■ United Kingdom
Critics attack screening plan
Plans for every baby in the UK to be genetically screened at birth came under fierce attack yesterday from the British Government's advisory watchdog on the new science. Ministers unveiled a genetics strategy earlier this summer, including proposals for the DNA of every newborn to be stored on a database. It could form a vast reservoir of knowledge about their future health, enabling doctors to tailor treatment to each individual. But Baroness Kennedy, chair of the Human Genetics Commission -- set up to advise Government on complex ethical issues -- warned there was a risk of the information being used to discriminate against those found to carry certain genes.
■ South Africa
Rich tribe crowns 36th king
South Africa's richest tribe crowned its 36th king on Saturday in a colorful ceremony watched by thousands of cheering onlookers in the country's mineral-rich Northwest Province. Under the gaze of Africa's elder statesman Nelson Mandela and the wife of South African President Thabo Mbeki, the new king, Leruo Molotlegi, wearing a dark suit, was wrapped in a leopard skin and presented with a traditional wooden scepter and a shield made of cow hide. In his coronation speech Molotlegi, a trained architect, vowed to improve the living standards of the Bafokeng and urged the government of Africa's most powerful economy to view tradition as an ally of Western-style development.
■ United Kingdom
Traffic improves in London
Six months after its launch, London mayor Ken Livingstone's "congestion charge," an ambitious plan to cut the British capital's notorious traffic jams, has been hailed as a success by its supporters. "It's still early days, but so far it has reduced congestion by 32 percent, so we're pleased it's achieving what it ought to do and even a bit more," said Ruth Excell, a spokeswoman for Transport for London, the body responsible for transport in the capital. Under the charging scheme, launched exactly half a year ago yesterday, it costs motorists 5 to drive into central London.
■ United Kingdom
Two prisoners plead guilty
Two Britons held by the US at Guantanamo Bay will admit to supporting al-Qaeda in a plea bargain deal to secure short sentences, according to Britain's Independent on Sunday newspaper. Feroz Abbasi, 23, and Moazzam Begg, 35, were named by US President George W. Bush last month on a list of the first six prisoners to face military trial. The fate of Britons held at the US naval base in Cuba has become a tense political issue, and this week Britain's attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, sought assurances from the US that the pair would receive fair trials.
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