Seattle Daily Star

  Ankara has taken several concrete steps to improve ties with Riyadh Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan travels to Saudi Arabia on Thursday as the countries seek to re-establish relations after a period of tension and stagnation. “Turkey and Saudi Arabia will seek to develop all aspects of relations between the two countries during the visit and exchange views on regional and international issues,” the Turkish presidency said. Mr Erdogan’s visit is seen as the most tangible step by Turkey as it seeks better relations with several countries in the region, including the UAE, Israel and Egypt. The Turkish president’s last visit to Saudi Arabia was in 2017 during which he met King Salman and performed Umrah. Officials in both countries have been working on a rapprochement for months, with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu visiting Saudi Arabia in May last year. Turkey’s ties with Riyadh and a host of Arab countries were strained by Ankara’s support of the Muslim Brot...

 There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack A prison guard was killed in an explosion on a bus in Turkey’s north-west province of Bursa on Wednesday, Governor Yakup Canbolat said. Four other guards were injured in the explosion. The attack occurred in the Osmangazi district, as the bus was taking the guards to a prison in the region. It was not apparent who carried out the bombing, Mr Canbolat said. The attackers, he said, detonated a remote-controlled explosive device that was planted next to an electric pole when the bus carrying prison guard personnel drove past it. One person was seriously injured in the explosion, while two or three others were injured but were discharged from hospital, he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. “All our security units are working on the issue from all sides. Hopefully, we’ll … capture the perpetrators as soon as possible,” Mr Canbolat said He said there were about 30 people on the bus,...