The News Review:

- … Releases American Charged for Taking Pics of Sierra Leone…
- Warlord sent for Hague trial
- Annan visits troubled Sierra Leone

… Releases American Charged for Taking Pics of Sierra Leone…
FOX News – Jul 5, 2006
“I don’t know who asked him to take the pictures. I’m not sure if he took them on his own. Chemidlin said his father traveled to Sierra Leone in mid-April to visit friends he had met while serving in Iraq for 10 months in 2005, and had planned to stay in Sierra Leone until mid-May. He is now expected to return to the U. by the end of the week, Andrew Chemidlin said. Related Stories.

Warlord sent for Hague trial
Times Online – Jun 21, 2006
Mr de Silva said that he did not believe that the trial would fall victim to the delays and legal wranglings seen in the Saddam and Milosevic cases. “I take the view that because of the slimmed-down indictment, done in order that the trial could take place within a politically acceptable time frame, and the responsibility of the defence counsel on board, that the trial could be completed easily within 12 months,” he said. Nine defendants are already standing trial in Sierra Leone and more than half of these are expected to hear verdicts by the end of the year. The UN special tribunal in Sierra Leone was set up jointly by the UN and the Government of Sierra Leone — which will have to meet any extra costs of the trial in The Hague. It differs from the UN war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, which were set up by the UN Security Council. The International Criminal Court’s first big trial of its own is likely to deal with people accused of atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prosecutions relating to the killings in the Darfur region of Sudan are also pending…
“I take the view that because of the slimmed-down indictment, done in order that the trial could take place within a politically acceptable time frame, and the responsibility of the defence counsel on board, that the trial could be completed easily within 12 months,” he said. Nine defendants are already standing trial in Sierra Leone and more than half of these are expected to hear verdicts by the end of the year. The UN special tribunal in Sierra Leone was set up jointly by the UN and the Government of Sierra Leone — which will have to meet any extra costs of the trial in The Hague. It differs from the UN war crimes tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, which were set up by the UN Security Council. The International Criminal Court’s first big trial of its own is likely to deal with people accused of atrocities in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Prosecutions relating to the killings in the Darfur region of Sudan are also pending.

Annan visits troubled Sierra Leone
Independent Online – Jul 4, 2006
Annan, who flew in late on Sunday from an African Union summit in Gambia, was expected to meet Sierra Leone President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah. A UN military force of 17 000 left at the end of 2005, having overseen elections and helped impose peace in Sierra Leone after the 1991-2002 civil war. But its work could be undone by widespread poverty in a country with one of the world’s lowest life expectancy rates.