President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his main opponent Kemal Kilicdaroglu held massive rival rallies on Sunday, setting the stage for a bruising battle in the final two weeks of Turkey's election campaign.
Mr Erdogan showed no signs of an illness that sidelined him for three days last week as flag-waving supporters filled a central Ankara square that can fit a few hundred thousand people.
"Are we ready to come out with a crushing victory?" Mr Erdogan, 69, draped in a scarf of the Turkish capital's main football club, demanded from the enthusiastic crowd.
"On May 14, our nation, God willing, will eliminate them from the political scene," he said of secular leader Mr Kilicdaroglu and his six-party opposition alliance.
Mr Erdogan has bounced back strongly from what was described as a digestive problem in the run-up to one of Turkey's most important elections of its post-Ottoman history.
The illness shook the strongman image he has cultivated over two decades of economic booms and busts, social transformation and crackdowns on dissent.
"As you know I was sick recently, and from every house people were praying for me," Mr Erdogan told the crowd.
"I am trying to be worthy of those prayers."
Election rallies in Turkey ahead of May 14 elections - in pictures
Mr Kilicdaroglu, 74, and his multi-faceted alliance are posing Mr Erdogan's toughest election challenge since his Islamic-rooted party first swept to power in 2002.
Mr Erdogan became prime minister a year later, consolidating control as a powerful president under a new constitution in 2018.
The coming vote is too close to call and will probably lead to a run-off on May 28.
Mr Kilicdaroglu and his allies have fanned out across the country, holding daily events that are starting to get coverage on pro-government media.
He staged an equally massive rally along the embankment of the opposition-controlled Aegean city of Izmir, where Mr Erdogan drew slightly smaller crowds on Saturday.
"These elections are elections to rebuild our democracy," Mr Kilicdaroglu, a former civil servant, told the cheering crowd after walking on to the stage with his wife, Selvi.
"We will bring peace to this country, I will bring brotherhood to this country."
The massive turnout is a sign of the huge interest Turks have in the election, which has turned into a referendum on Mr Erdogan's rule.
His party is also in danger of losing control of Parliament, which it holds through an alliance with an ultra-nationalist group.
Mr Erdogan in 2019 lost landmark municipal votes in Ankara, Istanbul and Izmir — Turkey's three biggest and most economically powerful cities.
But his decision to campaign in all three hints at the close nature of the vote.
"Ankara has a huge responsibility," Mr Erdogan told the crowd.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
Kandahar%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ric%20Roman%20Waugh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EGerard%20Butler%2C%20Navid%20Negahban%2C%20Ali%20Fazal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
John%20Wick%3A%20Chapter%204
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chad%20Stahelski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Keanu%20Reeves%2C%20Laurence%20Fishburne%2C%20George%20Georgiou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
