■ United Kingdom
Royal Mail not amused
Britain's Royal Mail is threatening to sue an art gallery for displaying three prints of Queen Elizabeth wearing a gas mask -- works which the artist says he created in response to the war in Iraq. The Royal Mail said the gallery was breaking copyright laws by using a portrait of the Queen which the mail has used on its postage stamps for over 30 years. The three prints each show a profile of the Queen's head with a gas mask strapped to it. The straps of the mask are tucked under the monarch's crown. The edges of the prints are serrated to make them look like stamps, and they have "1st", "2nd" and "3rd" written on them in reference to the priority system used by the Royal Mail.
■ United States
Firing squad on hold
A serial killer's execution by firing squad in Utah has been put on hold until a court can decide whether he is mentally competent. District Judge Michael Burton signed the stay Tuesday after prosecutors agreed to the delay for Roberto Arguelles. Arguelles' death was to be part of back-to-back firing squad executions set for later this month. The execution of Troy Michael Kell, a white supremacist who stabbed a fellow inmate to death, was stayed last week on appeal. The two were to face firing squads on June 27 and 28, respectively. The US' last execution by firing squad was in 1996.
■ Sierra leone
President's arrest ordered
Sierra Leone's prosecutor expects Ghana to arrest Liberian President Charles Taylor after he was indicted for war crimes in Sierra Leone, the court's chief investigator said on Wednesday. Taylor was in Ghana's capital Accra for peace talks with rebels fighting to oust him. The UN-backed special court, which announced the indictment, said it had served a warrant for Taylor's arrest on the Ghanaian authorities. Taylor has long been accused of helping fuel the conflict by selling guns in return for diamonds to Sierra Leone's rebels, which launched their initial attacks from bases in Liberia.
■ United States
Manilow breaks nose
Barry Manilow is Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again after walking into a wall in his bedroom and breaking his nose. But the singer, who is famous for his prominent nose, is showing a sense of humor about the injury. "I may have to have my nose fixed and, with this nose, it's going to require major surgery," Manilow said. The 56-year-old singer had returned to his Palm Springs home after spending two weeks in Malibu working on a tribute album with his friend Bette Midler. In the middle of the night, he awoke disoriented and walked into a wall.
Agencies
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