Turkish journalist Fatih Altayli detained over alleged threats to President Erdogan
Turkish authorities detained prominent independent journalist Fatih Altayli on Saturday over social media comments allegedly threatening President Tayyip Erdogan, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said.Altayli, who has more than 1.51 million subscribers on his YouTube channel, posted a video on Friday referencing an unnamed poll showing 70% of Turks opposed Erdogan ruling for life, saying this would "never be allowed" by the Turkish people.advertisementAltayli also referenced past Ottoman rulers in his comments, saying people had "drowned", "killed", or "assassinated them in the past." His comments drew backlash from an Erdogan aide, Oktay Saral, who said on X that Altayli's "water was boiling".
In a statement, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said the comments from Altayli "contained threats" against Erdogan, and said an investigation has been launched against him. Legal representation for Altayli could not immediately be reached for comment.Altayli's detention comes amid a series of detentions of opposition figures in recent months, including the arrest in March of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu who is Erdogan's main political rival.The main opposition CHP says the detentions and arrests of its members, along with other opposition members and journalists or media personalities, is a politicised move by the government to muzzle dissent and eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan.advertisementThe government denies these claims, saying the judiciary and Turkey's courts are independent.Turkish authorities have in the past carried out widespread detentions and arrests against opposition politicians, namely pro-Kurdish local authorities. More than 150 people jailed so far over what Erdogan's government says is a ring of corruption that the CHP denies.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bombing Iran, Trump gambles on force over diplomacy
For nearly a half-century the United States has squabbled with Iran 's Islamic republic but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable. With President Donald Trump's order of strikes on Iran's nuclear sites, the United States -- like Israel, which encouraged him -- has brought the conflict into the open, and the consequences may not be clear for some time to come. "We will only know if it succeeded if we can get through the next three to five years without the Iranian regime acquiring nuclear weapons, which they now have compelling reasons to want," said Kenneth Pollack, a former CIA analyst and supporter of the 2003 Iraq war who is now vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute. US intelligence had not concluded that Iran was building a nuclear bomb, with Tehran's sensitive atomic work largely seen as a means of leverage, and Iran can be presumed to have taken precautions in anticipation of strikes. Trita Parsi, an outspoken critic of military action, said Trump "has now made it more likely that Iran will be a nuclear weapons state in the next five to 10 years." Live Events "We should be careful not to confuse tactical success with strategic success," said Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. "The Iraq war was also successful in the first few weeks but President Bush's declaration of 'Mission Accomplished' did not age well," he said. Weak point for Iran Yet Trump's attack -- a week after Israel began a major military campaign -- came as the cleric-run state is at one of its weakest points since the 1979 Islamic revolution toppled the pro-Western shah. Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which enjoys Iran's support, Israel -- besides obliterating much of Gaza -- has decimated Lebanon's Hezbollah, a militant group that would once reliably strike Israel as Tehran's proxy. Iran's main ally among Arab leaders, Syria's Bashar al-Assad, was also toppled in December. Supporters of Trump's strike argued that diplomacy was not working, with Iran standing firm on its right to enrich uranium. "Contrary to what some will say in the days to come, the US administration did not rush to war. In fact, it gave diplomacy a real chance," said Ted Deutch, a former Democratic congressman who now heads the American Jewish Committee. "The murderous Iranian regime refused to make a deal," he said. Top Senate Republican John Thune pointed to Tehran's threats to Israel and language against the United States and said that the state had "rejected all diplomatic pathways to peace." Abrupt halt to diplomacy Trump's attack comes almost exactly a decade after former president Barack Obama sealed a deal in which Iran drastically scaled back its nuclear work -- which Trump pulled out of in 2018 after coming into office for his first term. Most of Trump's Republican Party and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long seen Iran as an existential threat, attacked Obama's deal because it allowed Tehran to enrich uranium at levels well beneath weapons grade and the key clauses had an end date. But Trump, billing himself a peacemaker, just a month ago said on a visit to Gulf Arab monarchies that he was hopeful for a new deal with Iran, and his administration was preparing new talks when Netanyahu attacked Iran. This prompted an abrupt U-turn from Trump. "Trump's decision to cut short his own efforts for diplomacy will also make it much harder to get a deal in the medium and long runs," said Jennifer Kavanagh, director of military analysis at Defense Priorities, which advocates restraint. "Iran now has no incentive to trust Trump's word or to believe that striking a compromise will advance Iran's interests." Iran's religious rulers also face opposition internally. Major protests erupted in 2022 after the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for defying the regime's rules on covering hair. Karim Sadjadpour, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social media that Trump's strikes could either entrench the Islamic Republic or hasten its downfall. "The US bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities is an unprecedented event that may prove to be transformational for Iran, the Middle East, US foreign policy , global non-proliferation and potentially even the global order," he said. "Its impact will be measured for decades to come."
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First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Trump sees bipartisan blowback over Iran strikes as Republicans and Democrats question its constitutionality
While most Republicans and Pro-Israeli Democrats lauded the US's strikes on Iran, some questioned its constitutionality, emphasising how Trump bypassed the US Congress to conduct the attack read more Protesters hold a banner with a message and images of US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a 'No War on Iran' rally in New York City. Reuters While most congressional Republicans and pro-Israeli Democrats are lauding US President Donald Trump's decision to strike Iran's nuclear facilities , the White House is also receiving significant blowback over the strikes. The objection centres around the argument of whether Trump's decision to drag America into the Iran-Israel conflict was constitutional. Soon after the attack, Trump critics pointed out that Trump needed congressional authorisation for such a provocative use of the American military. In light of this, one House Democrat is also pushing for a vote to restrict further unilateral actions. 'We need to immediately return to DC and vote on [Rep. Thomas Massie's and my War Powers Resolution to prevent America from being dragged into another endless Middle East war,' Democratic Representative Ro Khanna from California said in response to Trump's attacks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD On Saturday evening, the White House announced that the United States had successfully conducted strikes against three Iranian nuclear facilities, Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan . The US's direct involvement in the conflict came more than a week after strikes by Israel on Iran that have moved to systematically eradicate the country's air defences and offensive missile capabilities while damaging its nuclear enrichment facilities. Republicans question the constitutionality While Democrats condemn US intervention in West Asia, most Republicans lauded Trump's move. However, there were some who called it out as well. Rep. Thomas Massie, one of the most vocal Republicans pushing against American intervention in Iran, posted on X that President Trump's bombing of Iranian nuclear sites is unconstitutional. It is pertinent to note that Massie wanted to introduce a war powers resolution in the House on Tuesday that would prohibit American involvement in Iran. 'This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our constitution,' he posted on X on June 16. This is not our war. But if it were, Congress must decide such matters according to our Constitution. I'm introducing a bipartisan War Powers Resolution tomorrow to prohibit our involvement. I invite all members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution. — Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 16, 2025 However, there is little appetite among the ruling Republicans, outside of a handful of right-wingers, to be in direct conflict with Trump on the issue. Both Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) publicly backed the American strikes on Saturday night. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Scroll.in
2 hours ago
- Scroll.in
‘It's taking a gamble': As US vets social media posts for student visas, anxiety grips applicants
When Chennai-based engineer, Ganesh* found out earlier this year that he had gained admission to a graduate programme in California, he was thrilled. 'It was the school I always wanted,' he said. He began planning out his finances and getting all his documents together. By the time he had to apply for his US student visa in early May, he had almost all his information ready. All he had to do then was to get an appointment at the US consulate. So he began the tedious process of filling out his DS-160, the online application form for a nonimmigrant visa to the US. He added his personal and family information, education and work background and affirmed that he had no criminal history. The form also asked if he had a 'social media presence'. A drop-down listed about 20 options, including Facebook and YouTube, Pinterest and Reddit. Though Ganesh, 24, did have some personal social media accounts, he was not particularly active on any of them. They were all private and he used them just to engage with people he knew. So when asked to provide links on the visa form, he only gave that of his LinkedIn profile. Just over a month since, that decision makes him nervous. If given a chance to re-submit the application form, Ganesh said that would list all his accounts to ensure that he is not 'flagged'. The anxiety that has gripped Ganesh and many other foreign students at various stages of their visa application process is a result of an announcement by US authorities on June 18 of new requirements to be eligible to study in the country. Each applicant now has to pass a check of their social media platforms, which must all be set to 'public' to allow anyone to access them. The US authorities will screen and vet these accounts to ensure that foreign students do not 'harm Americans' or its national interests, and intend to only participate in 'activities consistent with the terms for their admission'. Until May, an estimated, 4,700 foreign students in the US had their visas revoked, the Associated Press reported, many as a seeming consequence for having participated in pro-Palestine protests in the wake of Israel's war on Gaza. A study by a US lawyers association of 327 visa cancellations in April found that 50% of the students involved were Indian. US resumes student visa interviews, applicants told to make social media profiles public — (@scroll_in) June 19, 2025 The new US guidelines came just over three weeks after the authorities had abruptly halted visa appointments for student and exchange visas around the world. Students who are yet to file their visa applications are scrambling to understand what this announcement means for them since it did not explain how the vetting process will be conducted. Others like Ganesh, who had filed their immigration forms and already been allotted interview slots, are unclear how these new instructions apply to them. They fear that their applications could be viewed with scepticism because they did not list all their social media accounts, no matter that they are not active on them. Such fears have been fuelled by messages on WhatsApp groups formed by visa applicants from around the world to share immigration-related information. For example, one purported summary of the latest US State Department announcement listed factors US student visa applicants should now keep in mind, especially in regards to their online presence. Having 'no social media presence', this message claimed, could also be a red flag for visa officials. While the latest State Department brief does not explicitly mention this, some points made in the WhatsApp message echo other recent US advisories. In April, for example, the US Department of Homeland Security said it would be screening 'antisemitic activity on social media' while deciding on the immigration status and benefits of non-Americans, including foreign students. With new announcements every other week and little information on what such vetting looks like, students coming to the US have begun relying on online lawyers, media articles and even hearsay to try to get a sense of the process, applicants said. 'There are rumours everywhere,' Ganesh said. 'So everyone is just taking a gamble'. New Data: There were nearly 1.6 million foreign students in the US in 2024. - 422,335 Indian students - 329,541 Chinese students — Center for Immigration Studies (@CIS_org) June 12, 2025 For some other applicants with social media accounts, though, the State Department announcement is not just an annoyance – it impinges on their safety. One female student in the process of getting her US visa explained why she does not want to make their Instagrams public: 'I don't want people I don't know following me and leaving comments on my photos.' In 2024, Indians made up the largest group of international students in the US. The 422,335 students from India comprised about 30% of the total 1.6 million international students in the US. Their number had jumped 11.8% from 2023. But the process of applying for an American student visa is painstaking and long. Just getting an appointment at a US embassy or consulate in India can take weeks, if not months. As per the most recent estimates, the average wait time to get a F, M or J visa appointment across India's five US consular offices – Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and New Delhi – is two months. This is the second-highest wait time in South Asia. In Dhaka, it could take nine months. On the other hand, in cities like Paris and Johannesburg, this could take up to a month. In London or Tel Aviv, a visa appointment could be secured in days. It is unclear how the new social media vetting process will affect this waiting period. Those who already got appointments, such as Akshay*, a Delhi-based journalist admitted to a university in New York, consider it sheer luck. Akshay, 27, filed his forms just a few days before the halt on visa appointments. Asked for his social media details, he gave his Instagram and X accounts. They were both public. But he felt compelled to do some 'cleaning' before that: He archived a few posts on his Instagram and deleted some from X. None of them were related to the US or its policies. They did, however, show him protesting against a local official when he was in college. He just didn't want to be 'flagged'. 'Everyone's as confused as the other,' said Akshay, who has taken a hefty student loan to pursue his studies. Even though he has now got his student visa, he has been maintaining a key social media practice: 'Actively avoiding liking or interacting' with any pro-Palestine posts. As a foreign student, he says he will have to keep doing that – not just before entering the US, but also while he is there for graduate school. 'I did all the things right. I was compliant. They asked me to leave. I left the country,' said the PhD student. In doing so, 'I became a statistic to their self-deportation [initiative].' — Brooke Hauser (@brookehauser) June 19, 2025 Many international students who have been admitted to American universities have adopted the same strategy, at least a dozen students told Scroll. According to one of them, their social media is now meant to appear as 'ignorant' as possible. This has become even more critical for students like Karan* who has been admitted to a law school in the US, but is yet to get his visa appointment. A lawyer from Jaipur, he has been particularly active on X for the past few years, expressing his views on global politics from time to time. He has been advised to clean up his online presence as he seeks an interview. For Karan, like most foreign students admitted to US programmes, there is only one aim: to get a visa and continue his higher education, no matter the hassle. He is now making his Instagram account public. Even though he thinks it's almost impossible to review and sanitise his history on X, Karan plans to set aside two full days to do it. After all, he said a day after the advisory, 'my views don't matter right now'.
