AFP, Washington
United States Director of National Intelligence James Clapper said Thursday that he had submitted his resignation, stepping down as President-elect Donald Trump begins to assemble his new administration.
Mr Clapper, whose job is to coordinate the work of 17 disparate agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, said resigning “felt pretty good” after six years in the job.
Turkey detains pro-Kurdish mayor
AFP, Ankara
Turkish police on Thursday detained the pro-Kurdish co-mayor of the south-eastern city of Van, expanding a crackdown on municipal chiefs throughout the region that has sparked international concern.
Bekir Kaya was taken into custody as part of a “terror investigation”, the official news agency Anadolu reported, saying he was accused of links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
China tells Mongolia to bar Dalai Lama visit
Reuters, Beijing
China told Mongolia to forbid the Dalai Lama’s planned arrival there on Friday, suggesting the Tibetan spiritual leader’s trip could harm Beijing’s relations with its northern neighbor. China regards the Dalai Lama as a separatist, though he says he merely seeks genuine autonomy for his Himalayan homeland Tibet, which Communist Chinese troops “peacefully liberated” in 1950.
