Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter who has spent a year behind bars in Russia, is awaiting a trial on espionage charges the White House says are fabricated but could still see him jailed for decades.The Wall Street Journal and the White House vehemently deny Russia's accusation, which they see as a false pretext to secure the release of Russians in custody in the US. President Vladimir Putin said last month he would like to see Gershkovich released as part of a prisoner exchange, b
Turks will vote Sunday in local elections as President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sets his sights on winning back Istanbul, the country's economic powerhouse, after he was re-elected head of state in a tight contest last year. Erdogan can't easily give up on 16-million-strong Istanbul, Turkey's economic powerhouse and a crucial source of patronage for Islamic conservatives.
Recapturing Istanbul, the "jewel" of Turkey, in Sunday's local elections has become President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's obsession ever since losing the country's economic capital to the opposition in 2019. "Istanbul is the jewel, the treasure and the apple of our country's eye," he said at a rally in the city a week before the elections.