Istanbul - Six Turkish soldiers were killed in a clash with rebels of the banned underground organization The Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), CNN-Turk reported Saturday.

Ankara  - Three state-employed village guards were killed in a roadside bomb explosion Friday in the south-eastern Turkish province of Batman, the Anadolu news agency reported.

The village guards were travelling in a minibus near the village of Sason when the roadside bomb was exploded via a remote-controlled device, Batman Governor Recep Kizilcik told Anadolu. Three others were injured in the blast, Kizilcik said.

No group claimed immediate responsibility for the attack but the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) is active in the region.

Kiev - Ukrainian border police on Thursday seized a Turkish national and his lorry loaded with cocaine worth as much as 14.2 million dollars, the Interfax news agency reported.

Berlin  - Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou expressed optimism Friday that the divided eastern Mediterranean island would be reunited by the end of the decade.

Ankara  -  Riot police clashed with demonstrators attempting to take part in May Day marches in Ista

Brussels  - The European Union gave a cautious reception Wednesday to amendments approved by the Turkish parliament on its infamous Article 301 of the criminal code regulating freedom of speech.