Europe
Czech police charge man over “Breivik-style” plot
Police in the Czech Republic have charged a 29-year-old man, suspected of planning attacks similar to those by Anders Behring Breivik in Norway, with unlawful possession of weapons and endangering the public. Weapons, explosives and police uniforms were found in his flat in the city of Ostrava, and detectives say he was using the name “Breivik” on the internet.
North America
Assange to US: “renounce [your] witch-hunt against Wikileaks”
Speaking from a balcony at Ecuador’s London embassy in his first public statement since seeking asylum there, Julian Assange has urged the United State to end its “witch-hunt” against his website Wikileaks, which has published hundreds of classified documents. He also called for the release of Private Bradley Manning, who is awaiting trial in the US over charges of leaking such documents to the site. Mr Assange thanked Ecuador’s president, who has granted him asylum in the embassy against possible extradition to Sweden over sexual assault claims, which he denies. Mr Assange said: “the United States must pledge before the world that it will not pursue journalists for shining a light on the secret crimes of the powerful.”
Latin America
Colombian rebels destroy oil pipeline
Colombia’s Farc rebel group has bombed an oil pipeline in the Narino region of southwestern Colombia, near the port city of Tumaco. The city has been without electricity for the past 10 days following an earlier rebel attack on its power grid. Rebel booby traps have slowed repairs and caused the deaths of two workers and an indigenous guide on Wednesday. The Ministry of Defence has said there have been 67 attacks on Colombia’s oil industry between January and June this year, compared with 84 in the whole of 2011.
Africa and Middle East
Ebola outbreak in DR Congo
At least one person has died after an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The death is one of two cases of the virus discovered in the town of Isiro in Oriental province. The province shares a border with Uganda, where at least 16 deaths from the virus were reported in an outbreak last month, but Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) says the two strains are not the same. The town is a transit point for deeper travel into DR Congo, which experts fear may make the outbreak more challenging to control. The virus is transmitted to humans by monkeys and birds, and through close personal contact between humans. It causes massive internal bleeding and is fatal in 90% of cases.
Asia and Russia
Seven killed by suicide bomber in Russia’s Ingushetia region
A suicide bomber has killed at least seven police officers in the Russian Caucasus region of Ingushetia, according to investigators. The attack occurred at the funeral of a police officer who was shot dead on Saturday, with the bomb set off as police entered the yard of the house where the funeral was taking place. Several others were wounded in the explosion. Russia is fighting a radical Muslim insurgency in the Caucasus and militant attacks are frequent. Hours prior to the funeral bombing, gunmen in Dagestan had opened fire in a mosque, injuring several worshippers that had gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan. A bomb was discovered at the site and defused.
Islands dispute sparks anti-Japan protests across China
Anti-Japanese protests have taken place in cities across China after Japanese nationalists raised their country’s flag on disputed islands in the East China Sea. Thousands of protesters took to the streets in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other cities, demanding that Japan leave the islands. In Shenzhen, Japanese restaurants and Japanese-made cars were attacked. The islands are Japanese-controlled, with a Japanese businessman owning three of them privately and renting them out to the Japanese state. Ownership is claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan. Early on Sunday, at least 10 activists swam ashore and raised the Japanese flag after a flotilla carrying about 150 people reached the islands. The activists had earlier been denied permission to visit the islands and were picked up for questioning by Japanese customs officials after swimming back to their boats.
Disabled Christian girl arrested for blasphemy in Pakistan
Pakistani police have arrested a mentally disabled 11-year-old Christian girl after a mob accused her of desecrating pages of the Koran. The mob, calling for her arrest, threatened to burn down Christian homes outside the capital Islamabad, say local media. Officials have said the girl was unable to properly answer police questions; she is thought to have Down’s syndrome. Her parents have been taken into protective custody following the threats, which have prompted more than 600 Christian people to flee the neighbourhood. Rights activists have campaigned for Pakistan to reform its controversial blasphemy laws, under which a person can face life imprisonment for desecrating the Koran. Violent mobs have been known to kill those accused of blasphemy, and there is also a record of politicians being murdered for speaking out in favour of reform.
Gu Kailai jailed for murder of British businessman
Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced Chinese politician Bo Xilai, has been given a suspended death sentence for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood. At her one-day trial Mrs Gu did not contest charges that she poisoned Mr Heywood in November 2011. Mr Bo, a former party chief in Chongqing, was once seen as a contender for a national position in a reshuffle due later this year, but he has not been seen in public since the investigation into his wife was announced.
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