Reuters, Istanbul
Turkey ordered the detention of 271 soldiers in an operation targeting alleged supporters of the U.S.-based Islamic cleric who Ankara says orchestrated an attempted coup two years ago, state media said on Friday.
The operation was launched in dozens of provinces across Turkey against soldiers who had been in contact with operatives of the preacher Fethullah Gulen, blamed by Ankara for being behind the failed July 2016 putsch, broadcaster TRT Haber said.
Expanded powers, smaller cabinet for Erdogan
AFP, Ankara
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be sworn in for a second term Monday, and will wield hefty new constitutional powers as he oversees a radically different system of government.
The changes, agreed in a 2017 referendum but most of which are only coming into force after Erdogan’s June 24 election victory, mark one of the most radical shifts in modern Turkey’s political system.
Pope invites migrants to Mass as govts close doors
AP, Vatican City
Pope Francis is celebrating a special Mass for migrants in St. Peter’s Basilica, calling attention to their plight and inviting them to the Vatican as Europe, the U.S. and other countries increasingly close their doors to them.
Several migrants and representatives of aid groups that care for them were among the guests at the intimate Mass marking the fifth anniversary of Francis’ landmark visit to Lampedusa, the Sicilian island that for years was the primary destination of migrants smuggled from Libya.
Trump’s environment chief resigns
AFP, Washington
US President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the departure of his environment chief, Scott Pruitt, who faced ever-growing ethics scandals over his spending and conduct in office.
“I have accepted the resignation of Scott Pruitt as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,” tweeted the president, ending months of speculation about the future of the man he had tasked with dismantling former president Barack Obama’s green legacy.
UN aid chief to visit N Korea
Reuters, Geneva
The top U.N. aid official, Mark Lowcock, will go to North Korea next week in the first such visit since 2011, the United Nations said on Friday.
During his trip from July 9-12, Lowcock will meet government officials, humanitarian partners and people receiving assistance to better understand the humanitarian situation, the United Nations said. More than 10 million people, some 40 percent of the population of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) need humanitarian assistance, the world body said in a statement.
