The opening of the Mor Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Church marks an important cultural and political moment for both Turkey and its powerful leader, who laid the first stone for the church's construction for Istanbul's 17,000-strong Assyrian Christians in 2019. The new Istanbul church can accommodate 750 worshippers.

Appearing before a large crowd of supporters, Erdogan proclaimed himself to be ready to lead the nation for another five years. The results nearly complete from Turkey's most important election showed him falling just short of the 50-percent threshold needed to win. He claimed to have won a clear majority...

The 69-year-old president has bounced back strongly from what was described as a digestive problem in the run-up to one of Turkey's most important elections of its post-Ottoman history. The illness shook Erdogan's strongman image, which he has cultivated over two decades of economic booms and busts, social transformation and...

Analysts view the opposition's failure to put aside their differences just two months before the vote as one of the main factors working in Erdogan's favour. Erdogan's public approval plunged after he unleashed an unusual economic experiment in late 2021 that tried to fight inflation by drastically cutting interest rates.

Thanks to a gift of books from passing Ottoman soldiers in the late 19th century, a hamlet in the Balkans continues to revel in its reputation of being a "village of enlightenment."

Lebanon's transport minister has said that Spain will finance a plan to revive the railway network that has been out of service since the start of the 1975-1990 civil war. A deal for a "comprehensive master plan for the 407 kilometer-long (252 miles) railway" is expected next month, Public Works...