Killer of US Nun is Jailed

A Brazilian judge has sentenced a gunman to 27 years in prison after his retrial for the murder of US born nun and environmentalist Dorothy Stang. The killer was again found guilty of killing Sister Dorothy on the orders of two rangers in 2005. He had been granted an automatic retrial under Brazilian law because his first sentence was more than 20 years. She campaigned for poor farmers' rights and to preserve the rainforest from loggers and developers. Her murder followed a dispute with ranchers over land they wanted to clear for pasture and he wanted to protect. The killer said at his first trial that he mistook the bible she was taking out of her bag for a gun.

Blackwater Boss Grilled Over Iraq

The chairman of US private security contractor Blackwater has defended his firm and his staff during a grilling by a congressional committee. Blackwater has come under scrutiny since a shootout last month in Baghdad in which 11 Iraqis were killed. The FBI has begun investigating that incident. The firm's founder, Erik Prince, said his staff were brave and effective, and had acted appropriately.But one of the committee asked if the firm was a shadow mercenary force.