In brief: Man gets 12-year term in ambassador’s slashing

SEOUL, South Korea – A Seoul court today handed a 12-year prison sentence to a South Korean man who slashed and seriously injured the U.S. ambassador during a March forum.

Kim Ki-jong was convicted of attempted murder, assaulting a foreign envoy and obstruction, according to court spokesman Joon Young Maeng.

Both Kim and the prosecution have one week to determine whether to appeal.

Kim slashed Mark Lippert during a breakfast forum in Seoul, leaving deep gashes on the envoy’s face and arm. Lippert was treated for five days at a Seoul hospital.

Kim has described himself as an anti-U.S. activist. He told police his assault was meant to protest annual U.S.-South Korean military drills but that he did not intend to kill the ambassador.

Opposition leader convicted in Venezuela

CARACAS, Venezuela – Jailed Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was convicted and sentenced Thursday to almost 14 years in prison, the maximum allowed, for inciting violence as leader of protests last year in which several dozen people died.

The opposition leader has repeatedly denied the charges and says he only urged peaceful demonstration against President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government.

Supporters of the 44-year-old, Harvard-educated former mayor of a wealthy Caracas district say the trial was marred by irregularities. The court rejected all but two defense witnesses, both of whom ultimately declined to testify, while letting the prosecution call more than 100.

The trial was all but closed to the public, and Lopez sometimes refused to attend out of protest.

Israeli official outlines Russian buildup in Syria

Russia has been sending military forces into Syria in recent days, Israel’s defense chief announced Thursday, as Moscow hinted at broader action to bolster President Bashar Assad’s embattled army following a string of battlefield losses.

The increased Russian activity in Syria reflects Moscow’s deep concerns that its longtime ally is on the brink of collapse, as well as hopes by President Vladimir Putin that a common battle against Islamic State extremists can improve Russia’s ties with the West, strained over Ukraine.

But the strategy could be risky – and unless Russia sends large numbers of troops, halting the territorial gains made by Islamic militants could prove difficult.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told reporters Thursday that the Russian buildup appears to be limited, for the time being. He said military advisers, technicians and security guards have arrived in recent days, with the main goal of setting up an air base near the coastal town of Latakia that could be used to stage strikes on Islamic State fighters.

“As far as we understand, at this stage we are talking about a limited force that includes advisers, a security team and preparations for operating planes and combat helicopters,” Yaalon said. He called the move “significant.”

Pakistan says it used armed drone in combat

KARACHI, Pakistan – Pakistan this week became the world’s fifth known country to use an armed drone in combat.

Laser-guided missiles fired from the Burraq armed drone killed three “terrorists” in a mountainous region near the Afghan border Sunday, according to Pakistan’s military.

The U.S., Israel, United Kingdom and Nigeria have previously used armed drones in combat, according to publicly available information. France, Iran and the United Arab Emirates possess the capability but haven’t exercised it, according to a study led by Michael Horowitz, an associate professor of political science at the University of Pennsylvania.

While weapons-equipped versions of unmanned aerial vehicles account for a fraction of the global trade, their share has roughly doubled in the past decade. Proliferation is set to surge with about 30 countries either developing or already possessing the capability to equip drones with weapons.

Pakistan said in March that the Burraq, named after a flying steed ridden by the Prophet Muhammad, was developed indigenously. Many analysts, however, say it appears to be based on the CH-3 drone developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.