■ Netherlands
Taylor heads for tribunal
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is on his way to The Hague where he is to face war crimes charges before the Special Court of Sierra Leone using court facilities the Hague, the Dutch foreign ministry said yesterday. "He is en route for The Hague," ministry spokesman Gijs Gerlag said. "I cannot give any more operational information because of security concerns." Gerlag said Taylor was flying in on a UN flight.
■ United States
Belarus leader targeted
US President George W Bush on Monday ordered sanctions against Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko for undermining democracy. The executive order means any assets by Lukashenko in the US will be frozen. Lukashenko won a third term in March elections widely viewed as fraudulent in the US and Western Europe and he has been regularly criticized for the jailing and beatings of dissidents. The EU last month froze the assets of Lukashenko and 35 other top officials allegedly responsible for rigging the presidential elections and for the crackdown on democratic protests following the polls. Lukashenko has been referred to as the "last dictator" in Europe.
■ United Kingdom
Reid targets `knife culture'
Home Secretary John Reid said on Monday he was considering raising jail sentences for criminals convicted of carrying knives. The move comes amid fears of a growing knife culture in Britain and follows calls from the Conservatives for sentences to be increased to five years from two. "I'm giving serious consideration and reviewing sentencing options to the suggestion that maximum sentence for having a knife or blade in a public place should be increased," Reid told parliament. About 17,000 knives, machetes and axes have been handed to police in an amnesty on weapons which was launched last month. Reid said he could make changes to a bill going through parliament.
■ United States
Bush raises money
US President George W. Bush helped Republicans raise US$27 million toward the fall congressional elections, acknowledging that the unfinished war in Iraq remains a top concern in a difficult political season. "It is important to have members of the United States Congress who will not raise the white flag of surrender in the war on terror," Bush told donors at a fundraiser sponsored by House and Senate Republican campaign committees on Monday. He criticized proposals, such as those being advocated by some leading Democrats in Congress, for a phased withdrawal of US troops. Organizers said the event raised US$27 million -- US$15 million for Senate candidates and US$12 million for House candidates.
■ United States
Geriatric tried for murder
A 79-year-old woman accused of fatally shooting her 85-year-old ex-beau in Atlanta is being deprived of her constitutional right to a fair trial, her attorney said, because the potential jurors are not old enough for her to be judged by a jury of her peers. Lena Sims Driskell is accused of fatally shooting Herman Winslow on June 10 last year as he read the newspaper at the senior citizens home where the two lived. After dating for a year, police said Driskell became angry when Winslow broke off their relationship and started seeing another woman. Police say she was wearing a hairnet, stockings, a bathrobe and slippers when she confronted Winslow at his apartment. Winslow complained and a security guard tried to calm Driskell down, but when he turned around she drew an antique handgun she had hidden behind her back, put the gun to Winslow's head and fired up to four times, Detective D.B. Mathis said. "I did it and I'd do it again!" Driskell was quoted as yelling to the officers who found her waving the gun and holding her finger on the trigger when they arrived.
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