Turkey votes in key constitutional referendum
The proposed changes seek to transform Turkey's governance from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency.
Istanbul, Turkey - Turkish citizens have begun voting in a key referendum on whether to adopt a presidential system with extended executive powers.
The constitutional changes proposed in Sunday's vote seek to transform Turkey's governance from a parliamentary system to an executive presidency, significantly expanding the powers of the top office.
People started casting their ballots in eastern Turkey at 7am (04:00 GMT), while voting in the rest of the country started at 8am (05:00 GMT). Polls will close at 4pm (13:00 GMT) in the east and 5pm (14:00 GMT) elsewhere.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan: is he a threat to Turkish democracy?
Turkey votes today on whether to cement the power of a man revered by many, reviled and feared by many others
The boulevards of Istanbul are lined with posters backing both sides in today’s knife-edge referendum on constitutional reform. Both camps – “evet” (yes in Turkish) and “hayır” (no) – are convinced they hold the key to resolving the republic’s many troubles.
But one image dominates the debate. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s face is ubiquitous. In one poster, his steady gaze is accompanied by the caption: “For security, for stability.”
Millions of Turks will head to the polls today to vote on a host of amendments that will transform the nation from a parliamentary democracy into a presidential republic. Supporters of the bill say it will lead to a strong Turkey that will no longer be hampered by messy coalition politics, able to take great leaps of economic development and be freshly assertive on the world stage.
Life After Islamic State'They Taught Us How To Decapitate a Person'
For over two years, Islamic State controlled the Iraqi city of Mosul, including its schools. Now that the U.S.-led coalition has pushed the Islamists out, the city's teachers face a dilemma: How do you reshape the minds of children who were taught to fight and kill?
On a morning in late March, 20 children are standing between bombed houses and burned-out cars in front of an elementary school on a street in eastern Mosul. When you ask them what they learned inside, they talk about killing. Their teacher was Islamic State (IS), which had a stronghold here. "Daesh, Daesh," the children shout, using the Arabic pejorative for IS, with strong, excited voices, as if the sound concealed an unbelievable secret.The children are between the ages of 6 and 13. Their backpacks are too large for their bodies, they wear sandals and their T-shirts have holes. Some ate eggs that morning, others didn't. As the children wait for the gate to open, they call out and laugh. Their happiness is real, but if you look through it, you can see the war in their small, hardened faces.
Video of Kashmiri youth tied to Indian Army jeep sparks outrage
A video circulating on social media of a man tied to the bonnet of what was believed to be an Indian Army jeep as a human shield once again raised concerns over the violation of human rights by Indian armed forces in held Kashmir.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah tweeted the video, noting that: "A warning can be heard saying that stone pelters [in held Kashmir] will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry and follow up now."
The video footage shows a man tied to the front of the vehicle in an upright seated, hands and legs bound, as the vehicle drives through the streets blaring Indian armed forces propaganda.
Abdullah expressed his outrage at the incident in a series of tweets, exclaiming how a lack of action about the Kashmiri youth's handling frustrated him.
Fugitive Mexican governor Javier Duarte arrested in Guatemala
A former Mexican state governor who has been on the run for six months was arrested on Saturday, police said.
Javier Duarte, the former governor of Veracruz state, is suspected of corruption, involvement in organised crime, and embezzling millions.
He was arrested in Guatemala in a joint operation between Interpol and Guatemalan police, Mexico's attorney general said.
He is expected to be extradited to Mexico at a later date.
Guatemalan police said Mr Duarte was found and arrested in a hotel lobby in the city of Solola.
He is suspected of having siphoned off at least 645 million Mexican pesos ($35m; £28m) of public money that was put into a series of shell companies.
Kumamoto marks 1st anniversary of M7.3 quake
NATIONAL
Memorial services were held Sunday in the southwestern Japan prefecture of Kumamoto for the victims of a magnitude-7.3 earthquake that devastated the area a year ago following another powerful jolt some 28 hours before.
The direct death toll from the quakes totaled 50, while 170 people have died in Kumamoto and neighboring Oita Prefecture due to causes indirectly linked to the disaster.
In the village of Minamiaso, a massive land slide triggered by the second quake tore down an arch bridge and caused tremendous damage to other infrastructure.
Among the victims, Hikaru Yamato, a 22-year-old student at Kumamoto Gakuen University, went missing after his vehicle was engulfed by the land slide. His body was found in his wrecked car some 400 meters downstream from the collapsed bridge about four months later.
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