A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Belarus politician alleges KGB torture
MINSK – A Belarusian politician who challenged President Alexander Lukashenko in his election last December has said the KGB state security service used torture to coerce him into “collaboration”.
Ales Mikhalevich (35) was held by police along with three other opposition candidates and hundreds of supporters in a crackdown on December 19th on a Minsk rally against Mr Lukashenko, the day he was re-elected for a fourth term in power.
Mr Mikhalevich, released from a detention centre on February 19th, told the press about the pressure which forced him to sign up to saying he would do what was asked of him. – (Reuters)
Ted Kennedy 'arranged to rent a brothel'
WASHINGTON – A young Edward Kennedy arranged to rent a brothel for a night while visiting Chile in 1961, a year before he was elected to the US Senate, an FBI file has revealed.
The previously redacted memo, dated December 28th, 1961, was released by Judicial Watch, a Washington- based organisation that said it obtained it through a freedom of information lawsuit.
According to the memo, Mr Kennedy made arrangements to rent the brothel “for an entire night” in Santiago earlier in 1961.
He was a 29-year-old assistant district attorney in Boston. He was elected to the Senate in 1962. – (AP)