World briefs

SOUTH AFRICA

Warlord guilty in slaughter

The International Criminal Court yesterday handed down the second conviction in its 12-year history, finding Congolese warlord Germain Katanga guilty of war crimes. Katanga, a leader of the Patriotic Resistance Force in Ituri, one of the myriad armed militias in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, was found guilty of being an accomplice to murders and pillage during a 2003 attack on the village of Bogoro. Katanga was found guilty of four counts of war crimes and one count of crimes against humanity.

KENYA

Prez, cabinet take pay cuts

Kenya's president yesterday announced that he and his entire cabinet will take pay cuts as part of austerity measures to reduce the country's rising wage bill. Uhuru Kenyatta said that he and Deputy President William Ruto will take a 20 percent pay cut while members of his cabinet will see their pay reduced by 10 percent with immediate effect. Kenya is spending close to $4.6 billion in salaries, leaving only $2.3 billion for development, Kenyatta said.

ARGENTINA

CNN's Turner hospitalized

Cable News Network founder Ted Turner was rushed to a hospital in Buenos Aires yesterday from his holiday ranch in southern Argentina for appendicitis surgery. Turner, 75, was admitted to a hospital in Buenos Aires, CNN said in a message on Twitter. Turner Enterprises chief communications officer Phillip Evans confirmed his hospitalization.

NORTH KOREA

Only ballot options: yes, no

Voters will make a choice tomorrow when they elect a new national legislature, but not for a candidate. The ruling elite have already done that for them, and there's only one per district. They get to vote "yes" or "no." Virtually all pick "yes." One thing they don't get to decide is whether to bother voting. Going to the polls is expected of all eligible voters, which effectively makes elections a powerful tool for checking up on the people.