Time 100

During a meeting in Madrid, Turkish and US Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Joe Biden agreed to "continue close consultations" between Washington and Ankara, the White House reported.

The two leaders discussed the candidacies of Sweden and Finland for NATO membership, the war in Ukraine, and the situation in the Aegean Sea and Syria.

The details of a probe into allegations of bullying by the Duchess of Sussex against royal family staff will not be published despite its outcome leading to reform in the palace's administration, according to a senior family source.

President Joe Biden thanked his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 29 for dropping opposition to the entry of Finland and Sweden into NATO, with the U.S. also signalling support for Türkiye's plan to buy F-16 warplanes.

Recent Oscar winners Ariana DeBose, Troy Kotsur and Billie Eilish are among the 397 individuals who have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Israel's National Security Council on June 28 lowered its travel warning for Istanbul from the highest level, after the government said Iranian assassination plots targeting Israelis in the city had been thwarted.

After Turkey struck a deal with Sweden and Finland, that requires them to change their counter-terrorism laws to suit Ankara and that will thus permit NATO to unanimously issue invitations for them to join the Alliance tomorrow, Athens is focused on whether Erdogan will table his demands for the demilitarisation of Greek Eastern Aegean islands at the ongoing NATO summit.

Biden was supposed to speak today at the final session of the G7 leaders' meeting in the German castle of Elmau, in the Bavarian Alps, before he flew to Munich by helicopter, and from there it was planned to take a presidential plane to Madrid for the NATO Summit.

Iran's top diplomat has said Tehran understands Türkiye's security concerns stemming from northern Syria amid Ankara's vows over a new military incursion against the presence of the terrorist organizations.

With days left for the NATO Summit in Madrid, Türkiye has reiterated that Sweden and Finland should take binding and concrete steps to fulfill its demands regarding the fight against terrorism if they want to join the alliance.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke to Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson on June 25  about the country's bid to join NATO, a statement by the communications directorate has said. 

According to the statement, Erdoğan said Stockholm needs to change its attitude towards PKK terror organization and its Syria branch YPG.