- Five of the best: Pakistan-England Test thrillers
- Man sets arm on fire as marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
- Vietnam's young coffee entrepreneurs brew up a revolution
- Trump rallies at site of failed assassination: 'Never quit'
- Too hot by day, Dubai's floodlit beaches are packed at night
- Is music finally reckoning with #MeToo?
- Fans hail Trump's 'guts' as he returns to site of rally shooting
- Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit south Beirut
- Miami on track for MLS record points after win in Toronto
- Monaco take top spot in Ligue 1 with win at Rennes
- Madrid beat Villarreal to level Liga leaders Barca
- Thuram treble fires Inter past Torino and up to second
- 'Fight': defiant Trump jets in to site of rally shooting
- Mexico City's new mayor sworn in with pledges on water, housing
- Israel on alert ahead of Hamas attack anniversary
- Guardians maul Tigers in MLB playoff series opener
- Macron criticises Israel on Gaza, Lebanon operations
- French rugby player whistled but 'serene' on return amid ongoing rape case
- Retegui hat-trick fires five-star Atalanta to hammering of Genoa
- Heavyweights Australia, England off to World Cup winning starts
- Visiting UN refugee agency chief decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon
- Spinners come to party as England defeat Bangladesh at T20 World Cup
- Search continues for missing in deadly Bosnia floods
- Man City sink Fulham to get title bid back on track
- France's Auradou whistled on Pau return in Perpignan loss amid ongoing rape case
- A 'forgotten' valley in storm-hit North Carolina, desperate for help
- Arsenal hit back in style after Southampton scare
- Hezbollah heir apparent Safieddine out of contact after strikes
- Liverpool stay top of Premier League as Arsenal, Man City win
- In dank Tour of Emilia, Pogacar shines in rainbow jersey
- DR Congo launches mpox vaccination drive, hoping to curb outbreak
- Trump returns to site of failed assassination
- Careless Leverkusen held to Bundesliga draw
- O'Brien's 'superstar' Kyprios posts landmark win on Arc weekend
- Liverpool suffer Alisson injury blow
- Habosi helps Racing beat Vannes before Auradou's playing return
- Thousands march in London in support of Palestinians, 1 year after Oct 7
- Israel readying response to Iran missile attack
- Schutt, Mooney help Australia beat Sri Lanka in Women's T20 World Cup
- Liverpool extend Premier League lead with win at Palace
- Djokovic 'shakes rust off' to make third round of Shanghai Masters
- 'Imperfect' PSG fighting on all fronts - Luis Enrique
- Struggling Pakistan look to thwart adaptable England
- Child 'trampled to death' in asylum seekers' Channel crossing: minister
- Gauff fights back to set up Beijing final against Muchova
- Guardiola claims Premier League won't delay season for Man City
- Israel to mark October 7 attack as Gaza war spreads
- Gauff fights back to reach China Open final
- Recovering Stokes ruled out of first Pakistan Test
- Hezbollah battles troops on border as Israel pounds Lebanon
Uncertainty for Russian tourists in Turkey hotspot as war rages
With its shimmering azure waters, secluded coves and golden sands, Turkey's Mediterranean coast is a destination beloved by Russian tourists, nearly five million of whom visited last year.
But many visitors currently on holiday in the area now fear they will be unable to return home because of extensive Western sanctions on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.
Restrictions on card payments and flight operations have also raised fears of a slump in Russian tourism to Turkey, a key source of revenues for Ankara.
Holidaymaker Margarita Sabatnikaya, 31, says her vacation plans have been thrown into doubt and that she fears being stranded.
"We have come here for a holiday with our children. It's unclear when we'll return to Russia, by which plane," she said.
Sabatnikaya said that she wanted to continue her holiday but her bank cards had stopped working.
"It's unclear how to stay here and how to survive," she said.
While flag carrier Turkish Airlines says flights to and from Russia will "continue for the moment", no frills carrier Pegasus has suspended its services leaving its customers desperate to rebook elsewhere.
Dozens of Western countries have banned Russian planes from their airspace while some carriers operating flights to Russia have had their insurance policies cancelled.
Some Turkish holiday operators have cited the impact of Western sanctions when cancelling the plans of their Russian clients.
US card giants MasterCard and Visa have suspended their Russian operations, although Russian cardholders in Turkey are able access to their funds through Russia's homegrown payments system Mir.
"We heard the company that brought us here stopped flights but I am not sure," said Russian tourist Anton Gavrilov, 34.
"Of course I had a little bit of cash but if I'd like to pay with my card I don't know if it will be possible for me," he added having swapped the icy Moscow winter for Turkey's sun-kissed Mediterranean coast.
- 'Very serious' -
The damage wrought on Turkey's crucial travel industry will depend on how long sanctions on Russia are enforced for, industry experts say.
But there is a chance that Russians fleeing their homeland could offset some of the losses, they say.
"We foresee that the impact of this crisis on Antalya tourism will be very serious," Anna Yigit, deputy general manager of an Antalya resort hotel, told AFP.
"We are prepared for it, we have antibodies!"
Around 4.5 million Russian and two million Ukrainian tourists descended on Turkey last year.
The government was hoping for a post-Covid rebound this year, with a target of almost $35 billion (38 billion euros) in total tourism revenues, back at pre-pandemic levels.
"Russians were among number one arrivals for Turkey before the pandemic, maybe this year Turkey was on course for 10-15 million Russian tourists," said Washington Institute fellow Soner Cagaptay.
All this "will be lost if the sanctions are so severe that the Russian middle class won't be able to afford travel to Turkey," he said.
Turkey has weathered a drought of Russian tourists before when, in the first half of 2016, Ankara shot down a Russian warplane over Syria.
In this conflict Turkey has sought to avoid antagonising the Kremlin despite Kyiv using Turkish drones in the battlefield.
- 'Don't know what to do' -
Holidaymaker Gavrilov said he fears this holiday will be his last as sanctions have caused the ruble to reach all-time lows against the dollar.
"It will be really hard to afford a trip for family," he said.
Hoteliers in Turkey's resorts have been left guessing how many Russian guests will pull out of their bookings, although there has not yet been a wave of cancellations.
Russian tourists who paid a deposit for holiday packages may not now be able to afford to pay the difference after the ruble slumped in value.
Western restrictions on flights to and from Russia have pushed up air fares for the countries that continue to have services to Russia, like Turkey.
Typical ticket prices have jumped from 180 euros to 400 euros.
One Russian family told AFP they paid 900 euros for a one-way ticket from Russia to Antalya on a "low-cost" airline.
Anastasia Zanolotnaya, 27, a diving instructor living in Antalya for four years, said many Russians who came to Turkey for holidays were now stranded.
"I have two Russian friends who stay with me right now. They cannot get back because (plane tickets) are very expensive," she told AFP.
Ukrainian tourists are also affected.
"We came for holiday in early February, now (me and my family) cannot go back," said Olga, who declined to give her surname.
"We should have returned just two days after the war. No flight now. We have a small amount of money now. We don't know what to do."
O.Salvador--PC