Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two of its US aid workers injured in Gaza

MOSUL, Iraq: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani inaugurated Wednesday the city of Mosul’s newly restored airport, years after it was destroyed in the battle to dislodge the Daesh group.

Sudani’s flight landed at the airport, which is expected to become fully operational for domestic and international flights in two months.

“The airport will serve as an additional link between Mosul and other Iraqi cities and regional destinations,” the media office of the PM said in a statement.

In June 2014, the Daesh group seized Mosul, declaring its “caliphate” from the city after capturing large swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria.

After years of fierce battles, Iraqi forces backed by a US-led international coalition dislodged the group from the city in July 2017, before declaring its defeat across the country at the end of that year.

The airport, which was heavily damaged in the battle, has not been operational since the militants seized Mosul.

In August 2022, then-prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi laid the foundation stone for the airport’s reconstruction.

Airport director Amar Al-Bayati told AFP that the “airport is now ready for domestic and international flights,” but no date has been announced for their resumption.

He added that the airport previously offered international flights, mostly to Turkiye and Jordan.

The airport now includes a main terminal, a VIP lounge and an advanced radar surveillance system, Sudani’s office said.

It’s expected to handle 630,000 passengers annually.

ISTANBUL: An Istanbul court on Wednesday sentenced Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, the main rival of Turkiye’s President Tayyip Erdogan, to a fresh prison term, state broadcaster TRT reported, extending a crackdown on the opposition.

Imamoglu, who has been in jail pending trial since March over separate corruption charges, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison for insulting and threatening the chief Istanbul prosecutor.

The prison sentence must be confirmed by two appeals courts.

It’s the second time Imamoglu has been convicted of insulting public officials. In 2022, Imamoglu was sentenced to two years and six months in jail for criticizing election board officials over a decision to cancel 2019 Istanbul elections, in which he defeated the ruling AK Party candidate. He has appealed that sentence but it has not yet been reviewed.

Imamoglu denies the charges.

“I’ve been fighting against the abuse of the judiciary and against its use as a political tool. This is indeed an insult against our nation,” Imamoglu was quoted as saying by broadcaster Halk TV and other Turkish media.

The 2022 conviction, if upheld, could prevent Imamoglu from participating in future elections. Istanbul University in March annulled Imamoglu’s university diploma, without which he cannot stand as a candidate for president.

Since October last year, police have detained more than 500 people, over 200 of whom were then jailed pending trial, under investigations into municipalities run by the main opposition CHP, Imamoglu’s party.

The CHP denies corruption allegations and calls them a politicized attempt by the government to remove electoral threats against Erdogan, a charge the government rejects.

Wednesday’s hearing was held inside a courthouse-prison complex in Istanbul’s Silivri district, a site often used for high-profile and politically sensitive trials and where Imamoglu is currently being held.