Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, May 21

ISTANBUL -- A Turkish court on Monday sentenced 104 people to aggravated life imprisonment each over their involvement in a coup bid in 2016, local media reported.

The court in the western province of Izmir handed down its final verdict on some 137 out of 280 defendants who are facing charges including violation of the constitution, the Haberturk daily said.

Of the 104 jailed for life, 21 are given 20 years more in prison for "attempting to kill the president" during the failed coup in July 2016, in which 250 people were killed, the daily said. (Turkey-Coup-Suspects)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Monday here that Iran will suffer the toughest sanctions in history from the United States if it does not change the current course.

In a speech at the Heritage Foundation unveiling "a new Iran strategy" of the United States, Pompeo urged Tehran to report to the International Atomic Energy Agency about its nuke program, end proliferation of its missiles, and stop supporting "terrorist groups" in the Middle East. (US-Iran-Strategy)

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KINSHASA -- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Monday launched a vaccination campaign against the Ebola haemorrhagic fever epidemic in its northwest province of Equateur.

An official launch ceremony for the vaccination campaign was held in front of Mbandaka City Hall in the presence of Health Minister Oly Ilunga and World Health Organization (WHO) experts. (DRC-Ebola-Vaccination)

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TEHRAN -- Iran is in Syria at the demand of the Syrian government to fight terrorism, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

"If the Syrian government needs us, we will continue to be there," Bahram Qasemi told reporters.

On the reports that Russia has asked Iran to leave Syria, Qasemi said that "no one can make Iran do things. Iran has its own independent policies." (Iran-Syria-Russia)

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DAMASCUS -- The Syrian army on Monday declared the capital Damascus safe and empty of rebels, following the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in areas south of Damascus, according to the state news agency SANA.

The capital Damascus and its countryside are empty of "terror groups" after the elimination of IS from Hajar al-Aswad and Yarmouk Camp south of Damascus on Monday, which followed the recent defeat of rebels from other areas east and north of Damascus. (Syria-Damascus) Enditem