North Korean defector’s “impossible” dream of closing prison camps
GENEVA (Reuters) – North Korea’s best-known defector, Shin Dong-hyuk, dreams of making the “impossible” happen one day – ridding his secretive homeland of the kind of brutal prison camps he says he was born and raised in before a dramatic escape in 200…
Egypt prosecutor orders trial for leading activists
CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt’s public prosecutor referred a group of 12 political activists to trial on Wednesday on charges of inciting violence near the Muslim Brotherhood’s headquarters in March, the state news agency reported.
Bosnia strikes temporary deal to allow registration of babies
SARAJEVO (Reuters) – Bosnia’s government agreed to temporarily allow the registration of newborn babies on Wednesday, following a protest by young parents angry over the latest example of political paralysis in the troubled Balkan country.
Assad troops triumphant on conquered town’s deserted streets
QUSAIR, Syria (Reuters) – Apart from a bullet-scarred clock tower that somehow survived the battle, few buildings still stood on Wednesday in the ruined streets of the former rebel stronghold of Qusair, seized hours earlier by Syrian President Bashar a…
Libya to move four state companies to Benghazi
TRIPOLI (Reuters) – Libya said on Wednesday the headquarters of three more state firms as well as the state energy corporation would move from Tripoli to the eastern city of Benghazi, in a measure intended to devolve more authority to the oil-rich regi…
Iranians hold rare political protest at cleric’s funeral : videos
DUBAI (Reuters) – A funeral for a dissident Iranian cleric turned into a rare anti-government protest, videos posted online showed, with thousands of mourners chanting for the release of detained opposition leaders.
Israeli judge resigns after rape comments
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli judge resigned from a government appeals board on Wednesday after public uproar over reports he had told a courtroom that some girls “enjoy rape”.
Nigeria charges four Lebanese suspected of Hezbollah ties
ABUJA (Reuters) – A Nigerian court charged four Lebanese men suspected of having links to the Islamist militant group Hezbollah with terrorism and possession of illegal arms on Wednesday, after authorities said they found heavy weapons in one of their …
Rwandan genocide suspects face UK extradition battle
LONDON (Reuters) – A group of Rwandans accused of taking part in the 1994 genocide appeared in court in London on Wednesday at the start of a second legal battle by four of them to avoid extradition to Kigali.
Bulgaria says Hezbollah’s role in bus bombing unproven
SOFIA/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Bulgaria backed down on Wednesday from charges it made a few months ago that Hezbollah was behind a deadly bus bombing on its territory, complicating a British push for the EU to blacklist the militant Shi’ite Muslim group.
