Police use force to break up protests at university in Turkiye's capital
Istanbul (AP): Police used pepper spray, rubber bullets and water cannons against protesters in Turkiye's capital early Thursday, potentially reigniting tensions after two days of relative calm in the country's biggest anti-government protests in over a decade.
The demonstrations began last week following the arrest of Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a key rival to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Imamoglu, jailed on corruption charges many see as politically motivated, is also accused of supporting terrorism. The government insists the judiciary is independent, but critics say the evidence is based on secret witnesses and lacks credibility.
Early Thursday, student demonstrators tried to march and gathered to read a statement near the gates at Middle East Technical University, pro-opposition broadcaster Halk TV and local media reported. They were met by security forces who deployed pepper spray, water cannons and rubber bullets. A standoff ensued where the students hid behind a barricade made out of trash cans until the police charged to detain the protesters.
Melih Meric, a legislator with the Republican People's Party or CHP, was seen soaked with water and suffering from pepper spray exposure. “My student friends only wanted to make a press statement, but the police strictly did not allow it, this is the result," Meric was seen saying on social media videos.
Officials have not said how many people were detained.
Ozgur Ozel, the leader of CHP to which Imamoglu belongs, had promised lawmakers would stand alongside protesters in hopes of lowering tensions. He also warned that if the police provoked demonstrators after he delivered a speech Tuesday, he would “make a call for 500,000 people to (come to) the place that will disturb” Erdogan the most.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya has said Wednesday that 1,418 people have been detained in the past week over the protests.
Demonstrations have swept across major cities, hundreds of thousands showed up for the protests and CHP rallies outside the Istanbul city hall. A historic aqueduct near the city hall became a daily spot of standoffs between the police and demonstrators that ended with the police charging with pepper sprays, rubber bullets and detentions at the end of the day.
Other major protests were held in the districts of Kadikoy and Sisli, where a government trustee was appointed after the arrest of its mayor last week, on Tuesday and Wednesday as thousands of protesters marched through the neighbourhoods as residents leaned from windows and balconies, clapping and banging pots and pans in support.
Erdogan has accused the opposition of “sinking the economy” and said those responsible for hurting financial stability would be held “accountable."
The opposition has called for a boycott of companies that it says support Erdogan's government. The Turkish president accused the opposition of being “so desperate that they would throw the country and the nation into the fire.”
Meanwhile, Imamoglu, speaking from prison via social media, denounced police violence against protesters, “I cannot call them police because my honourable police would not commit this cruelty to the young children of the nation,” he said.
Turkiye is not due for another election until 2028, but it's possible that Erdogan will call for an early vote to seek another term.
Imamoglu has been confirmed as the candidate for the CHP and has performed well in recent polls against Erdogan. His election as mayor of Turkiye's largest city in 2019 was a major blow to Erdogan and his party.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
