Ahead of a European Council summit in which EU leaders will discuss sanctions on Ankara this week over energy prospecting activities in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated calls for dialogue, urging bloc members not be swayed by Greek and Cypriot agendas.

EU antitrust regulators approved on Monday DIC Corp’s bid for German chemicals group BASF’s pigments unit after the Japanese printing ink maker pledged to sell a U.S. facility to address competition concerns.

The Israeli Jerusalem Municipality yesterday demolished a historic stairway which leads to the Al-Aqsa Mosque’s Lions’ Gate (Bab Al-Asbat) and the Old City of Jerusalem.