Bahrain revokes top Shia cleric's citizenship

Bahraini authorities have revoked the citizenship of the most prominent Shia cleric in the Sunni-ruled kingdom, accusing him of sowing sectarian divisions, the interior ministry said yesterday. Sheikh Isa Qassim, considered the spiritual leader of Bahrain's Shia majority, was alleged to have used his position to "serve foreign interests and promote... sectarianism and violence," the ministry said in a statement.