey's Russian S-400 air defence systems to a Gulf country could unlock Ankara's path back to the F-35 programme and the lifting of CAATSA penalties, officials and media reports suggest.
- Jul 9
Trump threatens Spain trade halt, renews Greenland claim at NATO summit before praising 'great time'
The US president arrived in Ankara furious over Iran war support, threatened to cut trade with Spain and revive a bid for Greenland, then declared the summit 'extraordinarily successful'.
- Jul 9
Trump confuses Iran with 'Islamic Republic of Japan', calls Zelensky 'Putin' at NATO summit
During a press conference at the NATO summit in Ankara, Donald Trump referred to Iran as the 'Islamic Republic of Japan' and addressed Volodymyr Zelensky as 'President Putin', among other verbal missteps.
