International Glance
U.N. inspectors visited an Iranian plant on Sunday linked to a planned heavy-water reactor that could yield nuclear bomb fuel, taking up an initial offer by Tehran to open its disputed nuclear programme to greater scrutiny.
The increased transparency is the result of a thaw in relations between Iran and the West that culminated in a deal struck last month under which Tehran is to curb its nuclear programme in return for some easing of sanctions.
U.N. inspectors visit Iranian site linked to nuclear program
Pope assembles experts to tackle child sex abuse
Pope Francis on Thursday ordered the formation of a team of experts to address the sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church, in his first major step to tackle a crisis that has plagued it for two decades.
The group will consider ways to better screen priests, protect minors and help victims in the face of charges the Vatican has not done enough to guard the vulnerable or make amends.
Catholic group says nine priests abused children
The Legion of Christ, a Catholic congregation, said on Friday it had found nine of its priests guilty of sexual abuse of minors including its disgraced founder and one who assaulted a novice in the United States.
The Legion's reputation was already clouded by earlier revelations about Marcial Maciel, who set up the group in Mexico in 1941 and was accused of abusing eight young seminarians as well as fathering a child.
North Korea releases US war vet detained since October
North Korea freed an 85-year-old U.S. veteran of the Korean War Saturday after detention that lasted more than a month. Merrill Newman's release ended the saga in which he attempted to visit the North as a tourist six decades after he oversaw a group of South Korean wartime guerrillas still loathed by Pyongyang.
The decision by North Korea to release Newman, who had been detained since late October, came after he apologized for his alleged crimes, which included charges of "hostile acts" and accusations that he killed innocent people during the Korean War. North Korea also cited Newman's age and an undisclosed medical condition as factors in his release.
WTO Seals Deal for First Time in 18 Years to Ease Trade
The World Trade Organization agreed to the first major accord in the group’s 18-year history, a pact designed to smooth commerce at borders and safeguard food security programs in developing nations.
The deal unveiled today in Bali, Indonesia, was the first multilateral agreement negotiated by the WTO’s 159 member nations. It emerged from talks that had continued through the night after the U.S. and India compromised on food subsidies and a Latin American bloc led by Cuba dropped its earlier opposition to a draft agreement.
Italian cleric in CIA rendition case sentenced to six years in prison
A Muslim cleric whose kidnapping by CIA agents sparked debate about extraordinary rendition was sentenced Friday in Italy to six years in prison for terrorism.
Hassan Mustafa Omar Nasr was sentenced in Milan for his conviction on being part of a terrorist organization, Italy's ANSA news agency reported. Nasr, also known as Abu Omar, was in Egypt during the trial and was sentenced without being in court.
Israeli former security chief: failure to end conflict is bigger threat than Iran
The failure to reach a deal to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict poses a bigger existential threat to Israel than the Iranian nuclear programme, according a former head of the country's security agency, Shin Bet.
Yuval Diskin, who left office two years ago, criticised the continuing occupation and the growth of settlements in the West Bank, saying a solution based on two states would soon no longer be an option.
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