Ankara / AFP Sunday’s suicide car bombing in Ankara has raised fears of an escalation in Turkey’s long-running Kurdish conflict, as the country grapples with the IS threat while relying on a security system weakened by a political crackdown, analysts say. No-one has claimed responsibility for the blast which killed 35 people in the heart of the Turkish capital, but …

Geneva / AFP A Syrian opposition group that is close to Russia and tolerated by Damascus will meet UN envoy Staffan de Mistura at peace talks in Geneva, a delegation member said on Wednesday. “We received an invitation to take part in the Geneva talks,” said Fateh Jamous, a member of the so-called Moscow Group, which includes ex-Syrian deputy prime …

Gaziantep / AFP Borders are slamming shut and European leaders are desperately trying to stem the flow of migrants to their shores—but near the Turkey-Syrian border, Mohammed Bilal is still dreaming of Real Madrid. The 23-year-old from Syria’s war-torn Aleppo province was a promising footballer in his homeland and he still hopes to make it big, despite the European Union’s …