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Erdogan Says EU Should Get Rid of Its 'Strategic Blindness'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)
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Erdogan Says EU Should Get Rid of Its 'Strategic Blindness'

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - (Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday called for the EU to rid itself of its “strategic blindness” and not be used as a tool of Greece and Cyprus.

He also said that it was not possible for Turkey, which had the longest coastline in the region, to watch developments from the sidelines.

Erdogan continued by saying that Turkey will not accept plans and maps that aim to confine the country to the coasts off Antalya.

He also said that Turkey is in favor of peace, cooperation and justice in the Eastern Mediterranean rather than tensions.

“We believe we can solve the problems of the eastern Mediterranean by not excluding each other but by bringing all the actors together around the same table,” he stressed.

Erdogan's remarks come days ahead of an European Union summit that could impose sanctions on Turkey.

EU leaders are meeting Thursday in Brussels and will address Turkish missions to explore gas reserves in waters claimed by EU members Greece and Cyprus.

At a summit in October, European leaders warned Turkey to withdraw its energy research ships or face punitive measures.

Late last month, the Turkish seismic survey vessel Oruc Reis returned to port, as it had done before October’s EU meeting. However, another research ship, the Barbaros Hayreddin Pasa, remains off Cyprus’ southwest coast.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendiaso last week described Turkish efforts to de-escalate the crisis as “unconvincing” and demanded action to rein in Ankara, The Associated Press reported.

Tensions between NATO allies Turkey and Greece escalated over the summer with a military build-up after Turkey sent the Oruc Reis, escorted by navy frigates, into disputed waters.

The move prompted Greece to also send its warships, and both countries conducted military exercises to assert their claims.

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World

2nd Group of Australian Women linked to ISIS Return from Syria

Australian Federal Police officers patrol Sydney International Airport, in Sydney, Australia, 26 May 2026. EPA/DEAN LEWINS
Australian Federal Police officers patrol Sydney International Airport, in Sydney, Australia, 26 May 2026. EPA/DEAN LEWINS
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2nd Group of Australian Women linked to ISIS Return from Syria

Australian Federal Police officers patrol Sydney International Airport, in Sydney, Australia, 26 May 2026. EPA/DEAN LEWINS
Australian Federal Police officers patrol Sydney International Airport, in Sydney, Australia, 26 May 2026. EPA/DEAN LEWINS

A cohort of Australian women and children linked to ISIS has returned home from a Syrian refugee camp, the second such group to arrive back in Australia this month.

Local media reported two women and seven children landed in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon via Doha. Another flight carrying four women and six children arrived in Sydney in the evening.

According to Reuters, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government was not assisting their travel and that any who had committed crimes "can expect to face the full force of ⁠the law.”

"These are ⁠people who have made the horrific choice to join a dangerous terrorist organization and to place their children in an unspeakable situation," Burke said in a statement.

The latest arrivals come after four women and nine children returned to Australia earlier this month after more than seven years in a Syrian camp.

Two of the women were arrested at Melbourne Airport and charged with slavery offences, while one in Sydney ⁠was charged with terror-related offences, including allegedly joining ISIS.

New South Wales state police told media waiting at Sydney airport for the latest returnees that none would be arrested. It was unclear whether arrests would be made in Melbourne.

News of the women's return has drawn criticism from political opponents, who say the center-left government failed to stop their travel to Australia. The government has said there were "very serious limits" on preventing citizens from re-entering the country.

One woman from western Sydney was issued a temporary exclusion order by the government, preventing her from returning, public service broadcaster the Australian Broadcasting Corp reported. Her child was not covered by the order, but ⁠decided to stay, ⁠the report added.

Law enforcement and intelligence agencies have prepared for such returns for more than a decade and have plans to monitor those arriving, the government said.

"Any breaches of the law will mean that these people will face the full force of the law to the extent available upon the advice of the security agencies," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during parliamentary question time.

World

Khamenei: US Will No Longer Have a Safe Haven in the Region

Iranians walk past a picture of Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran, Iran, 18 May 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians walk past a picture of Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran, Iran, 18 May 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
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Khamenei: US Will No Longer Have a Safe Haven in the Region

Iranians walk past a picture of Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran, Iran, 18 May 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH
Iranians walk past a picture of Iranian supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei in a street in Tehran, Iran, 18 May 2026. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said on his Telegram channel on Tuesday that the US will no longer have a safe haven in the region.

Khamenei has not appeared in public since he took office in March.

In a message marking Eid al-Adha, he said the United States was losing influence in the region, "moving further and further away from its former status with each passing day.”

His comments came as Iran has sent its parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf to Qatar for negotiations over a possible deal with the US to end the war.

World

North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile, Other Weapons Over the Sea

People watch the news on a television screen at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 26 May 2026. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
People watch the news on a television screen at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 26 May 2026. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
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North Korea Launches Ballistic Missile, Other Weapons Over the Sea

People watch the news on a television screen at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 26 May 2026. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN
People watch the news on a television screen at a station in Seoul, South Korea, 26 May 2026. EPA/JEON HEON-KYUN

North Korea launched a close-range ballistic missile and other weapons toward the sea on Tuesday, South Korea's military said, the latest in a series of weapons demonstrations by North Korea this year.

The missile fired from Jongju, a city near the North's west coast, flew about 80 kilometers (50 miles), South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. North Korea launched other kinds of projectiles, it said, but didn't elaborate.

South Korea's military, under a solid alliance with the US, maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. South Korea’s military has bolstered a surveillance posture, it said.

It was North Korea's first weapons launch event since April 19, when the country fired multiple short-range missiles in what state-media described as a demonstration of cluster bomb warheads, The Associated Press reported.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has focused on expanding his nuclear and missile arsenals since his nuclear diplomacy with US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to resume talks with Kim, but Pyongyang has so far ignored the overtures and urged Washington to drop demands for the North’s nuclear disarmament as a precondition for talks.

Kim has taken an increasingly hard-line stance toward South Korea, calling it his country’s permanent and most hostile enemy and taking steps to terminate all ties with its neighbor.

During a Cabinet meeting earlier Tuesday, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called for stronger efforts to advance the country’s military. He emphasized artificial intelligence and drone capabilities, and the potential acquisition of a nuclear-powered submarine, an issue that has been part of his diplomacy with Washington.

Lee, a liberal who espouses improved ties with North Korea, didn't specifically comment on the threats posed by the North. But he stressed the importance of South Korea demonstrating the “resolve to take responsibility for and protect our own security ourselves,” saying such a posture would also strengthen the country’s alliance with the United States.