76 charged in probe of child-porn ring

76 charged in probe of child-porn ring

WASHINGTON

Seventy-two people have been charged with participating in an international child-pornography network that prosecutors say used an online bulletin board called Dreamboard to trade tens of thousands of images and videos of sexually abused children.

Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday a 20-month law- enforcement effort called Operation Delego targeted more than 600 Dreamboard members around the world for reportedly participating in the private, members-only Internet club created to promote pedophilia.

Numerous participants in the network sexually abused children age 12 and under, produced images and video of the abuse and then shared it with other club members, according to court papers released in the case.

Mubarak in bed, caged during trial

CAIRO

From a bed inside the defendants’ cage, an ashen- faced Hosni Mubarak showed a glimmer of his old defiance. Egypt’s former president wagged his finger in the air and denied all charges against him Wednesday as he went on trial for alleged corruption and complicity in the deaths of protesters who helped drive him from power.

The spectacle, watched live on state television by millions of Egyptians, calmed the fury of those who suffered under his rule — some of them parents of children gunned down during the uprising that toppled the longtime president.

The ailing 83-year-old Mubarak lay on a hospital bed as his sons, one-time heir apparent Gamal and wealthy businessman Alaa, stood protectively beside him, at times trying to shield their father from the camera and hundreds of spectators. Dressed in white prison uniforms, the two younger Mubaraks denied charges of corruption.

Statement slows sex-abuse trial

SAN ANGELO, Texas

Polygamist-sect leader Warren Jeffs gave a delayed opening statement about religious persecution Wednesday and dramatically slowed down his trial, where he is defending himself on charges of sexually abusing underage girls.

His surprise 30-minute statement followed prosecutors’ resting their case against him, after they played an audiotape of what they said was him assaulting a 12-year-old he had taken as a “spiritual wife.”

Jeffs, the ecclesiastical head of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, evoked images of the civil-rights movement and mentioned former Mormon leader Joseph Smith Jr. in his statement. He also asked the jury to remember constitutional guarantees of religious freedom.

UN condemns Syrian violence

UNITED NATIONS

After months of deadlock, the U.N. Security Council finally responded to the escalating violence in Syria on Wednesday, condemning President Bashar Assad’s forces for attacking civilians and committing human- rights violations.

The trigger for the council to act was the military assault launched by the Syrian government over the weekend against the city of Hama, 130 miles north of the capital, Damascus, which has a history of defiance. The offensive by Syrian forces, backed by tanks and snipers, was continuing Wednesday with reports of at least 100 dead in four days.

Associated Press