Talks between Turkey and Russia for Ankara to procure S400 missiles for a domestic air defense system have “progressed significantly”, Turkey’s Defence Minister Fikri Isik, said on Wednesday. Isik also said that Turkey’s preference was to originally buy a NATO system but that wasn’t possible. Source: Reuters
Saudi security forces foiled an attack on the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca on Friday, state television Al-Ekhbariya and Al Arabiya TV reported. Source Reuters
Turkey rejected a call from four Arab states on Friday to shut down its military base in Qatar, saying the base was a guarantor of security in the Gulf and demands for its closure represented interference in its ties with Doha. Source Reuters
The ECB has approved the yuan as a reserve currency. This is a symbolic but historic step for China, which can now establish its currency in Europe as a counterweight to the US dollar, says DW’s Frank Sieren. Source Deutsche Welle
