Erdogan accuses the opposition of wrecking Turkey’s economy during protests

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s president has accused the political opposition of “sinking the economy” during the country’s largest protests in more than a decade. People are protesting the arrest of Istanbul’s mayor, who is the biggest challenger to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s 22-year rule. The party of Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu has called for a boycott of companies that it says support Erdogan’s government. The Turkish president on Wednesday accused the opposition of being “so desperate that they would throw the country and the nation into the fire.” Many consider the case against Imamoglu to be politically motivated. The government says the judiciary is free of political influence.

Captured Ukrainians convicted on terrorism charges by Russia

(AP) — Russia has convicted 23 captured Ukrainians on terrorism charges stemming from the war in Ukraine in a trial that Kyiv denounced as a sham and a violation of international law. The trial took place in a military court in Rostov-on-Don, where Russia’s Southern Military district is based. The defendants included 14 current or former fighters of the elite Azov brigade, which Russia designated a terrorist group, and nine women and one man who worked as cooks or support personnel, according to Russian media reports and rights activists. All had been charged with staging a violent coup d’etat and organizing activities of a terrorist organization. They were given sentences ranging from 13 to 23 years in prison.

Palestinians protest Hamas in a rare public show of dissent in Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — Palestinians have chanted against Hamas during anti-war protests in the Gaza Strip. It’s a rare show of public anger against the militant group that has long repressed dissent. Hamas is weakened but still rules the territory 17 months into the war with Israel. Protesters say they chanted against Israel, Hamas, the Western-backed Palestinian Authority and Arab mediators. Hamas has violently cracked down on previous protests. The protests came days after Israel’s renewed offensive shattered a ceasefire. It also has tightened its blockade on all supplies into Gaza.

4 American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania have died, NATO leader says

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte says that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he does not yet know the details. A U.S. official would say only that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on the status of the soldiers. Rutte said, during a trip to Warsaw, that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States. Lithuania’s military said later on X that the deaths were not yet confirmed and that a rescue operation was “intensively ongoing.”