Today's other world news stories in brief
Wilders wins appeal against British ban
LONDON – Right-wing Dutch legislator Geert Wilders, who faces prosecution in his homeland for anti-Islam remarks, won an appeal yesterday against a British government ban preventing him from entering Britain.
Mr Wilders was barred in February from coming into Britain because ministers said his presence would threaten community harmony and public safety.
He had planned to show his film Fitna, which argues that the Koran incites violence, in the British parliament but was turned back after landing at London’s Heathrow airport. – (Reuters)
Tribunal rejects Karadzic claims
AMSTERDAM – Judges at the Yugoslavia war crimes tribunal rejected yesterday former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic’s claims of immunity as well as an appeal to delay the start of his war crimes trial next week.
Karadzic faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the 1992-1995 Bosnian war, including two counts of genocide at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He denies all charges.
Arrested last year and brought to the Hague-based UN tribunal after 11 years on the run, he has demanded all charges be dropped on grounds that former US peace mediator Richard Holbrooke had offered him immunity in 1996 if he left public life. Mr Holbrooke has repeatedly denied this. – (Reuters)
Tusk in reshuffle after scandal
WARSAW – Polish prime minister Donald Tusk named three new ministers yesterday in a reshuffle that focused on continuity and experience after a lobbying scandal over taxes on gambling dented support for his centre-right government.
Facing the biggest challenge to his authority since he took power two years ago, Mr Tusk appointed Jerzy Miller, known as a competent administrator, to the key post of interior minister. – (Reuters)
Cuban spy’s jail term reduced
MIAMI – A US federal judge yesterday reduced to nearly 22 years the prison term for a convicted Cuban spy whose original life sentence was deemed too harsh by an appeals court.
The decision means that Antonio Guerrero (50), whom US prosecutors say was part of a Cuban espionage ring that spied on the Cuban exile community in Florida, could spend in principle nearly 11 more years in jail. He has been in custody since 1998. – (Reuters)
Tsvangirai ally on terrorist charges
MUTARE, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwean prosecutors applied yesterday to indict senior MDC official Roy Bennett to face trial on terrorism charges, which could see him detained, his lawyer said.
Mr Bennett is a key ally of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader and prime minister Morgan Tsvangirai. – (Reuters)
Madonna’s gift to Roma charity
ROMANIA – Madonna has offered one of her favourite pairs of Christian Dior shoes to a charity supporting Gypsy child education.
The gold high heels, which are autographed by the pop star, will be sold at the Ovidiu Rom annual ball later this month, organisers said.
Madonna drew international attention by saying during a concert in Bucharest on her Sticky Sweet tour in August that widespread discrimination against eastern Europe’s Gypsies, also known as Roma, should end. Thousands of fans responded by booing her. – (Reuters)