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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told a vast rally in Istanbul that he would approve the return of the death penalty if it was backed by parliament and the public.

He was speaking to a crowd of at least a million who had gathered in Turkey’s biggest city. The rally followed last month’s failed military coup.

Mr Erdogan also said the state would be cleansed of all supporters of the US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. The cleric is blamed by the Turkish government for the attempted uprising. He denies any involvement.

Religious figures and leaders of two of Turkey’s three opposition parties attended the rally. The Kurdish party was not invited.

More than 270 people died in events surrounding the 15 July coup attempt, which triggered a government crackdown. Thousands of alleged supporters of Mr Gulen have been detained or dismissed from government jobs.

Western nations have been critical of the government’s response to the coup. The European Union – which Turkey has applied to join – refuses to accept capital punishment in member states.

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Suspected militants have attacked a convoy carrying foreign tourists in western Afghanistan, injuring six.

 A group of a dozen travellers were escorted by Afghan army personnel on their way to Herat city when they were ambushed. Jailani Farhad, spokesman for Herat’s governor, said the tourists included eight Britons, three US citizens and one German. Some travellers reportedly had light injuries and are in hospital.

Afghanistan’s main roads are notoriously dangerous with militant attacks and kidnappings frequent. One Afghan driver was also injured in the attack.

The identity of the armed men is unknown, although suspicion will fall on the Taliban, who have stepped up attacks right across the country. Officials say the ambush took place in the Chesht-e-Sharif district, on the road to Herat city and that security reinforcements have been sent to the area.

Interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi told Afghanistan’s Tolo news channel that the tourists had been on their way from Bamiyan to Herat, via Ghor.

Despite the ongoing insurgency Afghanistan does see a small number of tourists every year. Bamiyan province especially is popular with adventure travellers, attracted by its ancient culture and natural beauty.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a US citizen was killed and five other people were injured in a knife attack in central London.

Police believe the attack in Russell Square on Wednesday was « spontaneous », with victims « selected at random ». The woman who died was thought to be in her 60s. The injured people were from Britain, America, Israel and Australia.

Police arrested a 19-year-old Norwegian national of Somali origin. They say there is no evidence of radicalisation. The Met Police’s assistant commissioner for specialist operations, Mark Rowley, said the investigation was increasingly pointing to the attack being « triggered by mental health issues ».

He had earlier said the force was considering terrorism as a line of inquiry. Mr Rowley, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, told a press conference it had been necessary to consider « all possibilities » following recent terror attacks across Europe.

Armed police were called to the square shortly after 22:30 BST on Wednesday after receiving reports of a man attacking people with a knife. They arrived within six minutes and chased the suspect, who eyewitnesses said had blood on his hands. They said police ordered him to stand still but he kept running. He was then Tasered by officers.

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A woman who was the victim of a so-called honour killing in Pakistan, according to her husband, had been strangled, police say.

Samia Shahid, 28, from Bradford, died last month in Northern Punjab.

Deputy Inspector General Abu Bakr Khuda Bux revealed to the BBC how she died, following the launch of a murder inquiry based on information they got from her husband, Syed Mukhtar Kazam.

No arrests have been made in the case, he confirmed. However, Ms Shahid’s father Mohammad and a cousin known as Mobeen have both been interviewed by officers, but neither have been detained.

The authorities previously said they want to speak to her first husband Choudhry Shakeel, who has gone on the run. Syed Mukhtar Kazam believes his wife, who had gone to Pakistan to visit relatives, was killed because her family disapproved of their marriage.

He said that before she left, her family had threatened her life.

A palace built by Saddam Hussein which was being used as a training centre for the Islamic State militant group has been bombed by UK and coalition forces.

The Ministry of Defence said the former dictator’s complex in Mosul, north Iraq, was a « major » IS HQ and training centre for foreign recruits. RAF Tornados used guided bombs in what Defence Secretary Michael Fallon called « emphatic » airstrikes on Monday.

Mosul, Iraq’s second city, has been under IS control since June 2014. The UK is part of a US-led international coalition conducting airstrikes on IS targets in Syria and Iraq.

The Ministry of Defence has released details of a series of operations over the past week – including the bombing of a « safe house » for foreign fighters in Iraq, and IS « terrorist strong points » close to Syria’s border with Turkey. Two Tornado jets dropped the largest guided bombs they use, the Enhanced Paveway III, on Saddam’s palace, a statement said.

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