Politics this week

Continuing his crackdown, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, issued a decree allowing the government to issue direct orders to the commanders of the army, air force and navy, bypassing the chief of the general staff. Mr Erdogan also sparred with Italy’s prime minister, Matteo Renzi, over his son, Bilal Erdogan, who is under investigation for money laundering in Bologna. Mr Erdogan was not allowed to speak via videolink at a rally of his supporters in Cologne. Turkey summoned Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Ankara to explain why. See article.