Lawyers’ union hits out at judge

Egypt: The country’s lawyers’ union has criticised a judge for “terrorising” the defence team of an activist on trial over a 2011 protest.

Judge Mohammed Shehata gained notoriety when he sentenced three Al-Jazeera journalists to prison.

And on Saturday he was criticised by the union over the case of activist Ahmed Douma.

In Mr Douma’s trial Judge Shehata referred five of the six defence lawyers to prosecutors for investigation.

Ferguson police barricade court

United States: Ferguson police set up barricades yesterday around the building where a grand jury has been considering whether to indict the officer who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.

The grand jury’s decision had been expected to be announced yesterday, but civic groups said that it will reconvene today to continue deliberating.

Quake causes huge damage

Japan: Helicopter surveys yesterday showed extensive damage from an overnight earthquake in the mountainous area that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics.

At least 37 homes were destroyed in two villages and 39 people were injured across the region, including seven seriously.

The 6.7-magnitude earthquake struck shortly after 10pm on Saturday west of Nagano city at a depth of six miles, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.

UN peacekeepers set to leave Darfur

Sudan: The spokesman for the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force in Darfur said yesterday that the government had asked his mission to leave.

The snub follows tension between the mission and the government over an investigation into allegations of mass rape in the western region of Darfur.

Spokesman Ashraf Eissa said that the formal request was delivered last week.

Seven killed in car bombing

Iraq: A car bomb explosion at an outdoor market south of Baghdad killed seven people yesterday.

The attack took place in the early morning in a busy market in the town of Youssifiyah, 12 miles south of the capital. The blast killed seven people and wounded 16 others.

No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.

Ship rescue saves 228 Syrian migrants

Cyprus: Two hundred migrants, apparently refugees from Syria, have been rescued after their damaged ship drifted for hours in rough seas off the northern coast.

Turkish Northern Cyprus transport official Hasan Tacoy said the migrants, including 25 children, had received medical check-ups and had been housed in a sports hall in the coastal town of Girne.

Their ship, the Tanzanian-flagged Haj Zaher, called for help late on Saturday, about six miles off the coast.

Party Pooh-pers attack Winnie

Poland: Small-town officials have opposed naming a playground after Winnie the Pooh due to the bear’s apparently unclear gender and immodest clothing.

The matter was debated in a closed-door meeting in the central Polish town of Tuszyn, but didn’t get much media attention until recent days when voice recordings of the meeting were leaked to local media.

Officials complained that Pooh was immodestly dressed and lacked a clear gender. One called the bear a “hermaphrodite.”

Ex-PM still in police cells over graft

Portugal: Former prime minister Jose Socrates remained in police detention yesterday while an investigating magistrate decided whether he should answer charges of corruption, money-laundering and tax fraud.

Mr Socrates, who was Portugal’s prime minister from 2005 to 2011, appeared in a Lisbon court yesterday for a closed-door interrogation.