A round-up of today’s other stories in brief
Macedonia in dock on CIA suspects
STRASBOURG – The European court of human rights has for the first time told a state it has a case to answer over the CIA’s practice of seizing terror suspects and subjecting them to mistreatment in secret jails. It has called Macedonia to account for seizing Khaled el-Masri, a German citizen, at the request of the US in December 2003, holding him incommunicado for 23 days and then handing him to the CIA. – (Guardian service)
Call to jail woman who tore face veil
PARIS – A French woman accused of ripping off the full face veil of an Emirati tourist and biting and scratching her when she put it back on faced prosecution demands for a two-month suspended prison sentence yesterday.
Co-habiting implies that we have to tolerate others whatever they are wearing, prosecutor Anne Fontette told a Paris court. The case comes days after the approval of a bill outlawing the garment. – (Reuters)
Dutch minority government depends on anti-Islam support
AMSTERDAM – A minority Dutch government relying on support from an anti-Islam party was sworn in yesterday with the main task of cutting the budget deficit but without a mandate for sweeping market reforms.
Prime minister Mark Ruttes austerity-minded Liberals (VVD) only narrowly won June’s election, forcing him to seek support in parliament from the anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV) to push through the budget cuts planned by the minority cabinet with the Christian Democrats (CDA).
This is a cabinet that of course has a political colour, Mr Rutte said. But the ambition is also to extend the hand outside the coalition and to enter dialogue.
Mr Rutte said his aim was to put government finances back in order and improve public confidence in the government by tackling issues such as immigration and public safety. – (Reuters)