World News

Riccardo S. Savi/WireImage(ISLAMABAD) -- Pervez Musharraf is one step closer to freedom, but he's not out of the woods yet.

A judge granted bail on Monday to the former Pakistani president and military strongman.  Musharraf stands accused of being involved in the December 2007 assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Bail was granted when the man who made the accusation refused to testify.  

Despite the bail, Musharraf remains under house arrest while two other cases against him make their way through Pakistan's complicated legal system.

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Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images(SEOUL, South Korea) -- North Korea fired a short-range missile into the Sea of Japan on Monday, marking the third straight day the country has launched similar rockets in the area, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.

The latest missile comes after the North launched one on Sunday, Yonhap reports. Three others were fired on Saturday.

North Korea's committee in charge of inter-Korean relations says the recent firing of short-range rockets are part of a regular military drill.

Following Sunday's launch, South Korea called North Korea's action "deplorable" and "provocative."  Seoul warned that it had placed "dozen of [Israeli-made] Spike missiles and their launchers" on its border islands, adding, "They can destroy [North Korea's] underground facilities and can pursue and strike moving targets."

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also remarked, "We are very concerned about North Korea's provocative actions."  He called on Pyongyang to return to talks on suspending its nuclear program although the regime of leader Kim Jong-un has made no move in that direction.

In April, there were fears that North Korea was ready to conduct another mid-range launch but it's likely China intervened in the matter upon U.S. urging.

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iStockPhoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) -- Is Iraq destined for another civil war?

The most recent spike in sectarian-related violence leading to more 140 deaths in just four days has many worried that Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is losing control even as security patrols were ordered increased around the country.

Last Friday, at least 70 people died in targeted Sunni neighborhoods, with dozens killed in a bombing near a mosque north of Baghdad.

The capital itself is turning into an armed camp with more SWAT teams, army patrols, police officers and mobile checkpoints than in recent memory.

What precipitated the new tension was a government attack on a Sunni protest encampment about a month ago that led to Sunni tribesmen taking up arms to fight back against what they believe is continued oppression by the Shiite regime.

Last month, 700 people died in Iraq, the highest casualty figure in nearly five years.  During the first three weeks of May, there have been more than 300 killed by violence.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio