Friday, August 24, 2012

Thomas Lubanga Dyilo

  • A convicted war criminal from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
  • The first person ever convicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • Founded and led the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) and was a key player in the Ituri conflict (1999–2007). 
  • Rebels under his command have been accused of massive human rights violations, including ethnic massacres, murder, torture, rape, mutilation, and forcibly conscripting child soldiers
  • On 17 March 2006, Lubanga became the first person arrested under a warrant issued by the ICC.
  • His trial, for the war crime of "conscripting and enlisting children under the age of fifteen years and using them to participate actively in hostilities" began on 26 January 2009, and he was found guilty on 14 March 2012.He faced a maximum sentence of 30 years. On 10 July 2012, Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) sentenced Lubanga to a total period of 14 years of imprisonment, also ordering that the time from Lubanga's surrender to the ICC in 2006 until the sentencing day should be deducted from the 14 year term, which means he will spend 8 more years in jail

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Ethiopian Premier Meles Zenawi dead

Meles Zenawi arrives to cast his vote at a polling station in Adwa in this May 2010 file photo.— Photo: AFP


  •  Ethiopia’s Prime Minister since 1995 till his death, in August 2012
  • Mr. Meles is credited with resurrecting the ruined economy he inherited in 1991. In the last seven years, the economy has grown by an average 11 per cent annually due to investments in agriculture and infrastructure.
  • He also forged closer trade ties with India, Turkey and China and supported U.S. military operations in strife-torn Somalia.

Friday, August 3, 2012

Gore Vidal




Eugene Luther Gore Vidal was an American writer known for his essays, novels, screenplays and Broadway plays. He was also known for his patrician manner, Transatlantic accent and witty aphorisms.He has been described as the 20th century's answer to Oscar Wilde