Breaking: An Ethiopian court has declared Swedish photojournalist Johan Persson and reporter Martin Schibbye guilty of supporting terrorism and entering the country illegally, according to an AFP report.

“Guilty as charged, period, unanimous vote,” the judge declared, according to the AFP story. The judge added that just because Persson and Schibbye are journalists doesn’t mean they didn’t engage in “criminal acts.”

“They have not been able to prove that they did not support terrorism,” the judge reportedly said.

Prosecutors are calling for 18-year jail terms, and sentencing is scheduled for December 27. (Editor’s note: See update, below.)

Persson and Schibye were arrested last July in the Ogaden region of the country. Ethiopian troops are currently fighting rebels in the oil-rich region and the government has barred journalists from the area. Schibbye and Persson, who is represented by the Swedish photo agency Kontinent, gained access to Ogaden with the help of a group of rebels that the Ethiopian government classifies as terrorists. Persson and Schibbye admitted at trial they had entered the country illegally, but vehemently denied they were aiding the rebels.

More on this disturbing developing story here…

In this July 19, 2011 photo, a leopard attacks a forest guard at Prakash Nagar village near Salugara, on the outskirts of Siliguri, India. The leopard strayed into the village area and attacked several villagers, including at least four guards, before being caught by forest officials, according to news reports. The leopard, which suffered injuries caused by knives and batons, died later in the evening at a veterinary center. (AP Photo) INDIA OUT

An award-winning photojournalist known for his incredible work in war zones died today in the Libyan city of Misrata, according to two of the organizations he worked for.

Tim Hetherington was killed when a mortar struck near where he was working, Vanity Fair and Panos Pictures (via CNN) say.

Hetherington, from the U.K., last year co-directed the acclaimed, Oscar-nominated film Restrepo, which documented the lives of a platoon of American soldiers serving at a remote outpost in Afghanistan. A contributing photographer for Vanity Fair, his biography says that Hetherington’s interests lie “in creating diverse forms of visual communication and his work has ranged from multi-screen installations, to fly-poster exhibitions, to handheld device downloads.” He turned 41 this year.

Read more here…

A delegate dressed in robes takes a photograph on Tiananmen Square after leaving the opening ceremony of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, March 3, 2011. REUTERS/David Gray

A resident walks near burning oil tankers which were set ablaze by an bomb explosion in Peshawar, northwest Pakistan February 8, 2011. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz

Transit officers are reflected on the hearse after a memorial ceremony for their slain colleagues at the police headquarters in Monterrey. Two officers were gunned down late Saturday by hitmen after stopping a vehicle for an inspection, according to local media. At least 100 people, including 18 policemen, have been killed in drug violence in the city and its environs since New Year’s Day.
REUTERS/Tomas Bravo

Indian Navy sailors are reflected in a puddle as they take part in a ceremonial parade during the Republic Day celebrations in the southern Indian city of Kochi January 26, 2011. Image has been rotated 180 degrees.
REUTERS/Sivaram

Poetess Armine Arjona stands near the site where human rights activist and poetess Susana Chavez was found murdered two weeks ago in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, January 16, 2011. Chavez was the creator of the phrase “Not one more,” used widely in a campaign to end a wave of killings aimed specifically at women since 1993.
REUTERS/Gael Gonzalez

Members of Japan’s Self-Defense Force are carried by a rope from a helicopter at an annual military exercise in Funabashi, east of Tokyo January 9, 2011.
REUTERS/ Photo by Kim Kyung-Hoon

Via Gizmodo:

Urban historian Steven Duncan and videographer Andrew Wonder explore the Undercity. Wonder shot the compilation of urban explorations—appropriately titled Undercity—on a Canon 5d Mark II. The journeys range from the sewer to the subway to the Williamsburg Bridge, and give us a look at the world that’s happening underneath our feet, unbeknown to us, every single day. Duncan’s made a mission out of these journeys, collecting his photographs and videos at Undercity.org.

See the video here…