Azeri human rights activist freed after serving five years
A court in Azerbaijan freed human rights activist Ilgar Mammadov on Monday after he had served five years of a seven-year jail sentence which the European Court of Human Rights has described as “an unjustified restriction of freedom.”
South Africa’s high-speed train workers end two-week strike
Workers at South Africa’s high-speed train service that mainly caters for business commuters ended a two-week strike over pay on Monday after reaching a 12-month agreement with their employer, and promised to resume work by Tuesday.
Afghanistan sends special forces to beef up defense of threatened city
Afghan security forces backed by U.S. advisers and air strikes fought on Monday to drive Taliban fighters out of the embattled city of Ghazni, where hundreds of people have been killed or wounded during four days of fighting.
Tunisian president proposes inheritance equality for women, with exceptions
Tunisia’s president on Monday proposed giving women equal inheritance rights despite protests from thousands of people objecting to any challenge to Islamic law.
Mnangagwa urges Zimbabweans to move on after post-election unrest
President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday said Zimbabweans should now unite to rebuild the economy and put behind them the election period that saw six people being killed after the army stepped in to quell post-election protests this month.
Armenia’s ex-president Kocharyan freed from custody: lawyer
Armenia’s former president Robert Kocharyan was freed from custody on Monday following a court ruling, but remained accused of the charges he was arrested for last month, lawyer Ruben Sahakyan said.
Merkel, Putin to discuss Syria, Ukraine and energy
Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin will discuss the war in Syria, the conflict in east Ukraine and a disputed pipeline to bring Russian gas to Germany during talks near Berlin on Saturday, a German government spokesman said.
Iran’s Khamenei rejects Trump offer of talks, chides government over economy
Iran’s Supreme Leader on Monday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s offer of unconditional talks to improve bilateral ties and he also accused the Iranian government of economic mismanagement in the face of reimposed U.S. sanctions.
Turkey must ensure independence of central bank: Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Turkey on Monday to ensure the independence of its central bank as other senior officials said that Turkey’s economic woes were causing great concern.
U.S. Embassy in Ankara has not made statement regarding pastor Brunson: official
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara has not put out a statement regarding pastor Andrew Brunson, an embassy official told Reuters on Monday, after a report on social media cited the embassy as saying he would be released from house arrest by Aug. 15.
