DNA confirms innocence of three Black men who served 15 years
CHICAGO�After spending half of their lives in prison for a crime that DNA evidence confirmed they didn�t commit, Omar Saunders, 32, Calvin Ollins, 29, and his cousin Larry Ollins, 31, were released on Dec. 5 and embraced each other and the world for the first time in 15 years.  The three young Black men were serving life sentences for the 1986 rape and murder of Lori Roscetti, a 23-year-old White medical student, whose lifeless and bloody body was found near a Chicago public housing complex.

A new chapter for U.S.-Sudan relations?
WASHINGTON�The Bush administration continues to press its diplomatic initiative aimed at a cease fire in civil war torn Sudan, sending a seven-member "technical team" there Dec. 7 to follow-up on proposals made by the president�s special envoy in a series of meetings in the region in November.  The team included officials from the State Department, Defense Department and the Agency for International Development, will stay about a week, former U.S. Senator John Danforth told reporters at the State Department.

Bush freezes assets of Islamic charity group
UNITED NATIONS (IPS)�The United Nations remains deadlocked on a major international treaty against terrorism because of sharp political divisions among member states. "The simple fact is that terrorism means different things to different people," said one diplomat from a developing country, on condition of anonymity. "We couldn�t find common political ground on several issues�despite the fact that the entire world is preoccupied with international terrorism."

Reporters bash UN, Pentagon and Israel
UNITED NATIONS�Members of international television and newspaper outlets engaged in a lively discussion Dec. 6, sharing their views on media coverage in the context of the Dec. 10 annual observance of UN�s agenda for human rights. The media reps did not disappoint the packed meeting room, taking swipes at the Pentagon, the UN and Israel. They questioned not just the violations of human rights of people, but also the press.