Syria and Israel have agreed to a cease-fire backed by Türkiye, Jordan and neighboring nations, U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack mentioned Friday.
“Israeli Prime Minister @Netanyahu and Syrian President @SyPresidency supported by the U.S.A. @SecRubio have agreed to a ceasefire embraced by Türkiye, Jordan and its neighbors,” Barrack mentioned on X.
On Wednesday, Israel launched airstrikes in Damascus, whereas additionally hitting authorities forces within the south, demanding they withdraw and claiming that Israel aimed to guard Syrian Druze.
“We call upon Druze, Bedouins, and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity,” Barrack mentioned in a put up on X.
Veteran Lebanese Druze chief Walid Jumblatt on Thursday criticized Israel for fueling unrest in southern Syria by manipulating members of the Druze group below the pretext of safety, warning that the transfer poses a risk to regional safety.
The United States didn’t again Israel’s latest airstrikes in Syria, the State Department mentioned Thursday, stressing that Washington expressed its displeasure and moved swiftly to assist de-escalate tensions.
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A 13-year-old Palestinian baby was shot and killed Friday by Israeli forces within the occupied West Bank city of Ya’bad in southern Jenin, in accordance with sources.
The Palestinian news company, Wafa, recognized the victims as Amro Ali Khaled Qabha and mentioned he was shot by Israeli troopers as he was standing on a avenue in his hometown.
Wafa and witnesses reported that Israeli troops prevented ambulances from reaching the kid. The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that paramedics have been blocked by the military from offering medical help.
The boy’s father was additionally reportedly crushed and detained by Israel as he tried to succeed in his son.
Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal conflict on Gaza, practically 1,000 Palestinians have been killed and greater than 7,000 injured within the occupied West Bank by Israel and unlawful settlers, in accordance with the Palestinian Health Ministry.
In a landmark opinion final July, the International Court of Justice declared Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory unlawful and referred to as for the evacuation of all settlements within the West Bank and East Jerusalem
The Syrian presidency on Friday urged calm as violence escalated within the southern Suwayda area, asserting plans to deploy specialised models to assist restore stability and order.
The presidency stated in an announcement that it adopted with deep concern and profound sorrow the violent occasions which have occurred and proceed to unfold in southern Syria.
“These events resulted from the expansion of illegal armed groups that have used weapons as a means to impose their will, directly endangering the lives of civilians, including children, women, and the elderly,” it added.
In mild of those developments, the assertion harassed that the nation “calls on all parties to exercise self-restraint and prioritize reason.”
The competent authorities are working to ship a specialised power to finish the battle, alongside political and safety measures aimed toward stabilizing the state of affairs and making certain a return to calm within the governorate as quickly as doable, in accordance with the assertion.
Clashes are nonetheless ongoing within the western and northern elements of the province between Bedouin tribal forces and native armed Druze teams.
The preventing started on Sunday as restricted skirmishes between each side, prompting Syrian regime forces to intervene. Dozens of troopers had been later killed in retaliatory assaults by armed Druze factions.
After the escalation between regime forces and Druze teams, a cease-fire was brokered however shortly collapsed.
Israel, below the pretext of defending Druze communities, intensified its assaults throughout Syria, launching airstrikes on 4 provinces, together with strikes on the General Staff headquarters and presidential palace in Damascus on Wednesday.
The authorities forces had withdrawn from Suwayda province following a cease-fire settlement introduced Wednesday that halted a lot of the violence that plagued the realm earlier within the week, however which in the end didn’t cease the preventing.
Officials had been negotiating with Druze factions on an settlement to re-enter the realm to impose stability and shield state establishments, in accordance with two Syrian officers who spoke Friday on situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to talk publicly. They stated an settlement was reached, however later stated the deployment was delayed, with out giving a proof.
Tens of hundreds of individuals remained displaced by the violence and the United Nations has been unable to usher in much-needed humanitarian and medical assist due to ongoing clashes.
Israel launched dozens of airstrikes on convoys of presidency fighters and even struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters in central Damascus. The Druze type a considerable neighborhood in Israel, the place they’re seen as a loyal minority and infrequently serve within the Israeli army.
A truce mediated by the U.S., Türkiye and Arab nations was introduced Wednesday. Under the accord, Druze factions and clerics had been to take care of the inner safety in Sweida as authorities forces pulled out, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa stated Thursday.
By late Thursday, clashes had been flaring once more between the Druze and Bedouin teams in elements of Sweida province. State media reported Druze militias carried out revenge assaults towards Bedouin communities, resulting in a brand new wave of displacement.
The governor of neighboring Daraa province stated in an announcement that greater than 1,000 households had been displaced to the realm from Suwayda because of “attacks on Bedouin tribes by outlaw groups.”
The volunteer group Syrian Civil Defense stated Friday that the top of its middle in Suwayda metropolis had been kidnapped by gunmen two days earlier whereas on his technique to evacuate a U.N. workforce.
The official, Hamza al-Amarin, was driving a van with the insignia of the group, often known as the White Helmets, when he was stopped by militants, the assertion stated. An individual who answered his telephone on Thursday stated he was protected, it added, however they’ve been unable to succeed in him.
The United Nations’ migration company stated Friday that almost 80,000 individuals had been displaced altogether since clashes began on Sunday.
It additionally famous that important companies, together with water and electrical energy, have collapsed in Sweida, telecommunications techniques are broadly disrupted, and well being amenities in Sweida and Daraa are below extreme pressure.
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Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, mentioned on Friday that Palestinian factions are prepared to have interaction in a “long war of attrition” in opposition to Israel.
In a recorded speech, his first since March 6, Abu Obaida, Al-Qassam spokesperson, mentioned: “Our fighters have tried in recent weeks to carry out several kidnapping operations targeting Zionist soldiers, some of which almost succeeded… due to the enemy’s use of mass killing tactics against soldiers suspected of being kidnapped.”
The Israeli military makes use of the “Hannibal protocol” to forestall Palestinian factions from capturing its troopers in Gaza.
The Hannibal protocol permits the usage of heavy weapons when an Israeli soldier is captured to forestall the captors from leaving the scene, even when this poses a hazard to the captive.
He continued: “Over these months, hundreds of enemy soldiers have been killed and wounded, alongside thousands suffering psychological illnesses and trauma, at a time when the number of soldiers committing suicide is increasing due to the horror of the bloody acts they commit and the severity of the resistance they face.”
Abu Obaida affirmed that Al-Qassam fighters “surprise the enemy with new and diverse tactics and methods, after learning lessons from the longest confrontation in our people’s history.”
“After 21 months since Al-Aqsa Flood Operation and the Zionist-Nazi war on our people, we confirm that our fighters and their brothers in resistance factions are fully ready to continue a long war of attrition against the occupation, regardless of the forms of its aggression.”
He identified that Israel “would not have committed this genocide in your hearing and sight unless it had secured impunity, ensured silence, and bought betrayal. We do not exempt anyone from responsibility for this bleeding blood, nor do we exclude anyone who has the ability to act, each according to their capacity and influence.”
– Gaza ceasefire negotiations
Regarding Gaza ceasefire negotiations, he mentioned: “We strongly support the position of the Palestinian resistance negotiation delegation in the indirect talks with the enemy.”
He mentioned: “The Netanyahu criminal government is not concerned with the (Israeli) prisoners because they are soldiers, and their file is not a priority.”
Abu Obaida prolonged greetings to the Houthi group in Yemen for its help of Gaza and for an “effective front” in opposition to Israel, affirming that this “has dealt a decisive blow to the idlers and submissive among the Arab and Islamic regimes, forces, and parties, some of which have unfortunately become facades for oppression and tranquilizers for the peoples and their free youth.”
Rejecting worldwide requires a ceasefire, the Israeli military has pursued a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, killing almost 59,000 Palestinians thus far, most of them ladies and kids.
Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for battle crimes and crimes in opposition to humanity in Gaza. Israel additionally faces a genocide case on the International Court of Justice for its battle on the enclave.
Around 50 Palestinians have been killed and scores wounded over two days as Israeli warplanes and drones pounded densely populated shelters, properties and faculties throughout the Gaza Strip, escalating what worldwide our bodies have known as a humanitarian disaster.
The newest barrage struck at daybreak Friday, killing 19 civilians, most of them in Khan Younis and Jabalia.
Among the useless have been youngsters, girls and full households taking refuge in displacement tents.
One airstrike on the al-Nazla space in Jabalia killed 5 folks, together with a toddler, with no warning, residents stated.
In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, a number of strikes all through the day left 14 useless.
Israeli jets focused tents housing displaced households in al-Mawasi, killing a minimum of 5, together with three girls and a toddler and injuring over 20.
A separate drone strike hit the Hanawi School, killing a lady and her son, and wounding 9.
Another lethal strike flattened a house within the western Khan Younis camp space, killing two extra civilians.
At the identical time, Israeli forces ramped up demolitions of properties within the metropolis’s east whereas shelling its northern and southern outskirts.
The Thursday loss of life toll alone stood at 30, in keeping with medical officers.
That morning, Israeli forces shelled Jabalia, killing three, then launched a wave of strikes throughout central and northern Gaza.
In Gaza City, three folks – together with the parish priest of the Holy Family Catholic Church – have been killed when warplanes bombed the church compound in Zeitoun, which was sheltering lots of.
Elsewhere in Zeitoun, 4 civilians have been killed in an condo strike.
In central Gaza’s Bureij refugee camp, 5 Palestinians – together with girls and youngsters – have been killed in drone strikes on displacement tents.
Further north, Israeli assaults killed 4 civilians close to the al-Saftawi roundabout and one other man within the al-Daraj neighborhood close to the Al-Sahaba Medical Complex.
Artillery rounds additionally struck tents close to the Sheikh Radwan reservoir, injuring a number of, whereas a toddler was killed close to Itta Station in al-Mawasi.
At Al-Hannawi School in Khan Younis, one civilian died in one other air and artillery assault on what had served as a shelter.
Since Israel started its army marketing campaign following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, incursion on southern Israel, practically 59,000 Palestinians, largely girls and youngsters, have been killed, in keeping with Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Thursday and Friday’s tolls solely added to the rising depend in a struggle that has devastated Gaza’s civilian infrastructure, triggered famine circumstances, and created an epidemic of illness.
International outrage is mounting.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged struggle crimes.
Meanwhile, Israel can be defending itself on the International Court of Justice (ICF) in opposition to genocide prices.
Yet, regardless of mounting requires a cease-fire, Israeli strikes proceed to degree neighborhoods, destroy shelters and declare the lives of those that had nowhere left to run.
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Republican lawmakers are touting their newly handed tax and spending invoice as a victory for working Americans, however a brand new survey finds most Americans view it as a profit primarily for the rich.
About two-thirds of U.S. adults count on the brand new tax regulation will assist the wealthy, based on the ballot from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Most – about 6 in 10 – suppose it’ll do extra to harm than assist low-income individuals. About half say it’ll do extra hurt than good for middle-class individuals and folks like them.
Republicans have already begun airing commercials framing the laws as a tax lower for all Americans, highlighting new deductions on suggestions and additional time earnings. But Democrats have been making the case that the wealthiest Americans will profit from the laws, citing cuts to Medicaid and meals help packages.
The new ballot signifies that Republicans nonetheless have persuading to do. The excessive price ticket might also be turning off some Americans. Trump’s approval ranking on authorities spending has fallen because the spring, based on the brand new survey, and about 6 in 10 U.S. adults throughout the political spectrum suppose the federal government is spending “an excessive amount of.”
Most individuals have heard at the very least one thing concerning the new regulation, based on the ballot, which discovered that about two-thirds of U.S. adults have heard or learn “a lot” or “some” about it.
Those who know one thing concerning the laws usually tend to imagine it favors the rich, in contrast with individuals who have heard “only a little” or “nothing in any respect.”
Anaiah Barrow, a 25-year-old single mother from North Carolina who would not determine with a political celebration, stated she’s involved that the brand new regulation will harm caregivers like her. Barrow — who’s juggling a job, taking good care of two younger kids and pursuing a level — is anxious about shedding entry to day care and meals stamps.
“It has a really big effect,” Barrow said of the recently passed legislation, which she has learned about on TikTok. “It might not be as huge now, however in the long term it’s going to have that impact — it’s going to hit dangerous.”
Even many Republicans agree that the rich are more likely to profit from the tax and spending regulation. About half say the regulation will do extra to assist the rich. The same share say this about middle-class individuals, whereas about 4 in 10 Republicans suppose it’ll do extra to assist than harm low-income individuals.
Lori Nichols, a 51-year-old caregiver for her aged mom in Illinois, stated the laws has “little or no for the older individuals and folks which might be on incapacity.” Although Nichols is a Republican, she stated she did not vote within the 2024 presidential election and voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
“As far because the tax half goes, it appears to me like (Trump’s) simply making the wealthy richer,” Nichols stated.
Despite the general sense that rich individuals would be the major beneficiaries, Democrats and independents are a lot likelier than Republicans to suppose the regulation might hurt them personally.
Nathan Hay, a shift service supervisor at a global dealership that repairs vehicles, stated he thinks lower-income individuals would possibly see a “slight increase” in taxes but still supports the bill. “Personally, it’s not serving to me a ton,” Hay stated, however he believes it’ll assist small companies, which have been a staple in his personal life and his household’s.
About half of Republicans count on the laws to do extra to assist “individuals such as you,” in contrast with about 2 in 10 independents and simply 6% of Democrats.
“I’m not a tax accountant, however it appears it could be extra helpful to (individuals) within the larger tax degree,” stated Republican Geraldine Putnam, 87, a Trump voter who lives within the rural south.
“It’s not that I might wish to take away the inducement to turn out to be extra rich – that’s the American dream,” Putnam stated.
But she additionally thinks she’ll find yourself paying extra in taxes. “What he’s doing I’m sure he thinks is correct,” she stated of Trump. “It’s simply the acute methodology that he’s utilizing.”
The regulation’s hefty price ticket could also be factoring into some Americans’ assessments of the regulation. The ballot discovered they’re much less more likely to approve of how Trump is dealing with authorities spending because the spring.
Just 38% of Americans approve of how Donald Trump is dealing with authorities spending, in contrast with 46% in an AP-NORC ballot performed in March.
Republicans are much less more likely to say the federal government is spending “an excessive amount of” than they have been in March 2023, when Joe Biden was president, however about 6 in 10 nonetheless suppose the federal government is overspending. The same share of Democrats say the identical factor.
Putnam, now a retiree, took situation with Trump’s cuts in federal staff, despite the fact that she says she approves of with the ability to “trim off individuals who aren’t actually doing their jobs.”
The approach she sees it, Trump drew consideration to individuals abusing social companies, then “fires the people in the office” that are investigating that very fraud and abuse. “What’s the sense in that?” she requested.
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The African Union on Friday welcomed the peace settlement signed within the Central African Republic and the formal dissolution of two armed teams, calling it a step towards stability within the conflict-ridden nation.
The growth follows an settlement signed on April 19 in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena. Last week, the Union for Peace within the Central African Republic (UPC) and Return, Reclamation and Rehabilitation (3R) confirmed that they might disband and lay down their arms.
In a press release, AU Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf welcomed the signing of the peace settlement and known as on all remaining armed teams within the Central African Republic to put down their arms.
The Central African Republic descended into violence in 2013 after the largely Muslim Seleka insurgent alliance overthrew President Francois Bozize. In response, Christian militias referred to as Anti-Balaka mobilized, resulting in a protracted civil battle.
The United Nations deployed its peacekeeping mission, MINUSCA, in 2014 to stabilize the nation.
Despite persistent unrest, Faustin Archange Touadera gained presidential elections in 2015 and once more in 2020, whilst armed teams continued to regulate components of the nation.
In early 2019, the federal government and 14 armed teams signed the Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation (APPR-RCA) in Khartoum. However, the settlement failed to carry, with most main insurgent teams resuming hostilities in 2021.
The spokesperson of Hamas’ armed wing mentioned Friday the Palestinian resistance group stays open to a brief truce in Gaza however warned that failure to succeed in an settlement might push it to demand a complete deal to finish the battle, which has already claimed tens of 1000’s of Palestinian lives.
In a televised assertion, Abu Ubaida mentioned Hamas has repeatedly supplied to launch all hostages in trade for a everlasting cease-fire, however Israel continues to reject the proposal.
More than 10 days of cease-fire talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have didn’t yield progress on a U.S.-sponsored plan for a 60-day pause in Israel’s army onslaught, which has left a lot of the Palestinian enclave in ruins.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s workplace, in a readout of his name with Pope Francis on Friday, claimed that efforts for a hostage deal haven’t been “reciprocated by Hamas.” Israeli officers supplied no additional remark forward of the Jewish Sabbath.
The potential deal reportedly consists of the phased launch of 10 Israeli hostages and the return of the our bodies of 18 extra over a 60-day interval, in trade for the discharge of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
“If the enemy remains obstinate and evades this round as it has done every time before, we cannot guarantee a return to partial deals or the proposal of the 10 captives,” Abu Ubaida mentioned.
According to Hamas officers talking to Reuters, key sticking factors stay unresolved, together with Israeli troop withdrawals, humanitarian help entry, and ensures that any ceasefire would result in a full finish to the battle.
While Hamas insists on a everlasting cease-fire as a part of any deal, Netanyahu maintains that the battle will solely finish when Hamas is disarmed and its management expelled from Gaza.
Israel’s genocidal assaults killed greater than 58,600 Palestinians, lots of them girls and youngsters, in keeping with Gaza well being officers, drawing worldwide condemnation for what rights teams describe as a genocide.
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President Donald Trump‘s administration stated Friday the United States was rejecting adjustments agreed final yr for the World Health Organization on its pandemic response, saying they violated US sovereignty.
Trump on returning to workplace on January 20 instantly started the withdrawal of the United States from the UN physique, however the State Department stated the language final yr would nonetheless have been binding on the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, who’s a longtime critic of vaccines, stated that the adjustments “risk unwarranted interference with our national sovereign right to make health policy.”
“We will put Americans first in all our actions and we will not tolerate international policies that infringe on Americans’ speech, privacy or personal liberties,” they stated in a joint assertion.
Rubio and Kennedy disassociated the United States from a collection of amendments to the International Health Regulations, which offer a authorized framework for combatting illnesses, agreed final yr on the World Health Assembly in Geneva.
The amendments included a said “commitment to solidarity and equity” during which a brand new group would research the wants of growing nations in future emergencies.
The amendments took place after the Assembly failed at a extra bold aim of sealing a brand new international settlement on pandemics.
The potential treaty had drawn fierce criticism from principally conservative voices within the United States, Britain and different nations suspicious of worldwide efforts on illness and of vaccines.
The United States, then beneath president Joe Biden, took half in negotiations however stated it didn’t attain consensus because it demanded protections for US mental property rights on vaccine growth.
But Rubio’s predecessor Antony Blinken welcomed the amendments as progress when he convened a gathering on international well being in September with counterparts principally from different developed nations but additionally India.
In their rejection of the amendments, Rubio and Kennedy additionally stated that the adjustments “fail to adequately address the WHO’s susceptibility to the political influence and censorship — most notably from China — during outbreaks.”
One of probably the most transformative impacts of synthetic intelligence in Türkiye is predicted to be seen in public service supply.
Enhancing platforms resembling e-Government (“e-Devlet”) and e-Pulse (“e-Nabız”) with AI capabilities might generate annual financial savings of as much as $5 billion, significantly in well being care, taxation and regulatory oversight.
That is in line with the 2025 Workshop Report by the Türkiye Artificial Intelligence Initiative (TRAI), which presents compelling insights into the present state and future potential of Türkiye’s AI ecosystem.
Now in its eighth 12 months, the workshop highlights Türkiye’s place within the international AI race and the alternatives that lie forward. Integrating AI into e-Government, e-Pulse and digital tax companies might yield annual financial savings of between $4 billion and $5 billion, not simply as a technological improve, however as a significant leap in public useful resource effectivity.
E-Government is Türkiye’s official on-line portal that gives residents and residents with safe entry to hundreds of presidency companies. E-Pulse, then again, is a digital well being platform developed by the Ministry of Health and permits customers to handle and monitor their private well being information.
In 2024, companies delivered by way of the e-Government Gateway reached report ranges, with 11.5 billion transactions, up from 10.1 billion in 2023. This surge underscores the advantages of rising effectivity.
Efficiency, financial influence
AI has the potential to contribute 1%-2% yearly to Türkiye’s gross home product (GDP), making it not a luxurious however a necessity for the nationwide financial system. These good points, pushed by sensible investments, are poised to develop into key components in boosting the nation’s international competitiveness.
Türkiye’s AI ecosystem now contains 411 lively startups, reworking what was as soon as seen as potential right into a tangible actuality. The estimated whole valuation of those ventures ranges between $2 billion and $4 billion, reflecting the sector’s fast development.
One of the report’s most putting findings is that AI might contribute roughly 1% yearly to the nationwide financial system, translating into billions of {dollars}, significantly by way of financial savings within the public sector.
Opportunities, challenges
To totally notice this potential, the report identifies three crucial areas for reform: revising public procurement techniques, clarifying data-sharing fashions and establishing regulatory frameworks. Without these structural modifications, the ecosystem’s development could also be restricted.
Another key perception from the report is the emergence of “Agentic AI,” autonomous techniques able to making and executing selections with out human intervention. These software program architectures are anticipated to usher in a brand new period in business operations.
Türkiye is presently within the “early discovery” section of this know-how, which presents each alternatives and challenges. Becoming a frontrunner on this discipline over the subsequent three years would require swift and strategic planning.
Culture of co-creation
TRAI General Manager Can Sinemli emphasised the foundational mindset wanted for ecosystem development: “Adopting a culture of co-creation.”
This strategy requires alignment amongst all stakeholders, from startups and public establishments to academia and buyers. The improvement of human capital and a rise in sensible, implementation-focused tasks are recognized as probably the most crucial parts. Strengthening coordination and execution capability is crucial to turning potential into actuality.
APY Ventures invested $4M in 8 startups in H1
Investment funds in Türkiye’s startup ecosystem proceed to play a significant function in serving to new ventures develop and broaden globally.
Highlighting the native influence on portfolio development 12 months over 12 months, Mustafa Keçeli, managing accomplice at APY Ventures, emphasised that the rise in investments since 2023 displays not solely monetary returns but additionally job creation and strategic sector improvement.
“As of today, APY Ventures contributes to the entrepreneurship ecosystem through eight funds. We manage both Albaraka’s proprietary funds and those of our partners. To date, we’ve invested in 67 startups. In the first half of 2025 alone, we invested $4 million across eight companies,” stated Keçeli.
Goal of 37 new investments
Since its founding in 2019, APY Ventures has maintained a gentle funding tempo, and its 2025 targets are significantly noteworthy.
With plans to make 37 investments totaling $20 million this 12 months, the fund is pursuing an aggressive but sustainable development technique in rising markets.
Mustafa Keçeli, managing accomplice at APY Ventures. (Courtesy of APY Ventures)
Through its Next-Generation Technology Venture Capital Investment Fund (VCIF), APY Ventures goals to lift TL 1 billion over the subsequent three years, aligning with international enterprise capital traits.
The fund’s funding vary of $250,000 to $2 million is well-suited to startups within the pre-seed, seed and Series A levels, providing optimum financing aligned with worldwide requirements.
Sector pioneer
APY Ventures stands out in projections that estimate Türkiye’s enterprise capital market will attain $484.9 million in measurement by the top of 2025. With 186 enterprise capital funds lively within the nation, APY Ventures’ administration of eight distinct funds totaling TL 2.3 billion in property reinforces its management place within the sector.
The agency’s funding technique spans monetary know-how, or fintech, enterprise software program, cybersecurity, inexperienced power and sustainability, agtech, healthtech, gaming and cell purposes, intently mirroring international traits.
Expectations of falling rates of interest in 2025 are more likely to cut back financing prices for enterprise capital funds, and APY Ventures’ tech-focused strategy is well-positioned to capitalize on this benefit.
Global success of portfolio firms
Circle Games secured a $7.25 million funding with participation from prestigious funds like Speedrun, led by BITKRAFT Ventures.
Milvus Robotics accomplished a $4.5 million funding spherical, backed by operational expertise in over 15 international locations.
Fimple reached a $12 million Series A funding by way of its operations based mostly in Istanbul and London.
Fiber spine initiative in TRNC marks strategic ‘geotechnological’ transfer
The digital age is outlined not solely by know-how but additionally by sovereignty and regional energy projection. Infrastructure is now not nearly a rustic’s inside connectivity; it has develop into a strategic asset in worldwide relations.
That is why the current announcement of Türk Telekom’s initiative to construct a complete fiber-optic spine throughout the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is greater than a technical funding; it represents a daring geotechnological maneuver.
Where borders had been as soon as drawn with maps, at present they’re formed by fiber cables. Those who construct the digital spine management the movement and course of information.
This funding by considered one of Türkiye’s main telecoms and know-how firms might be seen as a key element of the nation’s effort to remodel its geopolitical power right into a geotechnological technique.
By weaving the TRNC’s digital infrastructure with high-speed fiber, Türkiye will not be solely enhancing native connectivity but additionally asserting its affect within the Eastern Mediterranean.
Data, power, water
In at present’s geopolitical panorama, alliances and rivalries are more and more outlined by management over information, power and water routes.
Türk Telekom’s transfer has the potential to form not solely the TRNC’s digital future but additionally the broader destiny of the Eastern Mediterranean. The challenge will improve the TRNC’s fiber-optic infrastructure, delivering high-speed web to people and establishments alike.
Türk Telekom CEO Ümit Önal described the initiative as a type of “technology export,” underscoring the corporate’s imaginative and prescient to increase Türkiye’s digital power throughout the area.
Türk Telekom CEO Ümit Önal. (IHA Photo)
From a historic perspective, digital sovereignty includes not solely entry to know-how but additionally the capability to develop and management it. Ownership of infrastructure means management over information movement and its safety. The firm’s assertion – “Our infrastructure is Türkiye’s infrastructure” – highlights the strategic intent behind the challenge.
Treating mounted web infrastructure as a public service and framing the concession course of as a matter of “national responsibility” displays Türk Telekom’s twin function as each a industrial entity and a public mission service.
Path to digital independence
Similar patterns might be noticed globally. China’s digital infrastructure investments in Africa, led by firms like Huawei and ZTE, are a part of its “Digital Silk Road” technique, mixing financial and strategic goals.
The same instance is Starlink investments in Latin America. Elon Musk’s satellite tv for pc web community gives connectivity to rural areas missing infrastructure, whereas additionally serving as a software for increasing American affect within the area.
This fiber growth is very crucial in getting ready for next-generation applied sciences like 5G. With 54% of 5G base stations already related through fiber, Türkiye is successfully reaching its 2030 targets forward of schedule.
For the TRNC, this challenge means extra than simply sooner web; it lays the inspiration for digital public companies, e-government platforms, on-line training and well being care techniques.
Moreover, it might catalyze the emergence of recent sectors resembling native entrepreneurship, digital tourism and fintech. As the TRNC turns into a part of Türkiye’s digital hinterland, it good points the potential to boost its regional competitiveness.
Turkish software program testing agency Virgosol secures $3.5M funding
Virgosol, a Türkiye-based software program testing firm, has secured a $3.5 million funding from Revo Capital, marking a big milestone in its journey to develop into a world participant within the quickly increasing software program testing market.
In 2023, the worldwide software program testing market reached a valuation of $51.8 billion, with projections anticipating a 7% annual development charge between 2024 and 2032. More particularly, the worldwide automation testing phase hit $33.13 billion in 2024 and is predicted to soar to $213.25 billion by 2037, rising at an annual charge of 15.4%.
These figures underscore the immense potential of the market Virgosol has entered.
The widespread adoption of DevOps and Agile methodologies has considerably elevated demand for automation testing options. The integration of synthetic intelligence into testing processes is accelerating execution and bettering accuracy, now a key driver of market development.
Members of Virgosol and Revo Capital. (Courtesy of Virgosol)
Virgosol’s $3.5 million funding positions the corporate as a rising pressure on this house. For a Türkiye-based startup, this funding represents a considerable capital injection and a strategic alternative to scale.
Aggressive international development aim
Virgosol co-CEO Miraç Emektar emphasised the corporate’s mission to broaden Türkiye’s presence within the international software program market, highlighting its significance for nationwide tech exports.
Revo Capital CEO Cenk Bayrakdar famous the worldwide potential of Virgosol’s AI-powered product RabbitQA, stating: “Solutions like RabbitQA are not only transformative for local markets but also have the potential to lead sectoral change globally.”
Virgosol’s development technique contains doubling its worldwide presence inside two years, getting ready for a Series B funding spherical by 2027 and setting new requirements in international software program high quality.
With its AI-focused RabbitQA platform, Virgosol goals to compete with business giants like IBM and Accenture. While the aim is formidable, the sector’s projected annual development charge of 15-17% means that with the appropriate technique and execution, success could possibly be nicely inside attain.
