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Jailed Istanbul Mayor Hit with New ‘Espionage’ Arrest Order as Opposition Crackdown Deepens 

26 October 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: Supporters of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, who is currently detained, gather in front of Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul after a new espionage investigation was launched against him. (dpa)
26 October 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: Supporters of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, who is currently detained, gather in front of Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul after a new espionage investigation was launched against him. (dpa)
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Jailed Istanbul Mayor Hit with New ‘Espionage’ Arrest Order as Opposition Crackdown Deepens 

26 October 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: Supporters of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, who is currently detained, gather in front of Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul after a new espionage investigation was launched against him. (dpa)
26 October 2025, Türkiye, Istanbul: Supporters of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor and presidential candidate Ekrem Imamoglu, who is currently detained, gather in front of Caglayan Courthouse in Istanbul after a new espionage investigation was launched against him. (dpa)

A Turkish court issued a fresh arrest order for Istanbul's jailed mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on Monday on suspicion of "political espionage", marking a new stage in an unprecedented crackdown on President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's opponents.

It is not unusual for Turkish courts to issue formal arrest orders for people already in custody when a new investigation is launched. Critics say the courts are politicized, an allegation rejected by the government which says they are independent.

Some analysts said the move against Imamoglu, Erdogan's main political rival, could lead to the state seizing control of the municipality of Istanbul, which is Europe's largest city.

The espionage probe marks an escalation of a year-long legal crackdown on the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which the government's critics see as damaging Türkiye's democratic credentials. Imamoglu and his party are already facing an array of allegations that they deny.

Imamoglu has been in jail since March pending trial on separate corruption charges, and also received a fresh jail sentence in July for insulting and threatening the chief Istanbul prosecutor.

The latest court ruling accuses Imamoglu of engaging in graft to raise funds for his presidential candidacy and of "espionage" to secure international support, the state-owned Anadolu news agency said.

Imamoglu rejected the new accusations in a statement from prison on Friday and again in court on Sunday. "Such slander, lies and conspiracy wouldn't even cross the devil's mind!" he said on X. "We are facing shameful immorality that can't be described with words."

An indictment from the court could pave the way for Istanbul's state-appointed governor to take control of the city. GlobalSource Partners analyst Atilla Yesilada said the interior ministry has the authority to sack Imamoglu and replace him with a trustee.

Anadolu said an Istanbul court had issued the arrest order overnight for Imamoglu and two others, including Merdan Yanardag, editor-in-chief of television news channel Tele1. The channel, which is critical of the government, was seized by the state on Friday as part of the espionage accusations.

The opposition won some respite from the pressure on Friday, after another court dismissed a bid to oust the CHP's leader and annul its 2023 congress.

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World

Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March

Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March
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Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March

Officials: Torrential Rains in Kenya Kill 81 in March

Torrential storms that have triggered flash floods in Kenya have killed at least 81 people this month, authorities said Sunday, as rain continued to pound much of the country.

"The cumulative number of fatalities has unfortunately risen to 81," national police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement.

"Additionally, flash floods have swept through several areas, displacing approximately 2,690 families and causing widespread destruction of infrastructure and property."

The capital Nairobi is the hardest-hit region, with 37 people killed, he said.

On Friday night, authorities called on residents to evacuate several slum neighborhoods downstream from the Nairobi dam, warning of an imminent risk of flooding as rising water levels threatened to breach the dam embankment, according to local media.

The dam has held so far.

Two people drowned overnight in floods in the town of Kiambu, just outside the capital, police told AFP.

Two also died as landslides hit the western village of Kasaka, burying numerous homes, reported private broadcaster Citizen TV.

The rain is forecast to continue until Tuesday.

Authorities called for "extreme caution".

The March rains have repeatedly turned Nairobi streets to raging rivers, flooding thousands of homes and businesses.

Critics have called for the resignation of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, who had vowed to improve the capital's drainage and road infrastructure when he took office in 2022.

Scientists say human-caused climate change is increasing the probability, length and severity of extreme weather events.

Studies indicate east Africa has been hit by more extreme rains and droughts over the past two decades.

World

1 Dead in Istanbul after Gas Explosion Collapses 2 Buildings

Police secure the way to a site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Police secure the way to a site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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1 Dead in Istanbul after Gas Explosion Collapses 2 Buildings

Police secure the way to a site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
Police secure the way to a site where two residential buildings collapsed in Istanbul, Sunday, March 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

A natural gas explosion in Istanbul’s central Fatih district brought down two buildings on Sunday, killing one person.

Search and rescue personnel pulled out 10 injured who were hospitalized, including one in critical condition, according to a statement by the Istanbul Governor’s office.

The governor, Davut Gul, visited the site of the explosion and checked on survivors at the hospital.

One of the collapsed buildings had two stories, the other one.

World

Iran Threatens to Retaliate against Gulf Energy and Water after Trump Ultimatum

epa12835579 Liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, in Ras Laffan, Qatar, 25 February 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). Qatar has said Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City have caused significant damage to the natural gas industrial complex, located approximately 80 km north-east of Doha. It is operated by Qatar Energy and employs around 115,000 people according to the company. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE
epa12835579 Liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, in Ras Laffan, Qatar, 25 February 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). Qatar has said Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City have caused significant damage to the natural gas industrial complex, located approximately 80 km north-east of Doha. It is operated by Qatar Energy and employs around 115,000 people according to the company. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE
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Iran Threatens to Retaliate against Gulf Energy and Water after Trump Ultimatum

epa12835579 Liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, in Ras Laffan, Qatar, 25 February 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). Qatar has said Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City have caused significant damage to the natural gas industrial complex, located approximately 80 km north-east of Doha. It is operated by Qatar Energy and employs around 115,000 people according to the company. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE
epa12835579 Liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City, in Ras Laffan, Qatar, 25 February 2026 (issued 20 March 2026). Qatar has said Iranian missile attacks on the Ras Laffan Industrial City have caused significant damage to the natural gas industrial complex, located approximately 80 km north-east of Doha. It is operated by Qatar Energy and employs around 115,000 people according to the company. EPA/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE

Iran said on Sunday it would strike the energy and water systems of its Gulf neighbors in retaliation if US President Donald Trump follows through with a threat to hit Iran's electricity grid in 48 hours, escalating the three-week-old war.

The prospect of tit-for-tat strikes on civilian infrastructure could deepen the regional crisis and rattle global markets when they reopen on Monday morning, Reuters reported.

Air raid sirens sounded across Israel from the early hours of Sunday, warning of incoming missiles from Iran, after scores of people were hurt overnight in two separate attacks in the southern Israeli towns of Arad and Dimona.

The Israeli military said hours later that it was striking Tehran in response.

Trump threatened overnight to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran did not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, barely a day after he talked about "winding down" the war. He made the new threat as US Marines and heavy landing craft are heading to the region.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf wrote on X that critical infrastructure and energy facilities in the Middle East could be "irreversibly destroyed" should Iranian power plants be attacked.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guards said it would also mean the shipping lane where a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas normally transits along Iran's southern coast would remain shut.

"The Strait of Hormuz will be completely closed and will not be opened until our destroyed power plants are rebuilt," the Guards said in a statement.

"President Trump's threat has now placed a 48-hour ticking time bomb of elevated uncertainty over markets," said IG market analyst Tony Sycamore, who expects stock markets to fall when they reopen on Monday.

Oil prices jumped on Friday, ending the day at their highest in nearly four years.

Markets already under severe strain from blockaded shipping were further rattled last week when Israel attacked a major gas field in Iran, and Tehran responded with strikes on neighbors Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, raising the prospect of damage hindering energy output even if tankers resume sailing.

Iranian attacks have effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, causing the worst oil crisis since the 1970s. Its near-closure sent European gas prices surging as much as 35% last week.

"If Iran doesn't FULLY OPEN, WITHOUT THREAT, the Strait of Hormuz, within 48 HOURS from this exact point in time, the United States of America will hit and obliterate their various POWER PLANTS, STARTING WITH THE BIGGEST ONE FIRST!" Trump posted on social media around 7:45 p.m. EDT (2345 GMT) on Saturday.

Iranian media quoted the country's representative to the International Maritime Organisation as saying the strait remains open to all shipping except vessels linked to "Iran's enemies".

Ali Mousavi said passage through the waterway was possible by coordinating security and safety arrangements with Tehran.

Ship-tracking data shows some vessels, such as Indian-flagged ships and a Pakistani oil tanker, have negotiated safe passage through the strait. But the vast majority of ships have remained holed up inside.

Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya military command headquarters said on Sunday if the US hit Iran's fuel and energy infrastructure, Iran would attack all US energy, information technology and desalination infrastructure in the region.

Striking major Iranian power plants could trigger blackouts, crippling everything from pumps and refineries to export terminals and military command centres.