Latest Istanbul News

Turkey detains journalists and replaces elected mayor amid crackdown on opposition
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities have detained a prominent investigative journalist and four of his colleagues and replaced an elected pro- Kurdish mayor with a state appointee on Wednesday, escalating a recent government crackdown on the opposition and dissenting voices. ...

At least 76 people killed in a hotel fire at a ski resort in Turkey
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A fire raged through a 12-story hotel at a popular ski resort in northwestern Turkey early Tuesday during a school holiday, killing at least 76 people — at least two of them when they jumped from the building to escape the flames, officials said. At least...
Turkey arrests leader of far-right party on charges of inciting violence through social media
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Tuesday arrested the leader of a far-right opposition party on charges of inciting violence through a series of anti-refugee posts on social media, his party said. Umit Ozdag, the leader of Turkey's anti-immigrant Victory Party, was...
Bootleg alcohol claims lives of at least 30 people in Istanbul while dozens are hospitalized
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — At least 30 people have died in Istanbul over the past three days after drinking bootleg alcohol, Turkey’s state-run news agency reported Thursday, as authorities intensified a crackdown on counterfeit drinks. The dead were among some 80 people who sought...
Mayor of opposition Istanbul stronghold arrested over bid-rigging claims
ISTANBUL (AP) — The mayor of one of Turkey’s opposition strongholds was arrested Monday as part of a bid-rigging investigation, prosecutors in Istanbul said. Riza Akpolat, who heads Besiktas municipality on the city’s European side, was detained at his summer house in Edremit...

A young gorilla rescued from aircraft hold recovers at Istanbul zoo
ISTANBUL (AP) — A young gorilla rescued from a plane’s cargo hold is recovering at an Istanbul zoo, officials said Sunday, while wildlife officers consider returning him to his natural habitat. The 5-month-old gorilla was discovered in a box on a Turkish Airlines flight from...
