TURKISH COURT ANNULS

ISTANBUL : A Turkish court has thrown out the conviction of a former Wall Street Journal reporter, the newspaper said, annulling a verdict sentencing her to two years in prison in absentia on charges of carrying out propaganda for Kurdish militants.

The court ruling on Tuesday coincides with sign of Ankara seeking to improve ties with its Western allies that have been frayed in part by concerns over Turkey's human rights record, particularly in a crackdown following a failed coup in 2016.

Alya Albayrak, a reporter with dual Turkish and Finnish citizenship, was sentenced last year over a  2015 story about clashes between Turkish security forces and Kurdistan Workers Party [PKK] militants in southeastern Turkey. [Reuters].

ISTANBUL : A Turkish court has thrown out the conviction of a former Wall Street Journal reporter accused of carrying out propaganda for Kurdish militants.