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A Turkish teenager has been arrested on charges of insulting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to local media.
The 16-year-old high-school student was arrested on December 24 after criticizing Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling AK Party during a speech at a student protest in the central Anatolian city of Konya.
The boy could face up to 4 years in prison if found guilty.
PM Ahmet Davutoglu defended the arrest, saying the presidential office “needs to be shown respect”.
Turkey’s penal code makes it a crime to insult the president.
The student’s speech, given to commemorate the killing of a Turkish soldier by Islamists in the 1920s, was recorded on video and broadcast by Dogan News Agency.
In it, he defends secularism and the principles of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic.
The student also singled out Recep Tayyip Erdogan for criticism over recent corruption allegations, as the crowd chanted “everywhere is bribery, everywhere is corruption”.
Hurriyet newspaper said the boy was believed to be a member of a leftist organization, but he denies having links with any political party.
Speaking to prosecutors, the student said: “I’ve made the statement in question. I have no intent to insult.”
The teenager has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have lodged an appeal against the charges.
The arrest sparked fierce criticism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Attila Kart, a member of opposition party CHP, saying the president was creating “an environment of fear, oppression and threat”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was elected president in August after serving as prime minister for 11 years, has faced several corruption allegations in recent years.
He insists they are baseless and part of a “dark plot” to oust him from power by influential cleric Fethullah Gulen, who is in self-imposed exile in the US.
Earlier this month, police arrested more than 20 journalists working for media outlets thought to be sympathetic to the Gulen movement.
A Turkish court has also issued an arrest warrant for Fethullah Gulen himself, but correspondents say it is considered to be largely symbolic and unlikely to be acted upon.
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An arrest warrant has been issued by a Turkish court for the influential exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Fethullah Gulen, who is based in the US, is accused of establishing and running an “armed terrorist group”.
He was once an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan but has now been accused of plotting to overthrow the Turkish government – a claim the cleric strongly denies.
The US is thought to be unlikely to act on any extradition request.
The move comes amid a national crackdown on perceived supporters of the cleric.
Over 20 journalists working for media outlets thought to be sympathetic to the Gulen movement were arrested last weekend.
Eight of them were freed on December 19 on the orders of a court in Istanbul. Those released include Ekrem Dumanli, editor-in-chief of Zaman newspaper.
Four others, including a TV station boss, remain in custody.
While the US and Turkey have an extradition agreement, the warrant is considered to be largely symbolic – and unlikely to be acted upon.
The relationship between Washington and Ankara has grown fractious, though they remain allies.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced criticism from international leaders and his opponents, who accuse him of authoritarianism and undermining free press.
Many abroad believe that the charges against Fethullah Gulen are politically motivated.
The wealthy cleric, who operates an international network of schools and businesses, has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.
According to media reports, the prosecutor filing the arrest warrant accused Fethullah Gulen of leading an armed terrorist group – a charge that carries up to 15 years in prison.
EU officials have sharply criticized a mass arrest of media representatives in Turkey.
Foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini and the commissioner heading EU enlargement talks said the arrests went “against European values”.
At least 24 people were arrested in police raids on leading newspaper Zaman and Samanyolu TV station said to have close links with opposition parties.
Those detained are accused of trying to seize control of the state.
The Zaman newspaper and Samanyolu TV channel both have ties to US-based Islamic cleric Fethullah Gulen, the spiritual leader of the Hizmet movement.
A former ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Fethullah Gulen – who lives in self-imposed exile – is accused of running a “parallel state” within Turkey.
In a statement, Federica Mogherini and EU Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn said any move towards EU membership depended on “full respect for the rule of law and fundamental rights”.
The raids and arrests “are incompatible with the freedom of media, which is a core principle of democracy,” the pair said in a statement.
“We expect that the principle of presumption of innocence will prevail and recall the inalienable right for an independent and transparent investigation.”
The raids come days after Recep Tayyip Erdogan pledged a fresh campaign against Fethullah Gulen’s supporters.
Journalists, producers, scriptwriters and an eastern Turkey police chief were all arrested, among them the editor-in-chief of Zaman newspaper and the chairman of Samanyolu TV.
Staff at Zaman reported on the incident as police mounted a Sunday morning raid on their offices.
Staff and supporters held placards and chanted “free press cannot be silenced” as police raided the building.
Editor-in-chief Ekrem Dumanli smiled and studied police documents before being led through the newspaper’s headquarters to applause from staff crowded onto balconies.
“Let those who have committed a crime be scared. We are not scared,” Ekrem Dumanli said as he was led into a waiting police car, according to Reuters.
The chairman of Samanyolu TV, which also has links to Fethullah Gulen, was detained in a separate raid in Istanbul.
Hidayet Karaca told reporters the operation was “a disgrace for Turkey” before his arrest.
“Sadly in 21st Century Turkey this is the treatment they dish out to a media group with tens of television and radio stations, internet media and magazines,” the English edition of Zaman quoted him as saying.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party, called the raids “a coup”.
Staff at Zaman had been expecting the raid after details of the swoop were leaked by a Twitter user known as Fuat Avni, who has previously leaked advance details of police operations.
Pope Francis will arrive in Turkey for what is billed as a historic visit to promote religious dialogue in the country.
The pontiff is to be greeted in Ankara by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and will later travel to Istanbul to meet the head of the Orthodox Christian church.
This is only the fourth visit by a pope to Muslim-majority Turkey.
During his trip, Pope Francis is likely to touch on humanitarian issues, such as the plight of Syrian refugees.
The three-day papal visit comes as Islamic State insurgents have captured swathes of neighboring Iraq and Syria.
Turkey is now home to at least 1.6 million people from Syria, most of them living close to the border.
In an interview on the eve of his visit, Pope Francis made his feelings on the Syrian conflict known,.
The pontiff told an Israeli newspaper that the persecution of Christians in the region is “the worst” it has been since Christianity’s earliest days.
Vatican officials say religious tolerance will be high on the agenda when Pope Francis meets President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – whose AK Party is rooted in political Islam – and Mehmet Gormez, Turkey’s top cleric.
In Istanbul, Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Istanbul’s Sultan Ahmed mosque, the 17th-Century place of worship popularly known as the Blue Mosque.
The pontiff is also due to sign a joint declaration with Patriarch Bartholomew I, the leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians, on trying to bridge the divides between Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity.
Although most of Turkey’s 80 million citizens are Muslims, there are about 120,000 Christians in the country – once the centre of the Orthodox Christian world.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said women cannot be treated as equal to men, and has accused feminists of rejecting motherhood.
“You cannot put women and men on an equal footing,” the Turkish president told a meeting in Istanbul.
“It is against nature.”
He also said feminists did not grasp the importance of motherhood in Islam.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously urged women to have three children, and has lashed out against abortion and birth by Caesarean section.
His latest remarks were delivered at a women’s conference in Istanbul.
“In the workplace, you cannot treat a man and a pregnant woman in the same way,” Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, according to the Anatolia news agency.
Women cannot do all the work done by men, he added, because it was against their “delicate nature”.
“Our religion regards motherhood very highly,” he said.
“Feminists don’t understand that, they reject motherhood.”
He said women needed equal respect rather than equality.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan also told the Istanbul meeting that justice was the solution to most of the world’s issues – including racism, anti-Semitism, and “women’s problems”.
The Turkish leader often courts controversy with his statements.
Earlier this month, he claimed that Muslims had discovered the Americas more than 300 years before Christopher Colombus.
In his 11 years as prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan became a crucial player in regional politics.
However, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s reputation has suffered recently over the crisis in Syria, and accusations of authoritarianism.
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Turkey’s new presidential palace costs about $615 million – nearly twice the previous estimate, officials say.
The controversial 1,000-room palace known as Ak Saray (White Palace) was built on a forested hilltop on the edge of the capital Ankara, on more than 1.6 million sq ft of land.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan opened the palace on August 30 after becoming president.
His AK Party has dominated Turkish politics for more than a decade.
The palace is bigger than the White House in Washington, the Kremlin in Moscow and even the Palace of Versailles near Paris.
Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek, quoted by Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper, said most of the 1.37 billion Turkish lira ($615 million) cost had been paid, but another $135 million had been budgeted for it in 2015.
The palace has sumptuous marble corridors and atriums, as well as high-tech systems to prevent electronic eavesdropping.
The controversial 1,000-room palace known as Ak Saray was built on a forested hilltop on the edge of Ankara, on more than 1.6 million sq ft of land (photo EPA)
Environmentalists accuse Recep Tayyip Erdogan of spending public money on lavish construction projects to the detriment of green areas. Activists defending Istanbul’s Gezi Park clashed with police in June 2013.
Hurriyet says the palace project was controversial because hundreds of trees were cut down to make space for it, in what had been a forest reserve bequeathed to the nation by modern Turkey’s founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
The finance minister also said $185m would be spent on a new Airbus A330-200 presidential jet.
A presidential aide, Fahri Kasirga, said other presidential properties would be renovated next year, notably the Huber Palace in Istanbul and a guest house in Marmaris, on the Aegean coast.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has moved out of the more modest Cankaya Palace in Ankara, which will now be used by PM Ahmet Davutoglu.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won Turkey’s first direct presidential election.
With almost all the votes counted, current PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan had won about 52%, against 38% for main rival Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.
The huge margin of victory means there is no need for a run-off.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has vowed to bolster the power of the president, promised supporters a “social reconciliation period”, saying: “Let’s leave the old discussions in the old Turkey.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has won Turkey’s first direct presidential election (photo AFP/Getty Images)
He added in the speech in Ankara: “Today, not only those who love us, but also those who don’t have won. Today Turkey has won.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has spent three terms as prime minister, is revered by supporters for boosting the economy and giving a voice to conservatives.
His critics lament his authoritarian approach and Islamist leanings in a secular state.
After the provisional results were announced Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, joint candidate for the two main opposition parties, said: “I congratulate the prime minister and wish him success.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been prime minister since 2003 and was barred from standing for another term.
He needed more than 50% of the vote for an outright victory, avoiding a second round.
Turnout appears to be much lower than expected – some voters may have been dissuaded by the summer heat and holidays.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s other rival, Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas, took about 9% of the vote.
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Turkish people are voting in the country’s first ever direct presidential election.
Three candidates are vying for the position, including current PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
If none of the candidates gets above 50% of the vote, a second round will be held on August 24.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, 60, says that if he wins he wants to turn the largely ceremonial post of president into the country’s executive powerhouse.
He has been prime minister since 2003 and is barred from standing for that office again.
Polls opened at 08:00 local time and close at 17:00.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two rivals in Turkey’s presidential election are a little-known diplomat, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two rivals are a little-known diplomat, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, and Kurdish politician Selahattin Demirtas.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, 71, is the joint candidate of the two main opposition parties in parliament, the centre-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
He served as the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation from 2004 to 2014.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has vowed to uphold the president’s traditional role, insisting it is not up to the head of state to be involved in day-to-day running of politics.
Selahattin Demirtas, 41, is a leader of the left-wing People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and a well-known politician from the Kurdish minority.
Correspondents say he has focused his campaign on championing the cause of the oppressed, the poor, the young and the working classes.
In his final rally in the city of Konya on Saturday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to raise Turkey’s democratic standards and economic record to create a “world leader and global power”.
Selahattin Demirtas held his final rally in the city of Izmir.
“We cannot build our union by accusing each other. Let’s show our colors at the ballot box tomorrow with our oppressed identities and faiths,” he said.
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Turkey’s first direct presidential election will be held on Sunday, August 10.
Candidate and current PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to hold his final rally in the central Anatolian city of Konya.
The post of president, previously chosen by parliament and largely ceremonial, is being put to a popular vote for the first time.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he wants to enhance presidential powers.
At his penultimate rally in the Turkish capital, Ankara, on Friday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on his supporters to “explode ballot boxes on Sunday and deal a democratic slap” to his political opponents.
Candidate and current PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to hold his final rally in the central Anatolian city of Konya (photo AP)
With the clock ticking down to the end of campaigning, his two rivals also reached out to voters on Friday.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu visited the town of Soma, which in May was the scene of Turkey’s worst ever mining disaster.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s handling of the tragedy, in which 301 miners were killed, was widely criticized and he has steered clear of the area during his campaign.
Kurdish candidate Selahattin Demirtas held the biggest rally of his campaign in Turkey’s largest Kurdish city of Diyarbakir on Friday.
Tens of thousands of people waving Kurdish flags turned out to hear him speak.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, 71, is the joint candidate of the two main opposition parties, the centre-left Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the far-right Nationalist Movement Party (MHP).
Selahattin Demirtas, 41, is a member of the left-wing People’s Democratic Party.
Correspondents say the election has become a referendum on Recep Tayyip Erdogan, an Islamist-rooted politician whose support base lies in Turkey’s conservative, pious heartland.
The winner must get more than 50% of the vote.
If no candidate reaches this mark in the first round, a run-off will be held on August 24.
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At least 67 police officers have been arrested in Turkey on suspicion of spying and illegal wire-tapping.
The allegations involve police who were part of a corruption investigation that targeted PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s inner circle.
Among those arrested in raids that took place across Turkey are two former heads of Istanbul’s anti-terror police.
One of the two men, Yurt Atayun, told reporters: “They handcuffed me from behind. It’s all political.”
At least 67 Turkish senior police officers have been arrested over Recep Tayyip Erdogan spying allegations
The Istanbul prosecutor said that thousands of people had had their phones tapped, including PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, senior ministers and the head of Turkish intelligence. Arrest warrants had been issued for more than 100 suspects, he said.
Two police commissioners and one department chief were detained in the capital, Ankara, Anatolia news agency reported.
The corruption inquiry emerged last December and led to the sons of three ministers being detained and, ultimately, four ministers leaving their jobs.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan alleges the investigation was orchestrated by supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, once his rival in Turkey.
The prime minister and his son, Bilal, were then caught up in February in a subsequent wire-tap which appeared to show them talking about hiding a large sum of money.
One of those arrested on Tuesday was the former deputy head of Istanbul’s financial crimes unit who was on duty at the time of the February operation, reports say.
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Turkey’s PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan will run for president in the first direct election in August, his governing AK Party has confirmed.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been prime minister since 2003 but is barred from seeking a new term.
In the midst of corruption allegations, critics say Recep Tayyip Erdogan has become more authoritarian, but he says political foes are trying to oust him.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to give new powers to the president, which has been a largely ceremonial role.
In the past, the incumbent has been chosen by parliament.
For the first time Turks will vote directly for their president in a two-round election in August.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan will run for president in Turkey’s first direct election in August
In April, incumbent President Abdullah Gul ruled out swapping roles with his ally, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, when his presidential term ends.
The AKP has won six consecutive elections, at national and local level, maintaining a solid base of support among the working class.
Tuesday’s announcement was greeted with loud applause by party members at a meeting in the capital, Ankara.
“The candidate for the 12th president is our prime minister, head of our party and Istanbul lawmaker Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” Mehmet Ali Sahin, deputy AKP leader, announced.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s opponents accuse him of losing touch with ordinary people after more than a decade in power.
A wave of opponents rose up in May 2013 against the government’s plans to convert Gezi Park in Istanbul into a replica military barracks. The prime minister called the demonstrators “capulcu”(riff-raff) – and ordered the police to retake the park.
Last December, prosecutors and police officers organized dawn raids against more than 50 businessmen, including the sons of three cabinet ministers – all allies of the prime minister.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the park protests and the raids were each orchestrated from abroad – a reference to the Gulen movement, named after its leader, a 72-year-old Islamic scholar, Fethullah Gulen, who lives in self-imposed exile in the US.
Fethullah Gulen’s Hizmet movement was unhappy with the way Recep Tayyip Erdogan dealt with the Gezi Park protesters.
In April, Turkey said it would launch extradition proceedings against Fethullah Gulen.
Fethullah Gulen has many supporters in the police and judiciary, and has denounced moves to shut down the investigation into corruption allegations leveled against several of Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s allies.
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Riot police in Turkey have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Istanbul and Ankara on the first anniversary of Gezi Park protests.
According to local reports, 25,000 police have been deployed at Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the epicenter of the 2013 rallies.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier urged youths to not join Saturday’s protests.
Protests against plans to redevelop Gezi Park in Istanbul turned into mass rallies against PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan last year after a heavy-handed police response.
Riot police in Turkey have used tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Istanbul and Ankara on the first anniversary of Gezi Park protests (photo AP)
A number of people were killed in the unrest, with thousands more injured.
Clashes broke out in Istanbul on Saturday after protesters marched on Taksim Square despite a government ban on gatherings in force there.
Riot police, water cannon and armored vehicles were deployed to block access to the square and nearby Gezi Park. A number of demonstrators have also reportedly been arrested.
Security forces also fired tear gas at demonstrators in central Ankara.
Earlier on Saturday, Istanbul officers kicked and detained a CNN reporter during a live broadcast from Taksim Square.
Ivan Watson said in a Twitter post that he and his film crew were “released after half an hour”.
The main organizers behind last year’s Gezi Park protests – Taksim Solidarity – had called for a demonstration to mark the one-year anniversary.
Rallies were also expected to take place in several other Turkish cities, including Izmir and Antakya.
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Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has urged young Turks to ignore calls to mark the first anniversary of Istanbul’s Taksim Square protests.
He was speaking ahead of nationwide demonstrations planned for Saturday.
Thousands of police officers and dozens of water cannon trucks are to be deployed to the square, reports say.
Protests against plans to redevelop Istanbul’s Gezi Park last year turned into mass anti-government rallies after a heavy-handed police crackdown.
A number of people were killed in the unrest, with thousands more injured.
Protests against plans to redevelop Istanbul’s Gezi Park last year turned into mass anti-government rallies after a heavy-handed police crackdown (photo Hurriyet)
A 64-year-old woman, who fell into a coma after inhaling tear gas during another crackdown on protesters in the capital in December, died on Friday.
The main organizers behind the Gezi Park protests – Taksim Solidarity – have called for a demonstration on Saturday to mark the one-year anniversary, Hurriyet reports.
Demonstrations are also expected to take place in several other Turkish cities, including Ankara, Izmir and Antakya.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned young people not to take part, saying: “One year later, people, including so-called artists, are calling for demonstrations, but you, Turkey’s youth, you will not respond to the call.”
Addressing a crowd of young people in the capital on Friday, the prime minister described the movement as “terrorist organizations” that “manipulated our morally and financially weak youth to attack our unity and put our economy under threat”.
Intensive security measures are expected to be in place around Ankara, with a government ban on gatherings in force in Taksim Square.
However, Taksim Square will not be surrounded and isolated by police as it was during May Day protests, Zaman reports.
Protesters have clashed with police in recent months, with two men killed during angry demonstrations over a mining disaster that killed 301 people last week.
Anger also flared in March with the news of the death of a 15-year-old boy who had been in a coma since last June after being hit by a tear-gas canister during a protest.
In May 2013, protesters took the government by surprise by occupying Taksim Square and nearby Gezi Park.
Riot police evicted them two weeks later using heavy-handed tactics and galvanizing anti-government demonstrators in several other cities.
Since then, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced accusations of authoritarianism and corruption after a string of scandals.
He has also moved to block social media sites YouTube and Twitter, after accusing his opponents of using them to deliberately undermine him.
In the first vote since last year’s mass protests, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party won local elections in March, which was widely seen as a barometer of his popularity.
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Turkey will restore access to YouTube after a ruling by the country’s constitutional court.
A block was imposed in late March, soon after recordings alleging official corruption were aired on the site.
Now Turkey’s constitutional court has said the block violated laws governing freedom of expression.
The court is now informing telecom authorities of its decision and is telling them to lift the block.
Turkey will restore access to YouTube after a ruling by the country’s constitutional court
The decision is widely seen as a snub to the government of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan, which has been a sharp critic of social media sites such as Twitter and YouTube.
Both sites were blocked earlier this year after recordings of official meetings were leaked and widely circulated. One recording involved senior army officers discussing intervention in Syria and others supposedly revealed corruption among people close to Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The block on Twitter was lifted last month but the limits on YouTube have stayed despite decisions from lower courts calling on the government for them to be lifted.
It is not clear whether the order to lift the ban will be effective since the authorities said those earlier calls were ignored because offending material was still available on the site.
The constitutional court was looking into the validity of the block after complaints from Turkish citizens about it.
Many people have used special software to get round the ban and ensure they can still see videos on the site.
The block was imposed as a “precautionary administrative measure”, Turkey’s telecommunications regulator said at the time.
Turkey passed a controversial law early this year that let the regulator cut off any site without needing to get a court order.
YouTube was blocked previously in Turkey in 2007 but that ban was lifted in 2010.
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The death toll of Soma mine disaster in Turkey has reached 301 after two more bodies were found.
The government has called a halt to the rescue operation as the bodies of all miners trapped after the mine collapsed are now thought to be recovered.
Protesters have clashed with police near Soma. Correspondents say more than 30 people, including several lawyers, have been arrested.
Demonstrations were held elsewhere over Turkey’s worst-ever mine disaster.
Hundreds of people marched through the western city of Izmir and there were protests in Istanbul and the capital, Ankara.
The death toll of Soma mine disaster in Turkey has reached 301 after two more bodies were found (photo AP)
“The rescue operation was carried out to completion. There are no miners left underground,” Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Saturday.
“Until today we had focused on search and rescue efforts. Now we will be focusing on investigations, on what will happen about production.”
“We won’t be leaving (Soma) because the search efforts are ending,” Taner Yildiz, said, according to Associated Press.
“There will be psychological and social support.”
The local authorities have banned demonstrations in the Soma town centre. On Friday riot police used rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannon when a protest briefly turned violent there.
Police have reportedly been stopping coach-loads of protesters from entering Soma and several lawyers linked to Turkey’s opposition movement have been arrested.
Tuesday’s disaster occurred when an explosion sent carbon monoxide gas into the mine’s tunnels while 787 miners were underground.
Mine operator Soma Holding has denied any negligence. A representative said an unexplained build-up of heat in the mine appeared to have caused the collapse.
There have been several anti-government protests across the country over the last four days.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been criticised for appearing insensitive in his reaction to the disaster.
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A mine explosion in western Turkey has killed 245 people, with 80 injured, according to Energy Minister Taner Yildiz, and the toll could rise with many more still trapped.
Anger has erupted against the Turkish government after the deadly coal mine disaster in the western town of Soma.
People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy, and protesters clashed with police in Istanbul and Ankara.
Rescuers are still hunting desperately for scores of miners who are missing but feared dead.
Nearly 450 workers have been rescued, according to the mine operator. However, no survivors have been found in the last few hours and more than 100 are still unaccounted for.
Eighty of those rescued had been treated for injuries, none of which were described as serious.
People in Soma hurled abuse as they surrounded PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car during his visit to the scene of the tragedy (photo Getty Images)
Local media reports said protesters in Soma kicked Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s car and called for his resignation after he gave a news conference on the disaster.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was booed as he emerged from his car. Some arrests were made amid the scuffles and pictures showed the prime minister, surrounded by bodyguards, seeking refuge in a shop. Protesters also attacked the town’s ruling AK party offices.
Meanwhile, police in Ankara fired tear gas and water cannon at about 800 protesters who tried to march from a university to the energy ministry.
There were also reports of a protest in Istanbul outside the headquarters of Soma Holding, the company that owns the mine.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has faced criticism on social media for being insensitive, after he cited numerous mining accidents throughout the world, including in Britain in the 19th Century, in defending the Turkish government’s record.
He said every effort would be made to find the missing miners, and promised a full investigation.
“I just want everybody to know that the disaster will be investigated in every aspect and will continue to be investigated and we are not going to allow any negligence, or leave any stone unturned,” he said.
Earlier PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced three days of mourning for the victims.
Family members of missing miners gathered at the hospital. They told him they would not move from there until they got information about their loved ones.
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said 787 people had been inside the mine when an electrical fault triggered the blast soon after midday on Tuesday. Many of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Fires were reportedly still burning in the mine 18 hours after the blast.
Dogan news agency reported that one of the dead miners, named as Kemal Yildiz, was only 15 years old.
The electrical fault triggered a power cut, making the mine cages unusable. Those trapped are reported to be 1.2 miles below the surface and 4km from the mine entrance.
Hours after the explosion, TV footage showed rescuers helping workers from the mine, their faces and hard-hats covered in soot and dust and some on stretchers.
Only the dead were being recovered by mid-morning on Wednesday.
Coal mining is a major industry in the Soma area, helping to supply a nearby lignite-fired thermal power plant, but safety has long been a concern. Nearly 40% of Turkey’s electricity production depends on coal.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Turkey will start extradition proceedings against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen.
Fethullah Gulen – a former ally of the Turkish prime minister – has been accused by Recep Tayyip Erdogan of using his supporters to try to topple him.
The cleric denies mounting a campaign against him.
Turkey’s government has faced a string of corruption scandals and rights groups accuse it of authoritarianism.
Speaking at parliament after meeting with deputies from his Justice and Development Party (AKP) party on Tuesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed the extradition process “will begin”, reports say.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that Turkey will start extradition proceedings against US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan was speaking hours after an interview with PBS, in which he said he hoped the US would deport Fethullah Gulen and send him back to Turkey.
It was his first interview with foreign media since his party claimed victory in local elections last month.
In the interview, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped Washington, as a “model partner”, would deliver on the issue.
“At least they should deport him,” he added.
Fethullah Gulen, 74, has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1997.
He has many supporters in the police and judiciary, and has denounced moves to shut down an investigation into corruption allegations leveled against several of the prime minister’s allies.
Fethullah Gulen’s teachings have inspired the Hizmet (“Service”) movement, which is believed to have millions of followers spread across over 150 countries.
Hizmet promotes a tolerant form of Islam, emphasizing education, altruism and hard work.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the movement of being behind a series of wiretaps and social media leaks allegedly exposing major corruption of figures with ties to the government.
Thousands of alleged Hizmet sympathizers in the police and judiciary have since been demoted or reassigned to other jobs.
Over the past year, Turkey has been convulsed by mass protests against Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ten-year rule and the corruption allegations.
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A new Turkish law gives the secret services greater powers of surveillance and extending immunity for its agents.
The law also provides for prison terms of up to 10 years for journalists who publish leaked information.
It is the latest in a series of measures which critics say are designed to bolster the power of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
He is accused of introducing the measures to stifle corruption scandals.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused police, prosecutors and judges of being behind leaked information implicating him in a corruption scandal
The new law extends the ability of secret service agents to conduct foreign operations, tap phone conversations and to access data held by private and public institutions.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party, has said the law has effectively turned Turkey into an “intelligence state”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused police, prosecutors and judges of being behind leaked information implicating him in a corruption scandal.
Earlier this year, recordings surfaced online purportedly of Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his son Bilal discussing how to hide large sums of money.
Another scandal broke when a video on the YouTube website emerged appearing to reveal top officials discussing how to stage an undercover attack inside Syria.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government tried to ban YouTube and Twitter but the move was overturned in the courts, although a ban remained on a handful of YouTube videos in particular.
He has purged hundreds of people from the judiciary and police since several of his allies were arrested over another corruption scandal in December.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the recordings are fabricated and has railed against “plots” to undermine him.
Despite the various scandals, his AKP party won more than 45% of the vote at local elections in March.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused US-based cleric and former ally Fethullah Gulen of being behind attempt to topple his government, which Gulen denies.
Turkey has lifted the controversial ban on Twitter following Wednesday’s constitutional court ruling, officials and media reports say.
Turkey’s constitutional court had told the country’s telecommunication authorities the two-week-old ban must be lifted as it was a breach of freedom of expression.
It may take a couple of hours for full access to Twitter to be restored.
Turkey has lifted the controversial ban on Twitter following constitutional court ruling (photo CBC)
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan had vowed to “wipe out Twitter” after users spread allegations of corruption.
Users across the country found many ways of circumventing the prohibition, which was widely criticized and ridiculed.
Access to Twitter was blocked in Turkey in the run-up to local elections, which Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Islamist-rooted AK Party won resoundingly.
Following the Twitter ban the government also banned access to YouTube, after a video on the website appeared to reveal top officials discussing how to stage an undercover attack inside Syria. Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is heard asking about the possibility of sending tanks in.
The YouTube recording has not been verified as authentic, and Recep Tayyip Erdogan alleges that such recordings are being fabricated to turn people against him.
Turkey’s Twitter ban violates freedom of expression and individual rights, the country’s constitutional court has ruled.
The court also said that last month’s ban must be lifted, sending a statement to Turkey’s media regulator and the government.
It remains unclear whether the verdict will lead to a lifting of the block.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan had vowed to “wipe out Twitter” after users spread allegations of corruption.
Twitter ban violates freedom of expression and individual rights, Turkey’s constitutional court has ruled
Twitter itself has filed a challenge to the access ban.
On Wednesday, the constitutional court in Ankara sent its ruling to Turkey’s telecommunication authority (TIB) and the transport and communications ministry.
The court asked them to “do what’s necessary” to lift the ban, Turkey’s NTV television reported.
The authorities have so far made no public comment on the verdict.
A ban was imposed on March 21 on the grounds that Twitter had failed to remove the allegations of corruption involving senior officials.
A number of complaints were filed to courts, arguing the ban was illegal and unconstitutional.
The administrative court in Ankara later issued a temporary injunction ordering the TIB to restore access to Twitter until it could deliver its full verdict on the ban.
Meanwhile, users across Turkey have found many ways of circumventing the prohibition, which has been widely criticized and ridiculed.
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory for his party in local elections, and vowed that his enemies would “pay the price”.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has been accused of authoritarianism and corruption after a string of scandals.
The local elections, the first vote since mass protests last June, were seen as a barometer of his popularity.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was not standing for election but campaigned hard for his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
With over 60% of the votes counted, it was leading the main opposition party 47% to 27%.
The AKP had been aiming to equal or better its 38.8% share of the vote in the last local elections in 2009.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has claimed victory for his party in local elections (photo Mesut Er)
Speaking from a balcony at his party’s headquarters in Ankara, Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked his supporters.
“You stood up for Turkey’s ideals… for politics, for your party and your prime minister,” he said.
But he warned he would “enter the lair” of enemies who had accused him of corruption and leaked state secrets.
“They will pay for this,” he said.
Voting in the local assembly and mayoral elections passed off peacefully in most areas, but eight people were reportedly killed in two separate incidents involving supporters of rival candidates.
Feuding families were said to have clashed in the southern city of Hatay and the eastern province of Sanliurfa.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been eyeing a run for the presidency in August – the first time voters will directly elect the head of state – or may seek to change the rules to allow him to seek a fourth term in office.
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Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party has taken a strong lead in Turkey’s local elections.
The polls are being seen as a key test for PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan ahead of presidential elections in August and parliamentary elections in 2015.
It is the first vote since mass protests last June, and subsequent government corruption scandals.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not standing but has campaigned tirelessly in support of his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
With about a half of the votes counted, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party was leading the main opposition party 45% to 27%.
The AKP had been aiming to equal or better its 38.8% share of the vote in 2009.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party has taken a strong lead in Turkey’s local elections (photo AFP)
Voting in the local assembly and mayoral elections passed off peacefully in most areas, but eight people were reportedly killed in two separate incidents involving supporters of rival candidates.
Feuding families were said to have clashed in the southern city of Hatay and the eastern province of Sanliurfa.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been eyeing a run for the presidency in August – the first time voters will directly elect the head of state – or may seek to change the rules to allow him to seek a fourth term in office.
In the run-up to Sunday’s poll, the government blocked Twitter and YouTube, following a series of online leaks.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said social media was spreading misinformation.
On Saturday pro- and anti-government factions held rival demonstrations in Istanbul, which saw the Gezi Park protests of May and June last year.
The secular opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) is fighting to win the Istanbul mayor’s office from Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ally Kadir Topbas. However, early results put the AKP ahead in the sprawling metropolis.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a former mayor of Istanbul and the vote has become an unofficial referendum on his administration. The prime minister himself has described the vote as a struggle for Turkey’s independence.
The race looked tighter in the capital Ankara, with the AKP narrowly leading the CHP.
The loss of either city would be a major embarrassment for the prime minister.
More than 50 million people are eligible to vote, and turnout appeared to be high.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan has purged hundreds of people from the judiciary and police since several of his allies were arrested over a corruption scandal in December.
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Turkey is voting in municipal elections that analysts say could determine the political future of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
They are the first elections since mass protests erupted last June and a corruption scandal hit the government.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is not standing but has campaigned tirelessly in support of his Justice and Development Party (AKP).
The government blocked Twitter and YouTube in the run up to the elections, following a series of online leaks.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said social media was spreading misinformation.
Turkey is voting in municipal elections that analysts say could determine the political future of PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan
On Saturday pro- and anti-government factions held rival demonstrations in Istanbul, which saw the Gezi Park protests of May and June last year.
The opposition Republican People’s Party is fighting there to win the mayor’s office from Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ally Kadir Topbas.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan is himself a former mayor of the city and the vote has become an unofficial referendum on his administration, our correspondent says.
The prime minister lashed out at his political opponents during a series of rallies on Saturday.
“They are all traitors,” he told the crowd in Istanbul.
“Go to the ballot box tomorrow and teach all of them a lesson. Let’s give them an Ottoman slap.”
Recep Tayyip Erdogan was forced to cancel a number of rallies on Friday on doctors’ orders to rest his voice.
The prime minister has purged hundreds of people from the judiciary and police since several of his allies were arrested over a corruption scandal in December.
He has accused the judiciary of being behind a series of wiretaps and social media leaks allegedly exposing major corruption, and blamed the probe on a “foreign plot”.
The scandal has pitted the prime minister against a former ally, US-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen, who has many supporters in the police and judiciary.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Islamic-leaning AK Party have been in power for over a decade.
Sunday’s local assembly and mayoral elections are being seen as a key test ahead of presidential elections in August and parliamentary elections in 2015.
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Turkey has blocked access to YouTube, a day after an Ankara court ordered the suspension of a ban on Twitter, which Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed.
The telecoms authority (TIB) said it had taken an “administrative measure” against YouTube but another report suggests that talks are under way.
Some users found access blocked while others could still use the site.
Earlier, what appeared to be a leaked audio recording of Turkish officials discussing Syria appeared on YouTube.
Turkey has blocked access to YouTube
The audio recording relates to a discussion of possible military operations in Syria, which was apparently attended by Turkey’s intelligence chief, its foreign minister and the deputy head of the armed forces.
Reuters news agency, which examined the recording, said it could not verify its authenticity but it was potentially the most damaging purported leak so far as it appeared to have originated from the bugging of a highly confidential and sensitive conversation.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who faces important local elections on Sunday, accuses social media of spreading misinformation and suggested earlier that bans could be applied to both YouTube and Facebook.
At a rally this week, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying: “I don’t understand how people of good sense could defend this Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. There are all kinds of lies there.”
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An Ankara court has ordered the suspension of the controversial Twitter ban, but it could be weeks before it takes effect.
Turkish users of Twitter expected to regain access shortly after the ruling but it remained blocked.
Turkey’s telecommunication authority (TIB) has 30 days to decide whether to lift the ban.
PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “wipe out Twitter” after users spread allegations of corruption.
Twitter itself has filed a challenge to the access ban.
It said it had acted on two out of three Turkish legal orders but had concern about the third order as it was a request us to suspend an account accusing a former minister of corruption.
Turkey’s Twitter ban sparks outrage and social media mocks
“This order causes us concern,” its general counsel, Vijaya Gadde, said in a statement.
“Political speech is among the most important speech, especially when it concerns possible government corruption.”
At a rally ahead of important local elections on Sunday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying: “I don’t understand how people of good sense could defend this Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. There are all kinds of lies there.”
Twitter ban was imposed on Friday on the grounds that the social media site had failed to remove the allegations of corruption involving senior officials.
A number of complaints were filed to courts, arguing the ban was illegal and unconstitutional.
The administrative court in Ankara issued a temporary injunction on Wednesday ordering the TIB to restore access to Twitter until it could deliver its full verdict on the ban.
Turkish media reports suggested the ban would be suspended soon afterwards but a source in Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s office told Reuters news agency the TIB had 30 days to implement or appeal against the court ruling.
Thirty days is a standard period in such cases.
“The millions of people in Turkey who turn to Twitter to make their voices heard are being kept from doing just that,” Vijaya Gadde said.
“There are no legal grounds for the blocking of our service in Turkey,” she added.
Users have found many ways of circumventing the prohibition, which has been widely criticized and ridiculed.
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