An 18-year-old German-Iranian gunman who apparently acted alone opened fire in a busy shopping mall in Munich on July 22 evening, killing at least nine people in the third attack against civilians in Western Europe in eight days.

US officials on July 21 called on partners in the coalition against Islamic State to increase intelligence sharing as the militant group morphs to focus on attacks beyond its shrinking self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan promised on July 21 to quickly restructure the armed forces in order to prevent another coup attempt, signaling a major overhaul in the military as emergency rule took hold across the country.

The bodies of 21 women and one man were found on a rubber dinghy adrift near the Libyan coast on July 20, just hours after they had set sail for Italy, humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.

The United States on July 20 blacklisted three members of al Qaeda living in Iran, saying they had helped the Islamist militant group on the battlefield, with finance and logistics, and in mediating with Iranian authorities.

After a couple of awkward joint appearances, US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Indiana Governor Mike Pence, made a show of their solidarity at the Republican National Convention on July 20 despite a string of policy differences.

Prime Minister Theresa May sought to reassure Germany on July 20 over Britain's vote to leave the European Union, stressing her desire to deepen ties with neighboring countries in her first foreign visit as leader.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency on July 20 as he widened a crackdown against thousands of members of the security forces, judiciary, civil service and academia after a failed military coup.

Turkey vowed to root out allies of the US-based cleric it blames for an abortive coup last week, widening a purge of the army, police and judiciary on July 19 to universities and schools, the intelligence agency and religious authorities.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) fired three ballistic missiles on July 19 which flew between 500 and 600 km (300-360 miles) into the sea off its east coast, the Republic of Korea (RoK)'s military said, the latest in a series of provocative moves by the isolated country.