News about Ekrem Imamoglu

According to a video shared by the Turkish Interior Minister on Wednesday, the fire in Istanbul was started by unlawful welding work. A worker welding a metal object with a blowtorch in the residential building when fires first erupt and thick smoke rises into the air. The fire broke out at midday on Tuesday at the Masquerade Club, a large nightclub housed in the basement of the 16-story apartment block in the Besiktas district's Gayrettepe neighborhood. 'The investigation [...] into the incident is still underway,' Turkey's Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said in a tweet on X.'

Around 12:45 p.m. local time (09:45GMT) at the Masquerade nightclub, which had been closed and undergoing repairs, there was a catastrophic fire. The club is located on the ground and basement floors of a 16-story residential building in Istanbul's Besiktas district, and the fire quickly erupted into an inferno that engulfed the entire block. Shocking images from a television broadcast in Turkey showed how thick fires and a column of black smoke gushed from the 16-story building's upper-storey windows. The number of people who died in the fire (in Istanbul's Besiktas district) has increased to 29,' governor Davut Gul's office reported in a statement, resending the earlier toll. Following the Interior Ministry's announcement that an investigation had been launched, many people, including the club's CEOs, were arrested for questioning.

Imamoglu led by ten percentage points in the mayoral election in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city, while his Republican People's Party (CHP) retained Ankara and gained 15 other mayoral seats in cities around the country, with the majority of the votes counted. It was the worst loss for Erdogan and his AKP party (AKP) in their more than two decades in power, and it could have a dramatic change in the country's split political landscape. In a post-midnight address, Erdogan referred to it as a 'turning point.'

Tuncer Cihan, 52, was shot in the head by two men, who were later identified as members of IS, who burst into the Santa Maria church in Istanbul and fired multiple rounds on Sunday morning. Men were seen wearing black snow masks with their hands in their pockets, and one was seen wearing black sunglasses ahead of the attack. Both men have since been arrested by counter-terrorism investigators. According to investigators, one of them comes from Tajikistan and the other from Russia.

A pair of black snow masks were seen holding their hands in their pockets, and one man was seen wearing black sunglasses ahead of the assault. They burstled into the Santa Maria church in Istanbul's Sariyer district around 11.40 a.m. (U.S. time), killing an individual named only as C.T., who was among those attending Sunday's service. On social media, Ali Yerlikaya, Turkey's interior minister, condemned the 'vile assault.' Rather than against the Catholic Church, Turkish authorities said it seemed that it seemed more like a targeted assault than the Catholic church. Around 40 people attended the service, according to local authorities, and they suspect that there may have been more casualties. The gun didn't work the second time after the second shot, and the attackers (attackers) ran. Everyone was laying on the floor at this time. According to Sukru Genc, the mayor of Sariyer district, there were around 35 to 40 people inside.

Ali Yerlikaya said on social media that the assault took place around 11.40 (.40am UK time) at the Santa Maria cathedral in Istanbul's Sariyer district and was carried out by two masked men. An investigation had been launched, he said. Police and an ambulance were seen outside the ornate church on television images. According to the minister, the individual identified only as C.T. The armed attacker, who was among those attending Sunday's service, had died after the shooting. 'We firmly condemn this barbaric attack,' Yerlikaya said. The motives for the attack were not immediately apparent.

The largely packed streets of Istanbul fell silent as Turks remained glued to their TV screens watching the closest and most important election in a decade. Neither President Recep Erdo (pictured top inset) nor challenger Kemal Kllu had to win after more than eight long hours of counting. Turkey, instead, faces a tense two weeks ahead of the bitter rivals clash again in a runoff election on May 28.

The protest, which took place at Atatürk Airport on Sunday, is the most successful his campaign has seen so far, bringing in an unprecedented 1.7 million voters ahead of the May 14 elections. The referendum will be Turkey's most important presidential election in Erdogan's 20-year tenure. "Istanbul is Türkiye," he said today as he expressed his gratitude to his followers in Istanbul. We'll all be able to create the Century of Türkiye together with you.' If Istanbul says 'Yes,' the president declared, the people will vote for him in the polls.'

The Turkish Airlines announced that it would show its appreciation for these brave dogs' sincere and heroic efforts.' More than 45,000 people in Turkey and thousands more in neighboring Syria killed hundreds of thousands of buildings on February 6, including several hundred of thousands of others. "We have been experiencing an extraordinary period in our evacuation activities as a result of earthquakes affecting every region and country, and we have welcomed our heroes, the rescue teams, and their dogs, who are allowed to sit in cabins (in business class as well) for this period.'

Before being freed from the ruins of Turkey's southern Hatay province, a 10-day-old boy named Yagiz spent almost half his life trapped under slabs of concrete. The child was rescued from the wreckage and wrapped in a thermal blanket by paramedics, according to a dramatic video, although his mother was strapped to a stretcher for fear of spinal injuries. Both Turkey and Syria are devastation, with the occasional exception, with some quake victims still trapped under the rubble. However, expectations of finding many more survivors are fading rapidly, with dehydrated and injured victims also suffering from chilly winter temperatures just four days after the tragedy.

A young girl who was among six people injured in a fireball explosion in Istanbul's shopping district has been featured, as Turkish authorities search for a 'female bomber' behind the gruesome attack. According to Turkish officials, the teenage girl, Ecrin (left), and her father, Yusuf Medyan (inset with daughter) were killed in the suspected terror attack in Istanbul, which injured more than 80% of the population. According to Sky News, Mr Medyan worked for Turkey's Ministry of family and Social Care. Derya Yanik, the department's minister, expressed regret for the treacherous attack that killed a father and his daughter.' We stand by the families of our brothers and sisters who died while assisting our wounded victims with all our means.' No wrong focus will be able to jeopardize our unity and solidarity.'

As President Erdogan said it may have been a terrorist attack, an explosion on Istanbul's popular pedestrian Istiklal Avenue killed six people and injured more than 50 others. As pedestrians turned and ran away, flames erupted and a loud bang were shown in a video shared online. When the explosion occurred around 4:20 p.m. local time (1:20 PM GMT), tourists and locals were packed on the avenue, which is lined by shops and restaurants.