■ United States
Phil Spector charged
Prosecutors on Thursday charged 1960s pop producer Phil Spector with the murder of an actress in his hilltop mansion nine months ago, officials said. The long-delayed criminal complaint alleges that Spector used a gun in the killing of Lana Clarkson, 40, on Feb. 3. Spector, who has remained free on US$1 million bail, appeared Thursday for an arraignment wearing black clothes, dark glasses and platform shoes. The music mogul did not enter a plea and was ordered to appear in court again on Jan. 23 for a date to be set for a hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for trial.
■ United States
Plague expert in court
A bubonic plague expert facing 69 federal charges, including lying to the FBI, took the stand in his own defense on Thursday, saying government agents coerced him into making a false statement to calm public fears about missing plague samples. Thomas Butler, a plague expert at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, testified in federal court that he made a statement declaring he had destroyed the vials containing bacteria that cause the plague because he trusted the FBI officer involved. "If you continue to say they [the vials] are missing or stolen, and not destroyed, we are going to be here a long time," Butler quoted FBI Agent Dale Green as telling him during questioning.
■ Greece
Hunger strikers near death
Five jailed anti-globalization demonstrators on hunger strike since late September are edging closer to death, one of their lawyers said on Thursday. The five -- two Spaniards, a Briton, a Syrian and a Greek -- were among seven protesters arrested in riots on the sidelines of an EU summit in northern Greece in June and charged with crimes including possession of explosives and weapons. The group were jailed pending trial but a court date has yet to be set and the group's lawyers have appealed to the Greek minister of justice for release on bail. The hunger strikers, protesting their innocence, were transferred last week to Athens' top security prison after their condition deteriorated.
■ Zimbabwe
Court releases protesters
A magistrate freed 52 people, including 14 labor leaders, two days after their arrest during nationwide demonstrations against President Robert Mugabe's autocratic rule. Nearly 90 people were arrested on Tuesday, including 52 people arrested in the capital, among them the four top leaders of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions. The 52 detainees first appeared Thursday, but were released on condition that they return yesterday to face charges of violating the nation's strict security laws. Labor leaders called for a nationwide strike to protest Tuesday's arrests, but it failed to take hold Thursday.
RSS