The Irish Times - Monday, November 23, 2009

In Short

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A round-up of today's world news stories in brief

Sudanese sentence six children to die

KHARTOUM – Sudan sentenced six children to death for taking part in a Darfur rebel attack on Khartoum but has since promised not to execute them, a leading UN official said yesterday.

“We have six from the attack on death row,” said Radhika Coomaraswamy, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict.

“The government claims that a military panel has found that these were not children. But the assessment of the international agencies is that they are children. I was assured today by the minister of justice that they will not be executed,” she said.

– (Reuters)

Dalai Lama defends Obama

NEW DELHI – Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama said yesterday that the US president Barack Obama was not soft on China and that he hoped he would discuss Tibet with the Indian prime minister in Washington this week.

“Obama is not soft on China, he just has a different style,” the Dalai Lama told the NDTV news channel in an interview.

Mr Obama had called for a resumption of dialogue between the Dalai Lama’s envoys and China to resolve the Tibet crisis during his just-concluded visit to Beijing. – (Reuters)

Senior Iranian released on bail

TEHRAN – A reformist former vice-president accused of fomenting street unrest after Iran’s June election was released on bail of about $700,000 (€470,000) yesterday, the judiciary said, after reports he had been sentenced to six years in jail.

The official IRNA news agency quoted Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi as saying Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who was vice-president during Mohammad Khatamis 1997-2005 presidency, was freed “temporarily”. Under Iranian law, people can post bail and be out of prison while appealing. – (Reuters)

Jackson’s glove fetches $350,000

NEW YORK – Michael Jackson’s famous white glove sold for $350,000 (€236,000) at a memorabilia auction on Saturday, soaring far past pre-sale estimates, while a black jacket he wore during a 1989 world tour fetched $225,000 (€151,000).

The Jackson memorabilia was the highlight of an auction of hundreds of rock’n’roll items, including many not associated with the “King of Pop”, who died in June.

Fans and dealers turned out at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York’s Times Square for the sale that included a car driven by Jackson. – (Reuters)