Turkey has blocked potential attacks in recent weeks: presidential spokesman
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey has prevented potential attacks in recent weeks including planned suicide bombings, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Monday, following a spate of attacks blamed on Islamic State and Kurdish militants.
Israel urges citizens to leave Turkey, cites Islamic State threat
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel urged its citizens in Turkey on Monday to leave “as soon as possible” in an upgraded travel advisory predicting possible follow-up attacks to the March 19 suicide bombing in Istanbul blamed on Islamic State.
Islamic State driven out of Syria’s ancient Palmyra city
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syrian government forces backed by heavy Russian air support drove Islamic State out of Palmyra on Sunday, inflicting what the army called a mortal blow to militants who seized the city last year and dynamited its ancient temples.
Thai election panel expects 80 percent turnout for referendum
BANGKOK (Reuters) – Thailand’s election commission said on Monday it expected 80 percent of eligible voters to turn out for an August 7 referendum on a controversial constitution that critics have vowed to boycott.
Belgian police break up street protests as attack investigation widens
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian police briefly used water cannon to control several hundred rowdy protesters in central Brussels on Sunday after they ignored an official call for marches to be postponed following Tuesday’s bombings.
Taliban rockets hit Afghan parliament compound, no one reported hurt
KABUL (Reuters) – Rockets fired by Taliban fighters struck the compound of Afghanistan’s new parliament on Monday as the country’s top intelligence official and caretaker minister of interior prepared to address the assembly.
Dozens killed in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast: sources
DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) – A local elected official was killed in Turkey’s strife-hit southeast on Monday after a weekend of violence that also claimed the lives of almost 30 militants and soldiers, according to security sources.
Japan opens radar station close to disputed isles, drawing angry China response
YONAGUNI, Japan (Reuters) – Japan on Monday switched on a radar station in the East China Sea, giving it a permanent intelligence gathering post close to Taiwan and a group of islands disputed by Japan and China, drawing an angry response from Beijing….
Czechs roll out red carpet for first visit by Chinese president
PRAGUE (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a two-day state visit to Prague on Monday to promote business ties, crowning efforts by Czech President Milos Zeman to build a strategic relationship with Beijing.
Saudi-led alliance confirms Yemen prisoner swap
DUBAI (Reuters) – A Saudi-led military coalition on Monday said it had completed a prisoner swap in Yemen, exchanging nine Saudi prisoners for 109 Yemeni nationals ahead of a planned truce and peace talks aimed at ending the year-long war with Houthi r…
