Author: Daily Sabah With Agencies

An all-out push to capture the key Syrian province of Aleppo and more towns by anti-regime forces and efforts by the Syrian opposition to thwart the capture of towns by the terrorist group PKK/YPG revived the frozen conflict in the war-torn country. Since last week, forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) claimed several territorial gains in their lightning offensive that primarily targeted Aleppo. Aleppo apparently fell into their control on Sunday with forces loyal to the Assad regime retreating. Elsewhere, the Syrian National Army (SNA) of the opposition, managed to capture Tal Rifaat where the PKK/YPG sought to establish…

Environment, Urban Planning and Climate Change Minister Murat Kurum will unveil Türkiye’s national strategy and action plan to combat desertification in the upcoming COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia this week will host the COP16 U.N. conference on land degradation and desertification next week as the top oil exporter pitches itself as an environmental defender despite criticism of its role at climate talks. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) meeting a “moonshot moment” to protect and restore land and respond to drought. Activists accused Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, of…

Aleppo largely fell under the control of the anti-regime forces on Saturday as they captured the province’s airport and dozens of nearby towns. The lightning offensive to overrun Syria’s second-largest city may mark a turning point in Syria’s civil war that has been languishing for a long time. The offensive began last Wednesday and apparently caught the Assad regime forces off guard while Assad’s key ally Russia rushed to help with airstrikes in Aleppo. The fighting has killed at least 327 people, most of them combatants but also including 44 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. “Hayat…

Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş parted ways with their Dutch head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Saturday as the Istanbul giants grapple with poor results and internal turmoil. The sacking comes after the Black Eagles lost to Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-1 in the league UEFA Europa League on Thursday and a below-par run in the league. The 49-year-old had signed a two-year contract with the Black Eagles, along with a one-year option to extend back in June. He previously led Feyenoord to the Dutch top-tier league Eredivisie title in 2015-16 season. Van Bronckhorst then took the helm at the…

Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş parted ways with their Dutch head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Saturday as the Istanbul giants grapple with poor results and internal turmoil. The sacking comes after the Black Eagles lost to Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-1 in the league UEFA Europa League on Thursday and a below-par run in the league. The 49-year-old had signed a two-year contract with the Black Eagles, along with a one-year option to extend back in June. He previously led Feyenoord to the Dutch top-tier league Eredivisie title in 2015-16 season. Van Bronckhorst then took the helm at the…

Turkish Süper Lig club Beşiktaş parted ways with their Dutch head coach Giovanni van Bronckhorst on Saturday as the Istanbul giants grapple with poor results and internal turmoil. The sacking comes after the Black Eagles lost to Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-1 in the league UEFA Europa League on Thursday and a below-par run in the league. The 49-year-old had signed a two-year contract with the Black Eagles, along with a one-year option to extend back in June. He previously led Feyenoord to the Dutch top-tier league Eredivisie title in 2015-16 season. Van Bronckhorst then took the helm at the…

Türkiye, currently ranked 28th in the latest FIFA standings, will be placed in Pot 2 for the draw on Dec. 13 in Zurich. The draw will set the stage for 12 groups, each battling for a prized spot in the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the U.S., Mexico and Canada set to co-host the tournament, the road to qualification is intensifying as European nations brace for the challenge ahead. Pots breakdown FIFA’s announcement confirmed the composition of the pots for European qualifiers: Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria Pot 2: Ukraine,…

Türkiye, currently ranked 28th in the latest FIFA standings, will be placed in Pot 2 for the draw on Dec. 13 in Zurich. The draw will set the stage for 12 groups, each battling for a prized spot in the expanded 2026 FIFA World Cup. With the U.S., Mexico and Canada set to co-host the tournament, the road to qualification is intensifying as European nations brace for the challenge ahead. Pots breakdown FIFA’s announcement confirmed the composition of the pots for European qualifiers: Pot 1: France, Spain, England, Portugal, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Croatia, Switzerland, Denmark, Austria Pot 2: Ukraine,…

Authorities reported Thursday that three people have died from bootleg alcohol poisoning in Istanbul, as authorities launched operations across Istanbul, Aydın and Izmir to combat illegal alcohol distribution. Nine others were treated in hospitals in Istanbul’s Şişli, Beyoğlu and Ümraniye districts after being diagnosed with poisoning from counterfeit alcohol. The victims’ conditions worsened despite ongoing medical care. The Istanbul Police Department’s Anti-Smuggling Bureau and local police units in Beyoğlu and Şişli dismantled a bootleg alcohol distribution network through their ongoing operations. In Şişli’s Bozkurt neighborhood, authorities raided a business suspected of selling counterfeit alcohol, leading to the arrest of two…

Authorities reported Thursday that three people have died from bootleg alcohol poisoning in Istanbul, as authorities launched operations across Istanbul, Aydın and Izmir to combat illegal alcohol distribution. Nine others were treated in hospitals in Istanbul’s Şişli, Beyoğlu and Ümraniye districts after being diagnosed with poisoning from counterfeit alcohol. The victims’ conditions worsened despite ongoing medical care. The Istanbul Police Department’s Anti-Smuggling Bureau and local police units in Beyoğlu and Şişli dismantled a bootleg alcohol distribution network through their ongoing operations. In Şişli’s Bozkurt neighborhood, authorities raided a business suspected of selling counterfeit alcohol, leading to the arrest of two…