SERBIA
Suspect in shooting rampage dies
The Serbian veteran suspected of killing 13 people in a shooting rampage and then turning the gun on himself and his wife died Thursday, hospital officials said. Ljubisa Bogdanovic, 60, died from head wounds, Belgrade Emergency Hospital said. His wife Javorka Bogdanovic, 60, was recovering from surgery and her condition is serious but stable. Bogdanovic went on a pre-dawn, house-to-house rampage Tuesday in a village near Belgrade, including killing his mother, his son and a 2-year-old cousin, police say. Authorities are searching for motives; Bogdanovic had no criminal record or history of mental illness.
CANADA
Minister to oversee probe of teen’s suicide
Canada is looking further into the case of a teenage girl who hanged herself after an alleged rape and months of bullying, after a photo said to be of the assault was shared online and no charges were filed against four teenage boys being investigated. The death of 17-year-old Rehtaeh Parsons on Sunday has provoked an outcry across North America, and Nova Scotia’s justice minister said Thursday he has appointed four government departments to look into her case. A group reported to be the cyber-activist hackers Anonymous said it would avenge the teen’s death.
FRANCE
Top rabbi takes leave amid scandal
France’s top rabbi announced Thursday he is taking leave from his post, hoping to end a scandal that has unsettled the Jewish community after he acknowledged “borrowing” other people’s work and lying about his educational pedigree. The Central Consistory of France accepted Rabbi Gilles Bernheim’s request for time away at an urgent meeting to discuss fallout from the case. Bernheim, 60, later issued a statement apologizing to France’s Jewish community, his family and friends, and saying he could no longer do his job with the necessary “serenity.”
UNITED KINGDOM
Royal baby name bets surge
Britain’s bookmakers have some baby name ideas to offer to Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge: Alexandra is the clear favorite, with the odds slashed at 2-1 as of Thursday. One of the bookies, Coral, said that at one point betting on the name became so furious that it had to suspend it. Elizabeth, Diana and Victoria are close behind, following widespread speculation that the royal couple’s first child will be a girl. Alexandra appears to be a good bet — it’s the name of Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandmother, a Danish princess who married Edward VII.
RUSSIA
NGOs demand explanation from Putin
Russia’s nongovernmental organizations Thursday demanded President Vladimir Putin prove they received nearly $1 billion from foreign sponsors, a claim he has used to justify sweeping raids on hundreds of groups. The crackdown has drawn strong criticism from the West as a political witch hunt, but Putin insists it is necessary to check compliance with a new law that requires NGOs that receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents.” Leaders of top Russia’s NGOs urged him to order authorities to publish a list of the NGOs that received the foreign funds.
ISRAEL
Women detained over prayer at Western Wall
Israeli police Thursday detained five women at a Jerusalem holy site for performing religious rituals that ultra-Orthodox Jews say are reserved for men. The detentions came just a day after an Israeli organization proposed a establishing a new section at the site where men and women can pray together. About 120 women arrived Thursday morning for their monthly prayer service and police detained five for wearing prayer shawls, said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. He said they were later released without charge. The Western Wall, the only remaining part of the biblical Temple compound, is currently divided into men’s and women’s sections.
EGYPT
Legislature approves election law
Egypt’s Islamist-dominated legislature approved a revised version of the law organizing the country’s parliamentary elections Thursday, after a court ruled an earlier version was invalid and delayed the vote. The parliamentary elections had been scheduled to start this month, but the ruling said the law must be reviewed by the Supreme Constitutional Court before elections can be called. That body had asked for amendments to the earlier draft. Thursday’s approval was made by Egypt’s Shura Council, the upper house of parliament now fully entrusted with legislation until new elections are held.
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