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Turkish authorities detain 109 in Izmir as part of corruption probe, Anadolu news says
Turkish authorities detain 109 in Izmir as part of corruption probe, Anadolu news says

Straits Times

timea day ago

  • Politics
  • Straits Times

Turkish authorities detain 109 in Izmir as part of corruption probe, Anadolu news says

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan looks on during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File photo Turkish authorities detain 109 in Izmir as part of corruption probe, Anadolu news says ISTANBUL - Turkish authorities detained 109 people, including opposition party members and a former mayor, on Tuesday in Izmir, the Anadolu state news agency said, expanding a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition that had been focused on Istanbul. The Izmir prosecutor ordered the detention of a total 157 people in the early morning hours as part of an investigation into corruption, tender rigging and fraud in the western coastal city, Anadolu reported. Police are continuing efforts to find the remaining 48 people, it added. Murat Bakan, an Izmir lawmaker from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) - which has faced waves of arrests since late last year - said former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer had been detained along with senior officials and a provincial chairman of the party. "We woke up to another dawn operation today. We are facing a process similar to what happened in Istanbul," Bakan said on X, adding that the judicial system appeared to be "acting on instructions". Those arrested in Turkey's broader crackdown include Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main political rival of President Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. That sparked the largest street protests in a decade and a sharp selloff in Turkish assets. The CHP denies the charges levelled against it. Along with some Western countries, the CHP and rights groups have called the crackdown a politicised move to eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan and silence dissent. The government denies these claims, saying Turkey's judiciary and courts are independent. According to the prosecutor's statement published by Anadolu news, the investigation into Izmir municipality found that irregularities in tenders and expenses involving subcontractor companies had caused public loss. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Turkey opposition crackdown spreads to Izmir with 157 detentions, NTV says
Turkey opposition crackdown spreads to Izmir with 157 detentions, NTV says

The Star

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • The Star

Turkey opposition crackdown spreads to Izmir with 157 detentions, NTV says

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan looks on during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File photo ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish authorities detained 157 people including opposition party members and a former mayor in Izmir early on Tuesday, broadcaster NTV reported, expanding a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition that had been focused on Istanbul. The Izmir prosecutor ordered the detentions in the early morning hours as part of an investigation into corruption, tender rigging and fraud in the west-coast city, NTV reported. Murat Bakan, an Izmir MP from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) - which has faced waves of arrests since late last year - said former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer was detained along with senior bureaucrats and a party provincial chairman. "We woke up to another dawn operation today," he said on X. "We are facing a process similar to what happened in Istanbul," Bakan said, adding that it appeared to be "a judicial system acting on instructions". Those arrested in the broader crackdown include Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival. Imamoglu was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. That sparked the largest street protests in a decade and a sharp selloff in Turkish assets. The CHP denies the charges. It and some Western countries have called the crackdown a politicised move to eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan and silence dissent. The government denies these claims, saying the judiciary and Turkey's courts are independent. NTV said the investigation into Izmir municipality in part looks at potential corruption involving subcontractor companies. (Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Himani Sarkar)

Turkey opposition crackdown spreads to Izmir with 157 detentions, NTV says
Turkey opposition crackdown spreads to Izmir with 157 detentions, NTV says

Straits Times

time2 days ago

  • Politics
  • Straits Times

Turkey opposition crackdown spreads to Izmir with 157 detentions, NTV says

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan looks on during a press conference at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands June 25, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/File photo ISTANBUL - Turkish authorities detained 157 people including opposition party members and a former mayor in Izmir early on Tuesday, broadcaster NTV reported, expanding a months-long legal crackdown on the opposition that had been focused on Istanbul. The Izmir prosecutor ordered the detentions in the early morning hours as part of an investigation into corruption, tender rigging and fraud in the west-coast city, NTV reported. Murat Bakan, an Izmir MP from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) - which has faced waves of arrests since late last year - said former Izmir Mayor Tunc Soyer was detained along with senior bureaucrats and a party provincial chairman. "We woke up to another dawn operation today," he said on X. "We are facing a process similar to what happened in Istanbul," Bakan said, adding that it appeared to be "a judicial system acting on instructions". Those arrested in the broader crackdown include Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu - President Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival. Imamoglu was jailed in March pending trial on corruption charges, which he denies. That sparked the largest street protests in a decade and a sharp selloff in Turkish assets. The CHP denies the charges. It and some Western countries have called the crackdown a politicised move to eliminate electoral challenges to Erdogan and silence dissent. The government denies these claims, saying the judiciary and Turkey's courts are independent. NTV said the investigation into Izmir municipality in part looks at potential corruption involving subcontractor companies. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Hague NATO summit aims to focus on Trump's spending goal but Iran looms large
Hague NATO summit aims to focus on Trump's spending goal but Iran looms large

The Star

time23-06-2025

  • Politics
  • The Star

Hague NATO summit aims to focus on Trump's spending goal but Iran looms large

FILE PHOTO: A NATO sign is displayed ahead of a NATO leaders' summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 21, 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw/ File Photo THE HAGUE (Reuters) -The NATO alliance has crafted a summit in The Hague this week to shore itself up by satisfying U.S. President Donald Trump with a big new defence spending goal - but it now risks being dominated by the repercussions of his military strikes on Iran. The two-day gathering is also intended to signal to Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO is united, despite Trump's previous criticism of the alliance, and determined to expand and upgrade its defences to deter any attack from Moscow. The summit and its final statement are meant to be short and focused on heeding Trump's call to spend 5% of GDP on defence - a big jump from the current 2% goal. It is to be achieved by investing more in both militaries and other security-related spending. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, however, upset NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte's preparations on Sunday as he declared Madrid did not need to meet the new spending target even as Spain approved the summit statement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has had to settle for a seat at the pre-summit dinner on Tuesday evening - rather than a formal session with the leaders when they meet on Wednesday - due to his volatile relationship with Trump. The U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear sites at the weekend makes the summit much less predictable than Rutte - a former prime minister of the Netherlands hosting the gathering in his home city - and other NATO member countries would like. IRAN INTRODUCES UNCERTAINTY INTO SUMMIT Much will depend on the precise situation in the Middle East when the summit takes place - such as whether Iran has retaliated against the U.S. - and whether other NATO leaders address the strikes with Trump or in comments to reporters. If the meeting does not go to plan, NATO risks appearing weak and divided, just as European members confront what they see as their biggest threat since the end of the Cold War - Russia - while bracing for possible U.S. troop cuts on the continent. Under the new defence spending plan, countries would spend 3.5% of GDP on "core defence" - essentially, weapons and troops - and a further 1.5% on security-related investments such as adapting roads, ports and bridges for use by military vehicles, protecting pipelines and deterring cyber-attacks. Such an increase - to be phased in over 10 years - would mean hundreds of billions of dollars more spending on defence. Last year, alliance members collectively spent about 2.6% of NATO GDP on core defence, amounting to about $1.3 trillion, according to NATO estimates. The lion's share came from the United States, which spent almost $818 billion. US DEMANDS EUROPE SPEND MORE ON ITS OWN DEFENCE Washington has insisted it is time for Europeans to take on more of the financial and military burden of defending their continent. European leaders say they have got that message but want an orderly and gradual transition, fearful that any gaps in their defences could be exploited by Putin. They are particularly keen to stress their spending commitment as Trump has previously threatened not to protect allies that do not spend enough on defence. A prepared text summit statement agreed by NATO governments and seen by Reuters says: "We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article 5 of the Washington Treaty - that an attack on one is an attack on all." As part of their efforts to keep Trump onside, NATO officials have shunted difficult topics to the sidelines of the summit or kept them off the agenda altogether. While many European nations see Russia as an ever-growing threat, Trump has expressed a desire for better economic relations with Moscow - a prospect that Europeans think would help Russia to strengthen its military and threaten them more. Similarly, many Europeans are deeply wary of Trump's moves to lessen Russia's diplomatic isolation as part of his efforts to secure a deal to end the war in Ukraine. The brief summit statement will include just one reference to Russia as a threat to Euro-Atlantic security and another to allies' commitment to supporting Ukraine, diplomats say. (Additional reporting by Lili Bayer; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

Soccer-Depay equals scoring record as Dutch thrash Malta
Soccer-Depay equals scoring record as Dutch thrash Malta

The Star

time10-06-2025

  • Sport
  • The Star

Soccer-Depay equals scoring record as Dutch thrash Malta

Soccer Football - World Cup - European Qualifiers - Group G - Netherlands v Malta - Euroborg Stadion, Groningen, Netherlands - June 10, 2025 Malta players look dejected after the match REUTERS/Piroschka Van De Wouw GRONINGEN, Netherlands (Reuters) -Memphis Depay scored twice to equal the Netherlands' goal-scoring record as the Dutch hammered Malta 8-0 on Tuesday for a second successive World Cup qualifying victory. Depay converted a ninth-minute penalty and fired home a powerful shot seven minutes later to match Robin van Persie's record of 50 goals for the Dutch national team. Both achieved the tally in 102 appearances. Substitute Donyell Malen also scored a double with captain Virgil van Dijk, Xavi Simons, Noa Lang and Micky van de Ven adding the other goals as the Dutch won a second Group G qualifier after beating Finland in Helsinki on Saturday. Depay's opener at the Euroborg stadium came after Justin Kluivert was clipped in the penalty area, followed swiftly by his 50th goal for his country. That proved a much more impressive effort as the ball was pulled back from the byline for Depay to thrash it home from the edge of the area. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in London; Editing by Toby Davis)

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