Four armed Islamic militants were sentenced to death...

Four armed Islamic militants were sentenced to death in abstentia by an Algerian court, official news agency APS reported.
The court in Laghouat, 400 kilometers (240 miles) south of the capital Algiers, also handed down life sentences to two other Islamists and prison terms ranging from three to 20 years to about 20 convicted Islamists, the agency said.
APS did not give exact figures for the number of people who were tried.
Those sentenced were convicted of belonging to two Islamist groups between 1994 and 2002 - Djounoud allah (soldiers of God), which operated in the countryside, and Djamaat el-Madina (urban group), which was responsible for logistical support, planting bombs and fundraising, APS said.
The court convicted them of "setting up an armed group, voluntary homicide, illegal possession of war weapons and encouraging terrorist activities".
Although the death sentence in Algeria is still legal, it has not been used since August 1993, when seven Islamists were executed for participating in a 1992 attack on Algiers airport.
Djounoud Allah and Djamaat el-Madina - along with Algeria's main armed groups, the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat (GSPC) and the Armed Islamic Group (GIA) - are fighting to establish an Islamic republic in the north African country.
The unrest, in which civilians are often the target of attacks, has claimed over 500 lives since the beginning of the year.