Riot police fired tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets in day-long clashes in Istanbul that lasted into the early hours today.

In Turkey, violence is flaring again in Istanbul with reports that thousands of protesters are gathering in Taksim Square, which is lined with police.

Hundreds of riot police have stormed improvised barricades at Istanbul’s Taksim Square, firing tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon in running battles with protesters who have been occupying the area for more than a week.

Hundreds of police have begun moving past barricades in Istanbul’s central Taksim Square, which protesters have been occupying for more than a week.

Turkish police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse thousands of demonstrators as the country’s biggest wave of anti-government protests in decades entered its second week with no signs of waning.

Turkish prime minister Tayyip Erdogan condemned the “burn and destroy” tactics of some of those involved in days of violent protests, and promised to press ahead with plans to build on an Istanbul park which triggered the unrest.

Turkey's Prime Minister says he will go ahead with redevelopment plans that have sparked nationwide protests.

Activists have presented a list of demands they said could end days of anti-government demonstrations that have engulfed Turkey, as trade unions joined in the outpouring of anger, shouting slogans and wielding banners calling on the prime minister to resign.

Turkish riot police launched round after round of tear gas last night, as prime minister Tayyip Erdogan accused anti-government protesters of walking “arm-in-arm with terrorism”, remarks that could further inflame public anger after some of the most violent riots in decades.

Turkey’s prime minister today rejected claims that he is an authoritarian leader, dismissing protesters as an extremist fringe even as hundreds moved back into the landmark square that was the site of the fiercest anti-government outburst in years.

Thousands of people flooded Istanbul’s main square today after a crackdown on an anti-government protests turned city streets into a battlefield clouded by tear gas, in scenes reminiscent of the Arab Spring.

Turkish police have let off tear gas and pressurised water against groups of protesters trying to reach a main Istanbul square for a second day of anti-government demonstrations.

Police and protesters have clashed in Istanbul after hundreds tried to breach barricades and reach the city’s main square to mark May Day in defiance of a government ban.

A suicide bomber blew himself up today beside a police vehicle in a major Istanbul square near tourist hotels and a bus terminal, wounding 32 people, including 15 policemen.

A suicide bomber blew himself up near police watching over Istanbul’s main square today, wounding 22 people, including 10 policemen, officials said.

An explosion rocked Istanbul’s main square today, injuring several people.

FOOTBALL fans flying into Istanbul ahead of tomorrow’s Champions League final faced tightened security yesterday, with immigration officials demanding to see match tickets as well as passports and visas.

THE United States transferred sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government two days early yesterday in a surprise move that apparently caught insurgents off guard, averting a feared campaign of attacks to sabotage the move toward self-rule.