Reuters, Ankara
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday issued what he said was a “final warning” to those who would endanger Turkey’s borders, saying Ankara was determined to focus its attention on Syrian Kurdish fighters east of the Euphrates.
Erdogan, who was speaking to a group of provincial leaders of his AK Party in Ankara, said Turkey would focus its attention east of the Euphrates in Syria, rather than the Manbij area, citing the presence of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey regards the YPG as a terrorist group.
Jordan flood death toll rises to 20
AFP, Amman
At least 20 people, most of them school pupils, have been killed in flash floods in Jordan, the emergency services said Friday in an updated toll.
A further 35 people were injured following heavy rains on Thursday, including members of the security forces involved in rescue operations, said an official from the civil defence-Jordan’s fire service-who asked not to be named.
Flash floods kill 6 in southern Russia
AP, Moscow
At least six people died as flash floods hit Russia’s south, paralyzing traffic across the region and affecting thousands of people, investigators said on Friday.
The region, which hosted many events of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, saw rainfall that amounted to the average seen over two months on Wednesday, causing rivers to overflow.
Assange would not be extradited: UK
AP, Quito
The United Kingdom told Ecuador in August that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange would not be extradited if he left the country’s London embassy, where he has lived under asylum since 2012, Ecuador’s top government attorney said on Thursday.
In a written response to queries from Ecuador, the UK explained that it had not received any extradition request, and said Assange’s jail time in the UK for violating bail terms by seeking refuge in the embassy would not exceed six months, Inigo Salvador, who represents the Ecuadorean government in court proceedings, told reporters.
