Turkey detains 1,100 since Erdogan rival’s arrest

Turkish police have detained more than 1,100 people, including journalists, since the arrest of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's main rival sparked the country's worst unrest in years, a minister said yesterday.

The demonstrations began in Istanbul after Ekrem Imamoglu's arrest last week and have since spread to more than 55 of 81 provinces, sparking clashes with riot police and drawing international condemnation.

The popular 53-year-old has been widely seen as the only politician who could defeat Turkey's leader Erdogan at the ballot box.