In brief: Pimping trial starts for ex-IMF head

PARIS – Dominique Strauss-Kahn appeared in court Monday to face accusations of taking part in an international prostitution ring set up to provide him with prostitutes for orgies at luxury hotels in France and the U.S.

The former head of the International Monetary Fund, once considered a near shoo-in as France’s president, went on trial in the northern city of Lille to face charges of aggravated pimping and involvement in a prostitution ring operating out of luxury hotels.

The French economist known widely as DSK faces up to 10 years in prison and a $1.7 million fine, as he and more than a dozen other French and Belgian businessmen and police officers go on trial.

Investigators have compiled hundreds of pages of testimony from prostitutes describing the orgies allegedly organized by the 65-year-old Strauss-Kahn and his co-defendants, centered on the Carlton Hotel in Lille, near the Belgian border. Strauss-Kahn insists he never knew the women involved were prostitutes.

South Sudan factions sign deal

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – South Sudan’s warring factions early Monday signed another peace deal in the latest effort to end hostilities that have raged for more than a year, but analysts expressed doubt about whether it will hold.

The government and rebels have previously signed at least three peace deals which were broken quickly.

South Sudan rebels’ military spokesman, Lul Koang, said keeping the agreement depends on both sides.

“If the government respects the deal, then there will definitely be a decrease in the level of violence. But if they remain in the same mood, it is not going to stop the fight,” Lul said.

Leaders of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the regional bloc overseeing the talks, will take severe action against anyone who breaks this latest agreement and report them to the African Union and U.N. Security Council, said mediator Seyoum Mesfin.