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Turkey: More than 250 Detained over Alleged Terror Links

Turkish policemen in Istanbul. Reuters file photo
Turkish policemen in Istanbul. Reuters file photo
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Turkey: More than 250 Detained over Alleged Terror Links

Turkish policemen in Istanbul. Reuters file photo
Turkish policemen in Istanbul. Reuters file photo

Turkish authorities have detained 267 suspects, 161 of them foreign nationals, for their alleged links to terrorist organizations, state news agency Anadolu reported on Saturday.

Police believe the suspected extremists had been plotting attacks for New Year's Eve, the report said without elaborating.

The suspects were detained during raids in 33 cities and provinces between December 20 and 31, Anadolu said, citing a statement from the Interior Ministry.

The nationalities of the foreign detainees have not been made public.

Separately, Turkey's immigration authority was holding 69 foreign nationals over their "links to conflict zones," the report added, according to the German Press Agency.

Police are said to have seized pistols, explosive materials and digital documents linked to terrorist groups in raids against those 69 people.

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Türkiye's Erdogan Accuses Israel of Undermining Peace Initiatives

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
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Türkiye's Erdogan Accuses Israel of Undermining Peace Initiatives

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during a press conference following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Türkiye, 06 April 2026. (EPA)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday accused Israel of undermining all efforts to halt the war in the Middle East, but said Ankara would continue to pursue any opportunity to advance a ceasefire.

"The Israeli government has continued to undermine all initiatives aimed at ending the war," Erdogan said following a weekly cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital.

"If there is even the slightest chance to silence the weapons and open space for negotiations, we are making sincere efforts to seize it," he added.

"Our hope is that this unlawful, senseless, illegitimate, and extremely costly war for all humanity will come to an end as soon as possible."

Erdogan also said Türkiye has stepped up diplomatic contacts to achieve a ceasefire.

"As the war drags on, we have warned that the fire could spread to other countries. As we leave behind the 38th day of the conflict, we unfortunately continue to carry the same concerns for our region," he said.

"In the face of increasing risks, I, as president, on one hand, and our ministers on the other, are accelerating our diplomatic contacts," he added.

Türkiye has attempted to mediate an end to the hostilities, notably through negotiations conducted with Pakistan and Egypt.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Monday met with the US ambassador to Türkiye, Tom Barrack, who called the meeting "productive".

"Türkiye's partnership continues to be vital as we work toward @POTUS's (Trump's) vision for a more secure region," the ambassador said on X.

Fidan also spoke on the phone with his Iranian counterpart to discuss "the course of war and other developments", a Turkish diplomatic source said.

World

Trump Says Tuesday Deadline to Make a Deal with Iran Is Final

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
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Trump Says Tuesday Deadline to Make a Deal with Iran Is Final

US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, USA, 06 April 2026. (EPA)

US President Donald Trump said on Monday the Tuesday deadline he has set for Iran to make a deal is final, calling Iran's peace proposal significant but not good enough.

Trump has warned US forces will unleash broad attacks on Iranian infrastructure if his Tuesday night deadline is not met. Iran has rejected Trump's deadline.

"They ‌made a ‌proposal, and it's a ‌significant ⁠proposal. It's a significant step. ⁠It's not good enough," Trump told reporters during an Easter egg event for children on the White House South Lawn.

"It could end very quickly, the war, if they do what they have to do. They ⁠have to do certain things. ‌They know that, they've ‌been negotiating I think in good faith," he ‌said.

Trump's senior aides have been negotiating ‌with Iran indirectly through Pakistan, attempting to get a deal in which Iran will forswear nuclear weapons and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the oil ‌transit waterway. Iran said it wanted a permanent end to the war, ⁠not ⁠just a temporary ceasefire.

Trump said it appeared the latest team representing the Iranian government is "not as radicalized" as others who have been killed in airstrikes. "We think they're actually smarter," he said.

Trump said if it were up to him, the United States would take control of Iran's oil, but he said the American people would probably not understand such a move.

World

Red Cross Chief Condemns ‘Deliberate Threats’ Against Civilians in Mideast War

A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
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Red Cross Chief Condemns ‘Deliberate Threats’ Against Civilians in Mideast War

A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)
A man walks past the damaged building of the Shahid Beheshti University following a strike, in Tehran on April 4, 2026. (AFP)

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross on Monday condemned "deliberate threats" against civilian targets that have marked the widening Middle East war.

Without naming any side, ICRC president Mirjana Spoljaric said there had already been widespread destruction of "essential" infrastructure and that "any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law" and "indefensible".

Spoljaric spoke out as the conflict headed for a new crisis point with US President Donald Trump threatening attacks on Iranian bridges and power stations unless Iran reopens the Strait of Hormuz to international shipping.

The ICRC chief, whose body is considered a key guardian of the Geneva conventions, has already warned over the conduct of the war since it started on February 28 with US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Iran has responded with retaliatory strikes on Gulf states and Israel.

"Deliberate threats, whether in rhetoric or in action, against essential civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities must not become the new norm in warfare," Spoljaric said in a statement.

"Any war fought without limits is incompatible with the law. It is indefensible, inhumane and devastating for entire populations."

She added: "States must respect and ensure respect for the rules of war in both what they say and what they do. The world cannot succumb to a political culture that prioritizes death over life."

Spoljaric said that, across the Middle East, ICRC "teams are seeing the destruction of infrastructure essential for civilian life. Power plants, water systems, hospitals, roads, bridges, homes, schools and universities have come under fire.

"Most alarming are potential threats to nuclear facilities. Any miscalculation can cause irreversible consequences for generations to come.

"I urgently call on parties to spare civilians and civilian objects in all military operations. It is their obligation under international humanitarian law."