Indonesia anti-graft agency arrests top judge for alleged bribery
JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s main anti-graft agency arrested the chief justice of the constitutional court for alleged bribery on Wednesday, an agency official said, the latest high-profile corruption case to hit Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Greece’s Golden Dawn lawmakers freed before trial
ATHENS (Reuters) – Three senior lawmakers from Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn were freed on Wednesday pending trial on criminal charges, an unexpected setback to the government’s efforts to clamp down on a party it has labeled a neo-Nazi criminal gang….
Belarus leader says Obama surprises him, ‘blacks were slaves’
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko, a frequent critic of the United States, said recent comments by President Barack Obama about American ‘exceptionalism’ had surprised him, given the country’s history of slavery.
Uganda president dares exiled general to try to remove him by force
KAMPALA (Reuters) – Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni dared a dissident general in exile on Wednesday to try to overthrow him and said anyone seeking to use violence to seize power would be eliminated.
Lithuania frees Irish man sentenced over gun-running to Real IRA
VILNIUS (Reuters) – An Irish citizen sentenced to 12 years in prison in Lithuania for trying to arm a Northern Irish Republican militant group was freed on Tuesday by a court of appeal.
Five Yemenis jailed for role in 2012 al Qaeda suicide attack
SANAA (Reuters) – Yemen jailed five people for up to 10 years on Wednesday for their part in an al Qaeda suicide bombing last year that killed more than 90 soldiers rehearsing for a military parade.
Mexican conservatives show openness on reform tied to energy bill
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Mexico’s main opposition party has signaled it is ready to compromise over demands for electoral reform that risk impeding a government bill to liberalize the oil industry.
Hamas hangs Palestinian man convicted of murders
GAZA (Reuters) – The Islamist Hamas group said they had executed a Palestinian man in Gaza on Wednesday despite appeals from human rights groups not to hang him because he was under 18 when one of two murders for which he was convicted occurred.
Alfano turns on his master in bid to lead Italy’s right
ROME (Reuters) – Angelino Alfano may have changed the future of Italian politics by leading the internal party revolt that thwarted Silvio Berlusconi’s attempt to bring down the country’s coalition government.
International court charges Kenyan with bribing witnesses
AMSTERDAM/NAIROBI (Reuters) – The International Criminal Court said on Wednesday it had issued an arrest warrant for a Kenyan charged with trying to bribe witnesses to withdraw testimony against Deputy President William Ruto.