An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 hit the Marmara Sea near the western outskirts of Istanbul on Wednesday, officials said, with the impact felt across Turkey’s largest city where people rushed onto the streets.

“An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Marmara Sea, Istanbul,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding that it was felt in the surrounding provinces.

The initial quake at 12:49 pm (0949 GMT) was followed by three others of with magnitudes of 4.4 to 4.9, Turkey’s AFAD disaster management agency posted on X.

As buildings shook, people rushed onto the streets where crowds of worried-looking people stared at their mobile phones for information or made calls, an AFP correspondent said.

“I just felt earthquake, I’ve got to get out,” said a shaken-looking decorator rushing out of a fourth floor apartment where he was working near the city’s Galata Tower, who did not want to give his name.

There were no immediate reports of anyone being hurt or killed nor of buildings collapsing in the sprawling city of 16 million people, city authorities and the regional governor’s office said.

“Until now, we have no information about any buildings collapsing,” the governor’s office said, urging people to avoid any structures that might have been damaged in the tremors.

“No serious cases have been reported so far following the earthquake in Istanbul,” the Istanbul municipality said on X.

The tremors could be felt as far away as Bulgaria, according to AFP journalists in the capital Sofia.

Channels/AFP

Burkina Faso’s military junta claimed Monday to have foiled a “major plot in the making” aimed at “sowing total chaos”, saying it believed the masterminds were in neighbouring Ivory Coast.Burkina Faso has been run since September 2022 by military leaders following a coup headed by Captain Ibrahim Traore, who has often blamed Ivory Coast for harbouring his opponents.

Traore promised to restore security but his government has regularly silenced dissenters, and the country has seen an upsurge in kidnappings and extrajudicial arrests, particularly of civilians considered hostile to the junta.

“The meticulous work of the intelligence service (has) revealed a major plot being prepared against our country, the ultimate aim of which is to sow total chaos”, Security Minister Mahamadou Sana said in a statement read out on national television.

“The manoeuvre was to culminate, according to the terrorist plotters’ plan, on Wednesday April 16, 2025 in an assault on the presidency of (Burkina) Faso by a group of soldiers recruited by the nation’s enemies,” he said.

“The brains outside the country are all located in Ivory Coast”, he added, naming in particular two former army officers, Major Joanny Compaore and Lieutenant Abdramane Barry.

A dozen military personnel, including two officers, were arrested last week after being accused by supporters of the junta of planning to “destabilise” the government, security sources told AFP on Monday.

Since 2015 Burkina Faso has been plagued by jihadist violence from groups linked to the Islamic State group or Al-Qaeda.

Traore claimed last year that Ivory Coast was a “centre of operations” to destabilise Burkina. Vanguard

South Korea has officially initiated a criminal trial against former President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his ousting from office. Yoon is facing charges of insurrection related to his imposition of martial law in late 2024, which led to widespread protests and political upheaval.

In a court session on Monday, Yoon denied allegations of attempting a coup d’état, stating that his brief declaration of martial law was not intended to destabilize the country. He argued that the measure was a response to political obstruction by the majority opposition party, which had impeached over 20 officials, including the chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection.

Yoon, who was removed from office earlier this month by the Constitutional Court for violating constitutional powers, is accused of lacking legal grounds for declaring martial law. Prosecutors contend that the move incapacitated key government institutions.

Yoon, dressed in a dark navy suit and red tie, arrived at the Seoul Central District Court and spent roughly 40 minutes in the morning session defending his actions. He asserted that the martial law was meant to send a “peaceful message” to the nation, adding that he expected the declaration to last no longer than a day.

While acknowledging that he had informed former defense minister Kim Yong-hyun of his intentions, Yoon suggested that military officials may have exceeded the scope of the order due to training protocols based on various martial law scenarios.