live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
In the first half of 2025, Türkiye's startup fintech, gaming, and AI startups raised a combined $211 million, a clear sign of growing investor confidence.
New data from startups.watch, reveals 91 funding rounds across the three sectors this year. Fintech attracted the most, with $97.1 million, largely led by Sipay and Fimple. Gaming startups followed with $72.4 million, and AI ventures captured $12.6 million, reinforcing their role as emerging investment pillars in Türkiye.
Barış Özistek, CEO of Boğaziçi Ventures, praised the gaming sector’s global standing but noted that for Türkiye to keep pace with international trends, AI must step into the spotlight soon.
Ali Karabey of 212 Ventures, highlighted smart investor interest in fintech and AI transactions, while gaming led in overall value. He sees future growth shifting toward energy and climate-focused solutions—trends driven by global urgency.
To set this in context, Türkiye’s startup investment landscape is on a remarkable path. In 2024, total investment surged to approximately $2.6 billion, a 423% increase from the prior year.
Meanwhile, Q1 of 2025 had been sluggish, with just $58 million across 49 rounds—highlighting that while the ecosystem is down from last year’s peak, resilience is returning.
As this initiative moves into the second half of 2025, investor attention will increasingly shift to AI—and potentially, sustainability-driven startups.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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