World Cup 2026: Eight more matches played in European qualifiers
Eight more matches took place today in the European qualifiers for World Cup 2026....
Türkiye's foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, stated on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels that Ankara seeks to prevent any direct confrontation with Israel in Syria.
"We don't want to see any confrontation with Israel in Syria because Syria belongs to Syrians," Fidan said, warning that repeated Israeli strikes on military facilities in Syria are undermining the new government's ability to deter threats from enemies, including the Islamic State.
Fidan noted that Israel’s actions are fueling regional instability by targeting Syria, where President Ahmed al-Sharaa's transitional government, an ally of Türkiye, is trying to consolidate control after years of conflict. Türkiye, which shares a 911 km border with Syria, has emerged as a major power broker in the country, having long supported the rebel groups that now form the core of Syria's new Islamist administration. Israel, for its part, has accused Türkiyeof attempting to turn Syria into a Turkish protectorate.
When asked if Türkiye's plans for a joint defence pact with Syria were provoking intensified Israeli strikes on Syrian military bases, Fidan explained that Ankara is working with regional partners to build a joint platform with Syria. This platform aims to block the re-emergence of the Islamic State and combat shared threats, including those posed by the banned Kurdish Workers Party (PKK). He cautioned that undermining these efforts could plunge the region back into chaos.
Fidan also remarked on the broader regional dynamics. While Türkiye has vocally criticised Israel over its actions in Gaza—accusing it of committing genocide against Palestinians and even applying to join a World Court case against Israel—he emphasized that Türkiye's primary concern in Syria is preventing militant groups like ISIS and the PKK from exploiting the transitional period marked by reduced military capabilities.
Discussing Türkiye's regional role further, Fidan added that if Syria’s new administration decides to establish certain understandings with Israel, that is ultimately their own business. Ankara, however, remains committed to supporting Syria’s reconstruction—from rebuilding infrastructure to restoring state institutions—and has called for the full lifting of Western sanctions on Syria.
Fidan also touched on Türkiye's relations with the United States. After holding talks with U.S. officials in Washington last week, he said that the Trump administration was reviewing its policy and sanctions on Syria, noting, "Now we have a new Syria. I think that new Syria requires a different approach." He expressed optimism that Trump's "problem-solving techniques" could eventually resolve lingering disputes, including those related to U.S. sanctions on Türkiye's defence industry, even as any potential peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow remains difficult to accept.
Meanwhile, Türkiye continues to play a balancing act in its relations with both Kyiv and Moscow, maintaining its role as the second-largest army in NATO and as an important guarantor of security in the region. Fidan reiterated Türkiye's offer to host peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, following initial discussions hosted in 2022.
On the issue of U.S. threats against Iran, Fidan stressed the need for diplomacy, saying, "We need to bring the Americans and the Iranians together to have frank and sincere discussions. This should be the only way forward."
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
Authorities in California have identified the dismembered body discovered in a Tesla registered to singer D4vd as 15-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who had been missing from Lake Elsinore since April 2024.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Türkiye’s Chief of General Staff, General of the Army Selçuk Bayraktaroğlu, hosted Azerbaijan’s Chief of General Staff, Colonel-General Karim Valiyev, at the “High-Level Observer Day” of the “Fire Freedom-2025” exercise in Ankara.
Uzbekistan and Russia are preparing to sign a contract for the construction of Uzbekistan’s first large-scale nuclear power plant by March 2026.
Almaty in Kazakhstan is making confident strides in digital transformation by building a comprehensive "smart city" infrastructure powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
Less than two weeks after signing of agreements between Iran and Russia on nuclear energy production, Tehran and Moscow have begun discussions to implement said agreements for construction of nuclear power reactors
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