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On Tiny Greek Island, 14 Migrants and Man’s Body Found after Dinghy Sinks

A group of Syrian refugees, who say they were walking in the woods for three days and decided to leave it because of a wildfire burning in the area, are detained by Greek authorities near the town of Soufli in the region of Evros, Greece, September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
A group of Syrian refugees, who say they were walking in the woods for three days and decided to leave it because of a wildfire burning in the area, are detained by Greek authorities near the town of Soufli in the region of Evros, Greece, September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
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On Tiny Greek Island, 14 Migrants and Man’s Body Found after Dinghy Sinks

A group of Syrian refugees, who say they were walking in the woods for three days and decided to leave it because of a wildfire burning in the area, are detained by Greek authorities near the town of Soufli in the region of Evros, Greece, September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
A group of Syrian refugees, who say they were walking in the woods for three days and decided to leave it because of a wildfire burning in the area, are detained by Greek authorities near the town of Soufli in the region of Evros, Greece, September 3, 2023. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis

Greece's coast guard found a group of 14 migrants and the body of a man on the shore of a tiny island in the eastern Aegean Sea on Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The five men, six women and three children were found on the remote island of Farmakonisi, along with the body of one man. It was not immediately clear how he died, The Associated Press reported.

The group had apparently arrived on the island from the Turkish coast in a dinghy that sank, the coast guard said. There were no reports of anyone missing. The migrants and the deceased man were taken to the nearby island of Leros, the coast guard added.

There has been a rise in sea crossings to European Union member Greece by people fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and seeking a better life in the wealthy 27-country bloc.

Despite the increase in migration to Greece, Italy is still the main entry point for the EU for migrants, with about 114,200 arrivals so far this year. Spain follows with more than 21,000 arrivals, according to United Nations figures, while the figure for Greece is nearly 18,600.

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Turkish Opposition Party Reelects Chairman Following Arrest of Istanbul Mayor

Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech, during a CHP convention, in Ankara, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech, during a CHP convention, in Ankara, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
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Turkish Opposition Party Reelects Chairman Following Arrest of Istanbul Mayor

Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech, during a CHP convention, in Ankara, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)
Republican People's Party or (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel delivers a speech, during a CHP convention, in Ankara, Sunday, April 6, 2025. (AP)

Türkiye's main opposition party reelected its chairman Sunday, two weeks after the arrest of the mayor of Istanbul, the party’s highest profile rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Ozgur Ozel was reelected at an extraordinary congress of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, which he called to prevent what he said was a plot by the government to appoint a caretaker for the party.

The arrest of Istanbul’s opposition Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on corruption charges has ignited large-scale anti-government protests. Imamoglu had emerged as the main challenger to Erdogan’s 22-year rule since he was elected mayor of Istanbul in 2019, overturning a quarter-century of rule by conservative parties.

The opposition claims the charges against Imamoglu are politically motivated, but the government insists the judiciary is independent and free of political interference.

While in prison, Imamoglu was confirmed as the CHP’s presidential candidate for the election scheduled for 2028, but which will likely to take place earlier.

Ozel said he decided to call Sunday's party congress on March 21, two days after Imamoglu's arrest and hours before the alleged government caretaker was to be appointed for CHP.

"They didn’t have the courage to compete with us in service, so instead they attempted to intimidate our municipalities and the opposition by using the might of the government against their rivals," Ozel told the assembly. "They thought they could remain in power by polarizing the public and provoking new conflicts."

Former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou and a delegation from the European Parliament's Party of European Socialists visited the CHP headquarters Saturday to offer their support and solidarity with "all people fighting for democracy and the rule of law in Türkiye." Turkish media reported that Papandreou attended Sunday's congress.

Erdogan and his ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, suffered a major setback during municipal elections last year, when the CHP retained control over key cities like Istanbul and Ankara while also making huge gains elsewhere.

In the months since that election, many opposition mayors of both the CHP and the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy Party, or DEM, have been replaced by government-appointed caretakers on terrorism charges, which the parties strongly dispute.