For start today, 50 years prison sentence for Charles Taylor, the former leader of Liberia. Taylor was found guilty by the International Criminal Court last month. He is the first former world leader since WW II to be committed to world crimes. Taylor was the president of the African Nation of Liberia from 1997 to 2003. During that time, he was accused of being involved with a civil war in a neighboring country, C. The charges included murder, slavery, and forcing people younger than 15 to fight in the conflict. A special court in Netherland * down Taylor’s sentence yesterday. The judge says Taylor was responsible for quote aiding and batting some of the most brutal crimes in human history. The former Liberian leader is appealing his conviction.

 

International anger about what’s going on in Syria is growing. The UN Security Council is finding ways to pressure Syria’s government to stop the fighting that’s going on for more than a year now. Thousands of people, most of them are Syrians have been killed in this violence. There is anger inside Syria as well. This protest was in the city of Hula, that’s where more than 100 people were killed last Friday, and what people described as a massacre. One big question is what the international community can do about this. No country is openly pushing for military action. Some have spoken out against the idea; other say it should be an option. Some officials say right now the situation in Syria is at a tipping point.

 

Today spark Shoutout goes out to coach Ivy and coach G S’s classes at Mana High School in Mana Texas. What city is hosting this year’s Republican Party national convention? Is it SNL, SPM, DFC or TF? You’ve got 3 seconds, go. T is hosting the Republican national convention at the end of August. That’s your answer and that’s your Shoutout.

 

During that convention, the Republican Party will officially name its presidential nominee. That is now almost certain to be M R. This week, the former Massachusetts’ governor unofficially won his party’s nomination, thanks to the Texas primary. Governor M has been waiting delegates in primary * since January. Tuesday’s Within Texas, * over the so-called magic number of 1144, that’s how many delegates have taken to win the republican nomination this year. One of the people who offer congratulations to M R, his opponent, President Obama called governor R about the milestone yesterday. The president will officially be named the democratic nominee at that party’s national convention. That’s taking place in S in September.

 

State’s hosting those conventions and others along the US east coast are dealing with the rain and wind from Beryl. This is the same severe weather system that we’ve reported on early in the week. Wednesday evening, Beryl was no longer a tropical depression, even though it was losing strength, it still was raising concerns though; because in addition to the wind and the rain, Beryl was also causing dangerous rip currents. One person was swept away in Florida on Monday. Around 170 other swimmers had to be rescued from the circle with the weekend. Forecaster said the rip currents were a threat along the coast from Florida up through North and South Carolina.