Author: staff

“[U.S. President Donald] Trump’s anti-democratic actions at home have fueled a global climate where autocrats elsewhere feel empowered to further crush dissent,” she said. Trump, who regularly calls for his political opponents to be locked up, is hardly likely to lecture Erdoğan, publicly or privately, over İmamoğlu’s incarceration. And in an interview with the MAGA-loyal Tucker Carlson last week, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff described a recent phone conversation between the two leaders as “great” and “transformational.” So, why move against him now and launch the arrests of 106 others, including officials from İmamoğlu’s CHP? | Yasin Akgul/Getty Images Admittedly,…

“What was done to President Tayyip Erdoğan and to me in the past should not be done to Ekrem İmamoğlu either … We must not lose the rule of law and justice. Otherwise, Türkiye will lose,” Gül said. In 1998, Erdoğan was convicted for inciting religious hatred and banned from politics after reciting a poem when he was mayor of Istanbul. What happens now? The Turkish constitution limits presidents to two terms and Erdoğan’s current term ends in 2028. If parliament calls for early elections, Erdoğan, 71, could legally run again before finishing his second term.  Several observers reckon Erdoğan’s…

But the participation of Beijing — an ally of Moscow — in the mission could boost the prospects of the peacekeeping effort, considering that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s support for Putin has only grown since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The peacekeeping mission being pushed by a “coalition of the willing” is an initiative of Britain and France aiming to unite allied European governments to protect Ukraine after any peace deal. Canada and Turkey could also join the group. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told allies on Friday that three more days of military planning…

While the most dramatic phase of his illness has passed, Francis is expected to be confined within his Vatican residence, the Santa Marta guesthouse, and placed under close medical supervision, potentially even hospice care, according to three people familiar with Vatican planning. The move follows an internal dispute among the pope’s advisers over whether he should resign — allowing him to rest and potentially return to health — or remain in power to further consolidate his legacy, according to one of the people and a fourth person with knowledge of the matter. Francis ultimately chose to remain in his post, despite…

A weak and frail Pope Francis has left the hospital and has gone home to the Vatican after surviving a five-week, life-threatening bout of pneumonia. A motorcade carrying the 88-year-old pope wound its way through light Rome traffic Sunday morning. Before leaving Gemelli hospital, Francis gave a thumbs up and acknowledged the crowd after he was wheeled out onto the balcony overlooking the main entry. Hundreds of people had gathered on a brilliant Sunday morning to say goodbye.The Argentine pope, who has chronic lung disease and had part of one lung removed as a young man, was admitted to Gemelli…

U.S. President Donald Trump said he is the only person in the world who is able to end the war in Ukraine, adding that efforts to keep the conflict from escalating are “somewhat under control.” “I don’t think there’s anybody in the world that is going to stop [Russian President Vladimir Putin], except me,” Trump said in an interview with media outlet Outkick on Air Force One late Saturday. “And I think I’m going to be able to stop him,” he added. “We’ve had some very rational discussions, and I just want to see the people stop getting killed,” Trump…

Despite huge investment and award-winning shows, Apple TV+ is still struggling to make a mark and reportedly losing up to a billion euros a year. Apple is reportedly losing $1 billion (€923 million) a year on its streaming service. As the last episode of the second season of its hit show ‘Severance’ airs this week, it’s a damning indictment of the tech firm’s Netflix competitor. Two sources close to the company confirmed to The Information that the tech firm has spent $5 billion (€4.62 billion) a year on Apple TV+ since it launched in 2019. Apple’s huge investment into the…

Hamas said it would avenge the killing of Salah al-Bardawil, who was a senior member of the militant group’s political bureau.  “His blood, that of his wife and martyrs, will remain fueling the battle of liberation and independence,” Al Jazeera reported the group as saying. “The criminal enemy will not break our determination and will.” Meanwhile, Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said it had been three weeks since the Israeli authorities banned the entry of food, medicines, water and fuel into Gaza. “Every day that passes without the entry…

A Turkish court on Sunday jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu, President Tayyip Erdoğan’s top political rival, despite widespread protests against his detention and the allegations against him. Prosecutors have accused İmamoğlu of corruption and aiding a terrorist group, saying he is suspected of leading a “criminal organization.” He is awaiting trial on those charges. Detention orders have also been issued for close to 100 individuals connected with İmamoğlu, including his press adviser, Murat Ongun, CNN cited local media Anadolu as reporting. İmamoğlu was elected mayor of Istanbul, Turkey’s biggest city, in 2019 and again in 2024. He is the opposition…

Thousands protested in Amsterdam, Paris and Toulouse against the backdrop of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. More than 10,000 people gathered in Dam Square in the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, to participate in a massive protest against racism, fascism and far-right policies on Saturday.The demonstration – organised by Comité 21 Maart – an anti-racism association – came one day after the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, observed annually on 21 March since its 1966 declaration by the United Nations.Groups also involved in the organisation of the event included Amnesty International, Kick Out Zwarte Piet,…