Istanbul: Mayor Imamoglu, Erdogan's main rival, arrested for corruption

Today's news: More bombings overnight in Israel and Gaza, far-right leader Ben-Gvir welcomed back into Netanyahu's government; No truce in Ukraine in the two and a half hour phone call between Putin and Trump; Rohingya leader arrested in Bangladesh; Hanoi wants to halve the number of provinces and reduce the authorities at municipal level by up to 70%.

TURKEY

During the night the Turkish police arrested the mayor of Istanbul (and in all probability President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival in the next presidential elections), Ekrem Imamoglu. The charges - rejected by the opposition leader who promises to fight and who has already been the object of ‘attention’ from the judiciary in the past - include ‘corruption’ and support for ‘terrorist groups’. Yesterday the University of Istanbul announced that his degree was ‘fake’, an accusation rejected by Imamoglu himself, casting shadows over the presidential race because it is a mandatory requirement for the presidential office. Interviewed by AsiaNews in February 2022, he outlined the future of the new Turkey based on the values of ‘citizenship, opportunity and freedom’.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

More intense Israeli air raids on Gaza during the night, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decreed the end of the truce and resumed the air strikes. In just over 24 hours there have already been over 400 deaths, including dozens of women and children. Hamas has stated that the door to talks is ‘not closed’ and that they are ready to negotiate a truce and the release of Israeli prisoners. Meanwhile, with the resumption of the war, the far-right ‘Jewish Power’ party has returned to the government and its leader Itamar Ben Gvir has returned to his role as Minister for National Security.

RUSSIA - UNITED STATES

The telephone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump lasted about two and a half hours, and focused largely on the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader agreed to suspend attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days and to exchange 175 Russian prisoners for the same number of Ukrainians. No agreement on the ceasefire, as requested in the talks in Jeddah in early March that had obtained Kiev's approval. Meanwhile, Russia and Ukraine launched air strikes overnight, hitting infrastructure in both countries.

BANGLADESH - MYANMAR

A militant Rohingya leader - advocate of the attacks on the police in 2017 that triggered the brutal retaliation of the Burmese authorities, causing the flight of about 750,000 members of the Muslim minority to Bangladesh and triggering a humanitarian crisis - was arrested yesterday. Ata Ullah, 48, emerged almost a decade ago as the charismatic leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a group that aims to fight against persecution in Myanmar.

VIETNAM

Hanoi wants to halve the number of provinces and reduce the number of authorities at a municipal level by up to 70%, expanding the rationalisation plan to cut billions of dollars from state budgets. The measures have already seen the number of ministries and government agencies reduced from 30 to 22 and one in five public sector jobs will be cut over the next five years. The plan will reduce the number of administrative units at the provincial level by about 50% and at the grassroots level by about 60-70%.

CHINA - ISLAM

Chinese officials have ordered Uyghurs in Xinjiang in the northwest to send footage of themselves not observing the precept of fasting during Ramadan. In a post on Douyin, a resident of Peyziwat County, Kashgar Prefecture, said he had to record a video of himself eating lunch every day until Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the holy month of fasting and prayer. Police and administrators confirm that residents are required to provide evidence that they are eating.

SRI LANKA

In 2024, Sri Lanka's economy grew by 5%, exceeding the International Monetary Fund's forecast of 4.5%, and marking a strong rebound from the worst financial crisis in decades. Among the leading sectors are industrial production (+25.5%) and services (+57.5%), as well as agriculture, which recorded an increase of +8.3% on the previous year.

KAZAKHSTAN

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has received the director of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), Shen Yanfeng. The meeting focused on the construction of the country's first nuclear power plant, planned to have a capacity of two gigawatts in seven years with an investment of 5.6 billion dollars, and the establishment of a Kazakh atomic energy agency.

• Asia
• Today