Türkiye Releases Arrested May 1 Protesters

01 May 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Police detain a protester during the May Day demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day. (dpa)
01 May 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Police detain a protester during the May Day demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day. (dpa)
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Türkiye Releases Arrested May 1 Protesters

01 May 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Police detain a protester during the May Day demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day. (dpa)
01 May 2026, Türkiye, Istanbul: Police detain a protester during the May Day demonstrations to mark International Workers' Day. (dpa)

Turkish authorities have released more than 500 protesters arrested at May Day rallies in Istanbul, a lawyers' association said Saturday.

Police cracked down on Friday's demonstrations, firing tear gas to break them up and arresting hundreds of people.

All 576 people arrested were released by Saturday morning, including union official Basaran Aksu, the lawyers' association CHD said on X.

The association's Istanbul branch had deployed members into the city's streets to document arrests and aid those detained.

The Istanbul governor's office put the number of arrests at 575.

Another 47 people were arrested on April 28 ahead of the planned May Day rallies, of whom four have been placed in custody and nine on house arrest, CHD said.

The demonstrations were concentrated around Taksim Square, which the authorities have closed to rallies since a massive wave of anti-government protests in 2013.

Aksu had condemned the authorities for imposing a lockdown on the square, a symbolic site often used for mass gatherings in Türkiye.

"You can't close off a square to the workers of Türkiye," he said just before his arrest.

"Everyone uses Taksim, for official ceremonies, for celebrations. Only the laborers, the workers, the poor find the square closed to them."

May Day, which celebrates workers and the working classes, sees a major police deployment in Türkiye every year, with a large area in the heart of Istanbul sealed off.

Unions and civil society associations had called for the May 1 rallies under the slogan "Bread. Peace. Freedom."



Rubio Says Progress Made on Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he speaks with reporters during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, in Helsingborg, Sweden May 22, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he speaks with reporters during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, in Helsingborg, Sweden May 22, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS
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Rubio Says Progress Made on Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he speaks with reporters during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, in Helsingborg, Sweden May 22, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on as he speaks with reporters during a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, in Helsingborg, Sweden May 22, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that some progress has been made on Washington's dispute with Iran and that the US might have "something to say" on the issue in the coming days.

"There's been some progress done, some progress made, even as I speak to you now, there's some work being done. There is a chance that, whether it's later today, tomorrow, in a couple days, we may have something to say," Rubio told reporters during his visit to New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Iran said on Saturday ​that any mechanism concerning the Strait of Hormuz should ‌be ‌agreed between ​Iran, ‌Oman ⁠and ​the countries ⁠bordering the waterway, and that the United States "has ⁠nothing to ‌do" ‌with ​it.

Foreign ‌ministry ‌spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei also said Iran was ‌focused on finalizing a memorandum ⁠of ⁠understanding through Pakistani-mediated talks between Tehran and Washington, according to Iran's state media.


France Bans Israeli Security Minister Ben Gvir from Country

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during an event in Jerusalem on May 14, 2026 (AFP)
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during an event in Jerusalem on May 14, 2026 (AFP)
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France Bans Israeli Security Minister Ben Gvir from Country

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during an event in Jerusalem on May 14, 2026 (AFP)
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during an event in Jerusalem on May 14, 2026 (AFP)

France announced on Saturday it had banned Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir from the country after he posted a video mocking bound activists seized by Israeli soldiers on a Gaza-bound aid flotilla, AFP reported.

"From today, Itamar Ben Gvir is banned from entering French territory" after "his reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens" who were part of the flotilla, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on X.

He added that, with Italy, he was also calling for European Union-level sanctions against the far-right Ben Gvir.


Taiwan Security Chief: China Deployed 'Over 100 Vessels' in Regional Waters

People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
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Taiwan Security Chief: China Deployed 'Over 100 Vessels' in Regional Waters

People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang
People walk past the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, May 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ann Wang

Taiwan's security chief said Saturday that China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in regional waters stretching from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and Western Pacific.

The deployment happened in the past few days after US President Donald Trump's meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Beijing, National Security Council chief Joseph Wu said on X.

"In this part of the world,#China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability," Wu said in the post.

China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it.

Wu's remarks came after Trump on Wednesday referred to "the Taiwan problem" when asked if he would speak to Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te about arms sales to the democratic island.

"I'll speak to him. I speak to everybody," Trump said, adding that he had a great meeting with Xi during his state visit.

"We'll work on that, the Taiwan problem," Trump said.

A Taiwan security official told AFP on the condition of anonymity that Chinese vessels had been detected before the summit in Beijing, but that the numbers went above 100 in recent days.

Meanwhile, a source said US arms sales to Taiwan take years to process and are unrelated to the war with Iran, after a senior US official suggested there was a pause due to the need to have enough arms for the conflict.

Taiwan has been waiting for the US to approve an arms sale that Reuters reported could be worth up to $14 billion.

On Thursday, ⁠acting US Navy ⁠Secretary Hung Cao told a Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee hearing that there was a pause on arms sales to Taiwan to make sure the US had the munitions needed for the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran.

The source familiar with the matter noted that Trump has said he would decide on the Taiwan arms sales soon.

"These sales take years to process and are unrelated to Operation Epic Fury," the source ⁠said, referring to the war the US and Israel launched in February. "The United States military has more than enough munitions, ammo, and stockpiles to serve all of President Trump's strategic goals and beyond."