Washington

Multiple bombs have hit mostly regime-controlled cities in Syria, killing at least 48 people, while no cease-fire deal was reached among the United States and Russia over the Syrian crisis, though the Russian president expressed hope for a possible deal "soon." 

Around 50 U.S. soldiers have arrived in Turkey to use the newly-deployed High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) jihadist group.

Secretary of State John Kerry called his Turkish counterpart on July 16 to offer U.S. support in the wake of a failed coup, and also to protest claims Washington had backed it.

The United States was quick to denounce the military revolt in its NATO ally Turkey and to express support for the elected government.

U.S. President Barack Obama is convening his National Security Council on July 16 following the attempted coup d'etat in Turkey overnight, officials said.

"The president will convene a meeting with his national security and broader foreign policy team to update him on the situation in Turkey," the White House said in a statement.

Athens backs the "democratically elected government" in Turkey, government spokesperson Olga Gerovasili said early Saturday following the attempted military coup in the neighboring country.

Gerovasili added that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Saturday.

Prime Minister Edi Rama and Lulzim Basha, leader of the opposition Democratic Party [PD], failed to find an agreement for judicial reform after three hours of negotiations on Monday evening.

"That's it. I'm coming back to İzmir to settle here and nothing you say or write will dissuade me," said a friend after I wrote that "white Turks" should think twice before settling in İzmir. "Besides, shame on you for trying to stop us as you flaunt your new-found Aegean hedonism with selfies in vineyards, beaches, sails, luncheons with girls and exhibitions on your Facebook account."

BELGRADE - The United States apparently has big plans for Kosovo and the Balkans in general, political analyst Petr Iskenderov told Radio Sputnik. These include increasing Washington's political influence and military presence in the territory that was carved out of Serbia following NATO's military intervention.

BELGRADE - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has escalated a row with Washington, over images of U.S. special forces wearing Syrian Kurdish militia patches. "The support the U.S. has given to the PYD and YPG.  I condemn it," Erdogan bellowed to a crowd at an airport opening ceremony in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey's predominantly Kurdish south east.

China has strongly condemned the recent Pentagon report (submitted to the Congress) in which the US Department of Defence mentioned that Beijing enhanced its military capabilities along the border with India in order to ramp up its geopolitical ambitions in the region, saying that it was Washington's deliberate attempt to "severely" damage the mutual trust between the two Asian neighbours.