Bahrain student sentenced for insulting king

A lower criminal court in Bahrain, headed by a member of the ruling family, has sentenced a 17-year-old boy to a year in jail for insulting the Gulf island's king on Twitter.

The Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) on Saturday said Ali Al Shofa was arrested in a house raid at dawn on 12 March 2013. He spent two months in jail while under investigation.

Bahrain denies Iran mediation request

Manama: Bahrain’s foreign minister has denied reports that he had requested Algeria to mediate between his country and Iran.

“A brother does not mediate between his brother and a foreigner,” Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa was quoted as saying when he was asked about the tension between Bahrain and Iran and the chances of Manama requesting Algiers to mediate with Tehran.

“All countries can however convey Bahrain’s position to Iran so that the facts on the ground are obvious,” he said.