In brief: Activist among 230 sentenced in Cairo

CAIRO – An Egyptian court Wednesday sentenced 230 people, including leading pro-democracy activist Ahmed Douma, to life in prison on charges of attacking security forces and damaging state buildings during violent protests more than three years ago.

The Cairo Criminal Court also fined Douma $2.2 million for the damage caused to cabinet headquarters and other state property during violent protests in late 2011.

The case is related to clashes that erupted between protesters and security forces outside the cabinet offices in central Cairo in December 2011, months after Hosni Mubarak was forced to step down. The unrest, which continued for several days, left 17 people dead and hundreds wounded.

Wednesday’s rulings can be appealed.

Douma was a prominent figure in the popular uprising that forced Mubarak to step down in February 2011.

Ex-Arctic priest gets 19 years for abuse

IQALUIT, Nunavut – A defrocked Arctic priest has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for dozens of sex crimes against Inuit children.

Eric Dejaeger’s crimes took place 35 years ago in the remote Canadian community of Igloolik when he was there as an Oblate missionary.

He originally was to be tried on some of the charges in 1995, but fled to his native Belgium and lived in Oblate homes until he was returned to Canada for immigration violations.

Dejaeger’s victims included 12 boys and 10 girls, most between 8 and 12 years old.

Many testified Dejaeger threatened them with hellfire or separation from their families if they told.

Sometimes he dangled food in front of hungry children as a lure.

Argentine leader’s tweet draws fire

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Embattled Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, while on a state visit to China seeking badly needed investment, caused a furor Wednesday by joking on Twitter about her hosts’ accents.

Fernandez tried to mimic a Chinese accent by switching “r’s” with “l’s” in a tweet in Spanish that translates as: “Did they only come for lice and petloleum.”

A few minutes later, she added: “Sorry, the levels of ridiculousness and absurdity are so high they can only be digested with humor.”

The tweets came as she met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

As of late Wednesday, there was no official response from China about the comments by Fernandez, a prolific tweeter who has 3.53 million followers.

But that didn’t stop the Twitterverse in the South American country and beyond from exploding with criticism of what many considered a racist tweet.