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...
Tens of thousands of people in Istanbul protest Gaza war
ISTANBUL (AP) — Tens of thousands of people gathered on Istanbul’s Galata Bridge on New Year’s Day on Wednesday to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Demonstrators waved Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanted “Free Palestine” in the protest, organized by the...
Turkey's soaring costs are creating a 'lost generation' of kids forced to help their families get by
ISTANBUL (AP) — In a dim one-room apartment in one of Istanbul’s poorest neighborhoods, 11-year-old Atakan Sahin curls up on a threadbare sofa with his siblings to watch TV while their mother stirs a pot of pasta. The simple meal is all the family of six can look forward to most...
