Iran nuclear deal could revive trade in Persian rugs to U.S.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Alex Helmi, surrounded by Persian carpets stacked waist-high at his store in the so-called Persian Square section of Los Angeles, has been blocked from importing rugs from Iran since the United States imposed sanctions in 2010.
Egyptian terrorism bill a ‘deadly blow to human rights’: Amnesty
CAIRO (Reuters) – A draft law in Egypt that would make it a crime to contradict the official version of terrorist attacks should be scrapped, Amnesty International said on Wednesday, calling the bill a “strike at the very heart of basic freedoms”.
Netherlands considers benefit freeze for citizens who join militants
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government proposed on Wednesday freezing social security and student benefits for citizens who join militant groups such as Islamic State, in a bid to stem the numbers of young people leaving for conflict zones.
Trafficking victim to challenge Hong Kong’s lack of forced labor law in court
HONG KONG (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A trafficking victim, who was beaten and forced to work without pay in Hong Kong, will be allowed to challenge in the courts the autonomous region’s failure to pass laws protecting victims of forced labor early …
Kuwait seeks death for 11 mosque bombing suspects: newspaper
DUBAI (Reuters) – Kuwait seeks the death penalty for 11 out of 29 suspects being prosecuted for their alleged role in a deadly suicide bombing in a mosque last month, newspaper al-Qabas reported on Wednesday.
Iran deal reached, Obama hails step towards ‘more hopeful world’
By Parisa Hafezi, Louis Charbonneau, John Irish and Arshad Mohammed
Boko Haram raid villages in Nigeria’s Borno state, killing 12
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (Reuters) – Boko Haram insurgents raided a border town and attacked another in Nigeria’s Borno state, killing at least 12 people, military and vigilante sources said on Wednesday.
Pakistan says it shot down Indian drone near disputed border
ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – The Pakistani military said it shot down an Indian spy drone on Wednesday in Kashmir, in a new sign of the decades-old tension between the nuclear-armed rivals in the disputed region.
Norwegian killings exhibit stirs fears of Breivik ‘hall of fame’
OSLO (Reuters) – A planned exhibition about the killings of 77 people in 2011 is angering some Norwegians, who fear it will turn into a “hall of fame” for mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik.
Man blows self up planting bomb in Bahrain: ministry
DUBAI (Reuters) – A man accidentally blew himself up as he tried to plant a bomb targeting police in a Shi’ite Muslim village in Bahrain, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.
