New York, United States - Metatime, a blockchain technology company, has so far raised $25 million through crowdfunding, pre-sales, and angel investments, with investors from Turkey, Denmark, and Germany. The investors included Yildiz Tekno Venture Capital Investment Trust, Yildiz Technical University Technopark, and telecommunications and financial institutions, who participated in...

The Turkish leader pushed the central bank to start slashing interest rates two years ago as part of a "new economic model" that focuses on job creation and economic growth. The policy badly backfired and nearly cost the veteran Turkish leader last month's general election. The annual inflation rate reached...

Ankara, Turkey - Turkish government has announced a 34 percent increase in the monthly minimum wage, effective from July 1.  The decision was reached by the minimum wage assessment commission, following negotiations between workers and employers, according to Labour Minister Vedat Isikhan. The new minimum wage will amount to a...

QAMISHLI, SYRIA- A Turkish drone strike killed three employees of northeast Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration on Tuesday, a spokesman said, amid a recent uptick in attacks targeting Kurdish-held areas. The strike targeted "a vehicle transporting civilian employees, killing two Kurdish women and a Christian" man, said Farhad Shami, spokesman for the...

Dubai, UAE - Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META) region ranks among the top three regions most prone to mobile financial scams, a recent report by cybersecurity firm Kaspersky has revealed.  The study indicates that 14 percent of installations of potentially unwanted mobile financial apps on Android phones were made...

The decision comes after the Supreme Court in May cleared his repatriation to Turkey, where he is expected to serve out a drug trafficking sentence.

Tehran, Iran-- Bilateral trade between Iran and Turkey is expected to vault to US$15 billion by 2025 on the back of deeper cooperation with the private sector. According to a senior official in Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) trade with Turkey will easily reach $15 billion in early March 2025...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- With the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the UAE exporters are expected to benefit more as they will gain more access to major sectors in Turkey like construction, metals, and their products, polymers, and other manufactured products. According to Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri,...

Abu Dhabi, UAE-- The UAE and Turkey economic ties have witnessed a great leap in the last decade with non-oil intra-trade between the two countries crossing $103 billion, divided into $56 billion in imports, about $35 billion in exports, and more than $13 billion in re-exports, according to Federal Competitiveness...

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan  arrived here on Saturday for a working visit and met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The two leaders reviewed the growing bilateral ties between the UAE and Turkey and explored opportunities for further collaboration. The meeting between Sheikh...

Hafize Gaye Erkan -- whose appointment was published in the official gazette on Friday -- has taken over the post from Sahap Kavcioglu. Under Kavcioglu's watch, the bank's policy rate was decreased to 8.5 percent. It had been at 19 percent in 2021.

Seriously ill Syrians in the country's last rebel bastion of Idlib used to be able to access life-saving care across the border. But the main crossing there for medical visits slammed shut after a deadly earthquake ravaged southern Turkey on February 6, prompting Ankara to prioritise its domestic needs.

Erdogan was sworn in on Saturday after winning a historic election runoff on May 28 and named a new cabinet appointing market-friendly politician Mehmet Simsek as finance minister.

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - The chairman of Turkish Airlines said Monday that the company will make a final decision on plans for a record-breaking order of 600 aircraft in two months. The airline is in talks with US aircraft maker Boeing and its European rival Airbus to purchase 400 single-aisle planes along...

ISTANBUL, TURKEY -  Airlines will fly 4.35 billion passengers this year, close to the 2019 record as the industry bounces back from the Covid pandemic, an industry group said on Monday. The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, or...

Tehran, Iran-- Iran has called for expansion of ties between Tehran and Ankara after the victory of the incumbent president of Turkey in the recently held elections in the country. The sentiment was expressed by Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Foreign Minister...

Consumer prices rose by 39.6 percent on an annual basis and were almost stable, at 0.04 percent, compared to the previous month, according to the country's statistics agency. However, these official figures -- the first since President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected on May 28 -- are challenged by independent...

Istanbul, Turkey - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday called on Ankara to drop its opposition to Sweden's bid to join the defense alliance, saying Stockholm has addressed Turkey's security concerns. "Sweden has taken significant concrete steps to meet Turkey's concerns," Stoltenberg told reporters after meeting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "Sweden...

Doha, Qatar-- Qatar Chamber and Turkish officials from the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) and the Manisa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) have discussed ways to boost investment cooperation in a meeting in Doha. QC first vice-chairman Mohamed bin Twar Al Kuwari met at the chamber's premises...

Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been sworn in for a third term as president, promising to serve "impartially" after winning a runoff election. "As president, I swear upon my honor and integrity, before the great Turkish nation ... to work with all my power to protect the existence and independence...

DUBAI, UAE -  The UAE is poised to play a pivotal role in global trade with its exports projected to reach around US$544 billion (AED2 trillion) by 2030, showcasing a robust annual growth rate of 5.5 percent. according to a Standard Chartered research study. The report, titled 'Future of Trade:...

Strong backing for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan among Turks in Germany in last weekend's historic election has sparked renewed soul-searching about whether Berlin's attempts to integrate the minority are failing. There were scenes of jubilation in some German cities after Erdogan extended his two-decade rule in Sunday's runoff vote, with...

Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have yet to ratify Sweden's membership bid. Erdogan, who was re-elected Sunday for another five-year term as Turkey's president, has accused Sweden of being a haven for "terrorists", especially members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealed for national unity Monday after winning a historic runoff election that extended two decades of his transformative rule until 2028. The 69-year-old overcame Turkey's worst economic crisis in a generation and the most powerful opposition alliance to ever face his Islamic-rooted party on his way to...

ABU DHABI, UAE - Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei headed the UAE delegation to the Development Road Conference in Iraq. The one-day conference brought together transport ministers and officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iran, Turkey, Syria and Jordan and representatives of the European Union...

In a world where Turkey and Russia are both sceptical of Western military, political and economic dominance, Putin and Erdogan see each other as reliable partners. "Russia must have breathed a sigh of relief," said a Western diplomat, referring to the outcome of the first round on May 14.

Known to his inner circle as "beyefendi" (sir) and to admirers as "reis" (the chief), Erdogan prides himself on being able to woo doubters through tireless campaigning. This passion has helped him and his party win more than a dozen local and national elections, allowing Erdogan to claim a people's...

Air strikes and artillery exchanges shook the Sudanese capital and armed men ransacked the Qatari embassy as the country's warring generals kept up their struggle. Khartoum residents said that heavy fighting raged despite repeated global calls for a truce. The area around the state television building in Omdurman was also...

The GCC is the third largest source of foreign investment in Turkey, with 1,973 Gulf companies currently operating in the country.

The EBRD forecasts Turkish GDP will expand 2.5 percent this year, cutting prior guidance of 3.0 percent and citing the impact of "unorthodox" loose monetary policy alongside one of the world's highest inflation rates. The death toll of Turkey's worst disaster of modern times stands at more than 50,000 and...

ARBIL, IRAQ- Officials in Iraqi Kurdistan say Baghdad is still waiting to reach a "final agreement" with Ankara to resume oil exports to Turkey, where the results of tightly-contested presidential elections hang in the balance. After defying Baghdad and independently exporting crude through Turkey for nearly a decade, Iraq's autonomous...

Major stock markets advanced after President Joe Biden said he was "optimistic" about finding an agreement on averting a first-ever US default. Stock markets in Europe and Asia kicked the week off with gains amid growing hopes the Democrats and Republicans will reach a deal to avert a US government...

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...

Following international pressure, Damascus agreed to let the UN use the Bab al-Salama and Al-Rai crossings, operated by Turkish-backed rebels, to bring in food and medical supplies for three months. The permission had been set to expire May 13, so Syria's decision was welcome news for those affected as well...

The president has never faced a more united opposition than the one led by retired civil servant Kemal Kilicdaroglu and his disparate alliance of six parties. But Erdogan has excelled at splitting his rivals and forging unlikely unions while winning one national election after another for 21 years.

Widespread public anger at the state's slow response to the tragedy leads many believe that Hatay's electors will vote differently.

The Kurdish regional government had for years earned billions of dollars in revenues exporting crude oil to Turkey without the Iraqi federal government's approval. But the exports were suspended in late March when international arbitrators ruled in favor of the Iraqi federal government's right to control oil exports going through...

The Black Sea Grain Initiative, in place since July after diplomacy by the United Nations and Turkey, allows Ukraine grain exports via port, helping ease shortages and resulting price spikes triggered by Russia's invasion of the breadbasket nation. More than 30 million tonnes of grain and agricultural products have been...

On Thursday the Kurdish authorities said in a statement that "the Kurdistan regional government and the federal authorities have reached a (final) deal on the resumption of oil exports". Hours later, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel Ghani said crude exports would resume from Saturday.

Iraqi Kurds are watching with anxiety the tightest electoral battle yet for Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the outcome of which could have major security and economic implications for their region. But no matter what the outcome of the vote, Iraq's Kurdish region will seek to continue with its strategic partnership with...

The sides will "exchange views on the normalization of relations between Turkey and Syria, discuss humanitarian issues... and the voluntary, safe and dignified return of asylum seekers," the Turkish foreign ministry said.

According to Statista's Global Consumer Survey, countries in Africa, Asia, and South America have higher crypto adoption rates than Western countries. Indonesia with 29 percent, and Brazil with 28 percent are other top crypto users. The rate of crypto adoption in the United States is 16 percent.

TEHRAN, IRAN- Iran executed Swedish-Iranian dissident Habib Chaab for "terrorism" on Saturday, according to the judiciary. "The death sentence for Habib Chaab... nicknamed Habib Asyud, the head of Harakat al-Nidal terrorist group... was executed today, Saturday morning," the judiciary's Mizan Online website reported. Chaab had been held in Iran since October...

Athens in 2020 erected a 37.5-kilometre (23-mile) steel barrier in this remote northeastern area after tens of thousands of migrants tried to break through, clashing for days with Greek security forces. With the country headed into a tight general election later this month, the conservative government has vowed to extend...

Ankara stopped importing oil from Iraqi Kurdistan in March after the International Chamber of Commerce ruled the federal government in Baghdad was the only entity authorized to manage exports.

The oil field discovery is set to yield a daily production of up to 100,000 barrels that will help Turkey boost energy exports and its goal to achieve energy self-sufficiency. The news comes in the wake of another oil discovery made in December, considered to be one of the ten...

"The suspected leader of Daesh, codename Abu Hussein al-Qurashi, has been neutralised in an operation carried out yesterday (Saturday) by the MIT in Syria," Erdogan announced on television, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State organisation. Residents said that an operation had targeted an abandoned farm that was being...

Tehran, Iran - Iran and Turkey have traded $1.379 billion worth of goods in the first quarter of 2023, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute.  This represents a 14 percent decrease year-on-year, with Turkish exports at $702 million, up 2 percent, and Iranian exports at $677 million,...

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...

The 69-year-old leader looked fighting fit as he strutted back on stage after a three-day illness and tossed flowers to rapturous crowds at an Istanbul aviation fest on Saturday. It was the perfect venue for reminding Turks of all they had gained since his Islamic-rooted party ended years of secular...