Türkiye Opposition Calls Extraordinary Congress For Sept 21

A placard reading "Freedom for Imamoglu" is seen as Republican People's Party supporters gather during a rally in support of jailed mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu in Istanbul, on September 3,2025. (AFP)

17:22-6 September 2025 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1447 AH

Türkiye Opposition Calls Extraordinary Congress For Sept 21

Türkiye’s main opposition party has announced it will hold an extraordinary congress on September 21 after a court ousted its Istanbul leadership on graft allegations, party officials said on Saturday.

The decision comes amid growing political pressure on the Republican People's Party (CHP) after a court this week annulled the outcome of its Istanbul provincial congress in October 2023, throwing out its leader Ozgur Celik and 195 others.

More than 900 CHP delegates on Friday submitted a petition to a local election board in the capital Ankara to authorize the congress, a party source told AFP.

The congress is expected to shape the party's strategy as it faces legal uncertainty.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel described the move as "entirely a technical and legal maneuver" in case a court delivers a similar verdict to oust the overall party leadership in a hearing on September 15.

"Because, as you know, anything is within the realm of possibility," he said.

The CHP, the largest opposition force in the Turkish parliament, won a huge victory over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's AKP in the 2024 local elections.

Since then, the party has become a target of a wave of arrests and legal cases that culminated in March with the jailing of Istanbul's popular and powerful mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption allegations that he denies.

The arrest and jailing of Imamoglu, seen as a key rival to Erdogan, sparked street protests unprecedented in a decade.

Authorities have clamped down on demonstrations detaining nearly 2,000 people including students and journalists -- most of whom were later released.

On Tuesday, the court ousted the CHP Istanbul leader and scores of party delegates and named a five-man team to replace them in a move that saw the stock market plunge 5.5 percent.

The CHP has filed an appeal against the ruling.

Political analyst Berk Esen told AFP the move was a "rehearsal" for the bigger case against the party's national leadership seeking to hobble it as an opposition force.

An almost identical lawsuit is hanging over its national leadership in a closely-watched case that will resume in Ankara on September 15.

A petition of over 900 party delegates demanding an extraordinary congress raised within just a day and a half comes against the possibility of a similar court ruling, observers say.

CHP leader Ozel said should an Ankara court deliver a ruling that affects the party's leadership, and appoint a trustee to replace him, "that trustee, I must point out with all due respect, would last no more than six days."

Because, he added, six days later, the party "naturally and inevitably, reinstates its elected leader" at the congress.

Gul Ciftci, a CHP deputy leader responsible for election and legal affairs, said the extraordinary congress "will not only determine the future of our party but will also reaffirm faith in pluralism, diversity, and democratic politics in Türkiye," in a comment on X on Friday.

She hailed the decision for the congress, made with the delegates' will, as "the strongest proof that the CHP stands tall against all attempts at intervention by the government".

The party source told AFP that to boost the chances of the request for an extraordinary congress being accepted, signatures were not collected from the 196 Istanbul delegates who were suspended by the court order.

Iran Ex-PM Hospitalized After Years Under House Arrest

Pedestrians and vehicles cross an intersection around Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)

17:59-5 June 2026 AD ـ 19 Thul-Hijjah 1447 AH

Iran Ex-PM Hospitalized After Years Under House Arrest

Pedestrians and vehicles cross an intersection around Tehran's historic Grand Bazaar, Iran, Monday, June 1, 2026. (AP)

Iran's former prime minister Mir Hossein Mousavi, who was the focus of a 2009 mass protest movement and has spent the last 15 years under house arrest, has been hospitalized after his health deteriorated, an advisor said on Friday.

Mousavi, the last person to serve as Iran's premier before the post was abolished, had claimed to be the rightful victor of the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Most recently, he urged Iran's clerical leadership to step down because of its deadly crackdown on protesters in January in which many thousands were killed.

Last week, "he suffered a health crisis and was transferred to a hospital," his advisor Ardeshir Amir Arjomand, who is based outside Iran, told BBC Persian.

"He is now hospitalized, although his condition has improved since today," he added.

Arjomand said Mousavi's condition had been affected by being moved to a new location when his previous residence in central Tehran was damaged in the US-Israeli strike on February 28 that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Mousavi, 84, and his wife Zahra Rahnavard, 80, also under house arrest since 2011, had been living on Pasteur Street close to Khamenei's offices.

"They remain in a state of uncertainty and displacement. They were previously under pressure, and now it has increased further," said Arjomand in the interview.

"It is unclear how many more times they must go through such crises before officials realize that they should be released," he added.

The Iranian news site Avash said on Thursday that Mousavi was suffering from a serious heart condition and his family were unhappy over the lack of attention from authorities. Unconfirmed reports on Friday said the health ministry had pledged to closely follow his condition.

Mousavi claimed to have won in 2009 against incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arguing that the hardliner's victory was rigged and sparking vast protest rallies in his support known as the Green Movement.

Earlier this year, he said the crackdown on January's protests was a "black page in the history of our nation", a "great betrayal and a crime".

Mousavi was prime minister from 1981 to 1989 under the presidency of Khamenei, who became supreme leader after the death of revolutionary founder Khomeini.

Even in the 80s, Khamenei viewed Mousavi as a rival, with the then-premier regarded as a more moderate figure within the system.

World

Putin Rejects Zelenskyy’s Offer to Meet, Saying He Sees ‘No Point’ in It

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2026. (Reuters)

17:49-5 June 2026 AD ـ 19 Thul-Hijjah 1447 AH

Putin Rejects Zelenskyy’s Offer to Meet, Saying He Sees ‘No Point’ in It

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia June 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday rejected a proposal by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for a face-to-face meeting on the 4-year-old conflict, saying he sees “no point” in it.

Thursday's letter, the first public message Zelenskyy has written directly to Putin since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, was a sweeping critique of the Russian leader’s 26 years in power as well as some taunts about his age.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin described Zelenskyy’s open letter proposing the meeting as “boorish.”

“Is it a way to create conditions for personal meetings and talks, or create an environment which makes any personal meetings impossible?” Putin said at a question-and-answer session at his annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “I think it’s the second.”

Putin added that a Russian businessman whom he didn’t identify traveled to Kyiv last month and met with Zelenskyy to hear his offer of a personal meeting.

However, Putin said that he sees “no point” in such a meeting, especially after a May 22 drone attack by Ukraine on a college dormitory in the Russian-controlled Luhansk region that Moscow said killed 21 and wounded scores of others.

In response to Zelenskyy’s barbs about his age and long stay in power, the 73-year-old Putin pointed at other global leaders who are older, adding that “the main thing isn’t age; the main thing is the ability to work.”

He also mocked Zelenskyy's rocky Oval Office meeting in 2025 and thanked US President Donald Trump for “educating” Zelenskyy “before the eyes of the whole world” and teaching him a proper dress code.

“There is still a lot to be done,” he said.

Zelenskyy acknowledged shifting US priorities, saying it would be wrong to simply wait for the Trump administration to return its attention to ending the fighting in Ukraine while it remains heavily focused on the Iran war.

In Washington, Trump said Thursday it “would be great” if Putin and Zelenskyy meet.

Putin has previously offered for Zelenskyy to come to Moscow for talks, an offer that the Ukrainian leader pointedly rejected. Putin said last month he doesn’t exclude a meeting in a third country, but only when there is a deal to sign.

On Thursday, Putin again rejected Zelenskyy’s push for an immediate ceasefire, arguing that Moscow wants a comprehensive settlement, not a temporary truce.

Putin said Russia is open for a compromise on Ukraine in line with understandings reached at his last year’s summit with Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, adding that Ukraine needs to accept them to make a deal to end the conflict.

“Naturally, the Ukrainian side would like us to suspend the advances made by Russian troops,” he said. “But it would be better to end the war by agreeing to the compromises that were discussed in Anchorage.”

Global turbulence

In a speech earlier Friday at the forum, Putin said developing countries have gained an increasingly important role in the global economy, while the share of output by Western countries has shrunk.

He accused the West of undermining the global economy and finances with unilateral sanctions. By freezing Russian assets abroad through sanctions, Western nations eroded trust in their own currencies, he said.

“The sanctions and blocking of Russia’s sovereign reserves have irreversibly impacted the standing of international currencies, the dollar and the euro,” he said. “Just like Russia, any other country could lose access to their legitimate assets in dollars or euros, as well as Western financial and payment systems.”

He alleged that high state debt had helped undermine global trust in Western institutions.

“The roots of the current global turbulence lie in the transition from a vertical, hierarchical model, which served the interests of a small number of states, to a more complex, distributed and multipolar one,” Putin said. “Russia views global changes not only as a threat but also as immense opportunities. And to capitalize on them, we aim to act swiftly and pragmatically.”

The Russian leader said the world needed a “modern, flexible and responsible financial architecture — free from risks, bans and barriers.”

Putin stresses Russia's macroeconomic stability

Putin played down Russia’s economic slowdown and sought to emphasize its macroeconomic stability. He noted that Russia’s state debt is a fraction of that in Western countries and its budget deficit is considerably smaller, compared with the West.

The forum comes at a time when Russia’s economic outlook has clouded amid the conflict in Ukraine. The government raised taxes and increased domestic borrowing to keep its budget deficit under control.

On Thursday, Putin told heads of international media on the forum's sidelines that it was an exaggeration to say Russia's economy was struggling. He noted that his government had taken deliberate steps to cool the economy to keep inflation under control.

Putin has used the St. Petersburg forum, likened to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to showcase his country’s economic advances and encourage foreign investment. While Western officials and business leaders have stayed away after Putin sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, Russia has sought guests from elsewhere to underline its declared goal of promoting a “multipolar world.”

Hours before the forum opened Wednesday, a Ukrainian drone attack set ablaze an oil terminal in St. Petersburg and also hit a nearby naval base.

Putin declared that Russia was “calmly and resolutely” moving to reach its goals in Ukraine. He acknowledged the damage from Ukrainian drone attacks deep inside Russia and vowed to build up defenses.

“They do inflict a certain damage,” he said. “For us, it means only one thing: we need to strengthen our security, strengthen air defenses, and we will do that.”

World

UK PM Says Russia Could Attack NATO Within Four Years

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he visits STARK, a leading defense tech company in Swindon, England, Friday, June 5, 2026. (Reuters)

16:51-5 June 2026 AD ـ 19 Thul-Hijjah 1447 AH

UK PM Says Russia Could Attack NATO Within Four Years

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks as he visits STARK, a leading defense tech company in Swindon, England, Friday, June 5, 2026. (Reuters)

Russia could attack a NATO country within four years according to western intelligence assessments, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned on Friday.

He made the comments as he pledged his government would publish a long-delayed defense investment plan before next month's NATO summit.

"It is our intelligence assessment and the assessment of other countries in NATO that there could be an attack by Russia on NATO as soon as 2030," Starmer said.

"So you can see the urgency and the priority that we're putting behind this now," he added during a visit to a drone manufacturer in southwest England.

It echoes similar timeframes expressed by other European leaders and NATO chief Mark Rutte who warned in December that Russia "could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years".

Starmer has pledged to raise defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product from next year, increasing to three percent in the next parliament.

A 10-year defense investment plan following a review of the UK's defense capabilities was meant to be published late last year but has not yet been produced.

Starmer announced it would be published before the NATO summit in Türkiye, beginning on July 7.

UK media has reported that the plan has been delayed due to disagreement between the finance ministry and other departments over the cost.

Starmer insisted to reporters it would be "fully funded".

Earlier Friday, Britain's military chief warned that Britain must boost its defenses in response to threats posed by Russia, which invaded Ukraine more than four years ago.

"In my 35-year career, this is the most dangerous period that I have known," Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton told the BBC.

"And as a consequence, it is important that we enhance the capability and the readiness of our armed forces alongside our allies to deter our adversaries from doing something daft."

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged NATO countries to spend more on defense and become less reliant on Washington for security.

Türkiye Opposition Calls Extraordinary Congress For Sept 21

Türkiye Opposition Calls Extraordinary Congress For Sept 21

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Iran Ex-PM Hospitalized After Years Under House Arrest

Iran Ex-PM Hospitalized After Years Under House Arrest

Putin Rejects Zelenskyy’s Offer to Meet, Saying He Sees ‘No Point’ in It

Putin Rejects Zelenskyy’s Offer to Meet, Saying He Sees ‘No Point’ in It

UK PM Says Russia Could Attack NATO Within Four Years

UK PM Says Russia Could Attack NATO Within Four Years

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