Turkey orders arrest of dozens of colonels in Gulen probe
ISTANBUL, July 02: Turkey ordered on Monday the detention of 68 suspects, including dozens of colonels, in an operation targeting alleged supporters of the US-based Islamic cleric whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating an attempted coup two years ago. Nineteen serving officers were among those facing detention in an operation focused on the military's land forces across 19 provinces including the capital Ankara. — Reuters
Vietnam jails ex-central bank official over graft
HANOI, July 02: A court in Vietnam on Monday jailed a former deputy governor of the central bank for three years, his lawyer said, the most senior banking official put on trial in the Southeast Asian nation amid a crackdown on corruption. Vietnam's banking system was rocked in the early 2010s by a string of mismanagement scandals and under-regulated lending, and is still reeling from nonperforming loans. — Reuters
UNESCO marks Colombian nat'l park for conservation
MANAMA, July 02: Colombia's massive Chiribiquete National Park has made UNESCO's World Heritage List, the United Nations body announced Sunday. "Congratulations," the UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation announced on Twitter. With an area of 2.7 million hectares (6.7 million acres) covering five Amazonian municipalities in the southern Guaviare and Caqueta regions, Colombia's largest natural park has rich biodiversity and is a sacred place for indigenous people. — AFP