Turkish authorities continue to crack down on the main opposition party. With the leadership of the commercial metropolis under commission, judges could also remove the national leadership. At least 14 people have been arrested in recent days for inciting street protests. Internet blocks and restrictions, bans on demonstrations, leafleting and sit-ins.
CHP provincial chairman Özgür Çelik and his team have been removed from office, replaced by interim officials, led by Gürsel Tekin, a longtime party member who has been less critical of the government. The party’s national leader Özgür Özel expelled Tekin from the party, pledging the same fate for anyone who accepts to be court-appointed.
More than 12 million people, or 14 per cent of the population, live in extreme poverty. The number of children at risk of removal from their families due to financial difficulties is up. The birth rate is dropping, raising concerns about the country's future demographic balance. One in four citizens is expected to be over 65 by 2080.
According to the Jordanian scholar, the Netanyahu government's ultimate goal ‘goes beyond’ defeating Hamas and redrawing borders. The West Bank becomes an ‘opportunity to be exploited’ with a view to annexation. The weakness of the Palestinian Authority and the international community, the new paradigm of the Abraham Accords. Among the nations of the region, ‘more tactics than alliances’.
George Aslan, Christian MP elected with the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party, has raised the alarm in a parliamentary question to the Culture Minister about the ancient place of worship set to undergo restoration. Built in the 10th century, the church is considered one of the most significant examples of medieval Armenian architecture.
Mehran Shamloui, 37, was trying to reach Europe, but was stopped by Turkish authorities who sent him back to his country of origin, he had been sentenced recently to 10 years in prison for religious activities. Meanwhile, Iran continues its policy of expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants.
