AFP, Ankara
Turkey removed nearly 8,000 security personnel from duty late Thursday, according to state media, as the purge continued of those suspected of links to the July 15 failed coup. A total of 7,669 police were removed along with 323 personnel in the gendarmerie, which looks after domestic security.
Hollande, Merkel back Ukraine ceasefire deal
AP, Paris
President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel support a deal struck by the trilateral contact group in Ukraine for a general ceasefire which must be implemented by the start of the school year, an Elysee statement said on Thursday. “They stress that this must be the start of a lasting ceasefire,” Hollande’s office said.
China to develop long-range bomber
AP, Beijing
China is developing a new long-range bomber, the head of the Chinese air force was quoted as saying in state media yesterday, the latest move in its ambitious military modernisation programme. China has already improved its ability to strike at targets far from home and there will be further improvements in the future, the Global Times quoted air force chief Ma Xiaotian as saying at an air force open day.
Protesters set Gabon parliament bldg ablaze
AFP, Libreville
Gabon’s parliament building in the capital city was set ablaze as angry protestors clashed with police during a demonstration against the narrow victory of incumbent President Ali Bongo under controversial circumstances. The European Union on Thursday called for verification of each polling station result in the West African nation.
