South Sudan on Saturday marked five years of peace as it pushed for full implementation of the deal that ended 21 years of war.

Sudan is expected to hold its first democratic elections in 25 years in April to be followed by a referendum in January 2011 to decide on whether south Sudan should become an independent country.

South Sudan Head of Mission to Kenya John Andruga Duku said south Sudan had achieved a lot in the political, economic and cultural fields since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed.

(Continue reading in Kenya's Daily Nation)

Photo credit: Sudanese Gather to Organize After 2004 Peace Agreement- USAID

With a sharp decline in inmate population over the past month, Gwinnett County Sheriff Butch Conway plans to devote a portion of the county jail to save dogs' lives.

The jail will serve as a foster home for the Society of Humane Friends, a pet rescue agency.

The dogs will have access to a fenced grassy area for exercise, Conway said, and trainers will come in to work with the inmates on grooming and training the animals.

"These dogs will be the dogs that would have been put down," Conway said. "They will be saved at the last minute."

(Continue reading at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)