&w=3840&q=100)
Another Erdogan political opponent, Turkey's 16th mayor, goes to jail over 'corruption'
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses a protest rally in Istanbul on May 18, 2018, against the recent killings of Palestinian protesters on the Gaza-Israel border and the US embassy move to Jerusalem. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP)
Turkish police detained 40 people, including the mayor of Istanbul's central Beyoglu district, as part of a corruption investigation, state broadcaster TRT Haber said on Friday, the latest wave in a crackdown on the opposition.
Beyoglu Mayor Inan Guney from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was the 16th mayor to have been taken into custody in the crackdown, in which a total of more than 500 people have been detained in less than a year.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Among those currently in prison is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, who is being investigated on charges of corruption and links to terrorism.
The CHP denies the charges and calls them an attempt to eliminate a democratic alternative, a charge the government rejects.
TRT Haber said those held in the latest operation are suspected of involvement in fraudulent activities at companies linked to the Istanbul municipality. Arrest warrants were issued for a total of 44 people, including the 40 detained, it said.
On Thursday, CHP mayor Ozlem Cercioglu from the western city of Aydin joined Erdogan's ruling AK Party, citing disagreements with the CHP administration.
CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told reporters, without providing evidence, that AKP officials had threatened Cercioglu with legal investigations into her municipality and arrest unless she joined the ruling party.
AKP deputy chair Hayati Yazici called Ozel's allegation 'completely untrue'. Cercioglu also rejected the claim.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
The Third Eye: Peaceful creation of a Palestinian state should be possible
New Delhi: There is no doubt that the present turbulence in the Middle East and the region's proneness to violence is to be attributed to the terror attack of Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1200 Israelis were killed and 250 others, including women and children, were abducted as hostages. India was among the first nations to condemn the attack. The incident evoked a justifiable punitive counter-attack by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), which became a prolonged offensive on Gaza, where Hamas had taken to operating from underground tunnels using these as a shield. The sustained armed campaign of Israel in Gaza aimed at 'destroying' Hamas has resulted in the killing of over 50,000 Palestinians, including Hamas members, and has now created a deep humanitarian crisis with thousands of people, including children, being exposed to stark hunger- the world finds this situation becoming increasingly unacceptable. Israel's offensive today is on the verge of becoming 'unjust and immoral' and this has shifted the responsibility for the human catastrophe in Gaza from Hamas to Israel. It is true that Israel had faced an existential crisis because of the 'non-acceptance' of the idea of a Jewish state in Palestine, among the Arab states of the region, but it is equally important that Israel and its chief backer, the US, moved towards recognising the need for Palestinians to have a homeland too. The concept of a Palestinian state on the border of Israel can be modified suitably to address the concerns of Israel about a standing security threat from such a state. The world must quickly work for a peaceful coexistence of the two states in Palestine. It is relevant to recall that the Arab Spring of 2010 changed the dynamics of Middle East regimes by empowering street movements and compelling a shift towards democratisation in authoritarian Arab states. In the process, however, this set the trend of radicalisation, giving birth to many Islamic terror organisations. Hamas had originated as the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which was founded in 1928 in Egypt and Syria by the Islamic thinker, Hasan Al Banna, with the aim of opposing the pro-Soviet 'nationalist' regimes there and demanding Islamisation of the state. The US-led West politically endorsed the Muslim Brotherhood, and many years later, in 2011, the latter succeeded in ousting the dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt, the US appreciated it on the quiet. Over the years, however, Hamas once a moderate Islamic outfit became radicalised because of the perceived high handedness of Israel in Gaza and took to terrorism. Radical Islamic forces carried the historical memory of the 19th-century Wahhabi revolt against the 'Western encroachment on Muslim lands' and remain extremely inimical to the US. This is the reason why in the current military confrontation between Iran and Israel, Iran was able to take Hamas in its embrace -- the shared political antagonism towards the US binds them together, notwithstanding the fundamental Shia-Sunni divide dating back to the Kharijite rebellion against Caliph Ali. There is a lesson to be drawn by the democratic world from the fact of a Sunni radical Hamas joining up with a fundamentalist Iran. Faith-based militancy in any part of the Muslim world should not be allowed to turn into Islamic terrorism resulting from the sense of distress amongst Muslims that made them vulnerable to the pull of Jehad. Gaza should be looked at by the world from that angle. The Middle East is presently overshadowed by the 'war-like' confrontation between Iran on one hand and the US-Israel axis on the other, even as the Hamas-Israel conflict remains unresolved. Iran has powerful proxies working for it -- Lebanon-based Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) active in many Middle East countries, Houthis in Yemen and Shiite militants of Iraq and Syria, besides the Hamas of Gaza. Iran joining hands with Hamas has the potential for further aggravating the Palestinian chaos -- it is rightly said that 'wars without a clear political goal cannot be won' and can only lead to a catastrophe. A significant matter of concern in the Middle East is that the Iran-Israel confrontation is developing signs of a 'civilisational clash' between Islam and Zionism. Hamas once called for the 'rise of the Islamic state between the Jordon River and the Mediterranean governed by Shariat law'. Israel has become even more distrustful of the Arab states around it after Hamas was taken by Iran into its fold militarily, thus strengthening Iran's fighting power against Israel. The Palestinian cause has long served as a unifying factor for disparate entities such as Sunnis and Shiites or Arabs and Persians in the name of faith. Even Arab states friendly to the US would not find it possible to strike any kind of normal relationship with Israel unless the issue of Palestine was resolved. The so-called Abraham Accord sought to be promoted by US President Donald Trump during his first tenure between some Arab states like the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan, did not make advances after the outbreak of the Iran-Israel 'war'. Even the closest allies of the US, like Saudi Arabia, are distressed over the escalation of the US-Iran conflict, resulting in the America bombing the nuclear sites of Iran. The international community has to step in and support a peaceful initiative around the idea of Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side with mutual respect. More than one state entity for Palestinians may have to be created along the Israel border, and positioning of an international Peace Keeping Force for some time may have to be considered. A ceasefire in Gaza and release of all Israeli hostages have to be the first steps -- taking hostages and using them for political bargaining is a classic terrorist act and is totally unacceptable. US-Saudi combine should move to provide a stable administration in Gaza, organe relief work and give a start to the 'reconstruction work' there. Democratisation of the Middle East will be conducive to restoring peace, as it will check the rise of faith-based militancy -- equal treatment of all communities is implicit in a democratic dispensation. Israeli security and Jewish democratic identity must go with a similar transition of Islamic fundamentalist rule anywhere to an enlightened Islamic democracy where minorities would be treated at par with the Muslim majority. A Muslim majority should make it easier for the regime to even adopt the ultimate principle of democracy -- the idea of 'one man one vote' -- because it does not come in the way of the rule of the majority. As regards the current US-Iran confrontation that is rooted in the Israeli distrust of Iran's proclaimed commitment to producing only nuclear energy for peaceful usage, it can be said that it is Iran that first leveraged an ideological narrative of 'Islamic resistance' through a network of 'proxies' to deal with an aggressive US. Moreover, IRGC has developed a sophisticated ballistic missile system for use as a deterrent by upholding the promise of a strong retaliatory action. In the cycle of action and reaction, Israel's attack on Iran with the aim of destroying the latter's nuclear establishments on June 13, 2025, was responded to by Iran through a missile and Drone attack on Tel Aviv and Haifa. This was followed by a direct attack by the US on Iran's nuclear sites in which even bunker-buster bombs were used, making it the first American military intervention in the Middle East since the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. Israel, meanwhile, has focused on degrading the leadership of the Iran-led 'axis of resistance'. President Trump has openly called for the 'surrender' of Iran in the context of the signing of a new nuclear deal. A formula for peace has to be worked out between Iran and the US in which emphasis will have to be placed on complete transparency about Iran's nuclear programme being kept totally open to inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Iran's posture so far can be said to be 'defensive' and hence care should be taken not to do anything at the cost of the 'civilisational pride' of Iran. Wisdom lies in not letting a turbulent Middle East precipitate a 'war of religions' that is marked by attrition, degeneration into faith-driven terrorism and a potential for spreading to other regions as well. Developments in the Middle East cause concern to the democratic world as a whole, and initiatives for restoring peace should come from the leading democracies putting their heads together. It is to be noted that China and Russia are siding with Iran because of their political opposition to the US. The Middle East should not be allowed to become the reason for a possible return of the Cold War.
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 40
GAZA: Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli attacks killed at least 40 people on Saturday, as the Israeli military hinted at an approaching call to push civilians from Gaza City ahead of a new offensive. The latest toll comes more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to capture the Palestinian territory's largest city, following 22 months of war that have created dire humanitarian conditions. Ahead of the offensive, COGAT -- the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civil affairs in the Palestinian territories -- said that starting from Sunday, the military would supply more tents and shelter equipment. "As part of the preparations to move the population from combat zones to the southern Gaza Strip for their protection, the supply of tents and shelter equipment to Gaza will resume," it said in a statement. Hamas later slammed the move, saying the announcement was part of a "brutal assault to occupy Gaza City". Earlier, Gaza's civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said conditions in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood were rapidly deteriorating with residents having little to no access to food and water amid heavy Israeli bombardment. The spokesman added that about 50,000 people were estimated to be in that area of Gaza City, "the majority of whom are without food or water" and lacking "the basic necessities of life". Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swaths of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. In recent days, Gaza City residents have told AFP of more frequent air strikes targeting residential areas, including Zeitun, while earlier this week Hamas denounced "aggressive" Israeli ground incursions. Bassal told AFP the number of people killed in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday had risen to 40. The military insisted in a statement on Saturday that it is "committed to mitigating civilian harm during operational activity, in strict accordance with international law," questioning the reliability of the death tolls provided by the civil defence agency.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
4 hours ago
- First Post
Netanyahu has become ‘a problem,' says Denmark PM; urges Russia-style sanctions on Israel
Denmark's prime minister Mette Frederiksen has called Netanyahu 'a problem' and said she will press the EU to consider Russia-style sanctions on Israel, arguing that immediate recognition of a Palestinian state would not ease the Gaza crisis. Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Saturday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has become 'a problem' and vowed to push the European Union to consider Russia-style sanctions on Israel to help bring the Gaza war to an end amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. She also made clear that immediate recognition of a Palestinian state would not ease the conflict, even as she reaffirmed Copenhagen's support for a two-state solution. In a Facebook post, Frederiksen wrote, 'Recognising Palestine here and now is not going to help the thousands of children who are currently fighting for their survival, no matter how much you want it. Instead, we need to increase the pressure on both Israel and Hamas.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Why Denmark opposes immediate recognition Frederiksen, whose country currently holds the rotating EU presidency, told Jyllands-Posten that Denmark is weighing sanctions 'just as with Russia,' designed to 'have the greatest effect.' Options under consideration include targeting individual settlers and ministers as well as broader trade and research ties. 'We are not ruling anything out in advance,' she said, adding that Denmark is pressing for stronger EU measures but has not yet secured consensus. The prime minister stressed that Denmark supports the eventual creation of a Palestinian state, but only when conditions allow for what she called a 'sustainable and democratic' government free of Hamas influence. Recognition, she added, must also come with 'mutual recognition of Israel.' Criticism of Netanyahu and Israeli policy A long-time supporter of Israel, Frederiksen argued the country 'would be better off without Netanyahu,' accusing his government of acting against Israel's own interests. She condemned the humanitarian toll of the Gaza war as 'absolutely appalling and catastrophic' and criticised settlement expansion and settler violence, including plans for more than 3,000 housing units in the West Bank's sensitive E1 area. Reiterating her stance, Frederiksen said Denmark will not join other European states in recognising Palestine 'here and now.' In her Facebook post, she stressed that such recognition 'will not help the thousands of children currently fighting for their survival,' and warned that Denmark does not wish to 'reward' Hamas. Recognition, she insisted, should come only when it truly advances a two-state solution—'when a sustainable and democratic state in Palestine can be secured without the influence of Hamas,' and with mutual recognition of Israel.
