Turkey's Ilisu Dam on Tigris Starts Generating Energy at Full Capacity

An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)
An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)
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Turkey's Ilisu Dam on Tigris Starts Generating Energy at Full Capacity

An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)
An old cemetery is seen in Hasankeyf, which will be significantly submerged by the Ilisu Dam, with new Hasankeyf in the background in southeastern Batman province, Turkey, Feb. 20, 2020. (Reuters)

Energy production at the Ilisu Dam in southeast Turkey has reached full capacity, Agriculture Minister Bekir Pakdemirli said on Thursday, adding that it is expected to contribute 2.8 billion lira ($366 million) a year to the economy.

The dam was approved by the Turkish government in 1997 to generate electricity for the region and, after years of setbacks and delays, the first turbine was launched in May this year.

The project has faced opposition from some activists because it has uprooted about 80,000 people from 199 villages, while authorities in neighboring Iraq fear it could affect their water supply from the Tigris river.

The Ilisu Dam’s total installed power stands at 1,200 megawatts, making it Turkey’s fourth-largest dam in terms of energy production.



Netanyahu Takes Witness Stand Again in His Trial for Corruption

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP)
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Netanyahu Takes Witness Stand Again in His Trial for Corruption

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends his trial on corruption charges at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified again on Wednesday in his ongoing trial for alleged corruption.

Netanyahu is the first sitting Israeli leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant. He denies wrongdoing, saying the charges are a witch hunt orchestrated by a hostile media and a biased legal system out to topple his lengthy rule.

The corruption trial testimony is another low point for Israel’s longest-serving leader, who also faces an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Netanyahu is expected to travel to Hungary later Wednesday for a meeting with the country's prime minister, Viktor Orban, despite the international arrest warrant.