EGYPT: Mubarak’s co-defendants back in court.
A day after the start of Hosni Mubarak’s trial, seven of his co-defendants were back in the courtroom on charges of complicity in the killing of protesters during the uprising that toppled Egypt’s longtime president. The hearing of former Interior Minister Habib el-Adly and six top police officials was broadcast live on Egyptian state television. Mubarak, el-Adly and the six police officials face the death penalty if convicted over the protesters’ deaths.
LIBYA: Rebels hope to reach capital by late August.
Rebel fighters in western Libya are regrouping for a major offensive and hope to reach Moammar Gadhafi’s stronghold, Tripoli, before the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in late August, a field commander said. The rebels in Libya’s western Nafusa mountain area are receiving reinforcements, including volunteers arriving from areas under Gadhafi’s control.
BAHRAIN: Police raid of medical center confirmed.
Responding to criticism from Medecins Sans Frontières, Bahrain confirmed that police last week raided a medical center run by the aid group in the Persian Gulf country because it lacked proper permission. MSF, also known by its English name Doctors Without Borders, condemned what it called an “armed raid” on a facility it runs in Manama, the capital of the tiny island nation.
QATAR: Palestinians press forward with U.N. bid.
Palestinians are determined to go ahead with their United Nations membership bid as an Arab League follow-up committee meeting in Qatar endorsed a final draft of the request to be presented to the U.N. General Assembly, a top official said. Saeb Erakat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, brushed off as a public relations stunt Israeli attempts to lure the Palestinians back into peace talks based on the 1967 borders if they abandon the U.N. membership campaign. Talks between Israel and the Palestinians have been on hold since September, grinding to a halt shortly after their relaunch over the issue of settlement construction.
Denver Post wire services
