The world in brief

— QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s time for the

North Koreans to get moving on their issues.” “We are not

preoccupied that much with the fate of

the Assad regime.” Russian President Vladimir Putin, on his longtime ally Syrian President Bashar Assad Article, this pageAssange applauds WikiLeaks suspect

LONDON - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange emerged for a rare public address Thursday, praising jailed U.S. soldier Bradley Manning in an address delivered from the balcony of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London.

The 41-year-old Australian gave no hint that he would end his standoff, which has seen him spend six months as a fugitive from European justice, saying he was holed up at the embassy for fear of the U.S. investigation into his activities.

Assange’s address namechecked a series of jailed figures, but the biggest cheers came when he praised Manning, the purported source of WikiLeaks’ most earth-shaking revelations.

He said the 25-year-old “has maintained his dignity after spending more than 10 percent of his life in jail, some of that time in a cage, naked and without his glasses.”High court: Woman

can testify in veil

TORONTO - A female witness can wear a religious veil that covers her face while testifying in court in certain circumstances, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday in a split decision.

The case involved a Muslim woman who sought to wear the veil known as a niqab, which leaves only the eyes exposed, while testifying against her uncle and a cousin who she claims sexually assaulted her when she was a child.

The two accused claimed that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms allowed them to confront their accuser and observe her facial expressions as she testifies.

Canada’s version of the Bill of Rights protects the right to wear the niqab or burqa.

While Canadian courts at times allow complainants to testify from behind screens in courtrooms or via closedcircuit television, the woman’s request to wear a veil was turned down in 2008 by a preliminary trial judge. The woman appealed.

U.N. OKs African operation in Mali

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council on Thursday approved an African-led military operation to oust al-Qaida-linked extremists from northern Mali, but not before the training of the country’s security forces and progress on political reconciliation and elections.

The resolution, passed unanimously, stresses that there must be a two-track plan, political and military, to wrest control of the turbulent north - an area the size of Texas - and successfully reunite the west African nation.

It authorizes an Africanled force to support Malian authorities in recovering the north but sets benchmarks before the start of offensive operations, starting with progress on a political road map to restore constitutional order. It also emphasizes that further military planning is needed before the Africanled force is sent to the north and asks Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to “confirm in advance the council’s satisfaction with the planned military offensive operation.”

U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous has said he does not expect a military operation to begin until September or October of next year.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 12/21/2012

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