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Sierra Leone: Taylor Sentencing Is ‘Justice Done’

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
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The government of Sierra Leone says “justice has been done” with the sentencing of former Liberian president Charles Taylor. Government spokesman Sheka Tarawalie said Wednesday that Taylor’s 50-year prison sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity was welcome news for victims who may now find some relief. Some Sierra Leonians expressed disappointment with the […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Africa

Annan Leaves Syria Without Breakthrough

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
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A U.N. official says international envoy Kofi Annan left Syria without securing any major steps from the Syrian government to implement his faltering peace plan for the country. Mr. Annan discussed the Syrian crisis with Jordanian officials in Amman, Jordan, after flying out of Damascus Wednesday. While in Syria, the U.N.-Arab League envoy made a […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Search Ends for Survivors of Italy Earthquake

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
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Rescue workers have ended their search for survivors of Tuesday’s powerful earthquake in northern Italy that killed 17 people. Emergency teams had been pulling bodies from the rubble of homes, factories and churches damaged by the 5.8-magnitude quake. Some 350 people were injured. The epicenter of the quake was in the Emilia-Romagna region between the […]

Tags: , , Posted in Europe

UN: Civilian Casualties Drop in Afghanistan

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
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The United Nations says civilian casualties in Afghanistan’s decade-long war have dropped by more than 20 percent in the first four months of this year as compared to the same period in 2011. U.N. special representative for Afghanistan Jan Kubis told reporters in Kabul Wednesday that insurgents were responsible for nearly 80 percent of the […]

Tags: , Posted in South Asia

ICC Upholds Decision to Drop War Crimes Charges Against Rwandan

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
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An International Criminal Court appeals chamber has upheld a ruling to drop war crimes charges against a Rwandan man. Callixte Mbarushimana faced eight counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity in connection with the rape, murder, and torture of civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. But ICC judges ordered […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

Pakistani Doctor Jailed for Militant Ties, Not Helping CIA

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 8:40 am (UTC-5)
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The Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden was jailed last week not for working with the CIA, but for ties to militants. A tribal court last week convicted Shakil Afridi to 33 years in prison. Afridi was accused of running a fake vaccination campaign to help the CIA obtain […]

Tags: , , Posted in South Asia

Annan Leaves Syria Without Breakthrough

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 7:45 am (UTC-5)
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A U.N. official says international envoy Kofi Annan has left Syria without securing any major steps from the Syrian government to implement his faltering peace plan for the country. Mr. Annan flew out of Damascus on Wednesday, arriving in Amman where he met with top Jordanian officials. While in Syria, the U.N.-Arab League envoy made […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Tribunal Sentences Charles Taylor to 50 Years for War Crimes

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
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A special tribunal has sentenced former Liberian president Charles Taylor to 50 years in prison for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Special Court for Sierra Leone handed down its sentence Wednesday in The Hague, saying Taylor used his position to aid and abet rebels rather than to promote peace and stability. Presiding Judge […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in Africa

British Court Upholds Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 6:35 am (UTC-5)
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Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that Julian Assange, the Australian founder of the controversial website WikiLeaks, can be extradited from Britain to Sweden to face charges of sex crimes. Wednesday’s 5-2 decision by the high court upholds earlier decisions made by two lower courts to extradite the 40-year-old Assange, who is wanted in Sweden on […]

Tags: , , , , , Posted in Europe

China: Diplomat in Japan Not a Spy

Posted May 30th, 2012 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
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China is rejecting Japanese media reports that suggest a Chinese diplomat was spying on businessmen and politicians in Japan. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Liu Weimin said Wednesday the accusations against the diplomat, whom he identified as Li Chunguang, are groundless. “He is a researcher who has been doing research on Japan for a long time. He […]

Tags: , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific