Karadzic in court
1 The Hague Radovan Karadzic was charged with war crimes on Thursday
after 13 years on the run. Smartly dressed and clean-shaven after discarding
the bushy beard that concealed his identity for so long, he listened
impassively at court 1 of the International Criminal Tribunal, then refused
to enter a plea.
The former Bosnian Serb leader had been taken to a cell in the Hague, in
Holland, under tight security after there was rioting in Belgrade during a
rally of his supporters.
He faces 11 charges arising from the 1992-5 war in Bosnia. They include
genocide, complicity in genocide, unlawfully inflicting terror on citizens,
and hostage taking. He was granted 30 days to study the charges.
In a hearing that lasted just over an hour, Karadzic looked gaunt and appeared
to ramble.
He said he feared that he would be assassinated in an American plot and
insisted that he was a citizen of the three countries he had once aimed to
unite as Greater Serbia.
“I consider myself to be a national of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Republic Srpska
[the autonomous Serbian area of Bosnia], Montenegro and Serbia,” he said.
McCain’s bitter pill
2 Washington, DC John McCain took a trip to the doctor on Monday, just
as he can least afford to remind American voters of his age and potential
health problems. The Republican presidential candidate had a spot removed
from his face. It was just a routine precaution, according to the
71-year-old senator, but as he spoke under the boiling California sun the
press was quick to remind Americans that their would-be president has had
four malignant melanomas in the past 15 years.
The spot was harmless but he would have wanted to avoid any show of frailty
that might highlight the good health of Barack Obama, the Democratic
candidate, who is 47 tomorrow.
The Omaha World-Herald noted gloomily that “the word ‘melanoma’ may enter
Americans’ vocabulary more frequently over the next three months”. McCain
went on the attack later in the week, comparing Obama’s “celebrity status”
with that of Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
No happy ending
3 Switzerland The so-called Doha round of trade talks collapsed in
Geneva on Tuesday as the US, China and India failed to agree on the best way
to protect farmers in the developed world after nine days of talks. It was
the latest setback in seven years of negotiations aimed at extending global
free trade. The talks began in Doha, Qatar, in 2001.
Peter Mandelson, the European Union trade commissioner, described the
breakdown as “heartbreaking”. Celso Amorim, foreign minister of Brazil, said
that if he were in charge he “would replace the players”. India claimed it
was defending the interests of poorer nations but Susan Schwab, the US trade
representative, said the deal would have have put global trade back by 30
years. The Economist noted that few insiders had expected a deal.
Royal blow-out
4 Tonga King George Tupou V of Tonga, below, was officially enthroned
on Friday amid celebrations that included military parades, black tie balls,
a celebratory rugby match and a Tina Turner impersonator. But as he formally
became absolute monarch of the tiny South Pacific nation he offered to give
up most of his powers. “The sovereign of the only Polynesian kingdom is
voluntarily surrendering his powers to meet the democratic aspirations of
many of his people,” said a palace spokesman.
Supporters of the king hoped the concessions might appease critics of the £2m
spent on the coronation. The British royal family was represented by the
Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.
£23,500oil check
5 Qatar A car enthusiast wanted the very best when his Lamborghini
needed a service so he had it flown all the way to London. Specialist
mechanics checked the oil on the Murciélago LP640 (the same model driven by
Batman in The Dark Knight film) before sending it back to Qatar on Monday.
The cost is estimated at £23,500, including £3,552 for the service. A
spokesman for Lamborghini UK said: “This sort of thing is not unheard of.”
Zeros but no hero
6 Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe’s government has taken unexpected action to
combat inflation, knocking 10 zeros off the value of the Zimbabwe dollar.
Computers and cash dispensers had ceased to function in a country with the
world’s highest rate of inflation (estimated at 2.2m%-12.5m%) and where a
loaf of bread costs Z$100 billion.
The government’s announcement turned Z$10 billion into Z$1 but economists
warned that money could be worthless again by the end of the month. In a
televised address Mugabe warned businesses against profiteering.
“Entrepreneurs don’t drive us further. If you drive us even more we will
impose emergency measures,” he said.
Torso in suitcase
7 Brazil The dismembered torso of a 17-year-old British girl was found
in a suitcase on Monday. The body was identified as Cara Marie Burke, from
southwest London. It is thought her family identified her from a tattoo that
said “Mum”. Police have arrested Mohamed D’Ali Carvalho dos Santos, 20, her
boyfriend. The suitcase was dumped by a river 20 miles from the town of
Goiania in central Brazil. Officers were still searching last week for her
legs and arms, thought to be in the river.
Olmert to quit
8 Israel With tears in his eyes Ehud Olmert, the prime minister of
Israel, announced that he would stand down this autumn over corruption
charges that have tarnished his reputation. “The prime minister is not above
the law,” he said.
Yossi Verter, a commentator for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz, wrote: “The
only moment his voice shook was when describing the suffering of his family,
which has been publicly dragged through the muck along with him. Maybe that
was what finally broke him.”
Water on Mars
9 Texas There is water on Mars, Nasa scientists confirmed on Thursday.
It had long been suspected that ice would be found on the red planet. Now
the Phoenix probe has found some in a sample of soil. “We’ve seen evidence
for this water-ice before, but this is the first time Martian water has been
touched and tasted,” said William Boynton, a Nasa researcher. Scientists
will now want to know whether the water could sustain some form of life.
Putin’s warning
10 Russia Vladimir Putin may have made way for a new president but he
has lost none of his influence over Russia. Now prime minister, Putin
singled out Mechel, a coal and steel company, for harsh public criticism. He
accused it of price fixing and tax evasion and made veiled threats against
its billionaire owner, who was in hospital.
“Of course an illness is an illness,” Putin said in televised comments, but he
advised Igor Zyuzin to recover quickly “or we will have to send him a doctor
to clean up all these problems”.
Mechel had £4 billion wiped off its stock market value. “Putin’s threat sounds
like what a mafia don might say when his underlings step out of line,”
commented the Moscow Times.
