The United States and Turkey lifted all visa restrictions on Thursday after Washington said Ankara had kept to assurances no further U.S. mission staff would be targeted for performing official duties, following detention of two earlier this year. But Turkey swiftly denied having granted such assurances in the affair that has tested relations since the two local employees of the U.S. consulate in Istanbul were held on suspicion of ties to last year's failed coup against President Tayyip Erdogan. The United States suspended visa services at its missions in Turkey in October and Turkey reciprocated. In November, Washington said it was resuming limited services upon getting assurances on the safety of its local staff.

By PSN - The Nigerian Air force said on Wednesday the United States had agreed to sell fighter planes to Nigeria, as the nation continues its eight-year battle with the calamitous Boko Haram terror sect. The sale of the 12 A29 Super Tucano aircraft, with weapons and services, is worth $593 million. The U.S. ambassador to Nigeria presented the letters of offer and acceptance, the official agreement to make the sale, to the country’s air force earlier on Wednesday, the air force statement said.

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet, AA - ANKARA -  The U.S. Embassy in Turkey on Thursday announced the resumption of full visa services after nearly two months. On Oct. 8, the embassy suspended non-immigrant visas to Turkish nationals following the arrest of a local employee working at the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul, prompting a tit-for-tat response from Ankara. Metin Topuz, a long-standing consulate employee, was arrested over alleged ties to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, the group behind last year’s coup attempt in Turkey. In a statement posted on Twitter, the U.S. Embassy said the Turkish government had “adhered to the high-level assurances it provided to the United States” that no other local employees were under investigation.