Today's other stories in brief
Mladic aide will face extradition
BANJA LUKA - A Bosnian Serb officer accused of genocide and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1992-95 Bosnia war was arrested by Serb and Bosnian police yesterday and is awaiting extradition, officials said.
The arrest boosts the Serbia and Bosnia's prospects of closer ties with the EU. Zdravko Tolimir was a close aide of Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic and is believed to be the chief logistics operative in his network of supporters. - (Reuters)
Yushchenko may call snap election
KIEV - President Viktor Yushchenko said yesterday he would call a snap election in Ukraine within 60 days if parliament failed to pass a package of laws by the end of the day, but the chamber ignored the ultimatum.
The assembly had already missed a two-day deadline on Wednesday to pass laws to hold a ballot in September. - (Reuters)
Ex-US spy to sue CIA over memoirs
NEW YORK - A former spy whose unmasking led to the conviction of vice president Dick Cheney's top aide is suing the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), accusing it of unconstitutionally interfering with publication of her memoirs.
Valerie Plame Wilson and her publisher filed a suit in the US district court in New York yesterday against J Michael McConnell, the CIA director of national intelligence, and CIA director Michael Hayden. - (Reuters)
Italian prisoners ask to be executed
ROME - Hundreds of life prisoners in Italy have written to the country's president asking to be executed, saying it would be preferable to staying in jail.
Just as Italy's government is pushing for a global ban on capital punishment, 310 lifers have pleaded with President Giorgio Napolitano for him to execute them as they are"tired of dying a little each day". - ( Reuters)
Soldiers deployed to fight caterpillars
BRUSSELS - A mini-platoon of soldiers will be deployed to the Belgian forests to tackle a plague of hairy caterpillars that are causing allergy outbreaks in humans.
Procession caterpillars, which march in lines through forests, are covered in long, toxic hairs that cause dermatitis and respiratory problems and account for up to 80 per cent of doctor visits in the affected area. - (Reuters)
German overseas aid to rise €750m
BERLIN - Chancellor Angela Merkel has announced a €750 million increase in German development aid, a week before she is set to press other countries to honour aid promises to Africa.
Dr Merkel is due to host G8 leaders at a summit in Heiligendamm next week and honouring commitments to reduce African poverty is one of the points on her agenda. - ( Reuters)
Prodi to chair merged party
ROME - Italian prime minister Romano Prodi has been named chairman of a new centre-left party that will merge two of the main parties in his ruling coalition, boosting his power as polls show flagging faith in the government. - ( Reuters)