News In Brief

Algerian protesters keep up pressure on regime
AP, Algiers
Protesters are gathering at the main post office in Algiers, on the ninth straight Friday of demonstrations against the country’s leadership.
About 3,000 people had gathered at the Grande Poste, which has been a landmark during the weeks of protests, by 10 a.m. local time. They were shouting slogans including “Down with the System!” or “You ate the country, you bunch of thieves.”

Extremist brother handed 30-year sentence
AP, Paris
The brother of Islamic extremist Mohamed Merah has been convicted of complicity to murder for his involvement in a horrific 2012 attack in southern France that killed seven people.
An appeals court in Paris on Thursday raised Abdelkader Merah’s sentence from 20 years to 30 after finding him guilty of the additional charge. He had previously been convicted of ties to terrorism but acquitted of conspiracy to murder, leading prosecutors to lodge an appeal.

China sentences military veterans for protesting
AP, Beijing
Chinese courts announced multiple-year prison sentences Friday for more than three dozen military veterans who protested over the lack of benefits, saying the former soldiers had disrupted social order in a bid to further their own interests.
The announcements from the courts in the eastern provinces of Shandong and Jiangsu follow repeated demonstrations by veterans of various ages who say they haven’t been adequately compensated for their service.

UN begins evacuating refugees from Libya to Niger
AFP, Geneva
The UN said Friday it had evacuated 163 refugees from war-ravaged Libya to neighbouring Niger, but more than 3,000 others were still trapped in detention centres affected by clashes.
The move marked the first evacuation of refugees and migrants out of Libya since fighting escalated in Tripoli two weeks ago, the UN refugee agency said.