Three more Turkish opposition mayors detained as crackdown expands
ANKARA - Turkish authorities detained three more mayors from the main opposition party on Saturday, according to a prosecutor's statement and media reports, expanding a months-long legal crackdown that has expanded beyond its origins in Istanbul.
The mayors of the big southern cities of Adana and Adiyaman were detained on allegations of extortion, the Istanbul chief prosecutor's office said, along with some eight other people.
Broadcaster NTV said Antalya's mayor and the deputy mayor of Istanbul's Buyukcekmece district were also detained as part of the broader investigation in which hundreds of members of the Republic People's Party (CHP), including 11 mayors previously, have been targeted since October last year.
The CHP broadly denies the charges and calls the probe politically driven, charges the government denies.
In March Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Tayyip Erdogan, was jailed pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. That sparked the largest street protests in a decade and a sharp selloff in Turkish assets. REUTERS
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 6, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Smoke rises in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on July 5. Israel to send delegation to Qatar for Gaza ceasefire talks Israel will send a delegation to Qatar on July 6 for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the changes requested by Hamas to a ceasefire proposal were unacceptable. Palestinian group Hamas said on July 4 it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a 'positive spirit', a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed 'to the necessary conditions to finalise' a 60-day truce. But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals. 'The changes that Hamas seeks to make to the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are not acceptable to Israel,' Mr Netanyahu's office said in a statement late on July 5. READ MORE HERE Death toll from Texas floods reaches 32; many still missing People look on as law enforcement and volunteers continue to search for missing people near Camp Mystic on July 5. PHOTO: AFP Some 32 people, including 14 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on July 5 as rescuers continued a frantic search for campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing. Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 137km north-west of San Antonio. Among the missing were dozens of people from the Camp Mystic summer camp, most of them reported to be young girls, after river waters rapidly rose 29 feet. READ MORE HERE Iran's Khamenei makes first public appearance since war with Israel Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a ceremony to mark Ashura in Tehran, Iran, July 5. PHOTO: REUTERS Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 5 made his first public appearance since the outbreak of his country's recent 12-day war with Israel, taking part in a religious ceremony in Tehran, state media reported. The octogenarian leader was shown in a video broadcast by state television greeting people and being cheered at a mosque as worshippers marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, an important date for Shia Muslims. Mr Khamenei, 86, can be seen on stage dressed in black as the crowd before him, fists in the air, chants 'The blood in our veins for our leader!' READ MORE HERE Brics agree to joint statement ahead of Rio leaders summit Malaysia's PM Anwar Ibrahim, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Brazil's Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin participating at the opening of the Brics Business Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5. PHOTO: REUTERS Diplomats from the Brics group of developing nations have agreed on a joint declaration of their leaders at a summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, three people familiar with the talks said on July 5. The shared statement, which a gathering of their foreign ministers failed to achieve in April, underscores the group's commitment to consensus despite its quickly expanding ranks. The group of major emerging economies expanded last year beyond Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. READ MORE HERE Elon Musk says he has created a new US political party Tesla CEO Elon Musk speaks during a press conference at the White House in Washington, on May 30. PHOTO: REUTERS Mr Elon Musk, an ex-ally of US President Donald Trump, said July 5 he had launched a new political party in the United States to challenge what the tech billionaire described as the country's 'one-party system.' Mr Musk, the world's richest person and Mr Trump's biggest political donor in the 2024 election, had a bitter falling out with the president after leading the Republican's effort to slash spending and cut federal jobs as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency. 'When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,' the Space X and Tesla boss posted on X, the social media platform that he owns.
Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Straits Times
Iran's Khamenei makes first public appearance since war with Israel
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox DUBAI - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 5 made his first public appearance since the outbreak of his country's recent 12-day war with Israel, taking part in a religious ceremony in Tehran, state media reported. The octogenarian leader was shown in a video broadcast by state television greeting people and being cheered at a mosque as worshippers marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, an important date for Shia Muslims. Mr Khamenei, 86, can be seen on stage dressed in black as the crowd before him, fists in the air, chants 'The blood in our veins for our leader!' State TV said the clip was filmed at central Tehran's Imam Khomeini Mosque, named for the founder of the Islamic republic. Mr Khamenei, in power since 1989, spoke last week in a pre-recorded video, but had not been seen in public since before Israel initiated the conflict with a wave of surprise air strikes on June 13. His last public appearance was two days before that, when he met with members of Parliament. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a ceremony to mark Ashura in Tehran, Iran, on July 5. PHOTO: REUTERS Israel's bombing campaign followed a decades-long shadow war with Iran, and was aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon – an ambition Tehran has consistently denied. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Asean needs 'bolder reforms' to attract investments in more fragmented global economy: PM Wong Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee Singapore Credit reports among personal data of 190,000 breached, put for sale on Dark Web; IT vendor fined Asia Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted Singapore Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership; party launches 'renewal plan' Sport Liverpool will move on after Jota's tragic death, but he will never be forgotten Singapore Rock climbing fan suddenly could not jump, get up from squats
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan tariff negotiator held in-depth talks with Lutnick, Japanese government says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (From right) Japan's Economic Revitalisation Minister Ryosei Akazawa poses with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington on May 1. TOKYO/BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey - Japan's tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa held 'in-depth exchanges' over the phone with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on July 3 and July 5, the Japanese government said. A pause on a 24 per cent reciprocal tariff on imports from Japan expires on July 9, although US President Donald Trump has suggested the rate could be even higher. The Japanese government also said in a statement that it intends to continue actively coordinating with the US side on the matter, as it worked to avert higher tariffs. The White House declined to comment on the report, referring only to Mr Trump's recent comments on Japan. Mr Trump this week hammered Japan over what he said was Tokyo's reluctance to import US-grown rice, and accusing Japan of engaging in 'unfair' autos trade. Japan has in fact imported historically high volumes of US rice in recent months as domestically grown rice has skyrocketed in price since last year. It was unclear if Mr Trump would make good his pledge to skip further trade negotiations with Japan and send it a letter with a specific tariff rate, on top of the 10 per cent already in effect on most trading partners. On July 4 he said he had signed letters to 12 countries and they would be going out on July 7, but did not identify them. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Asean needs 'bolder reforms' to attract investments in more fragmented global economy: PM Wong Singapore CPF members can make housing, retirement and health insurance plans with new digital platform Singapore CPF's central philosophy of self-reliance remains as pertinent as ever: SM Lee Singapore Credit reports among personal data of 190,000 breached, put for sale on Dark Web; IT vendor fined Asia Dalai Lama hopes to live beyond 130 years, much longer than predicted Singapore Tan Cheng Bock, Hazel Poa step down from PSP leadership; party launches 'renewal plan' Sport Liverpool will move on after Jota's tragic death, but he will never be forgotten Singapore Rock climbing fan suddenly could not jump, get up from squats He expressed doubt that a deal could be reached with Japan on July 8, and suggested he could impose a tariff of 30 per cent or 35 per cent on imports from Japan - well above the 24 per cent tariff rate he announced on April 2. Japanese Prime Minster Shigeru Ishiba on July 2 said he was determined to protect his country's national interests as trade negotiations with the US struggled, noting that his country was the largest investor in the United States. Tokyo has yet to secure a trade deal after nearly three months of negotiations as it scrambles to find ways to get Washington to exempt Japan's automakers from 25 per cent automobile industry-specific tariffs, which are hurting the country's manufacturing sector. REUTERS
