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From Washington, this is VOA news. I'm David Forrest reporting. An arrest warrant is issued in the Bangkok bombing.
Thai police say they are looking for a foreign man in the bombing that killed at least 22 people on Monday. Investigators have not yet established the man's motive or his nationality, but they suspect he was part of a network of people. Officials of the European Stability Mechanism on Wednesday formally approved the release of billions of dollars to help rebuild Greece's battered economy and pay its debt. Earlier, German lawmakers voted to approve the $95 billion bailout package, which will help Greece meet Thursday's deadline for a payment to international creditors. The human rights group, Human Rights Watch, is criticizing Egypt's new anti-terrorism law. HRW says the measure has an overly broad definition of what constitutes a terrorist act and leaves Egyptians open to stiff sentences for things that may amount to "civil disobedience." Islamic State militants in Syria have beheaded the former director of antiquities in the city of Palmyra. IS militants seized the ancient city three months ago. Reports say 82-year-old Khaled Asaad was killed on Tuesday in a public square in front of dozens of people. He had worked for 50 years on preserving the city's 2,000-year-old ruins. Israel's Supreme Court is suspending the detention of a Palestinian hunger striker who has suffered brain damage after 65 days without food. After a long day of deliberations, the Supreme Court announced late Wednesday that Mohammed Allan would remain hospitalized, but that his shackles would be removed. The court also ruled that his family can visit him. The decision did not address what would happen to Allan if he recovers. This is VOA news. The United Nations said Wednesday that it has received new rape allegations against peacekeepers in the Central African Republic. Margaret Besheer takes a look. Last week, an angry Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon fired the head of the mission, known as MINUSCA, over earlier rape allegations which he said have tarnished the credibility of the United Nations. Wednesday, U.N. spokesperson Vannina Maestracci said headquarters had received new "disturbing" allegations of misconduct that happened in "recent weeks" in the central town of Bambari. "These new allegations concern a report that three young females were raped by three members of a MINUSCA military contingent." Maestracci said one of the women was a minor. The U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, is assisting in providing medical and psycho-social support to the alleged victims. Margaret Besheer, the United Nations. The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on 15 Mexican businesses and six individuals because of their alleged support of a major drug cartel, the Los Cunis drug trafficking organization. Wednesday's action freezes any assents the accused may have in the United States and Americans are barred from doing business with them. A Russian court has found Estonian security officer Eston Kohver guilty of spying. Daniel Schearf reports. The court in Russia's northwest Pskov region on Wednesday convicted Kohver of spying, arms smuggling and illegally crossing the border from Estonia. The 15-year sentence prompted a swift condemnation from Tallinn and the European Union. Estonia and the EU maintain Kohver was abducted last September by Russian security agents on Estonia's side of the border. Catherine Ray is a spokeswoman for EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini: "Mr. Kohver's abduction and subsequent illegal detention in Russia constitute a clear violation of international law." Ray said the EU called on Russia to release Kohver immediately and guarantee his safe return to Estonia. Daniel Schearf, Moscow. State media say the owners of a warehouse that exploded in Tianjin, China, last week used their relationships with local officials to obtain apparently fraudulent safety licenses. In an interview with the official Xinhua news agency, two top shareholders of Ruihai International Logistics admitted to using their connections to obtain the certifications. Two student activists in Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement have been charged with their involvement in last year's Occupy protest against Chinese rule. Alex Chow, the former leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, and Joshua Wong, head of the student activist group, Scholarism, were formally charged on Wednesday with illegal assembly and inciting others to take part in an illegal assembly. On Wall Street, U.S. stock indexes were down today. From the VOA news center in Washington, I'm David Forrest. That's the latest world news from VOA. |