If true, this would help explain the apparent ineptness of the coup forces. My first hypothesis explaining this ineptness plus other peculiarities of the coup was that the plotters were unwittingly working in a dark operation run by Turkish security forces, intended to make them fail while flushing them out and giving Erdogan a free hand. This possibility of Russian advance warning put together with Erdogan’s own belief that the coup originated in America should yield some serious geopolitical shifts in the region.

We could have an even stronger rapprochement between Turkey and Russia than was already underway, a rapprochement, by the way, which could well have helped tip the United States into giving a wink and a nod (and of course, as always, some cash) to Turkish rebel forces. But that would not be the only reason for America’s supporting a coup.

The truth is, from the American point of view, Erdogan’s erratic behavior – shooting down a Russian war plane, firing artillery into Syria at American Kurdish allies, blackmailing Europe over large numbers of refugees resident in Turkish camps, and still other matters – over the last few years has added uncertainty and potential instability to a strategically important region.

Even if the United States were not involved in the coup, although right now Turkey’s government appears to believe firmly that it was, Putin’s warning would add a powerful positive element to Russian-Turkish relations.

The vice chairman of Ms Merkel's CSU party, he criticised the Chancellor’s stance on migration which has seen millions flow across Germany’s borders. Mr Jahn blamed his government for the “nightmare” gripping locals in Bavaria, the largest state in Germany, which has been the location for three of the most recent attacks to rock the nation.

He said: “People in Bavaria and in the whole of Germany say that, of course, Ms Merkel has failed and, historically, the nation because she decided to ignore the German immigration law and she opened the borders of our country last year for two million immigrants from countries outside Europe. It’s really a nightmare [that] politicians brought to Germany and Bavaria, and people are very worried to be the next victims of terrorism in our country.”

It comes after Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer announced that “Islamist terrorism has arrived in Germany”, as citizens faced “an entirely new dimension of terrorism – the Islamist-minded terrorism.” Also speaking after the trio of attacks to hit Wurzburg, Munich, and Ansbach, Bavaria’s interior minister, Joachim Hermann, proposed denying entry to any asylum seeker without a valid ID. He said: “Deportation into a war zone should not be taboo as well.”

What you may not yet know is that the game was actually developed by a CIA-funded software front group for the purpose of using all the mobile device cameras of the brain dead public to conduct what I call "mass redundant surveillance" of any area requiring immediate video documentation by the CIA or NSA. It's essentially a CIA spying machine pretending to be a game.

To accomplish citizen-assisted spying, the game's puppet masters simply plop a virtual monster into any desired surveillance location, and hoards of totally brain dead apocalyptic zombie humans instantly converge on the scene, all pointing their mobile cameras at the virtual "monsters" so they can earn their virtual "points."

As this is happening, the video from selected players' cameras is being streamed to the CIA in real time, along with precise GPS coordinates of the players' locations. The more people the CIA wants to converge onto an area of interest, the higher the monster value they place at that location. When high-value monsters appear in such locations, hoards of Pokemon players rush to the scene via bicycles, taxis, automobiles and even on foot… all pointing their cameras at the high-value target and upstreaming real-time video to the CIA.

In effect, Pokemon Go is the CIA's way of turning an obedient population of zombie humans into inadvertent collectors of actionable on-the-ground intelligence.

Brussels bureaucrats have threatened Warsaw with a suspension of voting rights and the freezing of its funds after accusing the country’s government of ignoring concerns that it has undermined democracy. But a defiant Mr Kaczynski, the influential chairman of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, brushed off the warnings, saying: "This process is wholly outside the EU treaty. It is nothing but a happy endeavour for the amusement of the EU commission and its bureaucrats."

The heavyweight Polish politician said Britain’s momentous decision to leave the beleaguered EU following June’s referendum was a sign of growing discontent among member states. Warning that Brexit could lead to an uprising against the bloc, Mr Kaczynski told German newspaper, Bild: “Brexit showed us where the problems lie. If we don't solve them we will not prevent but strengthen anti-EU movements in many EU countries." His comments yet again expose the growing division on the continent over how to deal with the fallout of the historic Brexit vote.

Under the measure, a single point of contact – such as a teacher or health visitor – would have been assigned to look out for the welfare of children. But the Supreme Court ruled in its current form it could breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects privacy and family rights.

Colin Hart, director of the Christian Institute, said: "We are very happy with today's ruling, which vindicates what we and others have been saying for years." The court even invoked the spectre of totalitarian regimes in its criticism of the plans. "This is a devastating blow for the Scottish Government which sought to brush off all criticism of its named person scheme as 'scaremongering'."

The prospect of Germany leaving the EU has been dubbed a Gexit, which stands for German exit, and Dexit, which stands for Deutschland exit. Far-right figures in Alternative for Germany (AfD) have promised to call their own vote if they get into power in Germany’s general election in autumn next year.

After the Brexit victory in June, AfD chairman Bjorn Hocke said: "I know the German people want to be free of EU slavery.” The European policy spokesman for the party said: “Next year the AfD will enter the German parliament and Dexit will be top on our agenda.” The Left Party leader Sahra Wagenknech has also called for Germany to hold its own referenda on key EU decisions such as trade deals.

“I believe that it’s right to give the people the chance to vote on important issues like the planned free trade TTIP deal, or other European agreements,” she told Die Welt newspaper.

It’s all part of subliminally delivering to millions of television viewers indelible images of Clinton and the Democratic Party. Political strategists have been employing such tactics since conventions became televised spectacles after World War II.

Republicans last week had the same goal as Democrats this week: They want to trigger impressions of their party and their candidates as serious, loving mothers, fathers, soldiers and statesmen and stateswomen. For GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump the silhouetted smoke-filled entrance on Monday, after his wife Melania spoke, suggested the emergence of a strong leader and star.

“You’re combining aesthetics and psychology, and adding some spectacle,” said Tobe Berkovitz, an associate professor of advertising at Boston University and veteran political media consultant. “Nothing is left to coincidence,” added Kenn Venit, a Hamden, Connecticut-based media consultant. “Conventions are staged the same way as a Broadway show.”

The killing of an 85-year-old priest in a Normandy church on Tuesday added to security fears surrounding Francis' five-day visit for the World Youth Day celebrations, which were already high due to a string of violent attacks in France and Germany. Polish officials say they have deployed tens of thousands of security officials to cover the event.

Francis spoke to reporters on the papal plane en route from Rome to Poland. Asked about the slaying of the priest, Francis replied: "It's war, we don't have to be afraid to say this." After greeting reporters on his papal plane he returned to the topic to clarify that when he speaks of war, he is speaking of "a war of interests, for money, resources, dominion of peoples."

"I am not speaking of a war of religions. Religions don't want war. The others want war," Francis said. Francis spoke of the need for international efforts to resolve the wars forcing so many people to leave their homelands.

The top financial journalist launched his scathing attack on the "The European German Union" as he presented his regular slot on Italy’s economic talk show La Gabbia. He said: "I’m going to reveal to you something no-one will want you to know, because this monster that I now call ‘The European German Union’ was the creation of highly influential people you’ve never heard of. At the end of this very brief report of mine, you will all understand why we find ourselves in one of the worst catastrophes to hit democracy ever in history."

Italy, the third biggest economy in the eurozone, currently finds itself on the brink of political and financial chaos. But Italian prime minster Matteo Renzi's bailout plans to pump billions of euros into his country's troubled banking system has been met with scepticism from Brussels bureaucrats.

Barnard spoke directly to the nation’s leader alleging separate rules for Italy compared to Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel. He said: "You went to meet Mrs Merkel to ask for a minor public funded bail-out of Italian banks and you got a sharp NO. But did anyone tell you that Germany from 2009 onwards bailed out its failing banks with public money?

"Banks, that is, with holes in their balance sheets visible from the Moon. Germany bailed them out to the tune of 704 billion euros. It was all paid for by European taxpayers’ money, public funds that is. It was done through the EU Commission of Mr Barroso and by Mr Mario Draghi at the ECB. Didn’t you know that Mr Renzi? Couldn’t you have barked this right into Ms Merkel’s face?" Barnard issued a strong message to his viewers, urging the Italian nation to join in saying no to Brussels. The commentator ended by saying: "Haven’t we had enough of this scam? Haven’t we had enough? Italexit NOW!"

The Cyberspace Administration of China imposed the ban on several major news portals, including Sohu.com Inc and NetEase Inc, Chinese media reported in identically worded articles citing an unidentified official from the agency’s Beijing office. The companies have “seriously violated” internet regulations by carrying plenty of news content obtained through original reporting, causing “huge negative effects,” according to a report that appeared in The Paper on Sunday.

The agency instructed the operators of mobile and online news services to dismantle “current-affairs news” operations on Friday, after earlier calling a halt to such activity at Tencent, according to people familiar with the situation. Like its peers, Asia’s largest internet company had developed a news operation and grown its team. Henceforth, they and other services can only carry reports provided by government-controlled print or online media, the people said, asking not to be identified because the issue is politically sensitive.