Recently in International News Category

According to CNN, there were six men suing the organization over allegations of sexual abuse.

Attorney Kerry Clark claimed the Boy Scouts of America was aware of the abuse by scoutleader Timur Dykes, now 53.

The organization was going to dispute the allegations, insisting they have always stood against abuse, the BBC reported.

"This is by far the biggest award against the Scouts for sex abuse, probably by several times," said Patrick Boyle, editor of the Youth Today newspaper and author of a book about sex abuse within the Boy Scouts of America.

CNN reported that rough diamond prices could rise 5 percent per year for the next five years, according to Des Kilalea, analyst at RBC Capital Markets.

De Beers expects a new Asian demand for diamonds, depleting the mines.

According to the Telegraph, De Beers produced about 48m carats in 2008 and will reduce that to 40m carats in 2011.

In the last two decades, the diamond industry has not been able to find any more mines as plentiful as the two largest mines in Africa, both owned by De Beers.

According to the Associated Press, the United Nations-African Union mission, or UNAMID, talked to the advisers on the telephone and confirmed they are ok.

However, the spokesman said they would be happier if they were released soon unharmed.

The advisers had not been heard from since Sunday.

The AFP reported that a Darfur group calling itself the People's Democratic Struggle Movement had a member who claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

"We want one billion Sudanese pounds (400,000 dollars) but that is not the most important. We want to show the international community that security conditions in Darfur do not allow for elections," Ibrahim al-Dukki told AFP.

According to Russian officials, the plane crash also killed 96 other people, including Kaczynski's wife and other government officials.

CNN reported that the plane crashed as it was trying to land at an airport near the city of Smolensk.

The president had been traveling with a Polish delegation for the 70th anniversary Russian massacre of Polish prisoners of war.

The event was intended to ease relations between Poland and Russia.

Although Russian television portrayed Kaczynski in a mostly negative light Saturday, the country declared Saturday a day of mourning.

According to the UK's Mirror, the Polish government declared a week for national mourning.

People gathered outside the presidential palace to lay flowers and light candles.

Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowski took over as acting president.

According to the BBC, the mine in the Shanxi province flooded after a wall was broken in an abandoned shaft.

There have been around 3000 people constantly working to rescue the miners and pump out the water in order to reach them.

According to officials, the miners are in a weak state and their eyes were covered in order to prevent permanent damage since they've been exposed to complete darkness for a week.

The Telegraph reported that Chinese officials believe more people in the mine could still be alive.

People were hopeful when they heard tapping on a metal pipe on Friday but have since heard no sounds.

A preliminary investigation reported that the mine's managers ignored water leaks before the accident, the State Administration of Work Safety said.

The event is just now being released to the public.

CNN reported that the Lord's Resistance Army was behind the four day attack in northeastern Congo, according to Human Rights Watch.

The Makombo and its surrounding areas is the size of Spain, making this attack huge.

According to Alan Doss, a United Nations Special Representative for Congo, the area the attack took place in is very remote and there are no intelligence or communications so cross-checking information was important.

Times Online reported that one of the victims was a three-year-old girl who was burned to death.

Officials said the majority of the people killed were men.

Adam Gadahn, who renounced his U.S. citizenship in 2008, has appeared in a number of al-Qaeda videos including one that praised the November shooting at a Fort Hood, Texas army base.

CNN reported that several U.S. officials said however that they heard no indication that Gadahn was captured.

Gadahn was raised on a farm in California but his family has not heard from him since 2002.

He began appearing in videos in a disguise in 2004 and continued appearing without a disguise in 2006.

In a recent video, he said he believed Muslims should emulate what happened at the Fort Hood, Texas shooting.

According to the BBC, 45 of the victims died in France as a result of either drowning or being hit by parts of buildings or trees.

As of Sunday, at least a dozen people are missing and 59 others are injured in France.

The storm system, named Xynthia, caused winds of up to 108 mph at the top of the Eiffel tower.

The AP reported that this is the worst storm system to hit France since 1999.

More than 900,000 people in France lost their electricity.

In the Pyrenees Mountains, the threat of avalanches is high due to high winds and wet snow.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy plans to visit the worst areas on Monday.

According to the BBC, Baradar was captured in a secret joint United States-Pakistani raid on February eighth.

The government has not yet confirmed the arrest and the Taliban is denying it occurred.

According to correspondents, Baradar is in charge of all long-term military planning for the Taliban in the southern part of Afghanistan.

Officials believe this arrest may result in difficulties for the Taliban in this region and the BBC reported that he has been talking.

The New York Times reported that Baradar is second in command only to Mullah Muhammad Omar, the man who founded the Taliban and who is also the current spiritual leader.

The Taliban has been denying that the capture took place however.

"This is just rumor spread by foreigners to divert attention from the Marja offensive," said Zabiullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban.

Kumaritashvili, a luger from the Republic of Georgia, died Friday during a practice run.

The BBC reported that the track has been modified to fully prevent more injuries, including raising the walls at the exit of the final curve where Kumaritashvili went off the track.

After investigating, the International Luge Federation said that the crash was not a result of the track but of a mistake made by Kumaritashvili.

According to the Associated Press, out of the 16 times Kumaritashvili took off from the original men's luge start, he crashed four times.

For the other lugers, the most difficult part of starting practice Saturday was the emotional aspect.