Tension arose at the 61st hearing of the corruption and bribery case at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, where former Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality President Ekrem İmamoğlu from CHP was tried as the “leader of the İmamoğlu Self-motivated Criminal Organization”. After the Istanbul 40th High Criminal Court panel announced that they would finish the defenses on July 9, İmamoğlu tried to negotiate with the president of the court, but could not find what he expected. Speaking at the hearing, İmamoğlu stated to the court president that it seemed impossible for the hearing to end on July 9. The president of the court said that they made an evaluation on this issue with the delegation and said, “We have determined a calendar and we are implementing it. After the defense of İmamoğlu İnşaat General Manager Tuncay Yılmaz, we will continue with Mr. Ekrem and complete it on the 9th. There is no rule that the detained defendants will end in the first hearing. If necessary, we will hold a hearing, but we will close it on the 9th.”

‘YOU ARE INTERVENING FROM YOUR PLACE’
When the defendant İmamoğlu reacted by asking the reason for the date of July 9, the president of the court said, “Mr. Ekrem, do not drag the matter to other places. We have set a calendar and we are implementing it.” The court president said to İmamoğlu, who continued his reaction, “You are constantly intervening by sitting in your seat. I will have to take you out of the courtroom.” As İmamoğlu and the lawyers continued their reactions, the court president decided to remove İmamoğlu from the courtroom on the grounds that he disrupted the order of the hearing. This situation was objected to for a while, and then İmamoğlu and some of the defendants were taken out of the hall accompanied by the gendarmerie.

‘YOU CANNOT BE A CLONGER HERE’
Thereupon, CHP Diyarbakır Deputy Sezgin Tanrıkulu, who was in the audience, called out to the court president, “Review your decision,” while CHP Deputy Suat Özçağdaş, wagging his finger at the court president, said, “I’m asking you! Did you or the bailiff decide to take him out of the courtroom?” he shouted. The presiding judge said, “No one can shout here, you have no right to ask me questions. You cannot engage in any kind of clowning here just because you are a member of parliament. The person who claims to be a member of parliament should also be removed from the courtroom.”

K9 (Dog) Training and Disaster Response Unit, equipped by Türkiye, supports search and rescue efforts in the earthquake that occurred in Venezuela. K9 Training and Disaster Response Unit is running from one wreckage to another in the city of La Guaira, which was most affected by the earthquake in Venezuela and where widespread destruction occurred, with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) sign on their backs and the message “From the hearts of the Turkish people” on their cars.

7 DAYS OF MOURNING WAS DECLARED

Coordinator of the Unit, Marcos Sequera, stated that they served in Türkiye after the February 6, 2023 earthquakes and said, “As a result of what we did in Türkiye in 2023 and the relations between Venezuela and Turkey, we were provided with equipment to strengthen our intervention capacity. We received uniforms, helmets and 2 vehicles from TİKA to provide our transportation.” 2,295 people lost their lives due to consecutive earthquakes that occurred in Venezuela on June 24. 7 days of mourning were declared in the country. Meanwhile, on the 8th day of the earthquake, security guard Hernan Alberto Gil Flores (44) was rescued from his injuries.

The fraud gang called SA and DA, a 70-year-old retired couple living in Bursa’s Mudanya district, with open lines they obtained from abroad, and said that many phone lines and bank accounts were opened in their names and that these accounts were used by terrorist organizations. He frightened and directed the victim couple with the lie, “We will cooperate with you. We will search your home and examine your jewelry for fingerprints.” With this method, the suspects received foreign currency and jewelery worth approximately 4 million 250 thousand liras. Not content with this, the gang spent approximately 7 million 600 thousand lira through front companies using the credit cards of the victims. The fraudsters sold 7 properties registered to the couple well below their real value and defrauded the elderly couple of 100 million TL for 3 months.

THEY SCAMMED AND OFFERED DESSERT
In order to prevent the crime from being discovered, the fraudsters sent personnel to the house to delete the messages and all digital evidence on the victims’ phones. At the end of 3 months, the gang members offered sweets to the old couple and gave them a new mobile phone, saying “The operation has been completed, be safe.” Meanwhile, the fraudster deleted all applications, banking transactions and messages on the old phone used by the couple, eliminated digital evidence and left the house. An investigation was launched upon the application of the couple, who realized that they had been defrauded. In the investigation carried out by Bursa Provincial Police Department Public Order Branch Directorate Fraud Bureau teams under the coordination of Mudanya Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, it was determined that the first calls were made from abroad. Within the scope of technical surveillance, 70 hours of footage from 40 different security cameras were examined and the identities of the suspects were determined one by one.

6 WERE ARRESTED
14 suspects were detained in simultaneous operations held in Bursa, Istanbul, Mersin, Şanlıurfa, Rize, Artvin, Aydın, Konya and Sarp Border Gate. While a large amount of digital material was seized during the searches carried out at the suspects’ addresses, 3 vehicles believed to have been obtained from crime were also seized. 6 of the suspects who were referred to the courthouse were arrested and sent to prison. While a judicial control decision was made for 5 suspects, 3 people were released by the prosecutor’s office. It was learned that 3 suspects who were determined to be involved in the incident within the scope of the investigation were in prison for other crimes. It was learned that the victim elderly couple has not yet received their money back, there may be other victims defrauded by gang members, and the investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Ankara Governorship announced the security and traffic measures to be implemented before the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held on 7-8 July. Accordingly, between 6-9 July, comprehensive arrangements will be made on the routes used by heads of state, especially Esenboğa and Etimesgut airports.

As part of the measures, the use of scooters will not be allowed around many main arteries and summit hotels, and parked scooters will be removed by July 4. The activities of motor couriers will also be stopped in the same regions between 6-9 July.

While a parking ban is imposed on the summit routes between 4-9 July, fuel tankers, concrete mixers and other heavy tonnage vehicles will not be allowed into the city center from 16:00 on 5 July to 10:00 on 10 July.

Alternative transportation routes were determined for vehicles carrying food and medicine.

Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters will host its first official organization within the scope of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held in Ankara on 7-8 July.

Crescent and Star Joint Headquarters, whose foundation was laid on August 30, 2021, with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is preparing for its first official organization. The campus, whose construction has been largely completed in Ankara, will host guest defense ministers and high-level representatives of NATO within the scope of the NATO Heads of State and Government Summit to be held on July 7-8.

At the headquarters, which opened its doors to members of the press for the first time with the weekly press briefing of the Ministry of National Defense, a reception is planned to be held in the “Star” section within the scope of the summit. In the campus designed with inspiration from the crescent and star Turkish flag, the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff and the Land, Naval and Air Force Commands will operate on the same campus. The headquarters was built with a smart building concept, environmentally friendly architecture and advanced technology infrastructure; It is equipped with security systems and advanced engineering solutions against cyber security, ballistic protection, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) threats.

It is aimed that Ay Yıldız Joint Headquarters, which is among the world’s leading military headquarters with its security infrastructure supported by the Steel Dome concept, will serve the current and future needs of the Turkish Armed Forces for many years.

The alarm about the Ankara NATO Leaders Summit continues in the Western press. The summit to be hosted by Türkiye is given wide coverage in the US and European media. Finally, the US-based Bloomberg agency covered the summit. “President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will show why Europe needs Türkiye,” said the news, “NATO meeting in Ankara
“Before the summit, Turkey became the vital base of the alliance with its 10 billion dollar domestic defense industry,” the statement said. Bloomberg analysis emphasized that the S-400 and F-35 crises can be overcome and that Türkiye sees itself as the leader of the European security architecture in the post-US period.

THE MOST CRITICAL SUMMIT

The Ankara Summit, where the historic decisions taken at NATO’s summit held in The Hague last year will be implemented for the first time, will constitute one of the most important turning points after the Cold War as the starting point of the “NATO 3.0” process, which expresses the Alliance’s comprehensive transformation from defense expenditures to force structure, from the defense industry to transatlantic burden sharing.

AGENDA INTENSIVE

There are many critical topics on the leaders’ table that will shape the future of the Alliance, from the implementation of the decisions taken at the Hague Summit last year to increasing defense expenditures, from the implementation of the NATO Force Model to strengthening the production capacity of the defense industry, from the new responsibilities that Europe will undertake to continuing support to Ukraine.

COMING WITH A DELEGATION OF 1000 PEOPLE
US President Donald Trump is expected to arrive in Ankara on the afternoon of July 7 as part of the NATO Leaders Summit. During the program to be held within the scope of the official visit, Trump will be welcomed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex. Soldiers in special uniforms representing 16 major Turkish states will also take part in the welcoming ceremony.

Within the scope of the program, Erdoğan and Trump are planned to have a one-on-one meeting and then a meeting between delegations.

It is expected that Trump will rest after the talks and then attend the official dinner to be held in honor of NATO leaders at the Presidential Complex. While the US President is expected to come to Ankara with a delegation of more than 1000 people, the visit is considered to be important for the NATO Summit as well as for Türkiye-US relations. Betül USTA/ANKARA

TRUMP WILL COME WITH HIS NEW PLANE
US President Donald Trump will come to Ankara with his new plane. The helicopter was disassembled and transported to Türkiye. A test flight was made with the helicopter, which was reassembled by a special team. Trump will use ‘The Beast’ as his vehicle of office.