snap election in September

Greek PM to resign, seek snap election in September

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Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will resign on Thursday to pave the way for early elections on Sept. 20, government officials said, hoping to quell a rebellion in his leftist Syriza party and seal support for a bailout program.

Tsipras's decision to return to the ballot box after seven bruising months in power deepens political uncertainty on the very day Greece began receiving funds under its third bailout program with foreign creditors.

But a snap election should allow Tsipras to capitalize on his popularity with Greek voters before the toughest parts of the program begin to bite, and may allow him to return to power in a stronger position without anti-bailout rebels in his radical left Syriza party to slow him down.

Greek two-year bond yields jumped 78 basis points to 12.15 percent, while Greek stocks closed down 3.5 percent.

"The aim is to hold elections on Sept. 20," a government source said after Tsipras held talks with his advisers. The leftist leader is expected to make a televised address at 8 p.m. local (1700 GMT).

Tsipras had long been expected to seek early elections in the autumn to consolidate his position after caving into the creditors' demands for more austerity and economic reform in return for 86 billion euros ($96 billion)in bailout loans.

origina post found herhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/20/us-eurozone-greece-resignation-idUSKCN0QP1Q820150820

bangkok: Two suspects

Bangkok bomb: Two suspects hand themselves in

Two men identified as suspects in the Bangkok bombing have handed themselves in to police, insisting they are tour guides, authorities say.

The pair were seen in security camera footage shortly before Monday's blast at the Erawan Shrine.

The men, in red and white T-shirts, rose from a bench shortly before the main suspect, in yellow, sat down and left behind his backpack

The attack at the shrine killed 20 people and injured dozens.

Police are now questioning the pair

They had said that at least 10 people were suspected of involvement in the attack, and that the prime suspect was foreign.

However, earlier on Thursday, Col Winthai Suvaree, a spokesman for the ruling military junta, said the preliminary conclusion was that it was "unlikely" the attack was the work of an international terror group.

orginal found herhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34007723

Interpol help to track

Thai police seek Interpol help to track bomb suspect

Thailand has asked Interpol for help in tracking down the man they believe planted a bomb in Bangkok that killed 20 people, sending the international police organisation an image of the suspected bomber.

The military government was initially reluctant in asking for outside help in the investigation of the blast at a famous shrine on Monday evening that killed 20 people and wounded scores.

"We sent a request for assistance," deputy national police spokesman Kissana Phathancharoen told Reuters.

There has been no claim of responsibility and police have not determined a motive for the worst ever bomb attack in Thailand.

Police suspect the young man caught in grainy footage leaving a backpack at the crowded shrine shortly before the explosion is foreign but Kissana said Thai police were not focused on any particular country or region with their appeal to Interpol.

"We basically sent in the modus operandi (of the suspect) and also the appearance of the suspect we're looking for

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http://uk.reuters.com/article/2015/08/20/uk-thailand-blast-idUKKCN0QP07R20150820

building struck by car bomb

Cairo police building struck by car bomb as nation struggles with wave of militant attacks.

A car bomb wounded six Egyptian policemen when it exploded in front of a police building in Cairo, the interior ministry said, the latest in a wave of militant attacks that have rocked Egypt.

The powerful blast in the northern Cairo district of Shubra came in the middle of the night as Egyptian security forces are being targeted by Islamic State jihadists (IS) waging an Islamist insurgency.

"A man suddenly stopped his car in front of the state security building, jumped out of it and fled on a motorbike that followed the car," the ministry statement said.

"The car exploded wounding six policemen."

Reports also suggest a state security building and courthouse are in the vicinity of the blast.

Sources at the scene said there was a burned-out vehicle and crater, and the explosion partially destroyed at least one building.

No one group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Egypt has been under significant pressure in recent times.

IS militants based in the Sinai, a group which controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and have a presence in Egypt's neighbour Libya, have previously claimed responsibility for attacks on security forces.

origina post found herhttp://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-20/car-bomb-wounds-six-egyptian-policemen-in-cairo/6710888