Turkey, Philippines step up security ahead of major summits

The Philippines has put its security forces on high alert ahead of an economic summit convening world leaders this week, after terror attacks in Paris killed at least 120 people on Friday night.

US President Barack Obama will be among the leaders of 20 countries including China, Japan, Australia and Canada for the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Manila on November 18-19.

The Philippines, with a history of Islamic and separatist terror in the south, has put the country's entire 120,000 national police force on "high alert" ahead of the summit and security forces are conducting rehearsal drills to prepare for the foreign leaders.

President Benigno Aquino said in a statement that security forces were "taking all necessary precautions."

"There is no credible threat registered at this time, but let us all be cooperative and vigilant," he said.

The Philippines has taken a series of security precautions ahead of the summit, clearing nearly 20,000 homeless people off the streets and closing major traffic ways to ease travel and security for delegates. Summit organizers have told residents to close their windows so they cannot be used by snipers.

More than a thousand flights have also been cancelled and a public holiday has been declared in Manila.

G-20 summit in Turkey

Turkey will host the G-20 summit in the Mediterranean resort town of Antalya on November 15-16, where leaders of the world's largest economies are expected to discuss the conflict in Syria and the largest refugee crisis to hit Europe since World War II.

Nearly 13,000 delegates and leaders from world's largest economies - including United States, China, Japan, Russia, Canada, Australia and the EU - are expected to attend the summit at the resort of Belek outside Antalya. French President Francois Hollande cancelled his attendance following Friday night's terror attack.

Turkey, which shares a nearly 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria, has been a major transit and source country for jihadist fighters joining the "Islamic State." In the past five months, more than 140 people have been killed in three IS terror attacks, including a twin suicide bombing in Ankara in October.

Turkey has been accused of responding late to the IS threat. The NATO member opened its Incirlik airbase to US aircraft and joined the fight against the Islamic State this summer.

Ahead of the G-20 summit security forces have raided dozens of suspected IS members around the country, including in Antalya. Securtiy forces suspect IS cells in Antalya were of planning to carry out attacks around the G-20 summit.

Ahead of the summit, the government announced a "high security zone" around the area and will be deploying 12,000 police and 1,000 gendarmerie, according to state-run Anatolian News Agency. Security forces have also set up more than 500 mobile cameras to monitor security.

The Turkish military said it would create protected air and sea zones, as well as set up an air defense system against drone or missile attacks.

cw/kms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)