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A heated debate in Turkish parliament relating to a massive corruption scandal turned into a full-on melee today with punches, flying kicks, and thrown tablet computers. Turkey has been rocked in recent weeks by allegations of graft that have beleaguered Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his ruling party. [Click link for video]

PROTESTERS stormed the streets of Turkey’s biggest cities yesterday as a deepening corruption scandal threatened to bring down the government and sparked fears of a military coup. Riot police fought back with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets in Istanbul’s Taksim Square six months after violent scenes in the city over Turkey’s shift away from its leanings to western democracy. To cries of “catch the thief”, a slur aimed at prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, protesters threw rocks and firecrackers as riot squads attempted to block demonstrators from taking over the square. At least 70 were arrested.

Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Çağlayan, Interior Minister Muammer Güler and Environment and Urbanization Minister Erdoğan Bayraktar announced their resignations today. The first announcement came hours after Çağlayan returned from a trip to Pakistan, where he accompanied Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “It is clear that the operation that was launched on Dec. 17 is a dirty [game] against our government, our party and our country,” Çağlayan said in a written statement. “I have left my duty as the economy minster to spoil this ugly game in which my son and my close aides were implicated and to allow the facts...

Another step in the deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey toook place on Thursday, with hints that Israel is behind the leakage of tapes of secret talks betwen Ankara's intelligence personnel and the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a disclosure that shocked the Turkish public and put Erdogan's government on the defensive. Erdogan, obviously furious, sought to defend National Intelligence Organization Chief, Hakan Fidan, in his release to the press. He had previously denied the taped conversations took place. “We know certain circles have targeted Hakan Fidan in the past,” Erdogan said in reference to past Israeli claims that Fidan...