Riot police fired water cannons and tear gas as they drove protesters out of Istanbul’s Taksim Square and neighbouring Gezi Park today, an intervention that came shortly after the prime minister warned that security forces “know how to clear” the area.

Turkey’s prime minister has lashed out at protesters behind a two-week sit-in at an Istanbul park in a boisterous speech to tens of thousands of his supporters.

Police firing water cannons and tear gas have dispersed protesters who erected street barricades near Turkey’s parliament overnight.

Turkey’s prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to halt plans to redevelop an Istanbul park at the centre of two weeks of mass anti-government unrest, in a move protesters welcomed as “positive”.

A meeting between Turkey’s prime minister and representatives of anti-government protesters ended early today.

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a “last warning” for thousands of protesters to evacuate an Istanbul park at the centre of mass anti-government demos, ratcheting up tensions in two weeks of deadly unrest.

"Lawbreakers" will be removed from Istanbul's Taksim Square, Turkey's Prime Minister declared today, rejecting the European Parliament's resolution condemning the excessive use of force by Turkish riot police against demonstrators.

A protester injured during clashes with Turkish riot police has died, raising the death toll to five from the two-week stand-off, lawyers said.

An eye-catching protest sign in Taksim Square

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 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.

Turkey’s Prime Minister took a combative stance on his return to the country, telling supporters that the nationwide protests must come to an end.

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

One of Turkey’s deputy prime ministers has said his government respects the right to non-violent protest and free speech, but must also protect its citizens against violence.

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.

Protests in Istanbul and several other Turkish cities appear to have subsided, after days of fierce clashes following a police crackdown on a peaceful gathering.

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.

Turkey’s state-run news agency says that police have begun withdrawing from a main Istanbul square and have allowed thousands of protesters in.

Turkey protestors and riot police have clashed for a second day in the city of Istanbul.

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.