Milan judges quiz woman at heart of Berlusconi inquiry

Milan judges quiz woman at heart of Berlusconi inquiry - The Times of India: "Milan judges have questioned a 25-year-old woman accused of helping to recruit underage girls to attend Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's parties, ANSA news agency said.

The judges on Sunday summoned Nicole Minetti as part of a probe into the prime minister's alleged dalliances with under-age prostitutes.

Originally scheduled for Tuesday, they brought forward the session to allow Minetti to escape excessive media attention, ANSA reported, citing her lawyer Daria Pesce."

Read More

Agreement to end child recruitment in Afghan police

AFP: Agreement to end child recruitment in Afghan police: "The Afghan government and the United Nations on Sunday agreed to stop underage recruitment by the Afghan security forces and stem a range of violations against children in the conflict.
The agreement aims to 'prevent under-age recruitment into the Afghan National Security Forces as well as other violations committed against children in the context of the conflict,' a statement said.
Faced with a need to swell the ranks of the Afghan army and police forces, minors have been enlisted with some treated as sex slaves by local military commanders, it added.
Although Kabul officially bans the recruitment of children under 18 years of age, insufficient measures to verify age, low levels of birth registration and the easy manipulation of age in national identity cards have driven an increase in underage recruitment.
Sunday's agreement aims to boost the birth registrations system and the issuance of national IDs, as well as to prosecute those responsible for underage recruitment while helping children reintegrate back into society."

Read More

Dhaka may arrest top Islamist leader for war crimes

Dhaka may arrest top Islamist leader for war crimes: "Bangladesh's top Islamist leader Ghulam Azam, who chaired the formation of the militia that allegedly killed thousands of unarmed civilians four decades ago, may be arrested on charges of committing 'war crimes', a media report said.

Mohammad Abdul Hannan Khan, the senior-most member of the International War Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh, said 'some progress' in investigation into the allegations against Azam had been conducted.

He, however, did not mention about any time-frame for Azam's arrest, The Daily Star reported Sunday.

Azam, 88, was the Ameer (chief) of the Jamaat-e-Islami in then East Pakistan beginning 1969. He led the formation of the Shanti Committee, Al Shams, Al Badr and Razakars -- various Islamist militia accused of acting on behalf of the then Pakistani Martial Law administration."

Read More

Fred Korematsu: Statewide California holiday honors civil rights hero Fred Korematsu - latimes.com

Fred Korematsu: Statewide California holiday honors civil rights hero Fred Korematsu - latimes.com: "Twenty-nine eager fifth-grade faces stare up at Ines Trinh between recess and lunch one day last week. The children have been studying stories about perseverance in the face of pain; 'Give It All You've Got,' the lesson's catchy theme, is printed in big letters on a poster in Room 21.

The teacher has just read her young students at Lorenzo Manor Elementary School a book called 'The Bracelet.' It's the story of Emi, a Berkeley second-grader sent to an internment camp during World War II just because she was Japanese American. New vocabulary words: 'Injustice.' 'Inequality.'"

Read More

Family of soldier disappointed at war crimes charges | Reuters

Family of soldier disappointed at war crimes charges | Reuters: "Lieutenant General Curtis Scaparrotti has ordered the Army to proceed with trial of Private First Class Andrew Holmes, 20, on charges of murdering an Afghan civilian, conspiring to harm Afghans and using drugs during his deployment with the 5th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division.

Holmes, of Boise, Idaho, faces life imprisonment if convicted. A trial date has not yet been set."

:Text may be subject to copyright.This blog does not claim copyright to any such text. Copyright remains with the original copyright holder.

Read More