Erdogan appeases protesters by halting park plan

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”.

It marked the first easing of tensions in the standoff, which has presented the Islamist-rooted government with the biggest challenge of its decade-long rule

Hours after giving a “last warning” to demonstrators camping out in Gezi Park, Erdogan made the concession in his first talks with a key group of protesters.