Netanyahu’s graft trial resumes
Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial resumed on Sunday, as the long-serving leader faces mounting discontent over his handling of the coronavirus crisis.
Netanyahu is charged with fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in a series of scandals in which he is alleged to have received lavish gifts from billionaire friends and exchanged regulatory favours with media moguls for more agreeable coverage of himself and his family.
Netanyahu denies wrongdoing, painting the accusations as a media-orchestrated witch-hunt pursued by a biased law enforcement system. The trial opened in May. (AP)
Police pelted with bottles in clashes
Berlin: German police officers were pelted with bottles to applause from a large crowd after they tried to end a brawl in central Frankfurt early on Sunday, leading to clashes that ended with 39 arrests, the city’s police force said.
Frankfurt police chief Gerhard Bereswill said a small group of police tried to intervene after the brawl involving up to 30 people broke out at around 3 am in the city’s central Opernplatz square.
Participants in the fight turned on the officers and threw bottles at them, along with others standing nearby, he said. (AP)
27 IS suspects held in Turkey
Ankara: Turkish police have detained 27 people in Istanbul over suspected links to the Islamic State group, state-run media said on Sunday.
The Anadolu news agency reported that the suspects were held in simultaneous early morning raids by anti-terrorist police in 15 districts across Istanbul as they allegedly prepared to carry out attacks.
The agency said the alleged attacks were in response to recent social media posts that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and that a large number of documents and digital material was recovered during the searches. (AP)
Syrians vote for new parliament
Damascus: Syrians headed to polling stations in government-held parts of the war-torn country on Sunday to elect a new parliament amid strict health measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The vote is the third to take place in Syria since the conflict began in March 2011.
Some 1,656 government-approved candidates are running this year for the 250-seat People’s Assembly.
The total number of eligible voters hasn’t been announced. (AP)