Eurasia

Militants killed at least 22 members of the security forces in Iraq on Tuesday, mostly in attacks on police and military checkpoints, with the western Anbar province bearing the brunt of the violence, sources said.

Syria’s opposition in exile resisted calls Tuesday from Western and Arab countries to commit to attending peace talks, saying it would not take part if there was any chance President Bashar Assad remained in power.

The Cairo Criminal Court has postponed the retrial of former president Hosni Mubarak, his two sons, Alaa and Gamal, former interior minister Habib Al Adli, six of Adli’s aides and fugitive Businessman Hussein Salem in the case of killing protesters during the January 25th Revolution.

A Turkish delegation of high-level officials yesterday passed on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s invite to the Iraqi Prime MinisterNouri al-Maliki during their visit to the country.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan rebuffed intensified international criticism over Turkey’s choice to engage a missile defense deal with China, a day after NATO wanted a say in the decision-making process.

All Balkan countries will join the union when they meet EU criteria for accession, says European Commission President. All Balkan countries that have applied for EU membership should join the union when they are ready, said EC President, Jose Barosso, during his visit to Berlin.

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev has announced that he would schedule a sitting of the Consultative Council of National Security over the ongoing refugee crisis in the country. Plevneliev told reporters on Tuesday that he would announce the date for the sitting “within days,” noting that the budget of Bulgaria’s security services will be …

Kurdish rebels are ready to re-enter Turkey from northern Iraq, the head of the group’s political wing said at his mountain hideout, threatening to rekindle an insurgency unless Ankara resuscitates their peace process soon. Accusing Turkey of waging a proxy war against Kurds in Syria by backing Islamist rebels fighting …

EU Ambassador to Turkey Jean-Maurice Ripert has said that the European Union and Turkey share the same goal in Egypt, which is establishing peace and democracy in the Middle Eastern country, even if they do not use the same language.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman has called Turkish President Abdullah Gül to thank Turkey for its efforts in saving nine Lebanese pilgrims who were being held hostage by the Syrian opposition and getting them home safely.