COLOGNE: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was to open one of Europe’s largest mosques in Cologne on Saturday as he wrapped up a controversial visit to Germany, with police deploying in force to manage the rival rallies.
The inauguration will mark the closing event of his three-day state visit, aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions.
Erdogan left the German capital after a breakfast meeting with Angela Merkel, their second talks in two days.
While both leaders signalled their interest in a cautious rapprochement, the German chancellor stressed that “deep differences” remained on civil rights and other issues.
Erdogan then traveled to the western city of Cologne where several thousand critics took to the streets, protesting everything from Turkey’s record on human rights and press freedom to its treatment of minority Kurds.
On the bank of the Rhine, demonstrators waved banners reading: “Erdogan not welcome.”
Cansu, a 30-year-old student of Turkish origin, came from Switzerland to join the protest.
“I want to be the voice of people who can’t take to the streets in Turkey. Because they have been arrested, killed or otherwise suppressed. Erdogan thinks anything that differs from his opinion is terrorism.”
Tomas, a German student, turned up in a white suit splattered with fake blood. He and several others carried a giant banner that read “Dictator. Mass murderer.”
“We are here to show Cologne does not want you,” the 22-year-old said.
Erdogan supporters meanwhile gathered at the Cologne Central Mosque, an imposing dome-shaped building commissioned by the Turkish-controlled Ditib organization.
Cologne police cordoned off a large area around the mosque for safety reasons, but thousands of Erdogan supporters spilled into closed-off side streets, eager for a glimpse of the Turkish leader.
Many waved Turkey’s red and white flag or held up pictures of Erdogan, with the crowd occasionally breaking into cheerful chants of “Who is the greatest? Turkey!“
“Erdogan is very popular because he has done a lot for his people,” said Yusuf Simsek, 42, a computer technician with Turkish roots.
Semra, a 41-year-old kitchen worker, agreed.
“I don’t care about the criticism. He’s doing everything that’s right for Turkey and we are fully behind him.”
Both Cologne mayor Henriette Reker and the state’s premier Armin Laschet declined to attend the mosque ceremony.
The snubs echoed the lukewarm welcome the Turkish leader received at a state dinner on Friday evening hosted by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, which several opposition politicians boycotted. Merkel also skipped the banquet.
Ties between the two NATO countries soured after Berlin criticized Ankara’s crackdown on opponents following a failed 2016 coup, which saw tens of thousands arrested.
Tensions eased somewhat after several high-profile German-Turkish nationals were released this year, but five remain behind bars.
Merkel, whose country is home to more than three million ethnic Turks, stressed the need for continued dialogue to overcome disagreements.
But she also highlighted Germany’s interest in a “stable” Turkey, which she relies on to help stem the flow of migrants to Europe.
Erdogan, seeking international allies as he spars with US President Donald Trump and the Turkish economy is in turmoil, likewise struck a conciliatory tone.
But he also pressed Germany to take stronger action against “terrorists” like supporters of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or followers of Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom he blames for the coup attempt.
Cologne is located in North Rhine-Westphalia state which is home to significant numbers of ethnic Turks, many of whom moved to Germany as so-called “guest workers” from the 1960s.
The giant Cologne Central Mosque finally opened its doors in 2017 after eight years of construction and budget overruns.
The size of the building, designed to resemble a flower bud opening, and its two towering minarets has disgruntled some locals, triggering occasional protests.
The Turkish-Islamic Union of the Institute for Religion (Ditib) that commissioned the glass and cement structure is itself not without controversy.
The group runs hundreds of mosques across Germany with imams paid by the Turkish state.
Known for its close ties to Ankara, it has increasingly come under scrutiny with some of its members suspected of spying on Turkish dissidents living in Germany.
Rival rallies as Erdogan opens mega mosque in Cologne
https://arab.news/zj7zz
Rival rallies as Erdogan opens mega mosque in Cologne

- The inauguration will be the closing event of his three-day state visit, aimed at repairing frayed ties with Berlin after two years of tensions.
- Some 10,000 Erdogan critics are expected to take to the streets in Cologne.
Republicans muscle Trump’s sweeping tax-cut and spending bill through Congress

- Republicans overcome internal divides to pass massive tax-cut and spending bill
- Bill to add $3.4 trillion to US debt over a decade
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s tax-cut package cleared its final hurdle in the US Congress on Thursday, as the Republican-controlled House of Representatives narrowly approved the massive bill and sent it to him to sign into law.
The 218-214 vote amounts to a significant victory for the Republican president that will fund his immigration crackdown, make his 2017 tax cuts permanent and deliver new tax breaks that he promised during his 2024 campaign.
It also cuts health and food safety net programs and zeroes out dozens of green energy incentives. It would add $3.4 trillion to the nation’s $36.2 trillion debt, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Despite concerns within Trump’s party over the 869-page bill’s price tag and its hit to health care programs, in the end just two of the House’s 220 Republicans voting against it, following an overnight standoff. The bill has already cleared the Republican-controlled Senate by the narrowest possible margin.
The White House said Trump will sign it into law at 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) on Friday, the July 4 Independence Day holiday.
Republicans said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth.
“This is jet fuel for the economy, and all boats are going to rise,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said.
Every Democrat in Congress voted against it, blasting the bill as a giveaway to the wealthy that would leave millions uninsured.
“The focus of this bill, the justification for all of the cuts that will hurt everyday Americans, is to provide massive tax breaks for billionaires,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in an eight-hour, 46-minute speech that was the longest in the chamber’s history.
Trump kept up the pressure throughout, cajoling and threatening lawmakers as he pressed them to finish the job.
“FOR REPUBLICANS, THIS SHOULD BE AN EASY YES VOTE. RIDICULOUS!!!” he wrote on social media.
Though roughly a dozen House Republicans threatened to vote against the bill, only two ended up doing so: Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, a centrist, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a conservative who said it did not cut spending enough.
MARATHON WEEKEND
Republicans raced to meet Trump’s July 4 deadline, working through last weekend and holding all-night debates in the House and the Senate. The bill passed the Senate on Tuesday in a 51-50 vote in that saw Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote.
According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenues by $4.5 trillion over 10 years and cut spending by $1.1 trillion.
Those spending cuts largely come from Medicaid, the health program that covers 71 million low-income Americans. The bill would tighten enrollment standards, institute a work requirement and clamp down on a funding mechanism used by states to boost federal payments — changes that would leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the CBO.
Republicans added $50 billion for rural health providers to address concerns that those cutbacks would force them out of business.
Nonpartisan analysts have found that the wealthiest Americans would see the biggest benefits from the bill, while lower-income people would effectively see their incomes drop as the safety-net cuts would outweigh their tax cuts.
The increased debt load created by the bill would also effectively transfer money from younger to older generations, analysts say. Ratings firm Moody’s downgraded US debt in May, citing the mounting debt, and some foreign investors say the bill is making US Treasury bonds less attractive.
The bill raises the US debt ceiling by $5 trillion, averting the prospect of a default in the short term. But some investors worry the debt overhang could curtail the economic stimulus in the bill and create a long-term risk of higher borrowing costs.
On the other side of the ledger, the bill staves off tax increases that were due to hit most Americans at the end of this year, when Trump’s 2017 individual and business tax cuts were due to expire. Those cuts are now made permanent, while tax breaks for parents and businesses are expanded.
The bill also sets up new tax breaks for tipped income, overtime pay, seniors and auto loans, fulfilling Trump campaign promises.
The final version of the bill includes more substantial tax cuts and more aggressive health care cuts than an initial version that passed the House in May.
During deliberations in the Senate, Republicans also dropped a provision that would have banned state-level regulations on artificial intelligence, and a “retaliatory tax” on foreign investment that had spurred alarm on Wall Street.
The bill is likely to feature prominently in the 2026 midterm elections, when Democrats hope to recapture at least one chamber of Congress. Republican leaders contend the bill’s tax breaks will goose the economy before then, and many of its benefit cuts are not scheduled to kick in until after that election. Opinion polls show many Americans are concerned about the bill’s cost and its effect on lower income people.
Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban government of Afghanistan

Russia becomes first country to recognize Taliban government of Afghanistan

- Russian foreign ministry says Moscow will support Kabul in counterterrorism and combating drug crime
- The Taliban administration in Kabul calls it a ‘courageous step’ that will serve as an example for others
MOSCOW: Russia said on Thursday it had accepted the credentials of a new ambassador of Afghanistan, making it the first nation to recognize the Taliban government of the country.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Moscow saw good prospects to develop ties and would continue to support Kabul in security, counterterrorism and combating drug crime.
It also saw significant trade and economic opportunities, especially in energy, transport, agriculture and infrastructure.
“We believe that the act of official recognition of the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields,” the ministry said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in a statement: “We value this courageous step taken by Russia, and, God willing, it will serve as an example for others as well.”
No other country has formally recognized the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war.
However, China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have all designated ambassadors to Kabul, in a step toward recognition.
The Russian move represents a major milestone for the Taliban administration as it seeks to ease its international isolation.
It is likely to be closely watched by Washington, which has frozen billions in Afghanistan’s central bank assets and enforced sanctions on some senior leaders in the Taliban that contributed to Afghanistan’s banking sector being largely cut off from the international financial system.
COMPLEX HISTORY
Russia has been gradually building relations with the Taliban, which President Vladimir Putin said last year was now an ally in fighting terrorism.
Since 2022, Afghanistan has imported gas, oil and wheat from Russia. The Taliban were outlawed by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003, but the ban was lifted in April this year.
Russia sees a need to work with Kabul as it faces a major security threat from militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East.
In March 2024, gunmen killed 149 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Daesh.
US officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group that was responsible.
The Taliban say they are working to wipe out the presence of Daesh in Afghanistan.
Western diplomats say the Taliban’s path toward wider international recognition is blocked until they change course on women’s rights.
The Taliban have closed high schools and universities to girls and women and placed restrictions on their movement without a male guardian.
The administration in Kabul says it respects women’s rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Russia has a complex and bloodstained history in Afghanistan. Soviet troops invaded the country in December 1979 to prop up a Communist government, but became bogged down in a long war against mujahideen fighters armed by the United States.
Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev pulled his army out in 1989, by which time some 15,000 Soviet soldiers had been killed.
Stranded UK F-35 jet becomes unexpected star in Indian tourism campaign

NEW DELHI: India’s southern state of Kerala has found a unique ambassador to promote its coconut palm-lined beaches, backwaters and vibrant culture to tourists — a British F-35 fighter jet that has been stranded there since mid-June.
The Royal Navy aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at the airport of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on June 14 and has been grounded ever since, despite efforts to repair it. An AI-generated image of the stealth aircraft parked on the tarmac surrounded by coconut trees has gone viral after it was shared by Kerala’s Tourism Department on Wednesday.
“This was part of our tourism campaign. It has been one of the most innovative and eye-catching ones ... It’s all in good humor and creativity,” Biju K., Kerala’s tourism secretary, said.
In the viral social media post, originally created by entertainment website The Fauxy, the jet can be seen giving the state of Kerala five golden stars, calling it “an amazing place.”
“I don’t want to leave. Definitely recommend,” the image quotes the jet as saying.
“Though tourism is under the government, it has moved out of government space in promoting the destination,” said Roy Mathew, director of Stark Communications, the tourism department’s brand promotion agency.
Kerala is among India’s most popular tourist destinations, and markets itself with the tagline “God’s own country.” Last year, 22.2 million tourists visited the state.
It boasts natural beauty along India’s south-western coastline and a rich heritage of classical dances, temple festivals and vibrant cuisine.
The Indian Air Force said last month it would help in the repair and return of the F-35, which made an emergency landing on June 14 when it was flying over the Arabian Sea off Kerala’s coast.
A British High Commission spokesperson told Reuters the UK had accepted an offer to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility at the airport. The jet will be moved to the hangar once engineering teams arrive from the UK with specialist equipment, the spokesperson added.
The Royal Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
UK’s Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard said in Parliament on Monday that a Royal Air Force crew were in Thiruvananthapuram and working with Indian counterparts.
Germany to seek direct contact with Taliban on deportations

- German interior minister says he wants direct contact with the Taliban to ensure criminals can be deported back to Afghanistan
BERLIN: Germany’s interior minster on Thursday said he wanted direct contact with the Taliban authorities in a bid to enable criminals to be deported back to Afghanistan.
“I envision us making agreements directly with Afghanistan to enable deportations,” Alexander Dobrindt said in an interview with Focus magazine.
Berlin currently has only indirect contact with the Taliban through third parties, an arrangement Dobrindt said “cannot remain a permanent solution.”
Germany stopped deportations to Afghanistan and closed its embassy in Kabul following the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
But a debate over resuming expulsions has flared as migration becomes a key issue amid the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Twenty-eight Afghan nationals who had been convicted of crimes were deported in August last year after Germany’s previous government carried out indirect negotiations with the Taliban.
No further deportations have taken place. But the debate has continued to rage, especially since a series of deadly attacks last year blamed on asylum seekers — with several of the suspects from Afghanistan.
Germany’s new government, a coalition between the conservative CDU/CSU and the center-left Social Democrats (SPD), has promised to expel more foreign criminals alongside a crackdown on irregular migration.
Dobrindt also said he was in contact with authorities to enable deportations to Syria, which have been suspended since 2012.
Longtime Syrian ruler Bashar Assad was toppled in December. The country is now under the control of Islamist leaders, some of whom were once linked with the Al-Qaeda jihadist network.
Germany has made tentative contact with the new authorities and has sent several delegations to Damascus for talks.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz this week said he believed “deportations to Syria are possible today, given the current circumstances and situation.”
Austria on Thursday deported a Syrian convict back to Syria, becoming the first EU country to do so officially in recent years.