The parents of an American journalist who has been missing in Syria for the past five years said yesterday that they believe he is still alive — and that the U.S. and Syrian governments have assured them they are doing all they can to secure his safe release. The pair also expressed the family’s readiness to deal with any government or group that will help them win the freedom of their son.
Italy: Court convicts more than 40 in corruption trial
A Rome court yesterday convicted dozens of defendants in a wide-ranging corruption trial that revealed a system of kickbacks and intimidation to gain control of city contracts, but acquitted all of the defendants on key charges of mafia-style association. The trial was the first in Italy to unite allegations of corruption with the trappings of organized crime, and the court’s across-the-board rejection of the mafia-style allegations was a blow to prosecutors’ case, touted by Italian media as “Mafia Capital.”
