News in Brief -(01-07-2019)
Monday, 1 July 2019
Bahrain court overturns stripping
of 92 Shiites' citizenship
DUBAI, June 30: A Bahraini appeals court overturned a decision to strip the citizenship of 92 Shiites jailed for plotting to form an Iran-linked "terror" group, a judicial source said on Sunday. The 92 were among 138 sentenced to prison terms and the revocation of their citizenship after being convicted of trying to build a Bahraini version of Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Shiite militia active in Lebanon. — AFP
Sea-Watch captain defends her 'disobedience' 
ROME, June 30: Sea-Watch 3 skipper Carola Rackete, who risks jail time after forcing her way into Italy's Lampedusa port with 40 rescued migrants, has defended her act of "disobedience", saying it was necessary to avert a human tragedy. "It wasn't an act of violence, but only one of disobedience," the German captain told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published Sunday as donations poured in for her legal defence. Rackete, 31, is accused of putting a military speedboat and the safety of its occupants at risk in the incident on Saturday. No one was hurt. — AFP
S Arabia to cooperate more with Lebanese
BEIRUT, June 30: Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Al-Bukhari said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia is keen to communicate with all Lebanese through the Jusoor Initiative, the National News Agency reported. The Jusoor initiative paves the way to consolidate Saudi-Lebanese relations and achieve a "common understanding" of the two nations. —Xinhua
DR Congo police break up banned Kinshasa march
KINSHASA, June 30: Police in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa used teargas Sunday to break up an opposition march and blocked a car transporting former presidential candidate Martin Fayulu. Another opposition figure, former prime minister Adolphe Muzito, was also in the car, an AFP journalist observed. — AFP
Thousands gather to support Hong Kong police
HONG KONG, June 30: Thousands protested outside Hong Kong's parliament on Sunday - this time to support police as they face mounting criticism over their use of tear gas and rubber bullets. The large crowds, most of them dressed in white or blue, illustrated the ideological fissures now running through the finance hub as it experiences its worst political unrest in a generation. — AFP