Burma this week said it would remove more than 2,000 people from a controversial government blacklist long used by the country's former military rulers to keep out critics, activists, and others deemed a threat.

On Thursday, the government went a step further, releasing the names of over 1,000 people who had been trimmed from the notorious list - including several high-profile activists, politicians, and even global celebrities.

A new report says three Eritrean journalists have died at a harsh prison camp after years in detention.

Media advocacy group Reporters Without Borders says an investigation confirmed that journalists Dawit Habtemichael, Mattewos Habteab and Wedi Itay all died in the prison camp of Eiraeiro.

The Paris-based group says the three men had been held since late 2001, when Eritrean officials arrested prominent journalists during a crackdown on independent media.

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A Pakistani judge has delayed bail proceedings for a Christian girl accused of blasphemy, a charge punishable by death in Pakistan.

Rimsha Masih was taken into custody earlier this month after angry neighbors surrounded her house in Islamabad and accused her of burning pages inscribed with verses from the Quran. Some say she was burning papers from the garbage for cooking.

Just outside Tibet’s capital, Lhasa, the Chinese government is building a $4.7 billion theme park that critics describe as a fairy tale universe that trivializes Tibetan culture and glosses over the nation’s troubles.

The construction gets into high gear as Tibetans continue to demonstrate and set themselves on fire to protests Chinese policies in the nation Beijing invaded 63 years ago. The 50th such self-immolation took place this week.

A Tibetan nomad has died after setting himself on fire in a remote region of northwestern China in protest of Chinese rule.

The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy says the man self-immolated Friday in front of a Chinese military compound in Qinghai province.

A friend of the man who set himself on fire said the man was in his late-50s. He is believed to be the oldest person to self-immolate among the dozens of Tibetans who have done so since 2009 to protest Beijing's policies in Tibet.

Three years before Nigeria’s next presidential election, retired General Muhammadu Buhari has rescinded his pledge not to run again, hinting he make take a fourth try at the office.

Buhari, a former military head of state, has an unusual reputation for a leader in Nigeria. Supporters say he is not corrupt. In fact, they say he is incorruptible.

They also say he is strict.

Tempers flared and protesters took to the streets after Egypt's constitutional court issued twin rulings, sparking confusion just days ahead of a presidential run-off election.

Egypt's Supreme Constitutional Court Thursday rejected a parliamentary law that barred officials from the rule of former president Hosni Mubarak from running for office, clearing the way for former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq to contest the upcoming run-off. Shafiq placed second to the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohamed Morsi, in the first round of voting in late May.

The Washington Post reports the U.S. military has set up small air bases across Africa to conduct surveillance of terrorist groups.

The newspaper, quoting U.S. and African officials, says about a dozen bases have been set up since 2007 in a number of countries, including Burkina Faso, Uganda, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and the Seychelles.

The Post reports that instead of drones, the surveillance program uses single-engine PC-12s flown by pilots. It says the small, unarmed planes are equipped to record video, track infrared heat patterns, and catch radio and cellphone signals.