Charlie attack raises stakes for Saudi Arabia in flogging case
RIYADH (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s ruling family is coming under pressure from Western countries over its flogging of writer Raif Badawi for “insulting Islam”, but it appears more worried about the risk of offending domestic conservatives if it lets him…
Frenchman detained in Bulgaria denies Islamist militant links: lawyer
HASKOVO, Bulgaria (Reuters) – A French citizen arrested in Bulgaria for alleged links to the gunmen who attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, denies being part of an Islamist group and is ready to be extradited to prove his innocence, his law…
Dozens held across Europe in Islamist suspect sweeps
PARIS/VERVIERS, Belgium (Reuters) – Belgian, French and German police interrogated dozens of Islamist suspects on Friday as much of Europe remained on heightened security alert after last week’s killings in Paris and raids in Belgium in which two gunme…
Spain prosecutor calls for 42-year jail term for former ruling party treasurer
MADRID (Reuters) – Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor has called for a 42-and-a-half years prison sentence for the ruling party’s former treasurer, Luis Barcenas, for crimes ranging from fraud to money laundering, a court source said on Friday.
Serbian rights groups urge probe into mine tender in media freedom row
BELGRADE (Reuters) – Serbian civic groups called for an inquiry into a media report of irregularities in a government tender to pump flood water from a major mine, after the prime minister called the journalists “liars” paid by the European Union to di…
Kremlin critic Navalny questioned by investigators, office raided
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was questioned on Friday by Russian investigators and his offices were raided by police in what colleagues called an attack on his anti-corruption campaigning.
Saudi’s top clerical body condemns Prophet Mohammad cartoons
DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s top clerical council, the only body in the kingdom authorized to issue Islamic legal opinions or fatwas, on Friday denounced the publication of “disrespectful drawings” of the Prophet Mohammad.
Venezuela’s ‘protest city’ on edge as economic crisis worsens
SAN CRISTOBAL (Reuters) – Masked youths are once again blocking streets and burning tires in the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal, the epicenter of last year’s massive anti-government protests.
Chinese peacekeepers start deployment in South Sudan
JUBA (Reuters) – An advanced party of Chinese peacekeepers is in South Sudan and the rest of the 700-strong contingent is due to arrive by early April, a U.N. official said on Friday, part of a surge in a U.N. mission to protect civilians in a nation m…
Turkey’s Erdogan warns of clash of civilizations following attacks
ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday warned of a “clash of civilizations” following the wake of the Islamist militant attacks in Paris and he also appeared to criticize France for allowing the wife of one of the gunmen to trave…
