Netherlands 'halal homes' ignite religious row
Snip: Renovations in Amsterdam apartments - nicknamed "halal homes" in the press - have sparked a political row in the Netherlands.
About 180 apartments in Amsterdam have been given special makeovers which suit the wishes of Muslim residents. Features include individual taps that can be used for ritual cleansing before prayers and sliding doors to keep men and women apart.
Snip: Twenty-five percent of the country is already set aside as national parks or reserves, but "hunting tours" for tourists threatened the biodiverse ecosystem. Under the new law, anyone caught hunting will be subject to up to four months in prison or a $3,000 fine. There will be smaller penalities for people caught poaching wild animals or keeping them as pets.
France - a haven for genocide fugitives?
Snip: In September, 1994, Munyeshyaka escaped from Rwanda, with the help of the French Catholic Church. He had allegedly helped desecrate the Sainte-Famille parish in Kigali where survivors accuse him of torture, rape, and other crimes against humanity, during the Genocide. In 2006, a court in Kigali sentenced him, in absentia, to life imprisonment but he continues to roam free in the southern French village of Bourg-St-Andeol. In 1995, survivors lodged a complaint against him; French authorities arrested him on Genocide charges, but the charges were immediately dropped, and he was released.
Guinea to give government employees 50 percent pay rise
Snip: The government of Guinea reached an agreement with trade unions on Friday to grant state employees a 50 percent salary increase, ending a four-month stand-off, according to the text of the deal read on state television.