The US-led coalition, including the Kurdish armed units, lets militants of the Islamic State terrorist group leave Raqqa instead of killing them, the commander of Russia’s force grouping in Syria, Sergey Surovikin said. “Instead of eliminating terrorists guilty of killing hundreds and thousands of Syrian civilians, the US-led coalition together with the Democratic Forces Union controlled by it enters in collusion with ringleaders of the IS, who give up the settlements they had seized without fighting and head to the provinces where the Syrian government forces are active,” he said.Source TASS
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
