Erdogan in new threat to protesters

"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.

Ratcheting up his defiant tone, Recep Tayyip Erdogan appears determined to end two weeks of protests that have put an unflattering international spotlight on his Islamic-rooted government and its handling of the biggest street unrest of his 10-year tenure.