Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s supporters celebrated well into the night after Turkey’s long-time president secured another five years in power. “The entire nation of 85 million won,” he told cheering crowds outside his enormous palace on the edge of Ankara. But his call for unity sounded hollow as he ridiculed his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu – and took aim at a jailed Kurdish leader and pro-LGBT policies. The opposition leader did not explicitly concede victory. Complaining of “the most unfair election in recent years”, Mr Kilicdaroglu said the president’s political party had mobilised all the means of the state against him. President … Continue reading Tayyip Erdogan wins presidential election in Turkey with a nation clearly divided

Greece’s conservative prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has won national elections, hailing his party’s big victory as a “political earthquake”. His centre-right New Democracy party were heading for almost 41% of the vote, five seats short of a majority. His centre-left rival Alexis Tsipras congratulated him, with his Syriza party set for a poor result of 20%. Mr Mitsotakis said the result showed that Greeks had given his party a mandate for a four-year government. “The people wanted the choice of a Greece run by a majority government and by New Democracy without the help of others,” he said in a … Continue reading Greek Centre-right party wins big in election

Turkey’s battle for the presidency looks set to go to a run-off, with both contenders adamant they have victory in their grasp. After 20 years in power, Recep Tayyip Erdogan stood on the balcony of his party HQ saying he was convinced he would win another five. And Mr Erdogan’s alliance could also be heading for a majority in parliament. Everything appeared to have fallen into place for his opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu to win. But incomplete results put him behind the president in the first round. For months, Turkey’s disparate opposition parties had pooled their resources in a bid to … Continue reading Recep Tayyip Erdogan in early lead as Presidential race goes to the wire

Three days before Turkey’s tightest presidential vote in years, one of the four candidates, Muharrem Ince, has pulled out of the race. Mr Ince had been under increasing pressure for splitting the opposition vote, when they have their biggest chance yet of removing Recep Tayyip Erdogan from power. “I’m withdrawing my candidacy,” he told reporters. He cited fake sex pictures as one of his reasons for pulling out. He complained that for 45 days he had been slandered and suffered character assassination, and Turkish authorities had failed to protect his reputation. “Fake invoices, fake videos, pictures… they took a video … Continue reading Turkish candidate Muharrem Ince dramatically pulls out before election

House Republicans have unveiled what they say are records of $10m in payments to members of the Biden family from foreign entities. Oversight Committee Chair James Comer said Joe Biden’s relatives had used the family name to enrich themselves, and the president was “involved”. The report itself does not substantiate these claims or implicate Mr Biden. It does not allege illegal conduct. The White House called the report “baseless innuendo”. Republican leaders pledged to aggressively investigate Mr Biden, his administration and his family when they took over control of the US House of Representatives in last year’s midterm election. Mr … Continue reading US House Republicans release probe into Biden family finances

Violent clashes have broken out in Pakistan between security forces and supporters of former prime minister Imran Khan after he was arrested on Tuesday. Protests are erupting nationwide, and at least one person has been killed in the city of Quetta. Mr Khan was arrested by security forces at the High Court in the capital, Islamabad. Dramatic footage showed dozens of officers arriving and detaining the 70-year-old, who was bundled into a vehicle and driven away. He was appearing in court on charges of corruption, which he says are politically motivated. Mobile data services in the country were suspended on … Continue reading Mass protests across Pakistan after the arrest of ex-PM Imran Khan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has suspended election campaigning after he fell ill during a live TV interview in which the broadcast was abruptly brought to a halt. After a 20-minute break, he returned to say he had “serious stomach flu” after two days of intense campaigning. Mr Erdogan, 69, is facing his toughest election campaign so far. The main opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu has been chosen to run for a group of six political parties. He was among a number of opposition leaders to wish the president a speedy recovery. Health minister Fahrettin Koca said on Thursday that the … Continue reading Turkish President falls ill on TV and cancels election rallies

The oldest member of the US Senate has asked to temporarily step aside from a key committee after two colleagues urged her to resign. California’s Dianne Feinstein, 89, said her return to Washington had been delayed by complications from shingles. She revealed last month she was in hospital with the condition. Her absence has complicated President Joe Biden’s efforts to confirm federal judges in the Senate, which has only a slim Democratic majority. On Wednesday evening, Mrs Feinstein’s office said she had asked the Senate to find a temporary replacement for her on the judiciary committee. The statement was issued … Continue reading US Democrats call on Senator Dianne Feinstein to resign

US President Joe Biden has landed in Belfast at the start of an historic four-day visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic. Mr Biden was greeted by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he stepped off Air Force One at Belfast International Airport. His visit marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – a peace deal which helped end 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland. The White House hailed the “tremendous progress” since it was signed in 1998. But Mr Biden’s trip is overshadowed by the fact that Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government is not functioning. It collapsed … Continue reading Joe Biden in Belfast to mark 25th anniversary of Good Friday Agreement

Robert F Kennedy Jr has filed election paperwork to run for US president in 2024 as a Democrat. The 69-year-old is the son of assassinated Senator Robert F Kennedy and nephew of President John F Kennedy. The environmental lawyer’s campaign treasurer, John E Sullivan, confirmed the filing on Wednesday. Mr Kennedy is an outspoken anti-vaccine campaigner. Instagram removed his account in 2021 for “repeatedly sharing debunked claims”, the company said. Both Democratic and Republican parties hold their own contests – called primaries – to find their presidential nominee. Mr Kennedy will be a rank outsider for the Democratic nomination. US … Continue reading Robert F Kennedy Jr to challenge Biden for White House

Montenegro’s long-standing leader Milo Djukanovic has suffered a resounding presidential election defeat. The 36-year-old centrist former economy minister, Jakov Milatovic, declared victory on Sunday evening after the presidential run-off. He will take over from Mr Djukanovic, who has held power as president or prime minister in Montenegro for over three decades. Snap parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place in the summer. “Tonight is the night we have been awaiting for over 30 years. I wish you a happy victory,” Mr Milatovic told cheering supporters of his Europe Now Movement in the capital, Podgorica. He promised to lead his small … Continue reading Long-standing Montenegro leader Milo Djukanovic suffers defeat in Presidential election

Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has been sentenced to two years in prison by a court in Gujarat state in a criminal defamation case. Mr Gandhi was convicted for his 2019 comments about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s surname during an election rally. He has been given bail for 30 days and can file an appeal against the order. Mr Gandhi, who is a Congress party MP, was present in court when the judge delivered the order. The case was filed on the basis of a complaint by Purnesh Modi, a lawmaker from India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party. Continue reading India’s Congress leader Rahul Gandhi bags 2-year jail term for defamation