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POPSUS pays Uganda to arm Somali fighters The UPDF, which is in Somalia as part of an African Union peacekeeping force to the country, is said to have been paid up to $10 million (Shs21b) for arming and training the TFG fighting force. This is the first time the arms-for-cash deal is being made public and the revelations could mean that the UPDF was violating the neutral terms of its peacekeeping mandate by arming one of the combatants.
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POPSCatholic charity CARITAS supplied LRA rebels Why in the world would CARITAS agree to supply the thugs of the Lord's Resistance Army with food and supplies? How much are they getting paid by the "international sponsors" for fulfilling this contract? Is it worthwhile to give murderous thugs an incentive?
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POPSMother revives son but gets ticket "It is absolutely shocking to discover that Richmond Council's parking office cannot find it in their hearts to rescind a parking fine incurred by a desperate mother who had no choice if she was to save the life of her child. We are so appalled we struggle to find the words."
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POPSGambian government terrorizes citizens with witch-hunts In Makumbaya many residents did not want to speak to journalists for fear of reprisals. "I cannot talk to you (...) it is not that I don't want to explain my ordeal to you but because I don't want to be arrested," a woman in her fifties told AFP. Gambia, the smallest country on the African mainland, has been ruled by Jammeh since he grabbed power in a bloodless coup in 1994. In recent years it has come increasingly under fire over its poor human rights record. Jammeh's opponents, real and perceived, also find themselves subjected to daily rights violations including torture and unlawful arrests, human rights organisations say. Many in rural Gambia are have fled to neighbouring Senegal to escape the witch hunts.
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POPSLawyer disbarred over jury duty misbehavior "I changed my vote," Fahy said in the declaration, "so that the deliberations would finally come to an end and I could return to the office." When confronted by Ballati, the State Bar Court ruling said, Fahy contended that "his signature was forged, signed by him by mistake or he was tricked into signing it."
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POPSPreacher accused of paddling parishoners faces judge Bishop Towns preaches at God Worthy Ministries on Allen Road in northwest Bakersfield. Joey Sepulveda accuses Towns of paddling children and adults alike at church on Sundays or in private homes. "He told me that he had that right," Sepulveda said. "He was their shepherd. He's their pastor. He's their leader. They're the sheep, and he's accountable for them."
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POPSWould Jesus spank his kids? I totally disagree with Pastor John Piper. But then again I am not Christian. But I have a tough time believing that "God" gave children fat bottoms so they can be "whopped." And that inflicting "non-damaging" pain on a child is "really healthy."
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POPSSaudis detain Ugandan without trial for over four years Under the Saudi Arabian criminal procedure, a suspect has a right to be promptly notified of the reasons for his arrest or detention and the investigator must inform the detainee of the charges when the accused appears for the first time for an investigation.
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POPSFirst Khmer Rouge trial begins in Cambodia A born-again Christian, is said to have co-operated with investigating judges - and is expected to reveal important information about the decisions made by the organisation's leadership. His information could help in the trials set for later this year of four other defendants, analysts say. They include the surviving top leaders Nuon Chea, Ieng Sary and Khieu Samphan, who are all elderly and in poor health. All four have denied any knowledge of the atrocities that took place under their rule. If preparations for their trials get bogged down, as seems likely, Duch may be the only man ever held to account for the Khmer Rouge atrocities, our correspondent adds.
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POPSRussian job stimulis plan-will it work? "It is well-documented and proven that subsidising jobs is not an effective method of job creation," said Vladimir Gimpelson, director of the Higher School of Economics' Centre for Labour Research. "When the subsidies stop, the jobs go too." Alexandra Eftivyeva, chief economist at VTB Capital, said the best way to support employment was not to directly support people but to help their employers "restore their working capital credit".
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POPSEleven year old charged as adult in murder defense attorney Dennis Elisco has said the boy hasn't confessed to the shooting and he doubts the physical evidence will support police's claim that the boy killed Houk execution-style, with one shot to the back of her head.
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POPSIndian extremist group swamped by pink panty protest I think we saw physical assault and criminal conspiracy as a step too far," said Mihira Sood, a 25-year-old lawyer who was part of the "core group" of the consortium. She said the reason that the pink chaddi – Hindi slang for knickers – was chosen was that it was an "irreverent" riposte to rightwingers who claimed they were saving "women from shame and dishonour". "We wanted something irreverent and the chaddi is something we all wear but no one is supposed to talk about in Indian culture. It symbolised the hypocrisy of arguments," she said.
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POPSSA court orders life saving transfusion for 12 year old girl The girl is doing well. SA Human Rights Commission chairperson Jody Kollapen said that in such cases, the right to life took precedence over the right to religion. He said adults were regarded as fit to make informed decisions about their own bodies, but in the case of a child, state intervention was sometimes necessary. Jehovah's Witnesses argue that there are often alternatives to a blood transfusion, and they want to be allowed to consider other options.
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POPSOperation Lightning Thunder still chasing LRA However, two months since the operation was launched on the rebel camps in Garamba, allied forces are yet to locate Kony, who, along with his two deputies, is wanted at The Hague for war crimes. Estimated to number about 1,000 fighters, officials say the LRA has split into smaller groups which are now hiding at the Central African Republic border.