Scores of Turkish Cypriots complained they were denied the right to vote in European Parliament elections in divided Cyprus on Sunday because they had no registered address, officials said.

A group of Turkish Cypriots crossing over from the Turkish-held north of the island held a protest.

Turkey's Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the Palme d'Or top prize at the Cannes Film Festival Saturday for "Winter Sleep", a slow-burn domestic drama that mesmerized audiences despite its more than three-hour length.

Jury president Jane Campion, the New Zealand filmmaker, handed over the trophy to Ceylan, who beat out 17 other contenders including David Cronenberg, Jean-Luc Godard and the Oscar-winning director of "The Artist", Michel Hazanavicius, to claim top honors.

Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan roused cheering supporters Saturday at a speech in Germany, the country with the most overseas Turks, shrugging off street protests there labeling him a "dictator".

Erdogan is expected to run for Turkey's presidency in August, and Germany -- with a Turkish community of three million, half of them eligible voters -- would be a strong constituency for the controversial leader.

More than 250 people were wounded on Saturday when a 6.9 magnitude undersea earthquake sparked panic in northwestern Turkey.

Television footage showed hundreds of terrified residents fleeing buildings in several Turkish towns after the quake hit at 0925 GMT.

Ten thousand mourners marched through Istanbul on Friday to honor a man killed by crossfire in clashes between police and anti-government protesters, as fresh running battles the shook city's streets.

Riot police clad in heavy body armor used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds as rioters blocked roads and burned tires in the second day of demonstrations, said an Agence France Presse photographer on the scene. 

Syrian rebels shelled a rally in support of President Bashar Assad's re-election, killing 21 people, after his troops cut a key rebel supply route to the main northern city of Aleppo.

Mortar fire, which hit a tent where Assad supporters had gathered in the southern city of Daraa late Thursday, also wounded at least 30, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's planned pre-election address in Germany Saturday has sparked widespread criticism in the wake of the country's mine disaster and concern over opponents' protest calls.

Amid heightened anger within Turkey over his response to last week's tragedy in which more than 300 died, Erdogan is set for a long-scheduled appearance before supporters in the western city of Cologne.

One man was injured when Turkish riot police on Thursday fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse a group of Istanbul protesters hurling Molotov cocktails and stones.

Tensions are high in Turkey with the approach of the first anniversary of deadly nationwide anti-government protests and in the wake of an unprecedented mine disaster that claimed 301 lives last week.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden met Cyprus leaders Thursday to spur talks on ending their island's 40-year division and seek support for threatened sanctions against Russia.

After talks with President Nicos Anastasiades, the Greek Cypriot leader, and Turkish Cypriot counterpart Dervis Eroglu, Biden cautioned against overstating the role of the United States in reunification efforts.

Rocket fire by Syrian military helicopters killed at least 10 people in the northern town of Azaz on Tuesday, a monitoring group said.

The air raid came hot on the heels of hours of a rocket strike on the nearby town of Marea which killed 13 people, 10 of them children, on Monday night, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.