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Türkiye Detains Istanbul District Mayor in Corruption Probe

People cast long shadows on the ground as they gather in a promenade next to the Bosphorus during a hot summer day in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People cast long shadows on the ground as they gather in a promenade next to the Bosphorus during a hot summer day in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
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Türkiye Detains Istanbul District Mayor in Corruption Probe

People cast long shadows on the ground as they gather in a promenade next to the Bosphorus during a hot summer day in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
People cast long shadows on the ground as they gather in a promenade next to the Bosphorus during a hot summer day in Istanbul, Türkiye, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Turkish police detained 40 people including the mayor of Istanbul's central Beyoglu district as part of a corruption investigation, state broadcaster TRT Haber said on Friday, the latest wave in a crackdown on the opposition.

Beyoglu Mayor Inan Guney from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) was the 16th mayor to have been taken into custody in the crackdown, in which a total of more than 500 people have been detained in less than a year, Reuters reported

Among those currently in prison is Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main political rival, who is being investigated on charges of corruption and links to terrorism.

The CHP denies the charges and calls them an attempt to eliminate a democratic alternative, a charge the government rejects.

TRT Haber said those held in the latest operation are suspected of involvement in fraudulent activities at companies linked to the Istanbul municipality. Arrest warrants were issued for a total of 44 people, including the 40 detained, it said.

On Thursday, CHP mayor Ozlem Cercioglu from the western city of Aydin joined Erdogan's ruling AK Party, citing disagreements with the CHP administration.

CHP leader Ozgur Ozel told reporters, without providing evidence, that AKP officials had threatened Cercioglu with legal investigations into her municipality and arrest unless she joined the ruling party.

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Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas, Arrest Dozens at May Day Rallies

Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Turkish Police Fire Tear Gas, Arrest Dozens at May Day Rallies

Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
Turkish police detain a protestor during a May Day (Labor Day) rally, marking international Workers' Day, in Besiktas, a district of Istanbul, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)

Turkish police on Friday fired tear gas and arrested dozens of people holding May Day demonstrations in Istanbul, AFP journalists said.

Two groups were specially singled out in the city's European side after signaling their intention to march to Taksim square -- the scene of several anti-government protests in the past -- which was sealed off overnight by police.

Turkish media, including the opposition website Bir Gun, counted at least 57 arrests.

May 1, which celebrates workers and the working classes, sees a major police deployment in Türkiye every year, with a large area in the heart of Istanbul around Taksim Square sealed off.

Last year, protests moved to the Kadikoy area of the city and more than 400 people were arrested.

On Friday, a large deployment of police, many in riot gear, and metal barricades were seen choking access to central neighborhoods of Istanbul.

In the Mecidiyekoy district, police were seen by AFP using tear gas on the crowd, which included members of a Marxist party, the HKP, who tried to push through while chanting "USA murderer, (Türkiye’s ruling party) AKP accomplice".

Police encircling the Besiktas neighborhood stepped in -- sometimes violently -- whenever a chant was taken up by the demonstrators. AFP saw several protesters thrown to the ground.

Unions and civil society associations had called for the May 1 demonstrations under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom".

Earlier this week, Turkish authorities issued arrest and search warrants against 62 people, of whom they deemed 46 -- including journalists, trade unionists and opposition figures -- were "likely to carry out attacks".

World

China Urges US to Preserve ‘Stability’ in Ties, Warns Taiwan Is ‘Risk Point’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)
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China Urges US to Preserve ‘Stability’ in Ties, Warns Taiwan Is ‘Risk Point’

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. (Reuters)

China's foreign minister on Thursday urged the United States to maintain "stability" between the two powers and warned that Taiwan posed the biggest risk, weeks before President Donald Trump visits Beijing.

In a call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing and Washington should "safeguard the hard-won stability" in China-US relations, China's foreign ministry said.

The talks also discussed the Middle East, where China has been a key partner of Tehran but has largely kept its distance after Trump joined Israel in attacking Iran, sending global oil prices spiraling.

A State Department official confirmed the phone call and said it was to arrange Trump's trip but did not give further details.

Trump is scheduled to visit China on May 14-15 to see President Xi Jinping -- the Republican billionaire's first trip to the rival power since returning to the White House in January 2025.

During Trump's first year back in office, Washington and Beijing clashed over trade and tariffs until a truce was declared in October, when Trump and Xi met in South Korea.

"Both sides should safeguard the hard-won stability, prepare well for key high-level interactions, expand areas of cooperation" and manage their differences, Wang told Rubio, according to a readout from the Chinese foreign ministry.

While ties have "generally remained stable" under Trump and Xi, Wang "emphasized that the Taiwan issue concerns China's core interests and is the biggest risk point in China-US relations", it said.

Beijing claims Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification and is sharply critical of US military assistance to the self-ruled island and its support of Taipei on the international stage.

"The United States must honor its commitments and make the right choices, opening new perspectives for bilateral cooperation and do its part to promote world peace," Wang said.

The statement from the Chinese ministry said Wang and Rubio had "exchanged views" on the situation in the Middle East, without offering further details.

World

French FM: US's Hormuz Coalition 'Not in Competition' with France, UK-led Bid

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and French Government Spokesperson Maud Bregeon attend the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, April 28, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and French Government Spokesperson Maud Bregeon attend the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, April 28, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
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French FM: US's Hormuz Coalition 'Not in Competition' with France, UK-led Bid

French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and French Government Spokesperson Maud Bregeon attend the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, April 28, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu and French Government Spokesperson Maud Bregeon attend the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, April 28, 2026. REUTERS/Abdul Saboor

France's top diplomat on Friday said a new US-led coalition to reopen the Strait of Hormuz would complement and not compete with a similar mission spearheaded by France and Britain.

Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, speaking in Abu Dhabi following a regional tour, said he briefed Gulf allies on the UK-France initiative which was now at an "advanced" stage.

On Thursday, a US official confirmed to AFP that Washington was launching an international coalition dubbed the "Maritime Freedom Construct" to restart shipping in the vital route.

The strait, which normally carries one-fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas, has been effectively blockaded by Iran over the Middle East war, sending prices soaring and choking trade networks.

The UK and France have led talks on a separate maritime effort, recently holding a meeting with more than 50 countries in London.

The US mission is "not of the same nature as the one we established... it comes as a sort of complement", Barrot said in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, following visits to Saudi Arabia and Oman.

"It is not in competition with the initiative we have launched and on which we are focused," he added.

The Wall Street Journal said a reported diplomatic cable called on US embassies to press foreign governments to take part in the US-led effort.

Asked whether France would join Washington's initiative, Barrot said he could not comment at this stage.

The UK-France mission "is now at an advanced stage, the planning has been finalized, and I have come to present the concept of this mission to a number of our closest partners in the region,” he added.

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at allies' reluctance to get involved in the US-Israeli war on Iran, and previously urged oil-reliant nations to take responsibility for reopening the strait.

Iran has vowed not to reopen the waterway as long as the United States blockades its ports. The closure has had a widespread impact on the global economy, with oil prices hitting a four-year high this week.