live Iran, U.S. make competing claims over control of Strait of Hormuz
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over t...
Prosecutors in Istanbul have ordered the detention of 25 prominent figures, including singers, actors and media personalities, as part of a wide-ranging narcotics investigation.
On Thursday, the Bakırköy Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office said the ongoing probe targets individuals suspected of buying, possessing or using illegal drugs or stimulants.
According to local media reports, police have carried out searches, raids and forensic examinations, and collected biological samples from suspects as part of the investigation.
Authorities said police raids uncovered various illegal substances, including marijuana, ecstasy and methamphetamine, along with syringes and other drug paraphernalia.
Among those for whom detention warrants have been issued are singer Mabel Matiz and actress Serenay Sarıkaya.
Sarıkaya, known for her roles in several popular Turkish television series, said she was abroad when the investigation became public and pledged to return to Türkiye to comply with the warrant.
Other high-profile individuals named in the probe include singers Berkay Şahin, Tan Taşçı and Niran Ünsal, actors Onur Tuna and Feyza Civelek, and rapper Blok3, whose real name is Hakan Aydın.
Taşçı, in a social media post, said he had turned himself in to police in the Turkish city of Bodrum after learning of the allegations from news reports.
According to local media, 17 people have so far been detained, while efforts to locate others remain ongoing.
None of the allegations, however, has yet been proven in court.
The latest wave of detention orders is part of a broader anti-drug operation that has, in recent months, ensnared several prominent figures in the worlds of business, media and entertainment.
The ongoing crackdown has included raids on alleged drug-production sites and dealers, some of whom reportedly stand accused of smuggling drugs, particularly cocaine, into the country by sea.
Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has increased the strategic importance of Bab al-Mandab, raising fears that instability in both waterways could trigger a wider global energy and trade crisis.
Flights at Catania airport in Sicily will remain suspended until early Friday as ash from Mount Etna continues to disrupt air travel, following hundreds of cancellations and diversions over the past week.
Iran says the Strait of Hormuz remains under its control, rejecting U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim of “total control” over the strategic waterway and insisting it will not reopen until Washington fulfils its commitments under an interim deal.
Iran and the United States remain at loggerheads over efforts to agree a permanent end to the war in the Gulf, according to a senior Iranian source who said there had been no progress in talks to revive the interim deal agreed in June and define a timeframe to implement it.
Russia has accused Ukraine of threatening global grain supplies after recent strikes on Black Sea agricultural infrastructure, while Moscow carried out a new overnight attack on Ukraine’s major Danube port of Izmail.
The suspension of two major grain terminals in Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk could increase pressure on Kazakhstan’s agricultural market if Russian exporters divert supplies to Central Asia at discounted prices.
Georgia’s Prime Minister says the EU’s inclusion of a major Black Sea cable project on a key infrastructure list is fresh evidence of the country’s importance to regional energy and digital connectivity.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has dismissed Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan and appointed former parliament speaker Alen Simonyan as his replacement.
Central Asia’s economy has surpassed $543 billion, driven by Kazakhstan’s economic weight, strong exports and foreign investment, while growing trade across Asia points to an increasingly connected region.
The United Nations refugee agency is planning a settlement and carpet-weaving workshop for Afghan returnees in Kabul as the country grapples with large-scale returns and growing pressure on housing, jobs and basic services.
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