Turkey

Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) will not support a shift to a presidential system which will "divide the country," its leader has said.

The Russian air force and Syrian army are preparing for a joint operation to liberate Aleppo, Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaki told visiting Moscow lawmakers on April 10, Russian news agencies reported. 

The planners behind the March 22 bombings in Brussels which killed 32 people had initially planned to hit France for a second time but struck closer to home as investigators made arrests among key suspects, Belgian prosecutors said on April 10.

Turkey and Iran signed a banking protocol and a Joint Economic Commission protocol in a bid to improve economic and trade ties in the Central Anatolian province of Konya on April 9. 

The deals were signed by Turkish Development Minister Cevdet Y?lmaz and Iranian Telecommunications and Information Technologies Minister Mahmoud Vaezi. 

Police units in Istanbul stepped up their security measures in Istanbul's central Taksim Square on April 10 following a sound bomb explosion in the city's Mecidiyeköy neighborhood, while the United States warned of "credible threats" of a possible attack targeting tourist areas in the metropolis.

Greece has temporarily suspended the return of migrants to Turkey under the EU-Turkey agreement due to a surge in the number of asylum applications.

Most of the 6750 migrants on the Greek islands are applying for asylum and there is shortage of qualified officials such as translators to process the applications.

Turkey's economic development, which has been "looking quite good," hampers the exposure of "real problems," according to OECD Working Group on Bribery chair Drago Kos, who urged that the low level of transparency should be higher on the agenda.

One police officer and one civilian were killed in an outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attack in the Derik district of the southeastern province of Mardin on April 9.

Three people were injured on April 9 when a sound bomb exploded in Istanbul's busy Mecidiyeköy neighborhood.
The bomb, which was placed under an overpass near the Mecidiyeköy metrobus station, exploded at around 8:45 p.m. Three people were slightly injured in the explosion and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.

The United States embassy in Turkey on April 9 warned American citizens of "credible threats" to tourist areas in Istanbul and the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, a day after Israel warned of "imminent risks" of attacks.