A Turkish court sentenced the ex-mayor of a major Kurdish city to more than nine years in prison after convicting him of "membership in an armed terror group".
Turkish authorities removed 31 mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) last year over alleged ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), only months after they won local elections in March.
Critics say the suspensions were aimed at removing political opposition to Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party in the country's south-east after poor election results.
Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli was mayor of Diyarbakir until he was suspended in August along with the mayors of Mardin and Van.
All were replaced by government-appointed trustees. Mizrakli has been in custody since his arrest in October last year.
On Monday, the court in Diyarbakir convicted Mizrakli, who refused to attend the hearing, "of membership in an armed terror group", the Anadolu state news agency reported.
Prosecutors said he had attended the funerals of PKK militants and meetings that were used for the group's propaganda.
Mizrakli was sentenced to nine years, four months and 15 days in prison, Anadolu said.
Emma Sinclair-Webb of Human Rights Watch said Mizrakli's conviction came after only three hearings and "with no effort to probe evidence or to conceal the blatant political motivation behind this trial".
"The government didn't like the mayor chosen by 63 per cent of the Diyarbakir electorate, so they arbitrarily removed him and jailed him," she said.
In a statement released by his party, Mizrakli said the verdict was politically motivated.
"This is a verdict ... which has become a political tool," he said. "I do not respect it."
The government has repeatedly claimed the HDP has links to the PKK, which has fought a bloody insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984 and is listed as a terror group by Ankara and its Western allies.
The HDP says it has no official connection to the PKK but has tried to broker peace talks between the insurgents and government.
On its Twitter account, the HDP said Mizrakli was convicted on "false 'terror' charges".
"Though he won office with a landslide 63 per cent of the vote, he was illegally removed in August, like dozens of other HDP mayors have been," the party said.
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Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
The White Lotus: Season three
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Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
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Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
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World ranking (at month’s end)
Jan - 257
Feb - 198
Mar - 159
Apr - 161
May - 159
Jun – 162
Currently: 88
Year-end rank since turning pro
2016 - 279
2015 - 185
2014 - 143
2013 - 63
2012 - 384
2011 - 883
Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Sunday's games
All times UAE:
Tottenham Hotspur v Crystal Palace, 4pm
Manchester City v Arsenal, 6.15pm
Everton v Watford, 8.30pm
Chelsea v Manchester United, 8.30pm
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
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Beit Al Khair Society
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Dar Al Ber Society
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Emirates Airline Foundation
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Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Stars: 3