Turkey makes fresh opp arrests

The Turkish government is tightening its grip on the opposition, with fresh arrests on Friday targeting elected officials from the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) as it faces a deepening leadership crisis.

Authorities carried out operations targeting CHP-run municipalities in Istanbul's islands dis-trict and in southern Turkey over a range of allegations, including corruption and fraud. Police conducted simultaneous raids in four cities, detaining 37 of 47 suspects named in ar-rest warrants, the Istanbul prosecutor's office said in a statement.

Among those detained was Adalar (islands) mayor Ali Ercan Akpolat. The suspects are accused of bribery, embezzlement, forgery of official documents, forming and leading a criminal organisation, and abuse of office, according to the statement.