Chavez Says Israel Committed Genocide
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused Israel of genocide against the Palestinian people, telling a French newspaper that the bombing of Gaza late last year was an unprovoked attack. “The question is not whether the Israelis want to exterminate the Palestinians. They’re doing it openly,” Chavez said in an interview with Le Figaro published on Wednesday. The Venezuelan president, who has just completed a tour of Middle Eastern and Arab countries, brushed aside Israeli assertions that its attack on Gaza was a response to rocket fire from Islamist group Hamas which rules the coastal enclave. “What was it if not genocide? … The Israelis were looking for an excuse to exterminate the Palestinians,” Chavez said, adding that sanctions should have been slapped on Israel. Israel launched an offensive against the Gaza Strip on December 27, 2008, with the declared aim of curbing rocket fire from the region into southern Israel. The land, sea and air assault lasted 22 days, and left some 1,300 Palestinians dead, according to medical sources. Chavez said he recognized Israel’s right to exist, as with all countries, but added that the Jewish state must respect the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. The Venezuelan president said he wanted more clarity from the United States on its foreign policy, adding that he was disappointed by recent U.S. dealings in South America, including the installation of military bases in Colombia. “Sadly, the arrival of Obama brought with it a lot of hope, but little change,” he said.

Congolese Court Sentences Two Norwegians to Death
A Congolese court sentenced two Norwegians to death Tuesday after convicting them of espionage and murder, drawing sharp criticism from Norway’s government. The men, former Norwegian soldiers, were convicted in May in the central Congolese city of Kisangani of murdering their driver and attempting to murder a witness. The court also convicted them of spying for Norway because they were carrying military ID cards at the time. Norwegian media identified the two as Tjostolv Moland and Joshua French. Norway does not have the death penalty. “I object strongly to the death sentences given these two Norwegian citizens,” said Norway’s foreign minister, Jonas Gahr Stoere. “Norway is against capital punishment as a matter of principle, and I will contact the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to give him this message.” But Congolese officials were firm in their decision. The men have five days to appeal before going to prison. “They will not be extradited,” said Claude Disimo, head of the military tribunal in Kisangani that tried the men. Disimo said the court ordered that $60 million in damages be paid. The Norwegian government denied the men were Norwegian spies. “We wish to distance ourselves from the conviction of espionage on Norway’s behalf,” Stoere said. “We also wish to distance ourselves from the court’s decision that Norway is responsible for paying damages. Norway is not a party in this case.” News agency NTB said the court convicted Moland of murdering a Congolese driver, and French was convicted of the attempted murder of a witness. The news agency reported that Moland and French “were found guilty on all charges. They were charged with murder, attempted murder, espionage, armed robbery and the possession of illegal firearms.” NTB also reported that Moland and French were ordered to pay $171,000 to the driver’s family and “associates.”

Former Rwandan Official Arrested
Rwanda’s former deputy interior minister was sentenced to 30 years in jail for participating in the country’s 1994 genocide. Callixte Kalimanzira, 54, who was arrested in 2005, allegedly tricked thousands of Tutsis into going to Kabuye Hill where they thought they would receive food and shelter. Instead, they were murdered by militias, the BBC reports. Kalimanzira, who was tried by the Tanzania-based International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, also is accused of supervising massacres in the region of Butare. He pleaded not guilty at the time of his arrest. In 1994, 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered in a period of 100 days. The tribunal, created to bring the genocide leaders to justice, has entered 38 judgments in total, reports Reuters.

Haiti to Receive $120 Million in Grants
Haiti, one of the world’s poorest nations, is slated to receive $120 million in grants from the Inter-American Development Bank, reports the BBC. The grants, which will be disbursed in 2010, will assist the Caribbean nation with improving its transportation infrastructure and water services, among other projects. The IADB gave Haiti $100 million for 2009 and $50 million in 2007 and 2008.

The central African nation of Rwanda kicked off a week of events to remember one of the worst genocides in world history. On Monday, Rwanda held a candlelit vigil for the national mourning to mark 15 years since the genocide claimed the lives of 800,000 people. Ceremonies were held in the capital Kigali, and in Nyanza, where more than 5,000 people were slaughtered, BBC News reports. At a stadium in Kigali, thousands of candles spelled out the word “hope” in three languages. Ensuring that such a crisis never occurs again is the “collective responsibility” of the world, said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. “Only by meeting this challenge can we match the resolve of the survivors and truly honor the memory of those who died in Rwanda 15 years ago,” he said. “The resounding voices of survivors touch us in ways that no other words could. Yet the silence of the more 800,000 innocent victims still haunts our collective conscience.” President Barack Obama said the genocide was “so enormous, so daunting, that it runs the risk of becoming a statistic.” Everyone who died in this massacre had “their own story, their own family, and their own dreams” and that remembering such events deepened the commitment to prevent “future atrocities,” he said, taking time to praise the “courageous” survivors who “demonstrated remarkable strength and generosity in forgiving those who committed these heinous acts. … These individuals inspire us daily by working to restore trust and rebuild hope in Rwanda.”

China will send ships to African waters to fight pirates. China will send ships to the waters near the Horn of Africa to monitor an area that has been prone to many pirate attacks, reports CNN. China hasn’t sent ships that far away from the country in centuries, but the recent surge of pirate attacks on China’s ships has pushed them into action. No word yet on how many ships the country plans to deploy, but officials did reveal that the operation would last three months. The waters have gone unmonitored, but the United Nation’s Security Council recently passed a resolution that would let an international coalition to go after pirates onto land (although China, a member of the council, hasn’t committed any forces yet). Just this year, almost 100 ships have been attacked by pirates in the waters near Somalia, with 40 of them being hijacked successfully, reports the news service. Pirates battled with crew members of a Chinese ship for four hours Wednesday before coalition helicopters and ships kept the attackers at bay.
Rwandan genocide mastermind is sentenced. The man behind the mass genocide in Rwanda during the ’90s has been given a life sentence by a United Nations tribunal, reports the BBC. Theoneste Bagosora and two co-defendants were found guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Bagosora and former military commanders Anatole Nsegiyumya and Alloys Ntbakuze were found to have led a committee that planned the killing of ethnic Tutsis. More than 800,000 people were killed during in the nation’s genocide. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the sentences, a result of the first convictions of anyone involved with the genocide, a “major step in the fight against impunity.” The court rejected the argument from the defense that the mass killings were not organized and, therefore, could not be considered genocide, reports the BBC. Bagosora will appeal the verdict, according to his lawyer.  The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is based in Tanzania.

World Lens: Twins are born in Germany – one Black, one White twins; Zimbabwe political rivals shake hands; and Obama visits the Middle East. Get these pics and more here.

Sudan’s president speaks out against genocide charges
In front of a crowd of supporters, Sudan’s president spoke out Wednesday against the charges of genocide brought against him by an international court prosecutor. “Every time we take a step forward, make progress and signs of peace emerge, those people try to mess it up, return us to square one and distract us with marginal issues and false allegations,” President Omar al-Bashir told the crowd of about 3,000. International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo recently filed 10 charges against al-Bashir of heading a plan of rape and genocide in his nation, specifically targeting three tribes in Darfur. Of the charges, three counts are for alleged genocide, five are for alleged crimes against humanity and two are for alleged war crimes. Critics of al-Bashir believe that the notorious Janjaweed militia, responsible for many heinous crimes in Darfur, is backed by the government. Moreno-Ocampo also wanted an arrest warrant but a decision on that request could take months. According to United Nations’ estimates, 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been made homeless since the violence started in 2003. Al-Bashir acknowledged problems in his nation but denied he has anything to do with them. “Yes, we all know that there have been problems in Darfur and we know that there have been injustices,” he said. “But we, from day one, I’ve sought to bring peace for all the people of Darfur.”