DHAKA: In a recording studio in Dhaka, voiceover artist Rubaiya Matin Gity dubs the latest Turkish soap opera to become a megahit in Bangladesh -- a pop-culture trend that reflects growing ties between the two countries. &quot;Yasmeen! Yasmeen! I have fallen in love...&quot; the 32-year-old actor cried in Bangla, her eyes fixed on the screen playing new episodes of Turkish drama &quot;Kara Sevda&quot;, or &quot;Endless Love&quot;, which has captivated millions of viewers in the South Asian nation. Sign of changeThe success of Turkish shows, challenging the once-unrivalled popularity of Indian television dramas, is the sign of a change that extends far beyond Bangladeshi screens. It mirrors shifting alliances and expanding diplomatic, trade, and defense relations between the two Muslim-majority nations, 5,000 kilometers (3,000 miles) apart. More Turkish restaurants are opening in Bangladesh, and there is a general interest in learning the language, coupled with rekindled warmth between the two governments, set against increasingly fractious relations between Dhaka and New Delhi. An interim government has led Bangladesh since an uprising last year toppled the autocratic rule of Sheikh Hasina -- who fled to old ally India, where she has resisted extradition, turning relations between the two neighbors icy. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;New opportunities&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Ties between Ankara and Dhaka have not always been smooth, but they &quot;are growing stronger now,&quot; said Md Anwarul Azim, professor of international relations at the University of Dhaka. &quot;The relationship faltered twice,&quot; he said, first in 1971 when Bangladesh separated from Pakistan, and then in 2013, when Dhaka hanged men accused of war crimes during the independence struggle. Bilateral trade remains modest, but Azim noted that T&uuml;rkiye offers Bangladesh an alternative to its reliance on China as its main weapons supplier. Ankara&#39;s defense industry boss Haluk Gorgun visited Dhaka in July, and Bangladesh&#39;s army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman is expected in T&uuml;rkiye later this month to discuss the production of military equipment. &lsquo;Focused on further deepening&rsquo; tiesBangladesh has also shown interest in Turkish drones. Dhaka&#39;s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, said he was &quot;focused on further deepening&quot; ties with Ankara, after meeting a Turkish parliamentary delegation this month. &quot;Bangladesh stands ready to work hand in hand with Turkiye to unlock new opportunities for our people,&quot; Yunus said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Classes, clothes, and horses&nbsp;</h2>Alongside formal ties, cultural links are also deepening. Ezaz Uddin Ahmed, 47, head of programming at the channel that pioneered Turkish dramas in Bangladesh, said that Deepto TV has &quot;a dedicated team of translators, scriptwriters, voice artists and editors&quot; working to meet the growing demand. Its breakout hit came in 2017 with a historical epic that eclipsed Indian serials and &quot;surpassed all others&quot; in terms of popularity, Ahmed said. Riding on that success, Deepto TV and other Bangladeshi broadcasters snapped up more Turkish imports -- from Ottoman sagas to contemporary family dramas. Interest in Turkish language&nbsp;Interest in the Turkish language has followed suit, with several leading institutions now offering courses. &quot;I have 20 students in a single batch,&quot; said Sheikh Abdul Kader, a trainer and economics lecturer at Jagannath University. &quot;There is growing demand.&quot; For some, the love for all things Turkish doesn&#39;t end there. Business owner Tahiya Islam, 33, has launched a Turkish-themed clothing line, and inspired by Ottoman traditions, even took up horseback riding.&quot;During the Ottoman era, couples used to go out on horseback,&quot; she said. &quot;Now, my husband rides too -- and I even have my own horse.&quot;

Bangladesh

More Turkish restaurants are opening in Bangladesh, and there is a general interest in learning the language, coupled with rekindled warmth between the two governments, set against increasingly fractious relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.

TV soaps and diplomacy as Bangladesh and Türkiye grow closer

Mariam Ellahi

ISLAMABAD: The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban has not yet concluded, with deliberations on Pakistan&rsquo;s proposal still underway in Istanbul, intelligence sources told Pakistan TV Digital late Saturday.&nbsp;According to the sources, the discussions spanned approximately nine hours.&nbsp;The latest engagement follows the Doha round held last week, where both sides agreed to a ceasefire after days of cross-border clashes. The Istanbul discussions are aimed at moving toward a verifiable framework to prevent further escalation and ensure stability along the Pakistan&ndash;Afghanistan border.&nbsp;Three-point agenda under reviewSources said the talks in Istanbul focused on a three-point agenda: establishing a joint monitoring and oversight mechanism to curb cross-border militant movement; ensuring respect for national sovereignty under existing laws and international obligations; and addressing trade matters, refugee repatriation, and the separation of bilateral issues from internal political pressures.&nbsp;Possibility of longer-term understandingOfficials confirmed that both sides also discussed the prospect of a longer-term political understanding.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi had earlier described the Doha engagement as a &ldquo;positive marker.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;There has been no major full-scale terrorist attack emanating from Afghan soil in the last two to three days,&rdquo; he said on Friday. &ldquo;We would like the trend to continue in Istanbul and post-Istanbul.&rdquo;&nbsp;On the Afghan side, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid stated on X that Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib is leading Kabul&rsquo;s delegation, noting that &ldquo;the remaining issues will be discussed at this meeting.&rdquo;&nbsp;Islamabad&rsquo;s core objectiveAndrabi reiterated that Pakistan&rsquo;s central aim is to halt attacks originating from Afghan territory, adding that the ceasefire &ldquo;by and large still stands.&rdquo;&nbsp;Officials in Islamabad said the decision to re-engage in dialogue was made at Kabul&rsquo;s request and through mutual understanding to reduce tensions, emphasizing that sustained engagement is important for regional stability.&nbsp;Background to the talksThe latest engagement follows a surge in militant incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including attacks in Central Kurram and Dera Ismail Khan, in which at least 28 Pakistani security personnel, including senior officers, were martyred. In response to the deteriorating situation, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif announced that Islamabad would dispatch a delegation to Kabul, citing what he described as &ldquo;unbearable&rdquo; security conditions. Shortly afterward, explosions were reported in Kabul, which Taliban officials linked to Pakistan, a claim Islamabad did not immediately address. On October 11, heavy clashes then broke out at several points along the 2,604-kilometre border. The Afghan side&rsquo;s 201st Khalid bin Walid Army Corps said its actions came in response to Pakistan&rsquo;s earlier strikes, while Pakistan also engaged multiple Afghan positions and temporarily closed the Spin Boldak crossing. A 48-hour temporary truce was put in place on October 15 and was subsequently extended through the Doha talks held last week with the facilitation of Qatar and T&uuml;rkiye. According to Qatar, both sides agreed to maintain an immediate ceasefire and continue follow-up engagements to support its implementation.

Security

With discussions spanning nine hours, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban have yet to conclude talks in Istanbul, where deliberations on Pakistan’s proposal continue following last week’s Doha ceasefire

Istanbul talks ‘not concluded’ as deliberation on Pakistan proposal ongoing

ANKARA: Turkish officials on Wednesday called for release of three lawmakers detained after Israeli forces intercepted their boats heading for Gaza. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition said all nine of its boats were intercepted by the Israeli army as they attempted to approach Gaza to challenge a naval blockade. T&uuml;rkiye&#39;s foreign ministry slammed the interception as an &quot;act of piracy&quot;, describing it as &quot;an attack on civil activists, including Turkish citizens and members of parliament&quot;. &quot;This is a serious violation of international law. Our three MPs and all activists illegally detained must be released immediately and unconditionally,&quot; Sena Nur Celik Kanat, a lawmaker from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan&#39;s ruling AKP party, told AFP. Celik Kanat was among more than 80 members of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe who signed a letter calling for the activists&#39; release. The pro-Palestinian activist group Freedom Flotilla Coalition said the boats were carrying &quot;vital aid worth over $110,000 USD in medicines, respiratory equipment, and nutritional supplies that were destined for Gaza&#39;s starving hospitals&quot;. Israel has in recent months blocked several international aid flotillas from reaching Gaza, where the UN says famine has set in after two years of devastating conflict.

Middle East

Türkiye condemned Israel’s interception of aid flotillas bound for Gaza as “piracy” and demanded the release of three detained Turkish lawmakers and other activists carrying $110,000 worth of medical and nutritional supplies for Gaza’s hospitals

Türkiye urges Israel to release detained lawmakers

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CASTEL: Pope Leo XIV announced Tuesday that his first foreign trip as pontiff will take him to Turkiye and Lebanon next month, a journey he described as a &ldquo;historic opportunity&rdquo; to promote Christian unity and deliver a message of peace to the Middle East.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The visit, scheduled for Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, will include a stop in Iznik, Turkiye, to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea, Christianity&rsquo;s first ecumenical council recognized by both the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The trip&rsquo;s timing &mdash; on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in southern Israel &mdash; adds symbolic weight to Leo&rsquo;s message of reconciliation.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unity and continuity</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking to reporters as he departed the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo, Leo called the anniversary &ldquo;a moment of authentic unity in the faith&rdquo; with Orthodox Christians, noting it was not only a time to reflect on history but to look forward.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The visit will also fulfill the late Pope Francis&rsquo; wish to travel to Lebanon, which has the highest proportion of Christians in the Middle East and remains the only Arab country led by a Christian head of state.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;I go to Lebanon to bring a message of peace and hope to a people who have suffered greatly,&rdquo; Leo said, adding that he seeks to advance dialogue in a region marked by decades of conflict.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lebanon&rsquo;s fragile recovery</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lebanon is recovering from years of economic turmoil and the aftermath of a war between Israel and Hezbollah that ended last November under a ceasefire brokered by the United States and France. Although a reformist government has raised hopes of stability, Israel continues to occupy several strategic points on the Lebanese side of the border, while tensions persist over Hezbollah&rsquo;s disarmament.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lebanese Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Ra&iuml; welcomed the papal visit as &ldquo;a sign of unity for all Lebanese, Christians and Muslims alike.&rdquo; The last papal visit to Lebanon was by Benedict XVI in 2012.<h3 style="line-height: 2; margin-top: 14pt; margin-bottom: 4pt;"><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Calls for peace amid tensions</h3><span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Vatican&rsquo;s announcement came as Israel marked the Oct. 7 anniversary, during which its embassy to the Holy See criticized recent remarks by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican&rsquo;s top diplomat. Parolin had denounced both Hamas&rsquo; &ldquo;inhuman massacre&rdquo; and what he called Israel&rsquo;s &ldquo;disproportionate&rdquo; response in Gaza.<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leo declined to weigh in on the dispute but reiterated his long-standing call for dialogue and peace. Condemning terrorism, he cited the mounting Palestinian death toll as a &ldquo;tragic reflection of how much hatred exists in the world.&rdquo;<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&quot;We must reduce hatred, we must return to the ability to dialogue, to seek peaceful solutions,&rdquo; Leo said.

Europe

Pope Leo XIV announced Tuesday that his first foreign trip as pontiff will take him to Turkiye and Lebanon next month, a journey he described as a “historic opportunity” to promote Christian unity and deliver a message of peace to the Middle East.

Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkiye and Lebanon on first foreign trip

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Qatar&#39;s prime minister and Turkish delegates will join Hamas and Israeli negotiators in Egypt on Wednesday for a third day of talks aimed at ending the Gaza war, AFP reported. Indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are being held at the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh, based on a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump last month. &lsquo;There&rsquo;s a possibility&rsquo;: TrumpPresident Trump on Tuesday pledged US support for Gaza security guarantees and said he believes a deal is close to being completed for the remaining hostages, Reuters reported. Talking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump said, &quot;I think there&#39;s a possibility that we could have peace in the Middle East&quot; beyond just Gaza. He said he would discuss Gaza with visiting Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. &quot;We are very close to making a deal on the Middle East that will bring peace to the Middle East after all of these years,&quot; Trump said at the start of an Oval Office meeting with Carney. Asked what security guarantees the United States was willing to offer, Trump pledged help without providing specifics. &quot;We are going to do everything possible &mdash; we have a lot of power &mdash; and we&#39;re going to do everything possible to make sure everybody adheres to the deal,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Global pressureGlobal pressure to end the war has escalated, with much of Gaza flattened, a UN-declared famine unfolding and Israeli hostage families still longing for their loved ones&#39; return, AFP reported. A UN probe last month accused Israel of genocide. Hamas&#39;s top negotiator, Khalil El-Hayya, said the group wants &quot;guarantees from President Trump and the sponsor countries that the war will end once and for all&quot;. Trump&#39;s plan calls for a ceasefire, the release of all the hostages, Hamas&#39;s disarmament, and a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The plan received positive responses from both Israel and Hamas and prompted indirect talks in Egypt since Monday. A Palestinian source close to the Hamas negotiating team said Tuesday&#39;s session included Hamas discussing &quot;the initial maps presented by the Israeli side regarding the withdrawal of troops as well as the mechanism and timetable for the hostage-prisoner exchange&quot;.&nbsp;Steve Witkoff to join talksOn Wednesday, Trump&#39;s special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will join the talks, according to Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. &quot;The primary guarantee of success at this stage is US President Trump himself ... even if it comes to a point to require him imposing a vision,&quot; he said. Qatar stated that its prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, would attend. In contrast, Turkish state media reported that the country&#39;s Intelligence Chief, Ibrahim Kalin, would lead a delegation to Egypt. Israel&#39;s war on Gaza has killed at least 67,160 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in Gaza, figures the United Nations considers credible.

The two countries will join the talks in Cairo, based on a US-proposed plan calling for a ceasefire, hostage release, and Israeli withdrawal. President Trump says he believes a deal is close. 

Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt

ANKARA/ROME: Some 137 activists detained by Israel for taking part in a flotilla seeking to deliver aid to Gaza arrived in Turkey on Saturday after being deported, with two alleging that Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg was mistreated during her detention. Israel did not immediately comment on the new allegations, but its foreign ministry earlier described reports that detainees had been mistreated as &ldquo;complete lies.&rdquo; The activists who landed at Istanbul Airport included 36 Turkish nationals, as well as citizens from the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Algeria, Morocco, Italy, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Switzerland, Tunisia, and Jordan, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources. Thunberg &lsquo;treated terribly,&rsquo; activist allegesTwo of them, Hazwani Helmi, a Malaysian citizen, and Windfield Beaver, an American citizen, told Reuters at the airport that they had witnessed Thunberg being mistreated, saying she was shoved and forced to wear an Israeli flag. &ldquo;It was a disaster. They treated us like animals,&rdquo; said Helmi, 28, adding that detainees were not provided with clean food or water and that medication and belongings were confiscated. Beaver, 43, said Thunberg was &ldquo;treated terribly&rdquo; and &ldquo;used as propaganda,&rdquo; describing how she was pushed into a room as Israel&rsquo;s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir arrived. Israel has faced international condemnation after its military intercepted about 40 boats in a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 activists. Its foreign ministry wrote on X that all detained activists were &ldquo;safe and in good health,&rdquo; adding it was keen to complete the remaining deportations &ldquo;as quickly as possible.&rdquo; In a separate X post, it accused some flotilla members of &ldquo;deliberately obstructing&rdquo; the deportation process, without providing evidence. Reuters was unable to verify the allegation independently. Israel denies allegations of mistreatmentItaly&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said 26 Italians were on board the Turkish Airlines flight, with another 15 still held in Israel and set to be expelled over the next few days, along with activists from other nations. &ldquo;I have once again given instructions to the Italian Embassy in Tel Aviv to ensure that the remaining compatriots are treated with respect for their rights,&rdquo; Tajani wrote on X. A first group of Italians from the flotilla &mdash; four parliamentarians &mdash; arrived in Rome on Friday. &ldquo;Those who were acting legally were the people aboard those boats; those who acted illegally were those who prevented them from reaching Gaza,&rdquo; Arturo Scotto, one of the Italian lawmakers who took part in the mission, told a press conference in Rome. &ldquo;We were brutally stopped ... brutally taken hostage,&rdquo; said Benedetta Scuderi, another Italian parliamentarian. According to Adalah, an Israeli group offering legal assistance to flotilla members, some detainees were denied access to lawyers, water, medication, and toilets. They were also &ldquo;forced to kneel with their hands zip-tied for at least five hours after some participants chanted &lsquo;Free Palestine,&rsquo;&rdquo; Adalah said. Israel denied the allegations. &ldquo;All of Adalah&rsquo;s claims are complete lies. Of course, all detainees were given access to water, food, and restrooms; they were not denied access to legal counsel, and all their legal rights were fully upheld,&rdquo; a foreign ministry spokesperson told Reuters. The flotilla, which set sail in late August, marked the latest attempt by activists to challenge the Israeli naval blockade of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, where Israel has been waging a war since the Palestinian militant group Hamas&rsquo;s deadly attack on Israel in October 2023. Israeli officials repeatedly denounced the mission as a stunt and warned it against violating a &ldquo;lawful naval blockade.&rdquo;

Halil Rifat Canakci of Turkey, one of the activists who were sailing aboard vessels from the Global Sumud Flotilla which were seized by Israeli forces, reacts after arriving at Istanbul Airport on a special flight, in Istanbul, Turkey, October 4, 2025. RE

Some 137 activists detained by Israel arrive in Turkey after being deported, with two alleging that the Swedish campaigner was mistreated during her detention. Israel's foreign ministry describes reports that detainees had been mistreated as 'complete lies.'

Articles tagged with "Turkey"

TV soaps and diplomacy as Bangladesh and Türkiye grow closer

Istanbul talks ‘not concluded’ as deliberation on Pakistan proposal ongoing

Türkiye urges Israel to release detained lawmakers

Pope Leo XIV to visit Turkiye and Lebanon on first foreign trip

Qatar, Turkey to join third day of Gaza peace talks in Egypt

Freed activists allege Greta Thunberg mistreated in Israeli custody