Hong Kong employer fined for underpaying Indonesian maid:

Hong Kong employer fined for underpaying Indonesian maid: A Hong Kong woman was on Wednesday fined for paying her Indonesian domestic helper well under the government's prescribed minimum wage. The Tuen Mun Magistracy fined the employer HK$22,000 (US$2,824) for committing offenses under the Employment Ordinance, including the underpayment of wages to her maid. The employer paid her domestic helper HK$2,200 per month. The minimum allowable wage stipulated by the government is HK$3,670 per month. --AFP

Police storm Dutch court to end hostage drama: Police stormed a court in the southern Dutch town of Arnhem on Wednesday after an armed man took a public prosecutor hostage, an eyewitness said. At least 10 officers rushed into the court after shots were heard coming. A man armed with a handgun had taken the prosecutor hostage, officials and the witness said by telephone. --Reuters

Iran rejects Bush comments on WMD and suppression: Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Wednesday denounced as baseless Washington's allegations that Iran was seeking to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and repress its people. U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday repeated his accusations that Iran pursued weapons of mass destruction, and slammed Iran's clerical establishment for not responding to the nation's desire for freedom. Washington branded Iran as part of an "axis of evil" along with Iraq and North Korea last year for pursuing weapons of mass destruction and sponsoring terrorism. Iran strongly denies the charges. --Reuters