Belarussian interior minister resigns

Belarus's interior minister, who spearheaded unsuccessful attempts to find the perpetrators of a bomb explosion last year, resigned on Monday, President Alexander Lukashenko's press office said.

A statement said Vladimir Naumov, minister since 2000, had stepped down for health reasons - a commonly used formula for various circumstances in resignations or dismissals. The statement did not say who would take over the job in the ex-Soviet state, which is trying to improve relations with the European Union after years of accusations that it crushed basic rights. (Reuters)