Turkey detains 40 soldiers in coup probe
Reuters, Istanbul
Turkey detained 40 soldiers from an air base in the central Anatolian city of Konya as part of investigations into July’s failed military coup, Turkish media outlets said on Thursday. Detention warrants had been issued for a total of 47 soldiers from Konya, the private Dogan news agency said, in what was the third wave of action against suspected followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the government blames for masterminding the coup attempt.
Typhoon kills at least 4 in Philippines
AFP, Philippines
One of the most powerful typhoons to ever hit the Philippines killed at least four people as it destroyed houses, tore roofs off schools and uprooted giant trees on Thursday. Super Typhoon Haima struck late on Wednesday night with winds similar to those of catastrophic Haiyan in 2013, which was then the strongest storm to strike the disaster-prone Southeast Asian archipelago and claimed more than 7,350 lives.
800 new cholera cases in Haiti after hurricane
AFP, Geneva
Haiti recorded nearly 800 cases of cholera the week after it was ravaged by Hurricane Matthew, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday, as health officials grapple to contain the disease. There had been previous indications that Matthew triggered a surge in new cases but conclusively testing samples had been difficult in the aftermath of the storm, WHO’s representative in Haiti, Jean-Luc Poncelet told reporters in Geneva.
With the testing system operational again, health officials have confirmed “the majority of suspected cases,” Poncelet said.
