Defence in the Media: 27 April 2012

Summary
Various media report that Charles Taylor, the former Liberian president, has been convicted of aiding and abetting war crimes and is likely to face a prison sentence in the UK. | Various media report that the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has accused the Syrian regime of breaching the peace plan it has signed up to because it has failed to withdraw heavy weapons and troops from cities and towns. | The BBC Radio 4 Today programme has reported that Sudan and South Sudan are on the brink of a return to war and campaigners are calling on the UK to do more to prevent the conflict. | Various papers report that the Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has confirmed that 500 UK military personnel will be withdrawn from Afghanistan this year, with a further 200 switching from front line to support roles. | The Telegraph reports that British companies have been banned from selling equipment to Argentina's Armed Forces as ministers grow increasingly concerned over a possible military blockade of the Falkland Islands. | The Times has published a feature on the terrorist threat to the UK in the run-up to the Olympics, with Scotland Yard and MI5 said to regard complacency as an enemy. | The Telegraph reports that members of the Armed Forces and emergency services have been criticised for auctioning off their Jubilee medals on eBay within days of being awarded them. | Various papers cover the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's attendance at  a reception to celebrate the Scott-Amundsen Centenary Race to the South Pole in support of the Royal British Legion. | The Telegraph has published a feature on the effort to recover 60 Spitfire aircraft buried in Burma.