Israeli air strikes hit Gaza as ceasefire falters
Israel launched air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza on Sunday, in what officials called a response to militant attacks, as the U.S.-mediated ceasef...
Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has announced on Tuesday that 234 senior members of transnational crime networks were detained in an operation covering five countries. The operation is being hailed as one of the most significant anti-organized crime crackdowns in recent years.
“This morning, we have conducted a major operation targeting high-level members of organized crime groups involved in national and international drug trafficking, as well as money laundering,” said Turkish Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya.
Of the suspects detained, 225 were arrested in Türkiye, while 9 were apprehended abroad. Ten of the individuals were wanted under the Interpol Red Notices.
He added that the operation, codenamed ORKİNOS-BULUT, was carried out simultaneously with police departments in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Belgium, under the coordination of Turkey’s General Directorate of Security.
In addition, as part of the operation, information and documents were shared with law enforcement authorities in France, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, Greece, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Brazil, and Iran.
Apart from drug trafficking and money laundering, authorities identified a range of serious offenses committed by these criminal organizations, including deliberate murder, firearm assaults, kidnapping, unlawful deprivation of liberty and torture, intimidation through shootings targeting businesses and vehicles, and blackmail.
According to Minister Yerlikaya, the criminal syndicates were involved in large-scale drug smuggling operations, trafficking into Türkiye and across broader Europe:
- Cocaine from South America,
- Heroin from Iran and Afghanistan,
- Skunk cannabis via the Balkans, and
“We have seized the assets of these international crime organizations, identified so far by Türkiye’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK),” Yerlikaya said.
“This include 681 real estate properties, 127 vehicles, partnership shares in 113 companies, and multiple bank accounts belonging to the suspects—altogether valued at approximately 13 billion Turkish Liras.”
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least 69 people have died and almost 150 injured following a powerful 6.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Cebu City in the central Visayas region of the Philippines, officials said, making it one of the country’s deadliest disasters this year.
A tsunami threat was issued in Chile after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Drake Passage on Friday. The epicenter was located 135 miles south of Puerto Williams on the north coast of Navarino Island.
The war in Ukraine has reached a strategic impasse, and it seems that the conflict will not be solved by military means. This creates a path toward one of two alternatives: either a “frozen” phase that can last indefinitely or a quest for a durable political regulation.
A shooting in Nice, southeastern France, left two people dead and five injured on Friday, authorities said.
Israel launched air strikes and artillery fire on Gaza on Sunday, in what officials called a response to militant attacks, as the U.S.-mediated ceasefire came under renewed strain.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt will remain closed until Hamas returns the bodies of deceased hostages, as both sides traded blame over alleged ceasefire violations.
On Friday, a delegation from the Turkish National Defence Ministry paid an official visit to Damascus, the capital of Syria.
Africa’s trade corridors are opening up major opportunities for investors, serving as strategic routes that unite investment, human resources, expertise, and digital transformation across the continent.
A new multimodal transport corridor linking China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan has officially opened, marking the completion of the long-planned China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway project, which began construction on 27 December 2024.
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