WORLD HEADLINES
By Orhan Coskun and Dasha Afanasieva ANKARA/ELBEYLI, Turkey (Reuters) – Turkish warplanes pounded Islamic State targets in Syria for the first time on Friday, with President Tayyip Erdogan promising more decisive action against both the jihadists and Kurdish militants at home. The air strikes, which followed a phone conversation between Erdogan and U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday, were accompanied by a series of police raids across Turkey to detain
A U.S. air strike in Afghanistan has killed a high-ranking al Qaeda operational commander, the U.S. military said on Friday. The U.S. military named the target of the strike as Abu Khalil al-Sudani, saying he was killed in a July 11 strike in the Bermal district of Afghanistan’s Paktika province. In a statement, it said he was head of al Qaeda “suicide and explosives operations” and was linked to plots
BRUSSELS/ATHENS (Reuters) – Talks on tying up a new bailout deal for Greece failed to start on Friday as had been expected, with officials blaming security worries for delaying the negotiations with international creditors who are detested by many Greeks. Greek government officials had said this week that the talks on the third bailout program worth up to 86 billion euros ($94 billion) would start in Athens on Friday.
China’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday the United States was trying to influence a South China Sea arbitration case filed by the Philippines after a senior U.S. official said China would be obligated to abide by the tribunal’s decision. China has for years insisted that disputes with rival claimants to the South China Sea be handled bilaterally. China has refused to take part in the case.
By Clare Baldwin and Kristina Cooke HONG KONG/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – In a 2013 script for the movie “Pixels,” intergalactic aliens blast a hole in one of China’s national treasures – the Great Wall. Sony executives spared the Great Wall because they were anxious to get the movie approved for release in China, a review of internal Sony Pictures emails shows. It is just one of a series of changes
By Laila Bassam and Sylvia Westall BEIRUT (Reuters) – Syria’s foreign minister said on Friday it was too early to hold another United Nations-backed peace conference on Syria, indicating the dim prospects for diplomacy as a U.N. envoy wraps up three months of consultations on the war. Walid al-Moualem also reiterated his government’s view that Iran’s support for Damascus would continue after its nuclear deal with world powers including the
Major U.S. stock indexes veered lower in morning trading Friday, weighed down by disappointing quarterly results from several companies and increased worry that China’s economy is slowing. Health care stocks were among the biggest decliners.
BERLIN (AP) — Forty-nine countries have reached a deal to cut tariffs on around 200 technology products, a decision that could pave the way for lower prices for consumers.
Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza has won a predicted but controversial third consecutive term in office, according to official election results announced Friday. Nkurunziza won 69.41 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s vote, handing him an immediate first-round victory, the election commission said. Nkurunziza’s candidacy was condemned as unconstitutional by the opposition and provoked months of protests and an attempted coup in the central African nation.
BUJUMBURA, Burundi (AP) — Burundi’s President Pierre Nkurunziza has won a third term in office, an electoral official announced Friday, amid unrest over whether his third term is constitutional.
