NATO members have said they want Ukraine in the alliance when the time is right, as Turkey drops its opposition to Swedish accession on day one of two-day summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Turkey has long sought the purchase of 40 F-16s from the US, and fresh talks with Washington come after Ankara ended its opposition to Sweden's NATO membership.

Sweden is keen to join the alliance, but Erdogan has taken a dim view over Stockholm's attitude to pro-Kurdish groups, but PM Ulf Kristersson is hoping to change the Turkish president's mind.

Following the reelection of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, analysts are asking whether Turkey sticks to the unorthodox low interest rate policy he has supported. The crisis-ridden market may be heading for a turnaround.

Turkey has increased its base interest rates by a whopping 6.5%, the clearest indication yet that the unconventional economic policy dubbed "Erdonomics" might be history now in Recep Tayyip Erdogan's new government.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged Turkey to stop holding up Sweden's NATO entry bid, saying membership "will make Sweden safer but also make NATO and Turkey stronger."

The court has approved the move ahead of NATO membership talks with Ankara. Turkey has used its NATO vote to pressure Stockholm into delivering Kurds into its hands.

In his victory speech, the 69-year-old newly re-elected President Erdogan pledged to unite a country deeply divided. Claiming 52.1 per cent of the run-off vote, Erdogan emerged victorious yet again. His challenger, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, however, accused the President of deploying state machinery to his advantage, including the alleged denial of airtime on state television.

As treaty talks over plastic pollution begin in Paris, we find out why recycling schemes, rather than reducing use, may not be that green of an idea. We take a look at different reactions to Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election. Reactions to Juliette Triet’s Palme D'or speech also continue to roll in, with the French media having widely different takes. Finally, we find out about a bear with a sneaky sweet tooth.

On Sunday the incumbent President Erdogan faces his challenger Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the second round of the presidential election. Both candidates are still fighting for every vote.

Turkey's presidential election is headed to a run-off on May 28, when Recep Tayyip Erdogan will go head-to-head with the opposition's Kemal Kilicdaroglu. While the incumbent is in a strong position going into the vote, the opposition isn't giving up hope just yet. We take a closer look.

He's the most powerful leader since Ataturk founded the modern Turkish republic a century ago. After three stints as prime minister, the highly divisive and populist Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking a third consecutive term as president in Sunday's elections. A champion of religious piety and low interest rates, his popularity has been hit by a cost-of-living crisis caused by rampant inflation.