Greece will offer Cyprus any help it needs when it comes to facing Turkish threats over drilling in the island’s exclusive economic zone, the country’s Foreign Minister Nicos Kotzias was quoted as saying on Sunday. In a wide-ranging interview with real.gr news site on regional issues, Kotzias touched briefly on Cyprus reiterating that a solution meant ending the occupation and the system of guarantees. Source Cyprus Mail
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 European Central Bank pulled the plug on two troubled Italian banks, sending them into insolvency proceedings and pushing ahead with efforts to clean up weak banks holding back the economy. The two banks, Veneto Banca and Banca Popolare di Vicenza, have struggled to overcome high levels of loans that were not being paid back.Source ABC
