In brief: Opposition leader confined to home
TEHRAN, Iran – Authorities placed one of Iran’s opposition leaders under house arrest Thursday, posting security officers at his door and detaining one of his aides, in response to his calls for a rally in support of anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, his website said.
Iran’s hard-line rulers are seeking to deprive their own opponents at home of any chance to reinvigorate a movement swept from the streets in a heavy military crackdown.
The leader confined to his home, Mahdi Karroubi, had joined Iran’s other top opposition figure, Mir Hossein Mousavi, in asking the government for permission to hold a rally Monday in support of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.
State Prosecutor Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi rejected the demand on Wednesday and warned of repercussions if the rally takes place.
Judge keeps U.S. man jailed
LAHORE, Pakistan – A prosecutor says a Pakistani judge has ordered that an American man detained in a pair of shooting deaths remain in custody for 14 more days.
Abdus Samad says the judge also has ordered that the Pakistani government clarify whether or not the man enjoys diplomatic immunity.
The U.S. says the American, identified by Pakistanis as Raymond Davis, shot two Pakistanis dead in late January in self-defense because they were trying to rob him. Washington insists his detention is illegal under international agreements.
Bomber kills 32 at military school
LAHORE, Pakistan – A suicide bomb blast at a Pakistani military training school killed 32 on Thursday.
The attack occurred at the Punjab Regiment Center in the northwestern city of Mardan just as cadets were going through morning exercises. Zeeshan Haider, a local police official, said a teenage boy dressed in the uniform of a nearby school appeared on the grounds and detonated the explosives-laden vest he was wearing.
The blast also injured 42 cadets, several of them critically, authorities said. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Associated Press.